Religion tooke such effect agaynst the enemye that within sixe dayes after Queene Mary dyed and the tyranny of all Englishe Papistes with her Albeit notwithstanding the sicknes and death of that queene wherof they were not ignorant yet the Archdeacon with other of Caunterbury thought to dispatch the Martyrdome of these men before ¶ The burning of fiue Martyrs at Caunterbury In the which fact the tyranny of this Archdeacon seemeth to exceede the crueltye of Boner who notwithstanding he had certayne the same time vnder his custodye yet he was not so importune in haling them to the fire as appeareth by father Liuing and his wife and diuers other who being the same time vnder the custody and daūger of Boner deliuered by the death of Queene Mary remayne yet some of them aliue These godly martirs in theyr prayers which they made before their martirdome desired God that theyr bloud might be the last that should be shed and so it was This Katherine Tynley was the mother of one Robert Tynley now dwelling in Maydstone which Robert was in trouble all Queene Maryes time To whom hys Mother comming to visite him asked him how he tooke this place of Scripture which she had seene not by reading of the Scripture for she had yet in maner no taste of Religion but had found it by chaunce in a Booke of prayers I will poure out my spirite vpon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesy your olde men shall dreame dreames and your young men shall see visions And also vpon the seruantes and vpon the maydes in those dayes will I poure my spirite c. Which place after that he had expounded to her she began to take hold on the Gospell growing more and more in zeale and loue thereof and so continued vnto her Martyrdome Among such young women as were burned at Caunterbury it is recorded of a certayne mayd and supposed to be this Alice Snoth here in this story mentioned or els to be Agnes Snoth aboue storied pag. 1751. for they were both burned that when she was brought to bee executed she being at the stake called for her godfather and godmothers The Iustice hearing her sent for thē but they durste not come Notwithstanding the Iustice willed the messēger to go agayne and to shew them that they should incur no daunger therfore Then they hearing that came to knowe the matter of theyr sending for When the maide saw them she asked thē what they had promised for her and so she immediatly rehearsed her fayth and the commaundements of God and required of them if there were any more that they had promised in her behalfe and they sayd no. Then sayd shee I dye a Christian woman beare witnes of me and so cruelly in fire was she consumed gaue ioyfully her life vp for the testimony of Christes Gospell to the terrour of the wicked and comfort of the godly and also to the stopping of the sclaunderous mouthes of suche as falsly doe quarrell agaynst these faythfull Martyrs for going from that religion wherein by theyr Godfathers Godmothers they were first baptised ¶ The story and condemnation of Iohn Hunt and Richard White ready to be burnt but by the death of Queene Mary escaped the fire BEsides these Martyrs aboue named diuers there were in diuers other places of the Realme imprisoned whereof some were but newly taken and not yet examined some begon to be examined but were not yet condemned certayne both examined and condemned but for lacke of the writ escaped Other there were also both condemned and the writ also was brought downe for theyr burning and yet by the death of the Chaūcellor the bishop and of Queene Mary happening together about one time they most happely maruellously were preserued and liued many yeres after In the number of whom was one Iohn Hunt and Rich. White imprisoned at Salisbury Touching which historie something here is to be shewed First these two good men and faythfull seruauntes of the Lord aboue named to wit Iohn Hunt and Richarde White had remayned long time in prison at Salisburye other places therabout the space of two yeares and more During which time oft times they were called to examination manifold waies were impugned by the Bishop and the Priestes All whose examinations as I thoughte not much needefull here to prosecute or to searche out for the length of the volume so neither agayne did I thinke it good to leaue no memorye at all of the same but some part to expresse namely of the examination of Richarde White before the Bishop of Salisbury the Bishop of Glocester with the Chauncellour and other Priestes not vnworthy perchaunce to be rehearsed * The examination of Richard White before the Byshop of Salisbury in his chamber in Salisbury the 26. day of Aprill an 1557. THe Bishop of Salisbury at that time was Docor Capon The Bishop of Glocester was Doctor Brookes These with Doctour Geffrey the Chauncelour of Salisbury and a great number of Priestes sitting in iudgemēt Richarde White was brought before them With whome first the Bishop of Glocester which had the examination of him beginneth thus Bishop Brookes Is this the prisoner The chauncellour Yea my Lord. Brookes Frend wherefore camest thou hether White My Lord I trust to know the cause for the lawe saith in the mouth of two or three witnesses things must stand Doctour Capon Did not I examine thee of thy fayth whē thou camest hether White No my Lord you did not examine me but cōmaūded me to the Lollardes Tower and that no man should speake with me And now I do require mine accuser Then the Register said the Maior of Marlborow did apprehend you for wordes that you spake there for that I commaunded you to be conueyed hither to prison White You had the examination of me in Marlborow Say you what I haue sayd And I will aunswere you Geffray Thou shalt confesse thy fayth ere thou depart and therfore say thy minde freely and be not ashamed so to do White I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christ because it is the power of God to saluation vnto all that beleue S. Peter sayth If any man do aske thee a reasō of the hope that is in thee make him a direct aunswere and that with meekenes Who shall haue the examination of me Chaunc My Lord of Glocester shall haue the examinatiō of thee White My Lorde will you take the paynes to wet your coate in my bloud be not guilty thereof I warne you before hand Brookes I will do nothing to the contrary to our law White My Lorde what is it that you doe request at my handes Brookes I will appose thee vpon certayne articles principally vpon the sacramēt of the aultar How doest thou beleue of the blessed Sacrament of the aulter Beleuest thou not the reall carnall and corporall presence of Christ in the same euen
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
Sathan yet the Lord who graciously preserued hym all the whyle not onely at last did rid him out of all discomfort but also framed hym thereby to such mortification of lyfe as the lyke lightly hath not bene seene in such sort as he beyng lyke one placed in heauen alredy and dead in this world both in word and meditation led a life altogether celestiall abhorryng in hys mynd all prophane doyngs Neither was his talke any thyng discrepant frō the fruits of his lyfe throwyng out neuer any idle vyle or vayne language The most part of hys landes he distributed to the vse of hys brethren and committed the rest to the guidyng of hys seruauntes and officers whereby the more quietly he myght geue hymselfe to hys godly study as to a continuall Saboth rest This was about the latter end of K. Henries raigne and continued a great part of the tyme of K. Edward 6. After this in the persecuting dayes of Queene Mary as soone as the B. of Couentry heard the fame of this Iohn aforesayde beyng so ardent and zealous in the Gospell of Christ eftsoones he wrote his letter to the Maior and Officers of Couentry to apprehend hym as soone as myght be But it chaunced otherwyse by Gods holy prouidence disposing all thyngs after hys owne secret pleasure who seyng his old and trusty seruaunt so many yeares with so extreme and many torments broken and dried vp would in no wyse heape too many sorrowes vpon one poore sillie wretch neyther would commit hym to the flames of fire who had bene already baked and scorched with the sharpe fires of inward affliction and had sustained so many burnyng dartes and conflictes of Sathan so many yeares God therefore of hys diuine prouidence thinkyng it too much that one man should be so much ouercharged wyth so many plagues and tormentes did graciously prouide that Robert his brother beyng both stronger of body and also better furnished with helpes of learnyng to aunswer the aduersaries beyng a Maister of Arte in Cambridge should sustaine that conflict and euen so it came to passe as ye shall heare For as soone as the Maior of Cauentry had receyued the Byshops letters for the apprehendyng of M. Iohn Glouer he sent forthwith a priuy watchword to the sayde Iohn to conuey away hymselfe Who with hys brother William was not so soone departed out of hys house but that yet in sight of the shiriffe and other the serchers came and rushed in to take hym accordyng to the bishops commandement But when the sayde Iohn could in no place be found one of the Officers goyng into an vpper chamber founde there Robert the other brother lying on hys bed sicke of a long disease who was by hym incontinent brought before the Shiriffe Which Shiriffe notwithstandyng fauouryng Robert and hys cause would in deed fayne haue dismissed hym and wrought what meanes he could saying that he was not the man for whome they were sent Yet neuerthelesse beyng feared wich the stoute wordes of the officer contendyng with hym to haue hym stayed tyll the bishops commyng he was constrained to cary him away agaynst his will and so layed hym fast while the Bishop came And thus much by the way of preamble first concernyng the woorthy remembraunce of maister Iohn Glouer Now to enter the matter which principally we haue in hand that is to consider the story and Martyrdome of M. Robert Glouer forsomuch as the whole narration of the same by his owne record and testimony in a writyng was sent vnto his wife concerning the maner of his ordering handling it shall therfore seeme best for the more credite of the matter to exhibite the sayd his owne letter the wordes and contents whereof here ensue as followeth ¶ A Letter of M. Robert Glouer to his wyfe conteinyng the whole discourse and description of hys troubles susteined in prison and of his sundry conflicts betweene the Bishop and him about Religion ¶ To my entirely beloued wyfe Mary Glouer THe peace of conscience which passeth all vnderstāding the sweete consolation comfort strength and boldnes of the holy Ghost be continually encreased in your heart thorough a feruent earnest and stedfast fayth in our most deare and onely Sauiour Iesus Christ Amen I thanke you hartily most louing wyfe for your letters sent vnto me in my imprisonment I red them with teares more then once or twise with teares I say for ioy gladnes that God had wrought in you so mercifull a worke first an vnfained repentance secondly an humble hartie reconciliation thirdly a willing submission obedience to the will of God in all thyngs Which whē I red in your letters iudged them to proceed from the bottom of your hart I could not but be thankfull to God reioysing with teares for you these his great mercies poured vpon you These your letters and the hearing of your most godly procedings and constant doyngs from tyme to time haue much relieued and comforted me at all tymes shall be a goodly testimony with you at the great day against many worldly and dainty dames which set more by theyr owne pleasure and pelfe in this world then by Gods glory litle regarding as it appeareth the euerlasting health of their owne soules or others My prayer shal be whilest I am in this world that god which of his great mercy hath begun hys good worke in you will finishe it to the glory of his name and by the mighty power inspiration of his holy spirit so strengthen stablish and confirme you in all hys wayes to the ende that we may together shew foorth hys prayses in the world to come to our vnspeakable consolation euerlastingly Amen So long as God shall lend you continuaunce in this miserable world aboue all things geue your self continually to prayer lifting vp as S. Paule saith cleane or pure hands without anger wrath or doubtyng forgeuing as he sayth also if you haue any thyng agaynst any man as Christ forgeueth vs. And that we may bee the better willyng to geue it is good often to call to remembraunce the multitude greatnesse of our owne sinnes which Christ daily and hourely pardoneth and forgeueth vs and then we shall as S. Peter affirmeth be ready to couer and hide the offences of our brethren bee they neuer so many And because Gods word teacheth vs not only the true maner of praying but also what we ought to do or not do in the whole discourse and practise of this lyfe what pleaseth or displeaseth God and that as Christ sayth The worde of God that hee hath spoken shall iudge in the last day let your prayer bee to this ende specially that God of hys great mercy would open and reueale more and more dailye to your hart the true sense knowledge and vnderstandyng of his most holy word and geue you grace in your liuyng to expresse the fruits thereof And for as much
obseruing of Ecclesiasticall discipline according to the word of God And that the Church or congregation whiche is garnished with these markes is in very deede that heauenly Hierusalem whiche consisteth of those that be borne from aboue This is the Mother of vs all And by Gods grace I will liue and dye the childe of this Church Forth of this I graunt there is no saluation and I suppose the residue of the places obiected are rightly to be vnderstanded of this Church onelye In times past sayth Chrysostome there were many wayes to know the Church of Christ that is to say by good lyfe by myracles by chastity by doctrine by ministring the sacramentes But from that time that heresies did take hold of the Church it is onely knowne by the Scriptures whiche is the true church They haue all thinges in outwarde shew which the true Church hath in truth They haue tēples like vnto ours And in the end concluded Wherefore onely by the scriptures do we know which is the true church To that whiche they say the Masse is the Sacrament of vnity I aunswere The bread which we breake according to the institution of the Lord is the Sacrament of the vnity of Christes mistical body For we being many are one bread and one body forasmuch as we al are partakers of one bread But in the Masse the Lordes institution is not obserued for we be not all partakers of one breade but one deuoureth all c. So that as it is vsed it may seeme a Sacrament of singularitye and of a certayne speciall priuiledge for one sect of people wherby they may be discerned from the rest rather then a sacrament of vnity wherin our knitting together in one is represented Yea what felowship hath Christ with Antichrist Therfore is it not lawefull to beare the yoake with Papistes Come forth from among them separate your selues frō them sayth the Lorde It is ane thing to be the Church in deed another thing to counterfayt the church Would god it were well knowne what is the forsaking of the church In the kinges dayes that dead is who was the church of Englande The king and his fautors or Massemongers in corners If the king and the fautors of his procedings why be not we now the church abiding in the same procedinges If clanculary Massemongers mighte bee of the Church and yet contrary to the kinges proceedings why may not we as well be of the church contrarying the queenes procedinges Not all that be couered with the title of the church are the church in deed Separate thy selfe from thē that are such sayth S. Paule from whom The text hath before If any man folow other doctrine c. he is pint vp and knoweth nothing c. Weigh the whole text that yee may perceiue what is the fruit of contēcious disputatiōs But wherfore are such men sayd to know nothing when they know so many thinges You know the olde verses Hoc est nescire sine Christo plurima scire Si Christum bene scis satis est si caetera nescis That is This is to be ignorant to know many thinges without Christ. If thou knowest Christ well thou know est enough though thou know no more Therfore would S Paule knowe nothing but Iesus Christ crucified c. As many as are Papistes and Massemongers they may well be said to know nothing For they know not Christ forasmuch as in theyr massing they take much away from the benefite and merite of Christ. That Christ which you haue described vnto me is inuisible but Christes Churche is visible and knowne For els why would Christ haue sayd Dic Ecclesiae Tell it vnto the church For he had commaunded in vaine to go vnto the church if a man cannot tell which it is The Church which I haue described is visible it hath members which may be sene and also I haue afore declared by what markes tokens it may be knowne But if either our eies are so dazeled that we cannot see or that sathan hath brought such darckenes into the world that it is hard to discerne the true church that is not the fault of the church but either of our blindenesse or of Sathans darknes But yet in this most deep darkenes there is one most cleare candle which of it selfe alone is able to put away all darkenes· Thy word is a candle vnto my feet and a lyght vnto my steppes The church of Christ is a catholick or vniuersall churche dispersed throughout the whole world this church is the great house of God in this are good men euill mingled together goates and sheepe corne and chaffe it is the net which gathereth all kind of fishes this church cannot erre because Christ hath promised it his spirit which shall lead it into all truth and that the gates of hel shal not preuayle agaynst it that he will be with it vnto the end of the world whatsoeuer it shall loose or binde vpon earth shall be ratified in heauen c. This church is the piller and stay of the truth this is it for the which S. Augustine sayth he beleeueth the Gospell But this vniuersall Church aloweth the masse because the more part of the same aloweth it Therfore c. I graunt that the name of the Churche is taken after three diuers maners in the scriptures Some tyme for the whole multitude of them which professe the name of christ o◠the which they are also named christians But as sainct Paule sayth of the Iewe not euerye one is a Iewe that is a Iewe outwardly c. Neither yet all that be of Israell are counted the seede euen so not euerye one which is a christian outwardly is a Christian in deede For if any man haue not the spirite of Christ the same is none of his Therefore that Church whiche is his body and of whiche Christ is the head standeth onely of lyuing stones and true Christians not onely outwardly in name and title but inwardly in hart and in truth But forasmuch as this churche which is the second taking of the church as touchyng the outward fellowship is contayned within the great house hath with the same outward societye of the sacramentes and ministery of the worde manye thinges are spoken of that vniuersall Churche whiche saynct Austen calleth the mingled Churche whiche cānot truely be vnderstanded but onely of that pure part of the Churche So that the rule of Ticonius concerning the mingled Churche may here well take place where there is attributed vnto the whole Churche that whiche cannot agree vnto the same but by reason of the one parte thereof that is eyther for the multitude of good men which is the very true Churche in deede or for the multitude of euill men whiche is the malignant Church and sinagogue of Sathan And is also the third taking of the Churche of the whiche although there be seldomer mention
their sophistical Sophismes and fallacies you knowe that false thinges may haue more apparence of truth then thinges that be most true therefore Paule geueth vs a watcheÌ„ worde Let no man deceiue you with likelines of speache Neither is it requisite that with the contentious ye shulde follow strife of wordes which tend to no edification but to the subuersion of the hearers and the vayne braggyng and ostentation of the aduersaries Feare of deathe doth most perswade a great number Be well ware of that argument for that perswaded Shaxton as manye menne thought after that he had once made a good profession openly before the iudgement seate The flesh is weake but the willingnes of the spirite shal refresh the weakenesse of the fleshe The number of the cryars vnder the aultar must needs be fulfilled if we be segregated thereunto happy be wee That is the greatest promotion that God geueth in thys world to be such Phillippians to whome it is geuen not only to beleue but also to suffer c. But who is able to do these thinges Surely all our habilitie all our sufficiencye is of God He requireth and promiseth Let vs declare our obedience to his wil when it shal be requisite in the ryme of trouble yea in the middest of the fire When that number is fulfilled which I weene shal be shortly then haue at the papists when they shal say peace al things are safe when Christ shal come to keep his great Parliament to the redresse of al things that be amisse But he shal not come as the papistes fayne him to hide himself and to play bo piepe as it were vnder a peece of bread but he shal come gloriously to the terrour and feare of all Papistes but to the great consolation and comfort of all that wil here suffer for him Comfort your selues one an other with these wordes Lo syr here I haue blotted youre paper vaynely and played the foole egregiously but so I thought better theÌ„ not to doe your request at this time Pardon me and praye for me pray for me I say pray for me I saye For I am some time so feareful that I would creep vnto a mouse hoale some time God doth visite me agayne with his comforte So he commeth and goeth to teache me to feel to know mine infirmitie to thintent to geue thankes to him that is worthy least I shuld rob hym of hys duety as many do almost al the world Fare you well What credence is to be geueÌ„ to papists it may appeare by their racking writhing wrinching and moÌ„strously iniuryng of Gods holy scripture as appeareth in the popes law But I dwell here now in a schole of obliuiousnesse Fare you well once agayne and be you steadfast and vnmoueable in the Lord. Paule loued Timothy meruelous well notwithstanding he sayth vnto him Be thou partetaker of the afflictions of the Gospell and agayne Harden thy selfe to suffer afflictions Bee faythfull vnto the death and I wyll geue thee a Crowne of life sayth the Lorde * Here followeth the letters of the reuerend Byshop and Martyr Nicholas Ridley * A letter sent from Bishop Ridley and his prison fellowes vnto M. Bradford and his prison fellowes in the Kynges Benche in Southwarke an 1554. WEll beloued in Christ our sauiour we all with one hart wish to you with all those that loue God in deede and truth grace and health and especially to oure dearely beloued companions which are in Christes cause and the cause both of theyr brethren and of theyr own saluation to put their neck willingly vnder the yoke of Christes crosse How ioyfull it was to vs to heare the reporte of Doctour Taylour and of hys godly confession c. I ensure you it is hard for me to expresse Blessed be God whiche was and is the geuer of that and of all godly strength and stomacke in the tyme of aduersitie As for the rumours that haue or doe goe abroad eyther of our relenting or massing we trust that they whiche knowe God and their duety towardes theyr brethren in Christ will not be too light of credence For it is not the slaunderers euill tongue but a mans euil deede that can with God defile a man and therefore with Gods grace ye shall neuer haue other cause to do otherwise then ye say ye do that is not to doubt but that we wiâ—l by Gods grace continue c. Like rumour as yee haue heard of our comming to London hath bene here spread of the comming of certayne learned men prisoners hither from London but as yet wee knowe no certaintie whether of these rumours is or shal be more true Know you that wee haue you in our dayly remembraunce and wishe you and al the rest of our foresayd companions well in Christ. It shuld do vs much comfort if we might haue knowledge of the state of the rest of oure most dearely beloued which in this troublesome tyme do stand in Christes cause and in the defence of the truth thereof Somewhat we haue heard of mayster Hoopers matter but of the rest neuer a deale We long to heare of father Crome Doctor Sandys M. Saunders Ueron Beacon Rogers c. wee are in good health thankes be to God and yet the maner of our entreating doth chaunge as sowre ale doth in summer It is reported to vs of our keepers that the Uniuersitie beareth vs heauily A cole chaunced to fall in the night out of the chimney and burnt a hole in the floore and no more harme was done the Balyffes seruauntes sittyng by the fire An other night there chaunced as mayster Bailiffes told vs a dronken fellow to multiply wordes and for the same he was set in Bocardo Upon these things as is reported there is risen a rumour in the towne and country about that we should haue broken the prison with such violence as if mayster Bayliffes had not playde the prettye men we should haue made a scape We had out of our pryson a wall that we might haue walked vpon and our seruauntes had libertie to goe abroad in the towne or fieldes but now both they and we are restrayned of both My Lord of Worcester passed by through Oxford but he did not visite vs. The same day beganne our restraynt to be more and the booke of the Communion was taken from vs by the Bayliffes at the Maiors commaundement as the Bayliffes did report to vs. No man is licensed to come vnto vs afore they might that woulde see vs vppon the wall but that is so grudged at and so euill reported that we are now restrayned c. Sir blessed be god with all our euill reportes grudges and restrayntes we are merry in God and all our cure and care is and shall be by Gods grace to please and serue him of whom we look and hope after this temporal and momentany miseries to haue eternall ioye and perpetuall felicitie with Abraham
Isaac and Iacob Peter and Paule and all the heauenly company of the Aungels in heauen through Iesus Christ our Lord. As yet there was neuer learned man nor anye scholer or other that visited vs since we came into Bocardo which nowe in Oxforde may be called a Colledge of Quondams For as ye know wee be no fewer then three and I dare say euery one wel contented with his portion which I do reckē to be our heauenly fathers fatherly good and gracious gift Thus fare you well We shal by Gods grace one day meete together and be merry The day assuredly approcheth apace The Lorde graunt that it maye shortly come For before that daye come I feare me the world will waxe worse and worse But then all our enemies shal be ouerthrowne and troden vnder foote righteousnes and truth then shall haue the victory and beare the bell away whereof the Lorde graunt vs to be partakers and al that loueth truely the truth We al pray you as ye can to cause all our commendations to be made to all such as ye know did visite vs and you when we were in the Tower with their frendly remembraunces and benefites Maistresse Wilkenson and maistresse Warcup haue not forgottē vs but euer since we came to Bocardo with their charitable and frendly beneuolence haue comforted vs not that els we did lacke for God be blessed he euer hitherto hath prouided sufficiently for vs but that is a great comfort and an occasion for vs to blesse God when we see that he maketh them so frendly to tender vs whom some of vs were neuer familiarly acquaynted withall Yours in Christ Nich Ridley ¶ Letter of mayster Ridley sent to a Cosin of his GOds holy spirite be with you now and euer Amen When I call to remembraunce beloued Cosin the state of those that for feare of trouble eyther for losse of goods wil do in the sight of the world those thinges that they know and are assured are contrary to the wyll of God I can do no lesse but lamēt theyr case being assured the end thereof will be so pittifull without speedy repentaunce that I tremble and feare to haue it in remembraunce I would to God it lay vpon some earthly burden so that freedome of conscience might be geuen vnto them I wrote as God knoweth not of presumption but onely lamenting the state of those whome I thought now in this dangerous time should haue geuen both you and me comfortable instructions But alas in steade thereof we haue instructions to folow I lament me to rehearse it superstitious Idolatrye Yea and that woorst of all is they wil seeke to proue it by the Scriptures The Lord for his mercy turne their hartes Amen Commend me c. Yours Nicholas Ridley ¶ To Mayster Bradford BRother Bradford I wishe you and your company in Christ yea and al the holy brotherhood that now with you in diuers prisons suffereth and beareth paciētly christes crosse for the mayntenance of his Gospell grace mercy and peace from God the father and from our Lord Iesus Christ. Sir considering the state of this chiualrie and warfare wherin I doubt not but we be set to fight vnder Christes banner and his crosse agaynst our ghostly enemy the deuill and the old serpent Satan me thinke I perceiue 2. things to be hys most perilous and moste daungerous engynes whiche he hath to impugne Christes veritie hys gospell and hys fayth and the same two also to be the most massy postes and most mightye pillers whereby hee mayntayneth and vpholdeth his Satanical sinagogue These two sir are they in my iudgement the one his false doctrine idolatrical vse of the Lordes supper and the other that wicked and abhominable vsurpation of the premacy of the See of Rome By these two Satan seemeth to me principally to mayntayne and vphold hys kingdome by these two he driueth downe mightily alas I feare me the third parte of the stars in heauen These two poysonfull rotten posts he hath so paynted ouer with such a pretense and colour of Religion of vnitie in Christes Churche of the Catholicke fayth and such like that the wily serpent is able to deceiue if it were possible euen the elect of God Wherfore Iohn sayd not without great cause If any know not Satans subtleties and the profundities thereof I will wishe him no other burden to be laden withall Syr because these be hys principall and mayne postes whereupon standeth all his falsehoode crafte and trechery therfore according to the poore power that God hath geuen me I haue bended mine artillary to shoote at the same I knowe it to be but little God knoweth that I can doe and of my shotte I knowe they passe not Yet I will not God willing cease to doe the best that I can to shake those cankered and rotten postes The Lorde graunt me good successe to the glory of hys name and the furtherance of Christes Gospell I haue now already I thanke God for this present tyme spent a good parte of my ponder in these scriblinges wherof this bearer shal geue you knowledge Good brother Bradford let the wicked surmise and say what they list know you for a certaintie by GODS grace without all doubt that in Christes Gospelles cause agaynst and vpon the foresayd Gods enemies I am fully determined to liue and dye Fare well deare brother and I beseeche you and al the rest of our brethren to haue good remembraunce of the condemned heretiques as they call them of Oxford in your prayers The bearer shall certifie you of our state Farewell in the Lorde From Bocardo Yours in Christ Nicholas Ridley * An other letter of Mayster Ridley vnto Mayster Bradforde and other his prison fellowes An. 1555. DEarely beloued I wish you grace mercy and peace According to your minde I haue runne ouer all your papers and what I haue done which is but small therein may appeare In two places I haue put in two loose leaues I had muche adoe to read that was written in your great leaues and I weene some where I haue altered some words because I could not read perfectly that which was written Sir what shall best be done with these thinges now ye must consider for if they come in sight at this time vndoubtedly they must to the fire with theyr father and as for any safegard that your custody can be vnto them I am sure you looke not for it For as you haue bene partner of the worke so I am sure you looke for none other but to haue and receiue like wages and to drynke of the same cup. Blessed be God that hath geuen you liberty in the meane season that you may vse your penne to hys glory and the comforte as I heare say of many I blesse God dayly in you and all your whole company to whom I beseeche you commend me hartily Nowe I loue my country man in deed
declared my iudgemeÌ„t vnto you in this because I caÌ„not speake hereof without the daunger of my life Rich. There is none of vs here that seeketh thy life or meane to take any aduauntage of that thou shalt speake Phil. Although I mistrust not your honorable Lordships yâ— be here of the teÌ„poralty yet here is one that sitteth against me pointing to my Lord of London that wil lay it to my charge euen to the death Notwithstanding seeing youre honours do require me to declare my minde of the preseÌ„ce of Christ in the sacrament that ye may perceaue that I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christe neither doe mayntayne any opinion without probable and sufficient authoritie of the Scripture I will shewe franckly my minde without all colour what soeuer shall ensuâ— vnto me therfore so that my Lord of London wil not let me to vtter my minde Rich. My Lord permit him to say what he can seeyng hee is willing to shew his mind London I am content my Lordes let him say what he can I will heare him Phil. That which I doe entend to speake vnto you right honourable Lordes I do protest here first before God his Angels that I speake it not of vaynglory neyther of singularitie neither of wilfull stubburnes but truely vpon a good conscience grounded on Gods worde against the which I dare not do for feare of damnation which wil follow that which is done contrary to knowledge Neyther do I disagree to the proceedinges of this realme in the religion for that I loue not the Queene whom I loue from the bottome of my hart but because I ought to loue fear God in his word more then man in his lawes thoughe I stand as I seeme to do in this consideration and for none other as God I call to witnes There be two thinges principally by the which the clergy at this day doth deceiue the whole realm that is the sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ and the name of the Catholicke church yâ— which both they do vsurpe hauing in deed none of them both And as touching theyr Sacrament which they terme of the aulter I say now as I sayd in the Conuocation house that it is not the Sacramente of Christ neither in the same is there any maner of Chrystes presence Wherfore they deceiue the Queenes maiesty and you of the nobilitie of thys realme in making you to beleue that to be a sacrament which is none and cause you to commit manifest Idolatry in worshipping that for God whiche is no God And in testimony of this to be true besides manifest proofe which I am able to make to the Queenes maiesty and to all you of her nobility I will yeld my lyfe The which to do if it were not vpon a sure grouÌ„d it were to my vtter damnation And where they take on them the name of the Catholicke church wherby they blinde many folkes eyes they are nothing so calling you from the true religion whiche was reuealed taught in K. Edwardes time vnto vaine superstition And this I will say for the tryall hereof that if they can proue themselues to be the catholicke church as they shal neuer be able to do I wil neuer be agaynst their doynges but reuoke all that I haue sayd And I shall desire you my Lordes to be a meane for me to the Queenes maiestie that I may be brought to the iust triall hereof Yea I will not refuse to stand agaynst ten of the best of them in this realme And if they be able to proue otherwise then I haue sayd either by writing or by reasoning with good lawfull authoritie I will here promise to recant whatsoeuer I haue sayd to consent to them in all poyntes And in the declaratioÌ„ of these things more at large which now I write in summe the Bishop of London eftsones would haue interrupted me but the Lords procured me libertie to make out my tale to the great griefe of my Lord bishop of London as it appeared by his dumpes he was in LondoÌ„ It hath bene told me before that you loue to make a long tale Rich. Al heretickes do boast of the spirite of God and euery one would haue a church by himselfe as Ioan of Kent and the Anabaptistes I had my selfe Ioan of Kent a seuen night in my house after the writ was out for her to be burnt where my Lorde of Canterb. and Bishop Ridley resorted almost dayly vnto her but she was so high in the spirite that they could do nothing with her for all theyr learning But she went wilfully vnto the fire was burnt and so do you now Phil. As for Ioan of Kent shee was a vayne woman I knew her well an heretick indeed well worthye to bee burnt because she stoode agaynst one of the manifest artycles of our faith contrary to the scriptures and such vayne spirites be soone known from the true spirite of God hys church for that the same abideth wtin the limites of GODS word and will not go out of the same neither stubburnely mayntaine any thing coÌ„trary to the word as I haue gods word throughly on my side to shew for that I stand in London I pray you how will you ioyne me these ij scriptures together Pater maior me est pater ego vnum sumuê° I must enterprete the same because my Lordes here vnderstand not the Latin that is to saye The Father is greater then I and I and the father are one But I cry you mercye my Lordes I haue mispoken in saying you vnderstande no Latine for the most part of you vnderstand Latin as well as I. But I spake in consideration of my Lord ShaÌ„doys and M. Bridges his brother whom I take to be no great Latin men Now shew your cunning and ioine these two scriptures by the word if you can Phil. Yes that I can right well For we must vnderstande that in Christ there be two natures the diuinitie and Humanitie in respect of his humanitie it is spoken of christ The Father is greater then I. But in respect of hys Deitie he sayd agayne The Father and I be one London But what scripture haue you Phil. Yes I haue sufficient scripture for the proofe of that I haue sayd For the first it is written of Christ in the Psalmes Diminuisti eum paulominus ab Angelis Thou hast made him a little lesser then Aungels It is the xv Psalme beginning Coeli enarrant And there I misreckoned wherwithall my Lord tooke me London It is in Domine Dominus noster Yee may see my Lords how wel this man is vsed to say his Mattins Phil. Though I say not Mattins in suche order as youre Lordship meaneth yet I remember of olde that Domine Dominus noster and Coeli enarrant bee not farre asunder and albeit I misnamed the Psalme it is no preiudice to the truth of that I haue
to come which fleshe and bloud can not comprehend Being in the middest of my sweete rest it seemed me to see a great beautifull Citie all of the colour of Azure and white foure square in a marueilous beautifull composition in the middest of the skie the sight whereof so inwardly comforted me that I am not able to expresse the consolation I had thereof yea the remembrance thereof causeth as yet my hart to leape for ioy and as charitie is no churle but would others to bee pertakers of his delight so mee thought I called to others I cannot tel whom whiles they came and we together beheld the same by and by to my great griefe it vaded away This dreame I thinke not to haue come of the illusion of the senses because it brought with it so much spirituall ioy and I take it to be of the workyng of Gods spirite for the contentation of your request as he wrought in Peter to satisfy Cornelius Therfore I interprete this beautifull Citie to be the glorious Church of Christ and the appearance of it in the skie signifieth the heauenly state thereof whose conuersation is in heauē and that according to the Primitiue Church which is now in heauen men ought to measure and iudge the church of Christ now in earth for as the Prophet Dauid sayth The foundations thereof be in the holy hils and glorious thyngs be spoken of the city of God And the maruelous quadrature of the same I take to signifie the vniuersal agreement in the same and that all the Church here militant ought to consent to the Primitiue Church throughout the foure parts of the worlde as the Prophete affirmeth saying God maketh vs to dwell after one maner in one house And that I conceyued so wonderfull ioy at the contemplation therof I vnderstand the vnspeakeable ioy which they haue that bee at vnitie wyth Christes Primitiue Church For there is ioy in the holye Ghost and peace which passeth all vnderstanding as it is written in the Psalmes As of ioyful persons is the dwelling of all them that be in thee And that I called others to the fruition of this vision and to behold this wonderfull city I conster it by the will of God this vision to haue come vppon me musing on your letter to the ende that vnder this figure I might haue occasion to mooue you with many others to behold the Primatiue church in all your opinions concernyng fayth and to conforme your selfe in all poynts to the same which is the piller and stablishment of truth and teacheth the true vse of the sacraments and hauyng with a greater fulnesse then we haue now the first fruits of the holy Ghost did declare the true interpretatiō of the scriptures accordyng to all veritie euen as our Sauiour promised to send them an other comforter whiche should teach them all truth And since all truth was taught reuealed to the Primitiue church which is our mother let vs all that be obedient children of God submit our selues to the iudgement of the Church for the better vnderstanding of the Articles of our faith and of the doubtful sentences of the scripture Let vs not go about to shew in vs by followyng any priuate mans interpretation vpon the word an other spirite then they of the Primitiue Church had least we deceyue ourselues For there is but one fayth and one spirit which is not contrary to hymselfe neyther otherwyse now teacheth vs then he did then Therefore let vs beleue as they haue taught vs of the Scriptures and be at peace with them accordyng as the true Catholicke Church is at this day and the God of peace assuredly will be with vs deliuer vs out of all our worldly troubles and miseries make vs partakers of their ioy and blisse through our obedience to sayth with them Therefore God commaundeth vs in Iob to aske of the elder generation and to search diligently the memory of the Fathers For we are but yesterdayes children and be ignorant and our dayes are like a shadowe and they shall teach thee sayth the Lorde and speake to thee and shall vtter wordes from their hartes And by Salomon w◠are commaunded not to reiecte the direction of our mother The Lorde graunt you to direct your steppes in all thinges after her and to abhorre all contention with her For as S. Paule writeth If any man be contentious neither we neither the Church of God hath any such custome Hitherto I haue shewed you good brother S. my iudgement generally of that you stande in doubt and dissent frō others to the which I wishe you as myne owne harte to be conformable and then doubtles you can not erre but boldly may be glad in your troubles and triumph at the houre of your death that you shall dye in the Church of God a faythfull Martyr and receiue the crowne of eternall glory And thus much haue I written vpon the occasion of a vision before God vnfayned But that you may not thinke that I goe about to satisfie you with vncertain visions onely and not after Gods word I will take the ground of your letter and specially answere to the same by the scriptures and by vnfallible reasons reduced out of the same proue the Baptisme of Infantes to be lawfull commendable and necessary whereof you seeme to stand in doubt In deed if you looke vppon the papisticall Synagogue onely which hath corrupted gods word by false interpretations and hath peruerted the true vse of Christes sacraments you might seeme to haue good handfast of your opinion agaynst the Baptisme of Infants But forasmuch as it is of more antiquitie and hath his beginning from gods worde and from the vse of the Primatiue Church it must not in respect of the abuse in the popish Church be neglected or thought not expedient to be vsed in Christs church Auxentius one of the Arrians sect with hys adherentes was one of the first that denied the Baptisme of children and next after hym Pelagius the heretike and some other there were in S. Bernardes tyme as it doth appeare by hys writyngs and in our dayes the Anabaptists an inordinate kynd of men stirred vp by the deuill to the destruction of the Gospel But the Catholike truth deliuered vnto vs by the Scriptures playnly determineth that al such are to be baptised as whom God acknowledgeth for hys people and voucheth them worthy of sanctification or remission of theyr sinnes Therefore since that Infants be in the number or scroll of Gods people and be partakers of the promise by theyr purification in Christ it must needes follow thereby that they ought to be baptised as well as those that can professe their fayth For we iudge the people of God as well by the free and liberall promise of GOD as by the confession of fayth For to whome so euer God promiseth hymselfe to be theyr God whom
and the requests and petitions of the Priests of the people might ascend vp into the eares of God altogether and be as a sweete sauour odour and incense in hys nose and thus was it vsed many C. yeres after Christes Ascension But the aforesayd things cannot be done when the priests speake to the people in a laÌ„guage not known and so they or their clarke in their name say Amen but they cannot tel whereunto Where as S. Paul sayth How can the people say Amen to thy well saying when they vnderstand not what thou sayest And thus was s. Paul vnderstood of all interpreters both the Greekes and Latines old and new schoole authors and others that I haue red vntill aboue 30. yeres past At which tyme one Eckius with other of his sort began to deuise a new expositioÌ„ vnderstandyng S. Paul of preachyng onely But when a good number of the best learned men reputed within this realme some fauouryng the olde some the new learnyng as they terme it where in deede that which they call the old is the new and that which they cal the new is in deed the olde but when a great number of such learned men of both sortes were gathered together at Windsor for the reformation of the seruice of the Church it was agreed by both without controuersie not one saying contrary that the seruice of the church ought to bee in the mother tongue and that S. Paule in the 14. chap. to the Corinth was so to be vnderstood And so is S. Paule to be vnderstood in the Ciuill law more then a 1000. yeres past where Iustinianus a most godly Emperour in a Synâ—â—e writeth on this manner Iubemus vt omnes Episcopi pariter presbyteri non tacito modo sed clara voce quae a fideli populo exaudiatur sacram oblationem preces in sacro Baptismate adhibitas celebrent quo maiori exinde deuotione in depromendis Domini Dei laudibus audientium animi afficiantur Ita enim Diuus Paulus docet in Epistola ad Corinth Si solummodo benedicat spiritus quomodo is qui priuati locum tenet dicet ad gratiarum actionem tuam Amen quandoquidem quid dicas non videt Tu quidem pulchre gratias agis alter autem non aedificatur That is to say We commaund that all bishops and priests celebrate the holy oblation and prayers vsed in holy Baptisme not after a stil close maner but with a cleare lowd voyce that they may be plainly heard of the faithfull people so as the hearers mynds may be lifted vp thereby with the greater deuotion in vttering the prayses of the Lord God For so Paule teacheth also in the Epistle to the Corrinthians If the spirit doe onely blesse or say well how shall he that occupieth the place of a priuate person say Amen to thy thanksgiuing for he perceiueth not what thou sayest Thou doest geue thanks well but the other is not edified And not onely the Ciuill law and all other writers a thousand and fiue hundreth yeres continually together haue expounded S. Paul not of preching onely but of other seruice sayd in the Churche but also reason geueth the same that if men be commaunded to heare any thyng it must bee spoken in a language whiche the hearers vnderstand or els as S. Paule sayth what auayleth it to heare So that the Pope geuyng a contrary Commaundement that the people commyng to the Churche shall heare they wotte not what and shall aunswer they know not whereunto taketh vpon him to commaund not onely agaynst reason but also directly against God And agayne I sayde where as our Sauioure Christ ordeined the Sacrament of hys most precious bodye and bloud to be receiued of all christian people vnder the forms of bread and wyne and sayd of the cuppe Drinke ye all of this the Pope geueth a cleane contrary commandement that no laye men shall drinke of the cuppe of their saluation as though the cup of saluation by the bloud of Christ perteyned not to lay men And where as Theophilus Alexandrinus whose workes S. Hierome did translate about 11. hundred yeares past sayeth That if Christ had ben crucified for the deuils his cuppe should not be denied them yet the Pope denieth the cuppe of Christ to Châ—istian people for whome Christ was crucified So that if I should obey the Pope in these thyngs I must needes disobey my Sauiour Christ. But I was aunswered hereunto as commonly the Papistes doe aunswere that vnder the forme of breade is whole Christes fleshe and bloud so that whosoeuer receyueth the forme of bread receiueth as wel Christs bloud as hys flesh Let it be so yet in the forme of bread onelye Christes bloud is not drunken but eaten nor is receyued in the cuppe in the forme of wyne as Christ commanded but eaten with the fleshe vnder the forme of breade And moreouer the bread is not the Sacrament of hys bloude but of hys flesh onely nor the cup is not the Sacrament of hys flesh but of his bloud onely And so the Pope keepeth from all lay persons the sacrament of their redemption by Christes bloud which Christ commaundeth to be geuen vnto them And furthermore Christ ordeyned the Sacrament in two kyndes the one seperated from the other to be a representation of hys death where hys bloude was separated from hys fleshe which is not represented in one kynd alone So that the lay people receyue not the whole Sacrament whereby Christes death is represented as hee commaunded Moreouer as the Pope taketh vpon hym to geue the temporal sword by royall and Imperial power to kings and princes so doth he likewyse take vpon hym to depose them from their Imperiall states if they be disobedient to hym and commandeth the subiects to disobey their princes assoyling the subiectes as wel of their obedience as of their lawfull othes made vnto their true kings and princes directly contrary to gods commandement who commandeth all subiects to obey their kyngs or their rulers vnder them One Iohn Patriarke of Constantinople in the tyme of S. Gregory claymed superioritie aboue all other Bishops To whom S. Gregory writeth that therin he did iniury to his three brethren which were equall with hym that is to say the B. of Rome the B. of Alexandria and of Antiochia which three were Patriarchall seas as wel as Constantinople and were brethren one to an other But sayth S. Gregory If any one shall exalt hymselfe aboue all the rest to be the vniuersall bishop the same passeth in pride But now the B. of Rome exalteth himselfe not only aboue all kings and Emperours and aboue al the whole world taking vpon hym to geue and take away to set vp and put downe as he shall thinke good And as the deuill hauyng no such authoritie yet tooke vpon him to giue vnto Christ all the kyngdomes of the world if he would fall downe and worship hym In like maner
brought thither by a writ I trowe what he was I cannot tell I thinke M. Marshall can tell you Marshall In good fayth I cannot tell what the matter is but in deed my Lord chiefe Iustice seÌ„t him from the barre Mart. Well Careles I would wishe thou shouldest play the wise mans part Thou art a handsome man And it is pity but thou shouldest doe well and saue that which God hath bought Careles I thanke your good Maystershippe most hartely And I put you out of doubt that I am most sure and certayne of my saluation by Iesus Christ so that my soule is safe already what so euer paynes my body suffer here for a litle time Mart. Yea Mary you say trueth For thou art so predestinate to life that thou canst not perish in whatsoeuer opinion thou doest dye Careles That GOD hath predestinate me to eternall life in Iesus Christ I am most certayne and euen so am I sure that his holy spirite wherewith I am sealed will so preserue me from all heresies euill opinions that I shall dye in none at all Mart. Go to let me heare your fayth in predestination For that shal be written also Careles Your Maystership shall pardon me herein For you sayd your selfe erewhile that you had no Commission to examine my conscience I will trouble my selfe wyth aunswering of no moe matters then I needes must vntil I come before them that shall haue more authority farther to examine me Mart. I tell thee then I haue Commission yea and commaundement from the Counsell to examine thee for they deliuered me thy articles Careles Yea I thinke in deede that your Mastershippe is appointed to examine me of my articles whiche you haue there in writing and I haue told you the truth I do confesse them to be mine owne fact and deede but you do now examâ—ne me of predestination whereof my articles speaketh nothing at all Martin I tell thee yet agayne that I muste also examine thee of such thinges as be in controuersye betweene thee thy fellowes in the Kings Bench whereof predestination is a part as thy fellow N. hath confessed and thy selfe doest not deny it Carel. I do not deny it But he that first told you that matter might haue found himselfe much better occupyed Martyn Why what if he had not told me thinkest thou I would not haue knoweÌ„ it yes or els thou shouldest haue withstand my Commission For I tell thee truthe I may now examine thee of the blessed Sacrament or any other thing that I list but that I would shew thee fauour and not be to hasty with thee at the first Marshall Yea in deede Careles Maister Doctor hath CoÌ„mission to examine you or any other of your fellowes Mart. Yea mary haue I I tell the truth of it Carel. Then let your Scribe set his pen to the paper and you shall haue it roundly euen as the truth is I beleeue that almightye God our moste deare louing father of his great mercy and infinite goodnes did elect in Christ. Mart. Tush what neede all that long circumstance write I beleeue that God elected and make no more adoe Carel. No not so M. Doctour It is an high mistery and ought reuerently to be spoken of And if my wordes may not be written as I do vtter them I wil not speake at all Mart Go to go to write what he will Here is more busines then needeth Careles I beleeue that Almighty GOD our moste deare louing Father of his greate mercy and infinite goodnesse thorough Iesus Christ did elect and appoynt in him before the fouÌ„dation of the earth was layd a Church or congregation which he doth continually guide and gouerne by his grace and holy spirite so that not one of them shall euer finally perishe When this was written M. Doctor tooke it in his hand and read it saying Mart. Why who will deny this Carel. Iâ— your Maistership doe allow it and other learned men when they shall see it I haue my hartes desyer Mart. And do you hold none otherwise theÌ„ is there writteÌ„ Carel. No verily nor neuer did Mart. Write that he sayth otherwise he holdeth not So that was written It was told me also that thou doest affirme that Christ did not dye effectually for all men Carel Whatsoeuer hath bene told you it is not much materiall vnto me Let the tellers of such tales come before my face and I trust to make them aunswere For in deede I do beleeue that Christe did effectually dye for all those that do effectually repent and beleeue and for none other so that was written also Mert. Now Syr what is Trewes fayth of predestinatioÌ„ he beleeueth that all men be predestinate that none shall be damned Doth he not Carel. No forsooth that doth he not Mart How then Carel Truely I thinke he doth beleeue as your Maistershyp and the rest of the Clergy do beleeue of predestinatioÌ„ that we bee elected in respecte of our good workes and so long elected as we do them and no longer Martyn Write that he sayth his fellow Trew beleeueth of predestination as the Papistes do beleeue Carel. Ah Maister Doctour did I so terme you Seing that this my confession shall come before the Counsell I pray you place my termes as reuerently as I spake them Mart Well well write that Trew is of the same fayth as the Catholickes be Carel. I did not so call you neyther I wonder what you meane Marshal You sayd the Clergy did you not Careles Carel. Yes forsooth did I. So then it was written of the Clergy Mart. Now Syr what say you more Carel. Forsooth I haue no farther to say in this matter Mart. Well Careles I pray thee proue thy selfe a wise man and do not cast away thy lyfe wilfully Carel. Now the Lord he knoweth good Maister Doctor I would full gladly liue so that I might do the same with a safe conscience And your Maistershippe shall right well perceiue that I will be no wilfull man but in all thinges that I stand vpon I will haue a sure grounde Martin Now the Lorde knoweth good Careles that I would gladly make some meanes to preserue thy lyfe but thou speakest so much of the Lord the Lord. Wilt thou be content to go with my Lord Fitzwater into Ireland me thinkes thou art a goodly tall fellow to do the Queene seruice there How sayest thou Carel. Uerely Maister Doctour whether I be in Ireland Fraunce or Spayne or any place els I am ready to do her grace the best seruice that I can with body goodes and lyfe so long as it doth last Mart. That is honestly sayde I promise thee euery man will not say so How say you Maister Marshall this man is meete for all manner of seruice In deede thou arte worthye Careles to haue the more fauour Carel. In deede Syr I hope to be meete and ready vnto all things that pertayneth vnto
pouring the oile of his gracious spirit into your sweet hart Ah good Ieremy hath Phasure put thee in the stockes why now thou hast the right reward of a prophet Thy glory neuer began to appeare vntill now I doubt not but shortly in sted of Ahikam the sonne of Shaphan Iesus the sonne of the liuing God wil come and deliuer thee foorth of the handes of all thine enemyes and will also make good agaynste them and theyr Antichristian Sinagogue all the wordes that thou hast spoken in his name The Lord hath made thee this day a strong defended Tower an yron piller and a brasen wall agaynst the whole rable of Antichrist though they fight against thee neuer so fiercely yet shall they not ouercome thee for the Lorde himselfe is with thee to helpe and deliuer thee and he will ridde thee out of the handes of the wicked and will deliuer thee out of the handes of the Tyrantes And in that you are not busy in casting pearles before swine nor in geuing the holy thinges vnto dogges you are much to be coÌ„mended in my simple iudgement And sure I am that your circuÌ„spect and modest behauiour hitherto hath bene as much to Gods glory to the shame confusion of your enemies as any mans doinges that are gone before you Wherefore mine aduise and most earnest desire is with all other of your louing frendes that you still keepe that order wyth those bloudthirsty bitesheepes bishops I should say that you haue begonne For though in conclusion they will surely haue your bloud yet shall they come by it with shame enough and to theyr perpetuall infamy whiles the world doth endure They would in deed condemne you in hugger mugger to darken Gods glory if it might be But Sathans thoughtes are not vnknowne to you the depth of his subtlety is by you well foreseene Therefore let them do whatsoeuer God shall suffer them to doe for I know all things shall turne to your best Though you lye in the darck sâ—orried with the Bishops blacke coale dust yet shall you be shortlye restored vnto the heauenly light and made as white as snowe in Salmon and as the winges of a Doue that is couered with siluer winges and her fethers like gold You know the vessell before it be made bright is soyled with oile and other thinges that it may scoure the better Oh happy be you that you be nowe in the scouring house for shortly you shal be set vppon the celestiall shelfe as bright as aungels Therfore my deare hart I will now according to your louing request cast away all care and reioyce with you and prayse God for you and pray for you day and night yea I wil now with Gods grace sing Psalmes of prayse and thankesgeuing with you For now my soule is turned to her old rest agayne and hath takeÌ„ a sweet nap in Christes lap I haue cast my care vpon the Lorde which careth for me and will be Careles according to my name in that respect which you would haue me I wil leaue out my vnseemely addition as long as I liue for it can take no place where true fayth and hope is resident So soone as I had read your most godly and coÌ„fortable letter my sorowes vanished away as smoke in the winde my spirit reuiued and comfort came agayne wherby I am sure the spirit of God was author of it Oh my good M. Philpot which art a principall pot in deede filled with most precious liquor as it appeareth by the pleÌ„teous pouring forth of the same Oh pot most happy of the high Potter ordeined to honour whiche doest conteine suche heauenly treasure in the earthen vessell Oh pot thrise happy in whome Christ hath wrought a greate miracle altering thy nature and turning water into wine and that of the best whereout the mayster of the feast hath filled my cuppe so ful that I am become drunken in the ioy of the spirit through the same When Martyrdome shall break thee O vessell of honour I know the fragrant sauour of thy precious Narde will much reioyce the heauy hartes of Christes true members although the Iudasses will grudge and murmure at the same Yea and burst out into words of sclaunder saying it is but lost and waste Be not offended deare hart at my Metaphoricall speach For I am disposed to be mery and with Dauid to daunce before the Arke of the Lord and though you play vpon a payre of Organes not very comely or easy to the flesh yet the sweet souÌ„d that came from the same causeth me thus to do O that I were with you in body as presently I am in spirit that I might sing all care away in Christ for nowe the time of comforte is come I hope to be wyth you shortly if all thinges happen aright For my olde frendes of Couentry haue put the Counsell in remembraunce of me not 6. dayes agoe saying that I am more worthy to be burned then any that was burned yet Gods blessing on theyr harts for their good report God make me worthy of that dignity and hasten the time that I might set forth his glory Pray for me deare hart I beseech you and will all your company to do the same and I will pray God for you all so long as I liue And nowe farewell in Christe thou blessed of Gods owne mouth I will for a time take my leaue but not my last farewell Blessed be the time that euer I came into the kinges bench to be ioyned in loue and felowship with such deare children of the Lord. My good brother Bradford shal not be dead whiles you be aliue for verely the spirit of him doth rest on you in most ample wise Your letters of comfort vnto me in ech poynt do agree as though the one were a copy of the other He hath planted in me and you do water the Lorde geue good increase My deare Brethren and felow prisoners here haue them humbly and hartelye commended vnto you and your company mourning for your misery but yet reioysing for your plenteous consolation and comfort in Christ. We are all chearefull and merry vnder our crosse and do lacke no necessaryes praysed bee GOD for his prouidence and great mercy towardes vs for euermore Amen ¶ To his wife AS by the greate mercy of God at the tyme of his good will and prouidence appoynted my dearelye beloued wife you and I were ioyned together in the holye and Christian state of godly Matrimony as well to our great ioy and comfor in Christ as also to the encrease of his blessed church and faythfull congregation by hauing lawfull children by in the same with the which God of his mercy hath blessed vs praised be his name therfore eueÌ„ so now by his mercifull will and diuine ordinaunce the time is come so farre as I can perceiue wherein he will for his glory
not awaye all thy true preachers forth of this realme O Lord but leaue vs a seede least England be made like vnto Sodome and Gomorre when thy true Lothes be gone But what goe I aboute to mingle your myrthe wyth my mourning and your iust ioy with my deserued sorow If I loued you in deede as I haue pretended I shoulde surely reioyce with you most hartily praise god on your behalfe from the very bottome of my hart I should prayse God day and night for your excellēt election in through his great mercy and should geue him most humble thākes for your vocation by his Gospell your true knowledge in the same I should earnestly prayse him for your sweete iustification wherof you are most certayne by Gods grace and spirite should instantly pray vnto him for your glorification which shall shortly ensue I should reioyce and be glad to see you so dignifyed by the crowne of Martyrdome and to be appoynted to that honour to testify hys truth and to seale it with your bloud I should highly extoll the Lord who hath geuen you a glorious victory euer al your enemies visible and inuisible and hath geuen you grace and strength to finish the Tower that you haue begunne to build Finally if I loued you I should most hartily reioice and be glad to see you deliuered from this body of sinne and vile prison of the fleshe and brought into that heauenly tabernacle where you shal be safely kept and neuer offend him more This and much more should I do if I had a good hart towardes God or you his deare childe But alas I am an hypocrite do seeke nothing but mine owne commodity I would haue gods euerlasting prouidēce geue place to my peeuish will purpose although it were to the hinderance of his glory and your sweet commodity God forgeue me my horrible ingratitude sinnes offēces agaynst him and good brother do you forgeue me my great negligence and vnthankfulnes towards you and henceforth I promise you I will put my will to Gods wil pray that the same may be fulfilled in you so long as you be on this earth and when you are taken hence I will most hartely prayse the Lord for you so lōg as I haue my being in this world Ah my deare hart nowe I muste take my leaue of you and as I thinke my Vltimum vale in this lyfe but in the life to come I am righte well assured we shall merilye meete together that shortly I trust And in taking of my leue of you my deare hart in the Lord I shall desire you faythfully to remēber all the sweet messages that the Lord our good God most deare louing father hath sent you by me his most vnworthy seruaunt which as they are moste true so shall they be most truly accōplished vpon you eternally and for the more assurance and certificate thereof to your godly cōscience he hath cōmaunded me to repeat the same vnto you agayne in his owne name and word Therfore now geue eare and faithfull credence Harken O ye heauens and thou earth geue eare and beare me witnes at the great day that I do here faythfully and truly the lordes message vnto his dear seruant his singularly beloued and elect childe Iohn Bradford Iohn Bradford thou man so specially beloued of God I pronoūce testify vnto thee in the word name of the Lord Iehoua that all thy sinnes whatsoeuer they be be they neuer so many so grieuous or so great be fully freely pardoned released forgeuen thee by the mercy of God in Iesus Christ thyne onely Lord sweet sauiour in whom thou doest vndoubtedly beleue Christ hath cleansed thee with his bloud and clothed thee with his righteousnes and hath made thee in the sight of God his father without spotte or wrinckle so that when the fire doth his appoynted office thou shalt be receyued as a sweete burnt sacrifice into heauen where thou shalt ioyfully remayn in Gods presence for euer as the true inheritor of his euerlasting kingdome vnto that whiche that wast vndoubtedly predestinate ordeined by the Lords vnfallible purpose and decree before the foundation of the worlde was layde And that this is most true that I haue sayd I call the whole Trinity the almighty and eternall maiesty of God the father the sonne and the holy ghost to my record at this present whom I humbly beseech to confirme and stablish in thee the true and liuelye feeling of the same Amen Selah Now with a mery hart and a ioyfull spirit something mixed with lawful teares I take my farewel of you mine owne deare brother in the Lorde who sende vs shortly a merye meeting in his kingdome that we maye both sing prayses together vnto him with hys holy Aungelles and blessed spirites for euer euer Farewel thou blessed of the Lord farewell in Christ depart vnto thy rest in the Lorde and pray for me for Gods sake As I had made an ende of this simple Letter I hearde some comfort both of good Maister Philpots seruant and yours but alas I doe scarcely beleue them Well I wyll hope in God pray all night that God will send me some comfort to morrowe and if the Lorde geue you sparing to morow let me heare foure words of comfort from you for Gods sake The blessing of God be with you now and for euer Amen Yours for euer in the Lord Iesus Iohn Careles liuing in hope agaynst hope In reading this letter of Iohn Careles to M. Bradford aboue prefixed wherein he maketh so much mētion of a certayne letter of his sent to him and of the great exceeding consolation he receiued of the same thou wilt wishe peraduenture good louing Reader in thy mynd to haue some sight also of the sayd Letter of M. Bradford Wherein to satisfy thy desire or rather to preuent thy petition I haue hereunto annexed the same to the entent thou mayest not onely vnderstand the contentes therof but also receiue fruit therof to thy cōsolation likewise The purport of the letter here foloweth ¶ Mayster Bradford to Careles ALmighty God our deare father through and for the merits of his dearely beloued sonne Iesus Christ be mercifull vnto vs pardon vs our offences vnder the winges of his mercy he protect vs from all euill from henceforth and for euer Amen Deare brother Careles I hartely pray you to pray to GOD for me for the pardon of my manifold sinnes and most grieuous offences whiche neede none other demonstration vnto you then this namely that I haue behaued my selfe so negligently in aunswering your godly triple letters whiche are three witnesses agaynst me God lay not them nor none other thing to my charge to condemnation though to correction not my will but his wil be done Concerning your request of absolution my dearest brother what shall I saye but euen as trueth is that the
are much offended for it felleth all mans righteousnes to the ground I had like to haue sayd to the bottome of hell extolleth onely the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ whiche is allowed before God and is freely geuen to al those that firmely beleue as blessed be God you doe Ah my good brother Tymmes Sathan hath put hys hand in a wrong boxe when he beginneth to tempte you either to vayne glory or mistrust for you are an old beaten souldier and haue had good experience of these manner of temptations both by your selfe and other whome you know well were the beloued of God Bee of good cheare therefore deare hart be of good cheare for now Satā hath wrought all his malice he hath done all that hee can and hath shot of all his last Peeces wherwith he had thought to haue done most mischiefe but now he seeth hee cannot preuaile the strong tower of your fayth being so inuincible he will plucke vp all his tentes and get him to some other place to practise the like assaultes and then will the Aungels of God come and minister vnto you the moste sweete heauenly consolations of the holy Ghost To hym therefore who is able to do exceeding aboundantly aboue all that euer we can desire or thinke I do most hartily cōmit you with all the reste of youre godly prison fellowes who comfort strengthen and defend you with his grace mighty operation of his holye spirit as hee hath hitherto done that you hauing a most glorious victory ouer the subtle serpent and all his wicked seede may also receaue the crowne of glory and immortalitie prepared for you before the foundations of the world were layde and is so surelye kept for you in the handes of him whose promise is vnfallible that the Deuill sinne death or hell shall neuer be able to depriue you of the same The blessing of God bee with you now for euermore Amen Pray pray pray for me Your owne for euer Iohn Careles * To my good sister M.C. THe peace of God in Iesus Christ the eternal comforts of his sweete spirite be with you my deare and faithful sister to the ful accomplishment of that good worke which hee hath most graciously begon in you that the same may be effectuall to the setting forth of his glory and to your euerlasting consolation in him Amen My louing and faythful Sister in the Lord I thanke you for all your louing kindnes shewed vnto me in youre feruent and faithfull prayers and for your most godly and comfortable letter wherby you do not only much encrease my ioy and comfort but also put me in remembraunce of my duetie towardes you Blessed be the Lord our God which of his great merhath so beautified his Church in these our dayes that euen vnto many godly women hee hathe geuen most excellent giftes of knowledge and vnderstanding of his truth so that they are not onely well able to enforme their owne consciences in all thinges necessarye to saluation but also moste sweetly to comfort their sorrowfull brethren sisters that susteine any trouble for the testimony of Gods trueth yea that which is more euen in the middest of their great cōflictes of conscience Of which most happy number of godly and vertuous women my deare hart you are one and that of the chiefest being plentifully endued with the gifts of Gods most gracious spirite as it doth full wel appeare in your dayly doinges God onely haue the prayse therefore For asmuch then as God hath geuen you the gift to write I shall moste hartily desire you to let me heare from you sometimes be it neuer so little for truely I take great cōfort and courage thereby specially in my poore conscience whiche is sore assaulted of subtile Satan and in a manner oppressed of my sinnes Pray deare sister that GOD may geue me true hartie and earnest repentaunce increase my fayth for they are bothe the good giftes of God onely and farre passe the reache of my power to take at my pleasure Therfore deare sister if you wil helpe me to begge the same of our deare louing father I am sure that he both cā and will geue them in his good time As for the feare of death or terrour of the fire I most hartily thanke my good God I feele it not onely it is mine owne sinnes and vnthankfulnes which holdeth hard battayle wageth strōg warre against me which onely goeth about to separate me from my good captayne Christ that I shoulde not enioye his glorious victory but God being on my side as I am sure hee is that cannot continually preuayle agaynst me Though God for a time permitte Satan to take his pleasure on me as he did vpon Iob yet I doubt not but in the end all shall turne to my profite through the merites of our Lord sauiour Iesus Christ to whose most mercifull defence I commit you deare Sister with al the rest of the Lordes elect Farewell in Christ. Yours vnfaynedly Iohn Careles Pray pray pray pray * To my deare brother T. V. THe euerlasting peace of God in Iesus Christ the continuall comfortes of his most pure and holy spirite be with you my most deare frend and faythfull brother U. to the increase of your fayth and comfort of your sorrowful spirite which is to the father a sweete sacrifice through chryst for whose sake he will neuer despise your humble and contrite hart but doth fauourably accept the same and wil in most ample wise performe the desire thereof to his glorye your eternall comfort in him In the mids of my manifold crosses troubles wherin I am constrayned to flee vnto God for refuge succour by earnest faithful prayer I cannot forget you my deare hart in the Lord but esteeming your state for mine owne I do poure forth my complaynt for you as I do for my selfe rather more as I thinke present neede doth require desiring most hartily to heare the good successe of the same in you The lord God for his great mercies sake accomplish my desire as I doubt not but he wil when he seeth it good and most to his glory and to your comforte and commoditie Oh that I might once see you so merry in Christ as you haue iust cause to be that you might say with Dauid Awake my glory awake Lute and Harpe bring forth the Psalter with the merry song that I might sing a newe song of prayse and thankesgeuing vnto the Lord for the light of his fauourable coūtenaunce his helpe and deliueraunce Oh that would refresh me as a most precious oyle and gladden my poore heart whiche is assaulted with sorrow moe wayes then one I doubt not but the same shal by your meanes receiue much comfort though for a time it doth mourne with you that we may be made both glad together yea that with such gladnes as shal continue for
all other his benefites Ah my deare heart in the Lord well is me that euer I was borne that God of his great mercy and infinite goodnes hath vsed me most miserable wretche at any tyme as his instrument to minister any thing vnto you eyther by wordes or writing that might bee an occasion of your ioy and comfort in the Lorde and a prouoking of you to prayse and thankesgeuing vnto GOD for the same as your moste louing and godly letter seemeth to importe Oh happy am I that the Lorde hath appoynted me vnto so good a ground to sowe his seede vppon but muche more happie are you whose heart the Lorde hath prepared made so meete to receiue the same so effectuously geuing therto the sweete showers and heauenly dewes of his grace and holy spirit that it may bring forth fruite in due season accordingly the increase whereof we shall shortly reape together with perfect ioye and gladnes and that continually Therefore my deare brother I say vnto you as good Elizabeth did to her deare cosin Mary Happy are you and happy shall you be for euermore because you haue beleued The most sweet and faythfull promises of your redeemer Iesus Christ you haue surely layd vp in the treasury of your hart His comfortable callinges you haue faythfully heard his faythfull admonitions you haue humbly obeyed and therefore you shall neuer come into iudgement your sinnes shall neuer be remembred for your sauiour hath cast them all into the bottome of the sea he hath remoued them from you as farre as is the East from the West and hath geuen you for an euerlasting possession his iustification holynesse so that now no creature neyther in heauen nor in earth shal be able to accuse you before the throne of the heauenly king Sathan is nowe iudged he is nowe cast out from you hee hath no part in you you are wholy geuen vnto Christ whyche wil not loose you your stedfast fayth in him hathe ouercome that sturdy and braggyng Prince of the worlde Christ hath geuen you the finall victory ouer hym and al hys army that they shall neuer hurt you What woulde you haue more Oh my deare heart howe great treasures are layde vp in store for you and how gloryous a Crowne is alreadye made and prepared for you And albeit the holy Ghost doth beare wytnesse of all these thinges in your heart and maketh you more sure and certain thereof then if you had all the outward oracles in the worlde yet I being certaynly perswaded and fully assured by the testimony of Gods spirite in my conscience of youre eternall and sure saluation in our sweete Sauioure Iesus Christe haue thought it good yea and my bounden duety not onely at thys tyme to wryte vnto you and to shew my ioyfull hart in that behalfe but also by the word and commaundement of Christ to pronounce and affirme in the name and worde of the heauenly king Iehouah and in the behalfe of his sweete sonne Iesus chryst oure Lorde to whom all knees shall bow whom all creatures shall worshippe and also by the impulsion of the holy Ghost by whose power and strength all the faythfull bee regenerate I doe I say pronounce to thee my deare brother T. V. that thou art already a Citizen of heauen The Lord thy God in whom thou doest put all thy trust for his deare sonnes sake in whom thou doest also vndoubtedly beleue hath freely forgeuen thee all thy sinnes clearely released all thyne iniquities and full pardoned all thine offences bee they neuer so many so grieuous or so great and will neuer remember them any more to condemnation As truely as he liueth he will not haue thee dye the death but hath vtterly determined purposed and eternally decreed that thou shalte lyue with him for euer Thy sore shall bee healed and thy woundes bounde vpp euen of himselfe for his owne names sake He doth not nor will not looke vpon thy sinnes in thee but he respecteth and beholdeth thee in Christ in whome thou art lyuely graffed by faith in his bloud and in whome thou art most assuredly elected and chosen to be a sweete vessell of his mercy and saluation and wast thereto predestinate in him before the foundation of the world was laid In testimony and earnest whereof he hath geuen thee his good and holye spirite which woorketh in thee faith loue and vnfained repentance with other godly vertues contrary to the corruption of thy nature Also he hath commanded me this day although a most vnwoorthy wretch to be a witnesse hereof by the ministery of hys holy woord grounded vpon the truth of his most faithfull promisses the which thou beleeuing shalt liue for euer Beleeuest thou this my deare heart I knowe well thou doest beleeue The Lorde increase thy faith and geue thee a liuely feeling of all hys mercies wherof thou art warranted and assured by the testimony of the holy Ghost who confirme in thy conscience to the vtter ouerthrowing of Sathan and those his most hurtfull dubitations wherby he is accustomed to molest and vexe the true children of God all that I haue sayde and by Gods grace I will as a witnesse thereof confirme and seale the same with my bloud for a most certaine truthe Wherefore my good brother praise the Lord with a ioyful heart and geue him thankes for this his exceeding great mercy casting away all dubitation and wauering yea all sorow of heart and pensiuenesse of minde for this the Lord your God and most deare and louing father commandeth you to doe by me nay rather by his owne mouth woord pronounced by me But now my deare brother after that I haue done my message or rather the Lordes message in deede I coulde finde in my heart to wryte 2. or 3. sheetes of paper declaring the ioy I beare in my heart for you mine owne bowels in the Lord yet the time being so short as you do well know I am heere constrained to make an ende desiring you to pardone my slacknesse and to forgeue my great negligence towardes you promising you still that so long as my poore life doth last my prayer shal supply that my pen doth wāt as knoweth the almighty God to whose most merciful defence I doe heartely commit you and all other his deare children as wel as though I had rehearsed them by name desiring them most heartely to remember me in their hearty and dailye prayers as I know right well they doe for I feele the daily comfort and commodity therof therfore I neither wil nor can forget them nor you or any such like The blessing of God be with you al. Amē Yours for euer vnfainedly Iohn Careles A letter of thankes to a faithfull frend of his by whom he had receiued much comfort in his inward troubles BLessed be God the father of all mercye for the great comfort and Christian consolation which he hath so mercifully ministred vnto
life or els hee will make suche an outscape for you as shall be to the setting foorth of hys glorye the whych aboue all other thinges we that are his chosen children oughte for to seeke yea euen with the losse of oure owne lyues beyng yet well assured that the same shall not be shortned one minute of an houre before the time that God hathe appoynted Cast therefore deare sister all your care vppon the Lorde whych as S. Peter sayeth careth for you Great is his prouidence for you and mighty is his loue and mercy towardes you Wyth his grace hee will defende you and with his holye spirite he will euermore guide you wherewith hee hath surely sealed you vnto the day of redemption hee hathe also geuen you the same in earnest for the recouerye of the purchased possession whych hee hath prepared for you before the foundation of the worlde was layed Be strong therefore and take a good heart as I heare say you be God for euer be blessed for you whych hath graft hys loue in your good heart that nothing is able to separate you from the same but will rather chuse to suffer aduersitie wyth the people of God then to enioy the pleasure of sinne for a little season Oh happye woman that canst finde in thine heart to esteeme the rebukes of Christe to be greater richâ—sse then all the treasures of the world as good Moyses did Doubtles great is your reward in heauen which you shall shortly receiue of his free gift and not of any deseruing Thus deare mother Glascocke I haue bene bolde to trouble you wyth my rude and simple letters desiring you to take them in good woorthe being done in great haste as it doeth appeare but yet proceeding from a poore hearte whych floweth ouer in loue towardes you as my dailye prayers for you can testifie whych I truste shall supplye that parte of my duetye towardes you that my penne nowe wanteth I thanke you deare hearte for all your louing tokens and for the great kindnesse you haue hetherto shewed vnto my poore brother Tymmes and hys wife and children wyth all other of Gods people to whom you daily doe good the Lorde recompence the same seuenfolde into your bosome as I doubte not but hee will according to hys vnfallible promises I praye you haue my hearty commendations vnto your husbande I beseeche the Lorde strength hym in the confession of hys truthe as my tâ—ust is that he will that we may all ioyfully rest with Abraham Isaac Iacob in the kingdome of God vnto the whych he bryng vs that with his most precious bloud hath bought vs. The blessing of God bee wyth you nowe and euer Amen Your daily Oratour and vnfayned louer Iohn Careles prisoner of the Lord. Pray pray pray A briefe admonition wrytten to Mistres Agnes Glascocke in a booke of hers when shee came to the prisone to visite him THere is nothyng that the holye Scripture throughout dothe so muche commende vnto vs as true Faithe and stedfaste trust in the promyses of Gods eternall mercies towardes vs in Iesus Christe For from the same as foorthe of the chiefe fountaine and well sprynge of life doe flowe all kindes of vertues and godlye fruites speciallye true loue towardes God in the whyche wee oughte purelye to serue hym all the dayes of oure lyfe and also Christian charitye towardes oure neyghbours as well to helpe them at all needes as also not to hurte them by any meanes Therefore praye earnestly for the increase of Faythe and liuely feelinge of Gods mercie for all thinges are possible vnto him that can vndoubtedly beleue Faith is that thing which assureth vs of Gods mercye and whereby we vanquishe all the fierye dartes of the deuill oure victorie that ouercommeth the worlde the knife that killeth and mortifieth the flesh and finally that whiche setteth vs at peace wyth God and quieteth oure consciences alwaies before him and maketh vs merry and ioyfull vnder the crosse wyth many moe things then I can now expresse Pray therefore for faith in faith And for the Lordes sake beware of Popery and Popish Idolatrye the Idol of the wicked Masse and other idolatrous seruice Make not your body which is a member of Christ a member of Antichrist Remember that we shall receiue of god according to that we do in the body be it good or euil Therfore glorifie god in your body which is derely bought Betray not the truthe least the Lorde deny you If God be God followe hym You can not serue two maisters I wryte not thys as doubting you but by the way of admonition God keepe you from all euill My sister deare God geue you grace With stedfast faith in Christes name His Gospell still for to embrace And liue according to the same To die therefore thinke it no shame But hope in God with faithfull trust And he will geue you praise with fame When you shall rise out of the dust For which most sweete and ioyfull day To God with faith your prayer make And thinke on me I do you pray The which did wryte this for your sake And thus to God I you betake Who is your castell and strong rocke He keepe you whether you sleepe or wake Farewell deare Mistres A Glascocke ¶ An other Letter of Iohn Careles to Mistres A.G. to comfort her in her repentaunce after shee had bene at Masse fruitefull for all them to be reade which haue fallen and are to be raised vp againe THe peace of God in Iesus Christe the eternall comfortes of hys sweete spirit be with you and strength and comfort you my deare and faithfull sister Amen Although the pearillous dayes be come wherof Christ prophesied that if it were possible the very elect should be deceyued yet let the true faithfull Christians reioyce and be gladde knowing that the Lorde him selfe is theyr keeper who will not suffer one haire of theyr heades to pearish wythout his almighty good will and pleasure neyther wil suffer them to be further tempted then hee will geue them strengthe to beare but will in the middest of theyr temptation make away for them to escape out So good and gracious a God is hee to all his chosen children And though sometimes he doe lette hys elect stumble and fall yet no doubt hee will raise them vppe againe to the further encrease of theyr comforte and to the setting foorth of hys glory and praise Which thing my deare and faithfull louing sister I trust shall be well verified on you For I doe heare say that by the manifolde allurementes inticements procurementes yea and enforcements that you deare hart haue had your fote hath chaunced to slippe foorth of the way to the greate discomfort of your soule and the heauinesse of your heart but my good sister be of good cheare for the Lorde wil not so leaue you but he will raise you vppe againe and make you stronger then euer you were so that
if I might be in choice and not displease God Chichest The sheriffe tooke paine to come to me of loue he sayd which he bare to you as to himselfe and sayd you were desirous to speake with me Wood. I thought it mete to appeale to my Ordinarie For they goe about to shed my bloud vnrighteously For they haue laid many vniust things to my charge Wherefore I thoughte it meete to appeale to you that if you can finde any fault in me meete to be reformed by Gods woorde I stād to be reformed and likewise if my bloud shal be shed vnrighteously that it mighte be required at your handes because you haue taken vppon you to be the Phisition of our countrey Story Is not this a peruerse felow to lay to your charge that his bloude shal be required at your hands Thinkest thou that thou shalt be put to death vniustly that thy bloude should be required No if he should condemne a hundred such heretickes as thou art I helped to ridde a good sort of you And I promise thee I will helpe to ridde thee too the best that I can Wood. Then I would haue answeared him but the Bishop desired vs both to geue him place Chichest Well neighbour Woodman I call you neyghbour because you be one of my Diocesse and you are sent to me that I should geue you spirituall counsell for I am your spiritual Pastour Therefore heare what I shall say to you Wood. First I desire you to heare me a few woordes You haue said you wil geue me spiritual counsell Be you sure that you haue the spirite of God Chichest No I am not sure of that Wood. No be you not sure of that Chich. So by S. Mary I dare not be so bold to say so I doubt of that Wood. Then you be like the waues of the sea as saith S. Iames that be tossed about with the wind and be vnstable in all your wayes and can looke for no good thyng at the Lordes hand Yea yee are neither hote nor colde and therefore God will spew you out of his mouth as sayeth S. Iohn Then they were in a great furie especially doc Storie saying Storie What a peruerse fellow is this he hath the Deuil within him and is madde Hee is woorse then the Deuill Nowe I perceiue that it is true that is reported by thee and it is the pride of all suche heretickes to boaste themselues Chich. Yea surely hee is sent to mee to learne and taketh vpon him to teache me Wood. I seeing their blindnesse and blasphemie it made my heart melt and mine eies gush oute with teares saying The Iewes saide to Christ he hadde the Deuill and was madde as you haue said heere by me But I knowe the seruant is not aboue his maister And God forbid that I should learne of him that confesseth that he hath not the Spirite of God Chich. Why doe you thinke that you haue the Spirite of God Wood. I beleeue verely that I haue the spirite of God Chich. You boast more then euer Paul did or any of the apostles the which is great presumption Wood. I boast not in my selfe but in the gift of God as Paule did for he sayd he beleued verily that he had the spirit of God makyng thereof no doubts in the 1. to the Cor. the 7. chap. Chich. It is not so you belye the text Wood. If it be not so let me be burned to morow Story Thou shalt not be burned to morow but thou shalt be burned within these 6. dayes I promise thee Chich If it be so it is wrong translated as it is in a thousand places more Wood. Then one looked in a Latine Testament and another in a Greeke Testament and they said it was in them both that Paul supposed that he had the spirit of God but he was not sure Chich. Euen so I hope and suppose that I haue the spirite of God but I am not sure Wood. If that place be wrong trāslated and so many places of the Bible as you say then I may say with Christ it cannot be auoyded but offences must be geuen But woe vnto them by whom they come I may say woe vnto false Translaters For cursed are they that adde or take away But take you heed that you belie not the Translaters I beleeue they had the feare of God more before their eies then you report of them And yet if that place bee wrong translated I can prooue places enough that Paule had the spirit of God as I my selfe and all Gods elect haue Chich. How prooue you that Wood. No man can beleeue that Iesus is the Lorde but by the holy Ghost First to the Corrinth the 7. chap. I do beleeue that Iesus Christ is my redeemer and that I shall bee saued from all my sinnes by his death and bloudsheding as Paule and all the Apostles did and as all faithfull people ought to do which no man can doe without the spirite of God And there is no damnation to thē that are in Christ Iesus so is there no saluation to them that are not in Christ Iesu. For he that hath not the spirit of Christ is none of his but is a cast away as he saith in the same text And againe We haue not receyued the spirite of bondage to feare any more but we haue receyued the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father The same spirit certifieth our spirites that we are the sons of God Here are proofes enough that Paule was sure that he had the spirite of God Also S. Iohn sayth He that beleeueth not that Christ is come in the flesh is an Antichrist denieth both the Father and the sonne which is sinne against the holy Ghost which shall neuer bee forgeuen in this world nor in the world to come Besides all this Hee that beleeueth in God dwelleth in God and God in hym So is it impossible to beleue in God vnlesse God dwell in vs. Oh good God what more iniurie can be done vnto thee then to mistrust that we haue receyued thy holy spirite by thy gift Thus may all men see their blindnes and whose seruants they be as they do declare themselues both by their words and deeds Story Oh my Lord what an heretike is this same Why heare you hym Sende hym to prison to his fellowes in the Marshalsee and they shall bee dispatched within these xij dayes Wood. When I heard hym say so I reioyced greatly in my hart desiring God if it were his will to keepe hym in that mynd For I looked surely to haue gone to the B. of Londons colehouse or to Lollards tower yea I thoght my selfe happy if I might haue gone to Lollardes tower but it pleased God to put in the hartes of them to send me to the Marshalsee amongst our brethren and my olde prison fellowes So mercifully hath God delt with mee in casing of my
Christ was borne for mee and that he suffered death for me and that I shall be saued from my sinnes by his bloudshedding so receiuing the Sacrament in that remembraunce then I beleue I do receiue wholly Christ God and maÌ„ mistically by fayth this is my beliefe Chich. Why then it is no body without fayth Gods word is of no force as you count it Wood. My Lorde I haue tolde you my minde without dissimulation more you get not of me without you will talke with me by the Scriptures and if you will do so I will beginne anew with you proue it more plainly thre or foure maner of wayes that you shall not say nay to that I haue sayd your selfe Then they made a great laughing and sayd Thys is an Hereticke in deede it is time he were burned Which wordes moued my spirite and I sayde to them Iudge not least you be iudged For as you iudge me you shall be iudged your selues For that you call heresy I serue God truely with as you all shall well know when you shal be in hell and haue bloud to drinke and shal be compelled to say for payne This was the maÌ„ that we iested on whose talke we thought foolishnes and his end to be without honour but now we may see how he is counted among the Sayntes of GOD and we are punished These wordes shall you say being in hell if you repent not with speed if you consent to the shedding of my bloud wherefore looke to it I geue you counsell Priest What you be angry me thinkes Now I will saye more to you then I thought to haue done You were at Baxill a twelue moneth agone sent for the Parson talked with him in the Churchyard and would not goe into the church for you sayd it was the Idols temple Yea I was with mine olde Lorde when he came to the Kinges Bench to you and you sayd many stout wordes to him Wood. That I sayde I sayde and where you sayde I was angrye I take God to my recorde I am not but am zelous in the truth speake out of the spirite of God with chearefulnes Priest The spirite of God hough hough hough thinke you that you haue the spirit of God Wood. I beleue surely that I haue the spirite of GOD I praise God therfore and you be deceiuers mockers and scorners before God and be the childreÌ„ of hel all the sort of you as farre as I can see And therwith came in D. Story poynting at me with his finger speaking to the bishop in Latin saying at length Story I can say nothing to him but he is an hereticke I haue heard you talke this houre and a halfe and can heare no reasonablenes in him Wood. Iudge not lest you be iudged for as you iudge you shal be iudged your selfe Story What be you a preaching you shal preach at a stake shortly with your felowes My Lord trouble your self no more with him With these wordes one brought woorde that the Abbot of Westminster was come to dyne with the Byshop and many other gentlemen and women Then there was rushing away with speed to meet him Then sayd Doctor Story to my keeper Story Cary him to the Marshalsee againe and let him be kept close and let no body come to speake with him Wood. And so they departed Then one of the priestes begon to flatter with me and sayd for Gods sake remember your selfe God hath geuen you a good wit you haue read the scriptures well haue borne them wel in memory It were great pity you should do amisse Wood. What a flatterer be you to say my wit is good and that I haue red the scriptures well but euen now you said I was an heretike despised me If I be an heretike I can haue no good wit as you haue coÌ„fessed But I think your owne conscieÌ„ce doth accuse you God geue you grace to repent if it be his will Priest I cal it a good wit because you are expert in all questions Wood. You may call it a wicked wit if it agree not with gods word Then one cried Away away here commeth strangers So we departed I came againe to the Marshalsee with my Keeper ¶ The third examination of Richard Woodman copied with his owne hand before D. Langdall parson of Buxted in Sussex and Chaplaine to my Lord Montague and M. Iames Gage at my Lord Montagues house beside S. Mary Oueries in Southwarke the 12. day of May Anno. 1557. THe 1â— day of May the Marshal came to the Marshalsee sent for me to speake with him When I came before him had done my dutie he asked my name what countrey man I was I shewed him both Then he asked me when I was abroad in the city To whom I answered if it shal please your maistership I was abroad in the citie on Monday was seuennight Marshall What made you abroad Wood. The B. oâ— Chichester sent for me to talke with mee at home at his house beside S. Nicholas shambles Mar. Were you abroad no otherwise then so Wood. No forsooth I was neuer abroad since I was sent hither but then For I haue nothing to do abroad vnlesse they send for me Mar. This is a marueilous matter I promise you I was not so rebuked these 7. yeares as I was for you within these 3. dayes It is reported that you were abroad in the citie at certaine Tauernes spake seditious wordes both in the Tauernes and Streetes as you went Wood. Syr the trueth is I was in neuer a house or Tauerne whiles I was abroad but in the bishops house as my keeper can will I am sure testify nor I neuer talked with any man in the streetes as I came but with my keeper sauing with one man in deede of the Parishe of Framfield in Sussex where M. Iames Gage dwelleth His name is Rob. Smith being one of my most enemies who stood in a waine as we came by and was vnlading of Cheese me thought but a litle way from the Marshalsee In deede I bade him God speede and asked him howe he did and he sayd well he thanked me and he asked me how I did and I sayd well I prayse God that was all the talke that we had these wordes were spoken as I came by him I promise you sir I stoode not still while I spake theÌ„ as my keeper can tell and I thinke these words were no seditious wordes but might be spoken well enough I thinke or els it were very strayt Marshall Then it is to bee thought that that man reported otherwise then it was I am gladde it is as you say Well make you ready for you must go forth straight way where you shall be examined of that and of other thinges where you shal aunswere for your selfe Go make hast for I will â—ary till you be ready Wood. So I departed
many promoters and vnneighborly neighbors to help them forwards By which kinde of people it is not vnlike these two godly yokefellowes were accused and taken and being once deliuered into the pitiles haÌ„dling of Boner their examinations ye may be sure were not long deferred For the 16. day of Iuly 1557. they were brought before him into hys palace at London Wher first he demaÌ„ded of the said Iames Austoo amongst other questions where he had bene confessed in Lent and whether he receiued the sacrament of the altare at Easter or not To whom he answered that in dede he had ben confessed of the curate of Aâ—halowes Barking â—e to the tower of London but that he had not receiued the sacrament of the altar for he defied it from the bottome of his heart Why quoth the Bishop doest thou not beleeue that in the sacrament of the altare there is the true body bloude of Christ. No sayd Austoo not in the Sacrament of the altar but in the Supper of the Lorde to the faithfull receiuer is the very body and bloud of Christ by faith Boner not well pleased with this talke asked then the wife how she did like the religion then vsed in this courâ—h of England Shee answered that shee beleeued that the same was not according to Gods word but false and corrupted and that they which did goe thereunto did it more for feare of the law then otherwise Then hee againe asked her if shee woulde goe to the Churche and heare Masse and pray for the prosperous estate of the king being then abroad in his affaires Whereunto she said that she defied the Masse with all her heart and that she would not come into any Churche wherein were Idols After this the Bish. obiected vnto them certaine articles to the number of 18. The tenor whereof because they touch only such common trifling matters as are already mentioned in diuers sondry places before I do here for breuitie sake omit and passe ouer geuing you yet this much to vnderstand that in the maters of faith they were as souÌ„d and answered as truly God be therfore praised as euer any did especially the woman to whom the Lord had geuen the greater knowledge and more feruentnes of spirit Notwithstanding according to the measure of grace that God gaue them they both stood most firmly vnto the truthe And therefore to conclude the 10. day of Sept. they were with Rafe Allerton of whoÌ„ ye haue heard brought againe before the bishop within his chappell at Fulham where he speaking vnto them said first on this wise Austoo doest thou knowe where thou art nowe and in what place and before whom and what thou hast to doe Yea quoth Austoo I knowe where I am For I am in an idols temple After which wordes their articles being againe red their constancie in faith perceiued Boner pronounced against either of them seuerally the sentence of coÌ„demnation and deliuering them vnto the sheriff there present did rid his hands as he thought of them but the Lorde in the ende will iudge that to whome I referre his cause It so happened vpon a night that as this Margerie Austoo was in the bishops prisone which prison I suppose was his dogge kennel for it was as is reported vnder a paire of staires by the bishops procurement there was sent a stoute champion as appeared about 12. of the clocke at nighte who suddenly opened the doore and with a knife drawen or ready prepared fell vppon her to the intent to haue cut her throte Which she by reason of the clearnes of the Moone perceiuing and calling vnto God for helpe he but who it was she knewe not geuing a grunt and fearing belike to commit so cruel a dede departed his waies without any more hurt doing The next night following they caused a great rumbeling to be made ouer her head which semed to her to haue bene some great thuÌ„der which they did for to haue feared her out of her wittes but yet thanks be to God they missed of their purpose Richard Roth. IN the godly felowship of the forenamed three Martyrs was also this Rich. Roth as is alreadye specified Who being apprehended and brought vp vnto the bish of London was by him examined the 4. day of Iuly at what time the bish did earnestly trauel to induce him to beleeue that there were 7. sacraments in Christes churche and that in the sacrament of the altar after the words of consecration duely spoken there remained the very substance of Christes body and bloud and none other Wherunto at the present he made only this aunsweare that if the scriptures did so teach him and that he might be by the same so perswaded he would so beleue otherwise not But at another examination which was the 9. day of Sept. he declared plainly that in the said sacrameÌ„t of the altar as it was then vsed there was not the very body and bloud of Christ but that it was a dead God and that the Masse was detestable and contrary to Gods holy woorde and will from the which faith and opinion he would not goe or decline The next daye being the 10. day of the same moneth of September the Bishop at his house at Fulham by waye of an article laid and obiected against him that he was a comforter and boldener of hereticks and therefore hadde wrytten a letter to that effect vnto certaine that were burned at Colchester the copie whereof ensueth A letter wrytten by Rich. Roth vnto certaine brethren and sisters in Christ condemned at Colchester and ready to be burned for the testimonie of the truth O Deare brethren and sisters how much haue you to reioyce in God that he hath geuen you such faith to ouercome thys bloud thirsty tyrants thus far and no doubt he that hathe begon that good worke in you wil fulfil it vnto the end O deâ—◠〈…〉 in Christ what a crowne of glory shall ye receiue with Christe in the kingdom of God Oh that it had bene the good will of God that I had ben ready to haue gon with you For I lie in my 〈◊〉 little ease in the day and in the night I lie in the Colehouse froÌ„ Rafe Allerton or any other and we loke euery day wheÌ„ we 〈◊〉 be condemned For he said that I shoulde be burned wythin 〈◊〉 daies before Easter but I lie still at the pooles brinke and euery man goeth in before mee but we abide paciently the lordes lâ—isure with many bandes in setters and stockes by the whiche we haue receiued great ioy in God And nowe fare you well deare brethren and sisters in this worlde but I trust to see you in the heauens face to face Oh brother Munt with your wife and my deare sister Rose how blessed are you in the Lord that God hath found you worthy to suffer for his sake with all the rest of my deare brethren sisters knowen vnknowen O be ioyful euen
theirs God is my father God is my mother God is my Sister my Brother my Kinsman God is my frend moste faythfull ¶ The cruell burning of a woman at Exeter Touching the name of this woman as I haue nowe learned she was the wife of one called Prest dwelling in the Dioces of Exeter not farre from Launceston ¶ The Persecution and Martyrdome of three godly men burnt at Bristow about the latter yeares of Queene Maries reigne IN writing of the blessed Sayntes which suffered in the bloudy dayes of queene Mary I had almost ouerpassed the names and story of three godly Martyrs whiche with theyr bloud gaue testimony likewise to the gospell of Christ being condemned and burnt in the town of Bristow The names of whom were these Richard Sharpe Thomas Benion Thomas Hale First Richarde Sharpe Weauer of Bristowe was brought the 9. day of Marche an 1556. before M. Dalbye Chauncellour of the Towne or City of Bristow and after examination concerning the sacrament of the aultar was perswaded by the sayde Dalbye and others to recant and the 29. of the same moneth was enioyned to make his recantation before the Parishioners in his parish Churche Which whē he had done he felt in his cōscience such a tormenting hell that he was not able quietly to worke in his occupation but decayed and chaunged both in colour and liking of his body Who shortly after vpon a sonday came into his parish Church called Temple after high masse came to the queere doore sayd with a loud voyce Neighbors beare me recorde that yonder Idoll and poynted to the aultar is the greatest and most abhominable that euer was and I am sory that euer I denied my Lord GOD. Then the Constables were commaunded to apprehende him but none stepped forth but suffered him to goe out of the Church After by night he was apprehended and caried to Newgate shortly after he was brought before the sayd Chauncellor denying the sacrament of the aultar to be the body bloud of Christ sayd it was an Idoll and therfore was cōdemned to be burnt by the sayd Dalby He was burnt the 7. of May. 1557. and dyed godly paciently and constantly confessing the articles of our fayth ¶ Thomas Hale Martyr THe Thursday in the night before Easter .1557 came one M. Dauid Herris Alderman Iohn Stone to the house of one Thomas Hale a Shoomaker of Bristowe caused him to rise out of his bedde brought hym foorth of his dore To whō the said Tho. Hale said You haue sought my bloud these two yeares now much good do it you with it Who being committed to the watchmen was caried to Newgate the 24. of April the yere aforesaid was brought before M. Dalby the Chancelor committed by him to prison after by him condemned to be burnt for saying the sacrament of the altar to be an Idoll He was burned the 7. of May with the foresayd Rich. Sharpe godly paciently and constantly embracing the fire with his armes Two Godly Martyrs burned at Bristow Richard Sharpe Thomas Hale were burned both together in one fire and bound backe to backe Thomas Benion THomas Benion a Weauer at the commaundement of the Commissioners was brought by a Constable the thirtenth daye of August 1557. before Mayster Dalbye Chauncellour of Bristow who committed him to pryson for saying there was nothing but bread in the Sacrament as they vsed it Wherefore the twenty day of the sayd August he was condemned to be burnt by the sayd Dalby for denying fiue of theyr Sacramentes and affirming two that is the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ and the Sacrament of Baptisme He was burnt the seuen and twenty of the sayd moneth and yeare and dyed godly Thomas Benion burned at Bristow constantly and patiently with confessing the articles of our christian fayth ¶ The Martyrdome of fiue constant Christians which suffered the last of all other in the time of Queene Mary THe last that suffred in Queene Maries time were fiue at Caunterburye burned about sixe dayes before the death of Queene Mary whose names follow here vnder written Iohn Corneford of Wortham Christopher Browne of Maydstone Iohn Herst of Ashford Alice Snoth Katherine Knight otherwise called Katherine Tynley an aged woman These fiue to close vp the finall rage of queene Maries persecution for the testimony of that word for whiche so many had died before gaue vp theyr liues meekly and paciently suffering the violent malice of the Papistes Which Papists although they then might haue either well spared them or els deferred theyr death knowing of the sicknesse of Queene Mary yet such was the implacable despite of that generation that some there be that say the Archdeacō of Canterbury the same time being at London vnderstanding the daunger of the Queene incontinently made al post hast home to dispatch these whom before he had thē in his cruell custody The matter why they were iudged to the fire was for beleuing the body not to be in the sacrament of the aulter vnlesse it be receiued saying moreouer that we receiue an other thing also beside Christes body which we see and is a temporall thing according to S. Paule The thinges that be sene be temporall c. Item for confessing that an euill man doth not receiue Christes body Because no man hath the sonne except it be geuen him of the father Item that it is Idolatry to creepe to the crosse and S. Iohn forbidding it sayth Beware of Images Itē for confessing that we should not pray to our Lady and other Sayntes because they be not omnipotent For these and such other articles of Christian doctrine were these fiue committed to the fire Agaynst whom whē the sentence shoulde be read and they excommunicate after the maner of the papistes one of them Iohn Cornford by name styrred with a vehemēt spirit of the zeale of god proceeding in a more true excōmunication agaynst the papistes in the name of them all pronounced sentēce against them in these wordes as folow In the name of our Lord Iesus Christ the sonne of the most mighty God and by the power of his holy spirite the authority of his holy catholick Apostolick church we do geue here into th◠handes of Satan to be destroyed the bodies of all those blasphemers hereticks that do mainteine any error agaynst his most holy word or do cōdemne his most holy truth for heresy to the mainteinaunce of any false Churche or fayned Religion so that by this thy iuste iudgement O most mighty God against thy aduersaries thy true religion may be knowne to thy great glory and our comfort and to the edifying of al our natiō Good Lord so be it Amen This sentence of excommunication beyng the same time openly pronounced and registred proceeding so as it seemeth from an inwarde fayth and hartye zeale to Gods trueth and
Lord Bishop and before Maister Chauncellour three times and haue declared my fayth Deane And yet I know that M. Chancellor will say that thou art a ranke heretike Story Away with her Bish. M. Deane ye knowe that I may not tary nor you neither Let her keeper bryng her home to your own chāber soone at foure a clocke at after noone and if that ye find her reasonable then let her goe for I would that she were gone Then sayd the Deane with a good will my Lord and so she was sent vnto the place from whence she came vntill it was 4. of the clocke at afternoone ¶ The ix examination before the Deane before whom it pleased God to deliuer her WHen it was 4. of the clock at afternoone as the houre was appointed the Deane was set he asked her Art thou a foole now as thou wast to day Eliz. Sir I haue learned but small wisedome since Deane Doest thou thynke that I am better learned then thou Eliz. Yes sir that I do Deane Thinkest thou that I can do thee good Eliz. Yea sir and if it please God that ye will Deane Then I wyll doe thee good in deede What doest thou receyue when thou receyuest the Sacrament which Christ left among his Disciples the night before hee was betrayed Eliz. Sir that that his Disciples did receiue Deane What did they receyue Eliz. Sir that that Christ gaue them they receyued Deane What aunswere is this Was Christ there present Eliz. Sir he was there present for he instituted his owne sacrament Deane He tooke bread and he brake it and gaue it to hys disciples and sayd Take eate this is my body which shall bee broken for you When thou receiuest it doest thou beleeue that thou receiuest his body Eliz Sir when I receiue I beleeue that through faith I do receiue Christ. Deane Doest thou beleeue that Christ is there Eliz. Sir I beleeue that he is there to me and by fayth I do receyue hym Deane He also tooke the cup and gaue thanks and gaue it to his Disciples and sayd Drinke ye all hereof This is the cup of the new Testament in my bloude which is shed for many for the remission of sinnes When thou doest receiue it after the institution that Christ ordained among his Disciples the night before he was betraied doest thou beleeue that Christ is there Eliz. Sir by faith I beleeue that he is there and by fayth I do beleeue that I do receiue hym Deane Now thou hast answered me Remēber that thou sayest that when thou doest receiue according to the institution of Christ thou doest receiue Christ. Eliz. Sir I beleeue Christ not to be absent from his owne sacrament Deane How long wilt thou continue in that beliefe Eliz. Sir as long as I do lyue by the help of God for it is and hath bene my beliefe Deane Wilt thou say this before my Lord Eliz. Yea sir. Deane Then I dare deliuer thee Why thou Calfe why wouldst thou not say so to day Eliz. Sir ye asked me no such question Deane Then ye would stande in disputation how manye bodies Christ had Eliz. Sir in deed that question ye did aske me Deane Who shall bee thy Sureties that thou wylte appeare before my Lorde of London and me vpon Friday nexte Eliz. Sir I haue no Sureties nor knowe not where to haue Then spake the Deane vnto two women that stoode there who had earnestly sued for her saying women wil ye be her sureties that she shall appeare before my Lord of London and me vpon Friday next The Women Yea sir and it please you Deane Take heede that I finde you no more a brabler in the Scripture Eliz. Sir I am no brabler in the Scripture nor yet any man can burthen me therewith Deane Yes I haue hearde of you well enough what ye are Then sayde hee to the two Women what if a man should touch your conscience do ye not smell a little of heresie also The women No sir. Deane Yes a litle of the frying pan or els wherefore haue ye twaine so earnestly sued for her The one woman aunswered because that her children were lyke to perish and therefore God put me in mynd to sue for her Then sayd the other woman And I gate her chyld a Nurse and I am threatened to stande to the keepyng of her chylde and therfore it standeth me in hand for to sue to haue her out Deane Woman geue thankes vnto these honest women who haue so earnestly sued for thee and I promise thee so haue I. These great heretikes will receiue nothyng but in spirit and fayth and so he rose and departed Eliz. Sir God be praysed I thanke you for your goodnes and theirs also and so he went away vpon the friday next because she was acrased her two sureties wente thither and were discharged ¶ Elizabeth Lawson IN the towne of Bedfield and in the countie of Suffolk was dwellyng a godly auncient Matrone named Elizabeth Lawson about the age of lx yeares This Elizabeth was apprehended as an heretike by the Constables of the same towne named Robert Kitrich and Thomas Elas in the yeare of our Lorde 1556. because she woulde not go to Church to heare Masse and receyue the Sacrament and beleeue in it First they layd her in a dungeon and after that shee was caried vnto Norwich and from thence to Bury Gaole where at last she was condemned to be burnt In the mean tyme sir Iohn Sylliard had her home vnty hys house hee beyng high Shiriffe that yere where she was hardly kept and wrapped in irons till at length when they by no wise could mooue her co recant shee was sent to prison agayne with shamefull reuilings Thus she continued in prison the space of two yeares and three quarters In the meane tyme there was burnt her sonne and many other whereby she would often say Good Lord what is the cause that I may not yet come to thee with thy children well good Lord thy blessed will be done not myne Not long after this most happily followed the death of Queene Mary after whom succeded our Queene that now is At which tyme this Elizabeth Lawson remained yet still in Bury prison till at last she was bayled vppon sureties or els she could not be deliuered For she beyng a condemned person neither the temporalty nor yet spirituall authoritie would discharge her without sureties Now she beyng abroad and her sureties made afrayd by wicked men sayd they would cast her againe in prison except she would see them discharged Then she got a supplication to go vnto the Queenes maiestie and came to a friend of hers to haue his counsail therein who willed her to stay a while because she was old the dayes short and the expenses great and Winter fowle for it was a little before Christmas to tary vntill Sommer In the meane tyme
to the Tower of London and there remained vntill Queene Elizabeth was proclaimed Queene at whych time he being deliuered fell sicke and dyed The common talke was that if he had not so sodēly ended his life hee woulde haue opened and reuealed the purpose of the chiefe of the Cleargy meaning the Cardinall whyche was to haue taken vp K. Henries body at Windsore and to haue burned it And thus much of doctor Weston The residue that remained of the persecuting Clergy and escaped the stroke of deathe were depriued and committed to prisones the Catalogue of whose names heere followeth In the Tower Nicholas Death Archbishop of Yorke and Lord Chauncellour Thomas Thurlby B. of Ely Thomas Watson B. of Lincolne Gilbert Burne B. of Bath and Welles Richard Pates B. of Worcester Troublefield B. of Exetor Iohn Fecknam Abbot of Westminster Iohn Boxal Deane of Windsore and Peterborough Of Dauid Poole B. of Peterborough I doubte whether he was in the Tower or in some other prisone Ran away Goldwell B. of S. Asse Maurice Elect of Bangor Edmunde Boner B. of London in the Marshalsea Thomas Wood B. Elect in the Marshalsea Cutbert Scothish of Chester was in the Fleete from whence he escaped to Louane and there died In the Fleet. Henry Cole Deane of Paules Iohn Harpesfield Archdeacon of London and Deane of Norwich Nicholas Harpesfield Archd. of Cant. Anthony Draycot Archdeacon of Hūtington W. Chadsey Archdeacon of Midlesex ¶ Concerning which Doctour Chadsey here is to be noted that in the beginning of king Edwards raigne he recanted and subscribed to 34. Articles wherein hee then fully consented and agreed with his owne hand wryting to the whole forme of doctrine approoued allowed then in the church as well concerning iustification by faith only as also the doctrine of the two sacramentes then receaued denying as well the Popes supremacie transubstantiation Purgatory Inuocation of Saints eleuation and adoration of the Sacrament the sacrifice veneration of the Masse as also all other like excrements of Popish superstition according to the kings booke then set foorth Wherefore the more maruel it is that he being counted such a famous and learned Clearke would shew himselfe so fickle and vnstable in hys assertions so double in hys doinges to alter hys Religion according to time and to maintein for truth not what he thought best but what he myght most safely defend So long as the state of the lord Protectour and of hys brother stoode vprighte what was then the conformitie of this D. Chadsey hys owne Articles in Latine wrytten and subscribed wyth hys owne hand doe declare which I haue to shewe if he will denye them But after the decay of the kings vncles the fortune of them turned not so fast but his Religion turned withall and eftsoones he tooke vppon hym to dispute agaynste Peter Martyr in vpholding Transubstantiation at Oxforde which a little before with his owne hād wryting he had ouerthrowen After this ensued the time of Queene Mary wherein doctor Chadsey to shew hys double diligence was so eger in his commission to sit in iudgement to bring poore mē to their death that in the last yeare of Quene Mary when the Lord Chauncellor Syr Thomas Cornwalles Lorde Clinton diuers other of the Counsell had sent for hym by a special letter to repaire vnto London out of Essex he wryting againe to the bishop of London sought meanes not to come at the Counsels bidding but to continue still in his persecuting progresse The Copie of whose letter I haue also in my handes if neede were to bring foorth Mention was made not long before of one William Mauldon who in king Henries time suffered stripes and scourgings for confessing the veritie of Gods true religion It happened in the first yeare of Queene Elizabeth that the sayd W. Mauldon was bound seruaunt with one named Maister Hugh Aparry then a wheat taker for the Quene dwelling at Grenewich Who being newly come vnto him and hauing neuer a booke there to looke vpon being desirous to occupie himself vertuously loked about the house and founde a Primer in English whereon hee read in a winters euening Whiles he was reading there sat one Iohn Apowel that had ben a Seruing man about 30. yeres of age borne toward Wales whom the said M. Hugh gaue meat and drink vnto til such time as he could get a seruice And as the foresayd William Mauldon read on the Booke the sayde Iohn Apowell mocked hym after euery worde with contrary gaudes and flouting wordes vnreuerently in so muche that he coulde no longer abide him for grief of hart but turned vnto him and sayd Iohn take heede what thou doest Thou doest not mocke mee but thou mockest God For in mocking of his word thou mockest hym and thys is the word of God though I be simple that read it and therfore beware what thou doest Then Mauldon fell to reading agayne and still hee proceeded on in hys mocking and when Mauldon had redde certayne Englyshe Prayers in the ende he redde Lorde haue mercye vppon vs Christe haue mercye vpon vs. c. And as Mauldon was reciting these wordes the other with a start sodenly sayd Lord haue mercy vpon me With that Mauldon tourned and sayde what ailest thou Iohn He sayee I was afraide Whereon wast thou afraide said Mauldon Nothing now sayd the other and so he would not tel hym After thys when Mauldon and he went to bedde Mauldon asked him whereof he was afraide He sayde when you red Lord haue mercye vppon vs Christ haue mercy vppon vs me thought the haire of my head stoode vpright with a great feare which came vpon me Then sayd Mauldon Iohn thou mayest see the euill spirite could not abide that Christ should haue mercy vppon vs. Wel Iohn said Mauldon repent and amend thy life for God will not be mocked If we mocke and iest at his woord he will punish vs. Also you vse rebauldry woordes and swearing verye much therfore for Gods sake Iohn amend thy life So I will sayd he by the grace of God I pray God I may Amen said the other with other words and so went to bed On the next day about 8. of the clocke in the morning the foresaid Iohn came running downe out of his chamber in his shirt into the Hall and wrasteled with hys mistresse as he would haue throwen her downe Wherat she shriked out and her seruauntes holpe her and tooke hym by strength and caried him vp vnto his bed bound him downe to his bed for they perceiued plainely that he was out of his right minde After that as he lay almoste day and night his toung neuer ceased but he cried out of the deuill of hell and hys woordes were euer stil O the deuill of hell now the deuill of hell I would see the deuill of hell thou shalt see the deuil of hel there he was there he goeth with other words but
824. Dauid Beaton Archbishop of s. Andrewes in Scotland shortly after the beginning of M. George Wisard how hee by the iust stroke of God was slaine and wretchedly ended his lyfe within his owne Castle in the discourse of his story is euident to see who so listeth further to read of that matter pag. 1272. Ioannes Sleidanus in his 23. booke maketh relatiâ—â— of Cardinall Crescentius the chiefe President and moderator of the Councell of Trident ann 1552. The story of whom is certain the thing that hapned to him was straÌ„ge and notable the exaÌ„ple of him may be profitable to others such as haue grace to be warned by other meÌ„s euils The narration is this The 25. day of March in the yere aforesaid Crescentius the Popes Legate and Uicegerent in the Councell of Trident was sitting all the day long vntill darke night in writing letters to thâ— Pope After his labour when night was come thinking to refresh himselfe he began to rise and at his rising beholde there appeared to hym a mighty blacke dogge of a huge bignes his eyes flamyng with fire and his eares hanging low downe welneere to the ground to enter in and straite to come toward hym so to couch vnder the boord The Cardinall not a little amased at the sight thereof somewhat recouering himselfe ralled to his seruauntes which were in the outward chaÌ„ber next by to bring in a candle and to seeke for the dog But when the dog could not be found neither there nor in no other chamber about the Cardinall thereupon striken with a sodaine conceit of mynd immediately fell into such a sicknes wherof his Phisitions which he had about hym with all their industry and cunnyng coulde not cure hym And so in the towne of Uerona died this popish cardinall the Popes holy Legate and President of this couÌ„cel wherein his purpose was as Sleidane saith to recouer and heale againe the whole authoritie and doctrine of the Romish see and to set it vp for euer There were in this Councell beside the Popes Legates and Cardinall of Trident lxij Bishops Doctours of Diuinitie xlij And thus was the ende of that Popishe Councell by the prouident hand of the almighty dispatched and brought to naught Ex Sleidano Li. 23. This Councell of Trident being then dissolued by the death of this Cardinal was afterward notwithstanding recollected againe about the yeare of our lord 1562. against the erroneous proceedings of which Councel other writers there be that say enough So much as pertaineth only to story I thought hereunto to adde concernyng two filthy adulterous bishops to the sayd Councel belonging of whome the one haunting to an honest mans wife was slaine by the iust stroke of God with a Borespeare The other Bishop whose haunte was to creepe through a window in the same window was subtilly taken and hanged in a grinne layed for hym of purpose and so conueied that in the mornyng hee was seene openly in the streete hangyng out of the windowe to the wonderment of all that passed by Ex protestatione Concionatorum Germa aduersus conuentum Trident. c. Amongst all the religious order of Papists who was a stouter defender of the Popes side or a more vehement impugner of Martin Luther then Iohn Eckius who if his cause wherein he so trauailed had bene godly had deserued no doubt great fauour and condigne retribution at the hands of the Lord. Now for so much as we cannot better iudge of him then by his ende let vs consider the maner of his departing hence and compare the same with the end of M. Luther In the which M. Luther beyng such an aduersarye as he was to the Pope and hauyng no lesse then al the world vpon him at once first this is to bee noted that after all these trauailes the Lord gaue him to depart both in great age and in his owne natiue countrey where he was born Secondly he blessed him with such a quiet death without any violent hande of any aduersary that it was counted rather a sleepe then a death Thirdly as the death of hys body was myld so his spirit mynde continued no lesse godly vnto the end continually inuocating and calling vpon the name of the Lord and so commending his spirite to hym with feruent prayer he made a blessed and an heauenly ending Fourthly ouer and besides these blessings almighty God did also adde vnto him such an honourable buriall as to many great Princes vnneth happeneth the like And this briefly concernyng the ende of M. Luther as ye may read before more at large pag. 863. Now let vs consider and conferre with this the death of Iohn Eckius and the maner thereof which we find in the English translation of the history of Iohn Carion fol. 250. in these words expressed This yere saith he died at Ingold state Doctor Eckius a faithful seruant and champion of the Pope and a defender of the abhominable Papacie But as his lyfe was full of all vngodlines vncleannes and blasphemy so was his end miserable hard and pitifull in so much that his last wordes as it is noted of many credible personnes were these In case the foure thousand guildens were ready the matter were dispatched c. Dreamyng belike of some Cardinalship that he should haue bought Some say that the Pope had granted him a certaine Deanry which he should haue redeemed from the Courte of Rome with the foresayd summe Now what a heauenly ende this was of M. Eckius I leaue it to the Readers iudgement In the Citie of Andwerpe was as they terme hym there a Shoulted that is to say the next Officer to the Markgraue one named Iohn Uander Warfe a Bastard sonne of a stocke or kinred called Warfe of good estimation amongest the chiefest in Antwarpe Who as he was of nature cruell so was he of iudgement peruerse and corrupt and a sore persecutor of Christes flocke with greedines seekyng and sheddyng innocent bloud and had drouned diuers good men and women in the water for the which he was much commended of the bloudy generation Of some he was called a bloudhound or bloudy dog Of other he was called Shildpad that is to say Sheltode for that hee beyng a short grundy and of little stature did ride commonly with a great broad hat as a churl of the countrey This man after he was weary of his office wherein he had continued aboue xx yeres he gaue it ouer and because he was now growen rich and welthy he entended to passe the residue of his lyfe in pleasure and quietnes During which tyme about the second yeare after hee had left his office he came to Antwarpe to the feast called our Ladies Oumegang to make mery which feast is vsually kept on the Sonday followyng the assumption of our Lady The same day in the after noone about foure of the clock he being wel loden with wine rode homewards
suppressed yet the examples of them may suffice to admonishe all men that bee wise and which will auoyde the wrath of Gods terrible vengeance to beware of Popery And thus hauing hitherto recited so manye shamefull lyues and desperate endes of so many popish Persecutours stricken by Gods hand nowe let vs consider agayne on the contrarye syde the blessed endes geuen of almighty God vnto them which haue stoode so manfully in the defence of Christes Gospel and the reformation of his religion and let the Papists themselues here be iudges First what a peaceable and heauenly ende made the worthy seruaunt and singular Organe of God M. Luther To speake likewise of the famous Iohn Duke of Saxonie and prince Elector of the good Palsgraue of Phillip Melancthon of Pomeranus Vrbanus Rhegius Berengarius of Vlricus Zuinglius Oecolampadius Pellicanus Capito Munsterius Ioannes Caluinus Petrus Martyr Martin Bucer Paulus Phagius Ioan. Musculus Bibliander Gesnerus Hofman Augustinus Marloratus Lewes of Bourbon Prince of Condy and his godly wife before him with many mo which were knowne to be learned mē and chiefe standerds of the Gospel side against the Pope and yet no man able to bring forth any one example eyther of these or of any other true Gospeller that eyther killed himselfe or shewed forth any signification or appearaunce of despayre but full of hope and constant in faythe and replenished with the fruite of righteousnesse in Christ Iesu so yealded they theyr lyues in quiet peace vnto the Lord. From these Forrayners let vs come now to the Martyrs of England and marke likewise the ende both of them and semblably of all other of the same profession And first to beginne with the blessed and heauenly departure of King Edward the vi that first put downe the Masse in England and also of the lyke godly end of his good Vncle the Duke of Sommerset which dyed before him with an infinite number of other priuate persons besides of the like religion in whose finall departing no suche blemishe is to bee noted like to the desperate examples of them aboue recited Let vs now enter the consideration of the blessed Martyrs who although they suffered in their bodyes yet reioyced they in theyr spirites and albeit they were persecuted of men yet were they comforted of the Lorde wyth suche inwarde ioy and peace of conscience that some writing to theyr friendes professed they were neuer so merrye before in all theyr lyues some leapt for ioye some for tryumphe woulde put on theyr Scarfes some theyr wedding garment goyng to the fire other kissed the stake some embraced the Fagottes some clapte theyr handes some song Psalmes vniuersally they all forgaue and prayed for ther enemies no murmuring no repining was euer heard amongest them so that moste truely might bee verified in them whiche their persecuters were wonte to sing in they re Hymnes Caeduntur gladijs more bidentium Non murmur resonat nec querimonia Sed corde tacito mens bene conscia Conseruat pacientiam c. Briefly so great was theyr patience or rather so great was Gods spirite in them that some of them in the flaming fire moued no more then the Stake whereunto they were tyed In fine in them most aptly agreed the speciall tokens whiche most certaynly follow the true children of God that is outward persecution and inward comfort in the holy Ghost In the world sayth Christ our Sauiour ye shall haue affliction but in me yee shall haue peace c. And likewise the wordes of S. Paule be playne Whosoeuer sayth he studyeth to liue godly in Christe shall suffer persecution c. But then what followeth with this persecution the sayde Apostle agayne thus declareth saying As the passions of Christ abound in vs so aboundeth also our consolation by Christe c. According as by the examples of these godly martyrs right perfectly we may perceaue For as theyr bodyes outwardly lacked no persecutions by the handes of the wicked so amongest so many hundreds of them that stood and dyed in this religion what one man can be brought forth which eyther hath bene founde to haue killed himselfe or to haue dyed otherwise then the true seruaunt of GOD in quiet peace and much comforte of conscience Whiche being so what greater proofe can we haue to iustifie theyr cause and doctrine agaynst the persecuting Churche of Rome then to behold the endes of them both First of the Protestantes how quietly they tooke theyr deathe and chearefully rested in the Lord and contrariwise to marke these persecuters what a wrerched end commonly they doe all come vnto Experience whereof we haue sufficient in the examples a-aboue declared and also of late in Boner who albeit he dyed in his bed vnrepentaunt yet was it so prouided by God that as he had bene a persecuter of the light and a childe of darkenes so his carkase was tumbled into the earthe in obscure darcknes at midnight contrary to the order of all other Christians and as he had bene a murderer so was hee layd amongest theeues murtherers a place by Gods iudgement rightly appoynted for him And albeit some peraduenture that haue bene notable persecutors in tyme past doe yet remayne aliue who being in the same cause as the other were haue not yet felte the weyght of Gods mighty hand yet let not them thinke that because the iudgement of God hath lighted sooner vpon other therefore it will neuer light vpon them or because God of his mercy hath graunted them space to repent let not them therefore of Gods lenitye build to themselues an opinion of indemnity The bloud of Abel cryed long yet it wrought at length The soules of the Saynctes slayne vnder the aultar were not reuenged at the first Apoc. 6. but read forth the chapter see what folowed in the end Bloud especially of Christes seruauntes is a perillous matter and cryeth sore in the eares of God and will not be stilled with the lawes of men Wherfore let such bloud guilty homicides beware if not by my coūsell at lest by the examples of theyr felowes And though Princes and Magistrates vnder whose permission they are suffered do spare theyr liues let them not thinke therefore as some of them shame not to say that man hath no power to hurt them and so thinke to escape vnpunished because they be not punished by man but rather let them feare so much the more For oftentimes suche as haue bene persecutours and tormentours to Gods children God thinketh them not worthy to suffer by mā but either reserueth them to his owne iudgement or els maketh them to be theyr owne persecutors and theyr owne hands most commonly hangmen to theyr owne bodyes So Saul after he had persecuted Dauid it was vnneedfull for Dauid to pursue him agayne for he was reuenged of him more then he desired It was needlesse to cause Achitophell to be hanged for hee himselfe was the stifeler or
omnibus prosit If there be no interpreter let hym keepe silence in the Church That is let him pray secretly or speake to God within hymselfe which heareth all dumme thyngs for in the church he ought to speake which may profit all men ⧠Testimonies out of S. Hierome vpon that place of Paule Quomodo qui supplet locum idiotae c. PEr illum saith S. Hierome qui supplet locum ideotae laicum intelligit qui nullo gradu ecclesiastico fungitur It is the lay men saith he whom Paule here vnderstandeth to be in the place of the ignoraunt man which hath no Ecclesiasticall office How shall he answer Amen to the prayer that he vnderstandeth not ¶ And a little after vpon these wordes Nam si orare lingua c. Hoc dicit quoniam si quis incognitis alijs linguis loquatur mens eius non ipsi efficitur sine fructu sed audienti Quicquid enim dicitur ignorat This is Paules meanyng saith Hierome If any man speaketh in strange vnknown tongs his mynd is not to hymselfe without fruit and profite but he is not profited that heareth hym And in the end of his commentary vpon the Epistle to the Galathians he saith thus Quod autem Amen consensum significet audientis c. That Amen signifieth the consent of the hearer and is the sealing vp of the truth Paul in the first Epistle to the Corinths teacheth saying But if thou shalt blesse in spirit who supplieth the place of the ignorant How shall he at thy prayer aunswere Amen seeyng he knoweth not what thou sayst Wherby he declareth that the vnlearned man cannot aunswer that that which is spoken is true vnlesse he vnderstand what is sayd The same Hierome sayth in the Preface of S. Pauls Epistle to the Galathians that the noyse of Amen soundeth in the Romane church like an heauenly thunder As Hierome compareth this sound of common praier to thunder so compareth Basill it to the sound of the sea in these words If the sea be faire how is not the assembly of the congregation much fairer in the which a ioyned sound of men women and childreÌ„ as it were of the waues beatyng on the shore is sent forth in our praiers vnto our God Cum populus semel audiuit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 statim omnes respondent Amen When the people once heare these words world without end they all forthwith answer Amen And the same writer vpon the same chapter vppon these words How shall hee that occupieth the roume of the vnlearned say Amen En rursus amussi quod dicitur saxum applicat ecclesiae aedificationem vbique requiâ—ens c. Behold againe he applieth the stone vnto the squire as the Prouerbe is requiring the edifieng of the Congregation in all places The vnlearned he calleth the common people and sheweth that it is no small discommoditie if they cannot say Amen And agayne the same Chrysostome Quin in precibus viderit quis populum multum simul offerre tum pro energumenis tum pro poenitentibus Communes enim preces a sacerdote ab illis fiuÌ„t omnes dicunt vna orationeÌ„ orationeÌ„ misericordia plenam Iterum vbi excluserimus a sacerdotalibus ambitibus eos qui non possunt esse participes sanctae mensae alia sacienda est oratio omnes similiter surgimus c. That is yea in the prayers you may see the people offer largely both for the possessed and the penitents For the Priestes and the people pray altogether commonly and all one prayer a prayer full of mercy and pity And exclâ—ding out of the Priests limites all such as cannot bee pertakers of the holy table another prayer must be made and all after one sort lye downe vppon the earth and all agayne after one sort ryse vp together Now when the peace is geuen we all in lyke maner salute one another and the Priest in the reuerent mysteries wisheth well to the people and the people vnto hym for Et cum spiritu tuo is nothing els but this All things that belong to the sacrament of thanksgeuing is common to all But he geueth not thanks alone but all the people with hym Hereby it may appeare that not the priest alone communicated nor prayed alone nor had any peculiar prayer but such as was common to them all such as they all vnderstood all were able to say with the priest which could not haue bene if he had vsed a straunge tong in the ministration of the sacraments Dionysius describing the maner of the ministration of the Lordes supper sayth That hymnes were said of the whole multitude of the people Cyprian sayth The priest doth prepare the myndes of the brethren with a preface before the prayer saying Lift vp your hartes that whiles the people doth aunswer we haue our hartes lifted vp to the Lord they may be admonished that they ought to thinke of none other thing then of the Lord. S. Augustine Quid hoc sit intelligere debemus c. What this should be we ought to vnderstand that we may sing with reason of man not with chatting of birdes For Ousels and Popiniayes and Rauens and Pies other such like birds are taught by meÌ„ to prate they know not what But to sing with vnderstanding is geuen by Gods holy will to the nature of man The same Augustine There needeth no speach when we pray sauing perhaps as the priestes doe for to declare their meanyng not that God but that men may heare them and so being put in remembraunce by consentyng with the priest may hang vpon God To these testimonies of the auncient writers we will ioyne one constitution of Iustinian the Emperour who lyued 527. yeares after Christ Iubemus vt omnes Episcopi pariter Praesbyteri c. We commaund that all bishops priests do celebrate the holy oblation and the praiers vsed in holy Baptisme not speaking low but with a cleare or loud voyce which may be heard of the people that thereby the mynd of the hearers may bee stirred vp with greater deuotion in vttering the prayses of the Lord God For so the holy Apostle teacheth in his first Epistle to the Corinthians saying Truly if thou onely blesse or geue thanks in spirit how doth he which occupieth the place of the vnlearned say the Amen at the geuing of thanks vnto god for he vnderstandeth not what thou sayest Thou verily geuest thanks wel but another is not edified And again in the Epistle to the Romains he sayth Corde creditur ad iustitiam ore autem fit confessio ad salutem with the heart a man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made vnto saluation Therfore for these causes it is conuenient that amoÌ„gst other prayers those thinges also which are spoken in the holy oblation be vttered and spoken of the most religious bishops and priests vnto our
mentioned pag. 1555. woulde not suffer bishop Farrer when he was at the stake to bee burnt to speake his mynd and about halfe a yeare after the said Doc. Leison died and when he would haue spoke himselfe he could not The trouble and examination of Thomas Hitton Martyr with his examinations answers condemnation and Martyrdome An. Dom. 1529. the 20. of February THomas Hitton of Martham in the Diocesse of Norwich an honest poore man and religious euer fearyng God from his youth and louyng his worde When persecution for the same word in the dayes of king Henry the 8. grew to bee somewhat hote tooke his iourney toward Rochester in Kent intendyng to haue gone to Douer so to haue crossed the seas into Fraunce and other countries for a tyme where reposing himself a while he might be free from the heat of persecution As he was goyng on his intēded iourny one Thomas Swainesland Baily to William Warrham Archbish. of Canterbury meting him by the way and suspecting him to be as they called them an heretike caused him to be staied and brought before the said William Archb. of Cant. his maister who demanded of him from whence he came and whether he intended to haue gone if he had not bene intercepted The sayd Tho. answered that he came out of the Dioces of Norwich and purposed to haue gone beyond the seas if God had so permitted Then the Bishop asked him if he had euer bene beyond the seas before and what bookes he had brought ouer He answered that he had bene once beyond the seas before and had brought certaine bookes with hym from thence namely two new Testaments and one Primer in English The Bishop asked him to whome hee gaue the sayde bookes He aunswered he would not declare For saieth he such is your bloudy crueltie that you woulde neuer sleepe quietly till you had sucked their bloude as you meane to do myne The Bishop seyng he could extort no more out of him and perceiuyng his constant spirite and feruent zeale to the truth commanded hym to prison till further oportunitie might serue for the shedding of his bloud The second appearance of Thomas Hitton before the said Archb. of Cant. WIthin a while after the bishop commanded the sayd Thomas to be brought before him agayne who demanded of him how he iudged and beleued of the religion then in force and of the authoritie of the bishop of Rome The said Thomas answered that the religion then vsed was most abhominable idolatry and contrary to the holy word of God And as for the Pope quoth he he is Antichrist the first borne of Sathan and hath no more power or authoritie then any other bishop hath in his owne diocesse nor so much neither The Bishop hearing this was in such a peltyng chafe that at that tyme he would talk no more with hym but returned hym from whence he came namelye to Bocardo with commaundement to appere before him agayne vpon the 13. day of the same month folowyng at his Manor of Knoll to aunswer to such Articles and Interrogatories as should be obiected ex officio against hym The third appearance of Tho. Hitton before the said Archb. of Cant. THe sayd Thomas Hitton at the day prefixed made his personall appearance before the bishop at the place appointed to whom the Bishop ministred certaine articles and interrogatories for him to aunswer vnto commaundyng him to sweare to answer truly and vnfainedly vnto them and euery part of them The sayd Tho. Hitton refused to sweare saying It is against Gods lawes and good conscience for any man to sweare to shed hys owne bloud for so he should be a murtherer of hymselfe and become guiltie of his owne death But yet notwithstādyng that he refused to sweare to aunswer yet he answered truly and directly to euery perticular Article and Interrogatorie propounded vnto hym but so as was finally to their contentation yet no doubt to the great glory of God and comfort of the godly This done the Bishop brake of hys session for that tyme and commaunded him to prison agayne and to appeare before hym in the place aforesayde vpon the Friday next followyng to aunswer further as should be demaunded of hym granting him liberty withall to adde too or subtract from his former aunswers eyther els vtterly to deny and reuoke the same The fourth appearance of Tho. Hitton before the said Archb. of Cant. THe day and tyme approching the sayd Thom. Hitton appeared agayne accordingly and hauing heard hys former aunswers and confessions distinctly by the Notarie red vnto hym hee reformed them in certaine pointes to some he added from other some he subtracted but none he denied Then the Bishop perceiuyng his vnmoueable constancie in the truth setting learnyng and reason apart beyng not able to conuince him by arguments and truth nor yet to improoue the spirite which spake in hym fell to exhortyng of him to haue respect to his soules health and not so wilfully as he termed it to cast away himselfe for euer but to repent and to abiure his errors and in so doyng he would be good vnto him he sayd When the bishop with all his perswasions could doe no good with hym to withdraw him from the truth of gods word then the doctors and other the assistants attempted the lyke all which notwithstanding the said Thomas Hitton would not desist nor shrinke one iote from the truth but both affirmed and confirmed his former articles and confessions to the ende Inferring withall that they sinned against the holy Ghost in as much as they knew that Gods worde was the truth and that the Masse and all popish religion is nothing els but Idolatry lies and open blasphemy against the maiestie of God and his word and contrary to Gods word in euery respect and yet they would allowe and maintaine the same contrary to their owne consciences whereat all the Bench was greatly offended commaunded him to prison agayne assignyng him a day to come before them agayne The fift appearance of Tho. Hitton before the said Archb. of Cant. AT the day appointed the said Tho. Hitton appeared to whom the bishop sayd Thomas doest thou beleeue that any man either spirituall or temporall is of sufficient authoritie to set forth any lawe or sanction of himselfe the breach whereof is Mortall or Ueniall sinne To whome Tho. Hitton answered that no man either spirituall or temporall might make any lawe or sanction the breache whereof is mortall or veniall sinne except the same lawe or sanction bee drawen out of the worde of God or els grounded vppon the same with a good conscience And therfore neither the church cannot set forth any lawe the breach whereof is Mortall or Ueniall sinne vnlesse it bee grounded vpon the word of God also But if any man or the church of God it selfe do set forth any lawe grounded vpon the word of God good conscience the breach thereof to
Rhoane whereas the Protestants being at a Sermon without the City Wals vpon the kings edict the Catholiques in fury ranne vpon them comming home and slew of them aboue 40. at least many moe they wounded This example of Roane styrred vp the Papists in Dyepe to practise the like rage also agaynst the Christians there returning from the sermon whose slaughter had bene the greater had they not more wisely before bene prouided of weapon for theyr own defence at need All which happened about the same yeare aforesayd an 1570. but these with such like I briefly ouerslippe to enter now into the matter aboue promised that is briefly to entreat of the horrible and most barbarous massaker wroughte in Paris suche as I suppose was neuer heard of before in no ciuill dissention amoÌ„gest the very heathen In few wordes to touch the substaunce of the matter After long troubles in Fraunce the Catholique side foreseing no good to be done agaynst the Protestantes by open force began to deuise how by crafty meanes to entrap them And that by two maner of wayes The one by pretending a power to be sent into the lower countrey wherof the Amirall to be the Captayne not that the king so meant in deed but onely to vnderstand thereby what power and force the Amirall hadde vnder him who they were and what were theyr names The second was by a certeine mariage suborned betwene the Prince of Nauare and the kinges sister To this pretensed mariage it was deuised that all the chiefest Protestantes of Fraunce shoulde be inuited and meete in Paris Emong whome first they began with the Queene of Nauare Mother to the Prince that should mary the kings sister attempting by all meanes possible to obteine her consent thereunto She being then at Rochell and allured by many fayre wordes to repayre vnto the king consented at length to come and was receiued at Paris where she after much a do at length being wonne to the kinges minde and prouiding for the mariage shortly vpon the same fell sicke within fiue daies departed not without suspitioÌ„ as some sayd of poyson But her body being opened no signe of poyson could there be founde saue onely that a certayne Poticary made his brag that he had killed the Queene by certayne venemous odours and smelles by hym confected After this notwithstanding the mariage still goyng forward the Amirall Prince of Nauare Condee wyth diuers other chiefe states of the Protestantes induced by the kinges letters and many fayre promises at last were brought to Paris Where with great soleÌ„nity they were receiued but especially the Amirall To make the matter short The day of the mariage came which was the 18. of August an 1572. which mariage being celebrate and soleÌ„nised by the Cardinall of Borbone vpon an high stage set vp of purpose without the Churche walles the Prince of Nauare Condee came downe wayting for the kinges sister being then at Masse This done they resorted altogether to the Bishops Palace to dinner At euening they were had to a Palace in the middle of Paris to Supper Not long after this being the 22. of August the Amirall comming from the Counsell table by the way was stroken with a Pistolet charged with iij. pellets in both hys armes He being thus wounded and yet still remayning in Paris although the Uidam gaue him counsell to flye away it so fell out that certayne souldiors were appoynted in diuers places of the Citty to be ready at a watch-word at the commaundemeÌ„t of the Prince Upon which watchword geueÌ„ they burst out to the slaughter of the protestantes first beginning with the Amirall himselfe who being wounded with many sore woundes was cast oute of the window into the street where his head being first stroken of and imbalmed with spices to bee sent to the Pope the sauadge people raging agaynst him cut of hys armes and priuy members and so drawing him 3. dayes through the streetes of Paris they dragged him to the place of execution out of the City and there hanged him vp by his heeles to the greater shew and scorne of him After the Martyrdome of this good man the armed souldiours with rage and violence ranne vpon all other of the same profession slaying and killing all the Protestantes they knew or coulde finde within the Citty gates inclosed This bloudye slaughter continued the space of many dayes but especially the greatest slaughter was in the three first dayes in which were numbred to be slayne as the story writeth aboue x. thousand men and women old and young of all sorts and conditions The bodies of the dead were caryed in Cartes to be throwne in the Riuer so that not onely the Riuer was all steined therwith but also whole streames in certayn places of the City did runne with goare bloud of the slayne bodyes So greate was the outrage of that Heathenish persecution that not onely the Protestantes but also certayne whome they thought indifferent Papists they put to the sword in sted of Protestantes In the number of them that were slayne of the more learned sort was Petrus Ramus also Lambinus an other notorious learned man Plateanus Lomenius Chapesius with others And not onely within the walles of Paris this vprore was conteined but extended farther into other cities and quarters of the Realme especially Lyons Orliens Tholous and Roane In which cities it is almost incredible nor scarse euer heard of in any natioÌ„ what crueltye was shewed what numbers of good men were destroyed in so much that with in the space of one moneth xxx thousand at least of religious Protestantes are numbred to be slayne as is credibâ—ely reported and storyed in the coÌ„meÌ„taryes of them which testify purposely of the matter Furthermore here is to be noted that when the Pope first heard of this bloudy styrre he with his Cardinalles made such ioy at Rome with theyr procession with their gunshot and singing Te Deum that in honor of that festiuall acte a iubileâ— was commaunded by the Pope wyth great indulgence and much solemnity wherby thou hast here to discerne and iudge with what spirite and charity these Catholiques are moued to mainteine their religion withall which otherwise would fall to the ground with out all hope of recouery Likewise in Fraunce no lesse reioysing there was vpon the xxviij day of the sayd Moneth the king commaunding publique processions thorow the whole City to be made with bonefires ringing and singing where the king himselfe with the Queene his mother and his whole Court resorting together to the Church gaue thankes and land to GOD for that so worthy victory atchieued vpon S. Bartholomews day agaynst the Protestantes whome they thought to be vtterly ouerthrowne and vanquished in all that Realme for euer And in very deede to mans thinking might appeare no lesse after such a great destruction of the Protestantes hauing lost so many worthy and
church This article of the K. Quâ—â—e is no 〈…〉 his Catholicke Creede And yet he sayd before that he went not aboute to seeke his bloud Iudgement without truth Mathew Plaise confesseth his minde of the Sacrament Capernaicall doctrine Christ called it his body Ergo he made it his body It followeth not For a thing may be called yet no nature chaunged Anno 1556. Iune False alleaging the Scriptures They sayd that Christ called it his body but they sayd not that it was his body Comparison betweene turning Moyses rod and the bread into Christes body not lyke The opinion of the Papistes much lyke to the Capernaits Iune 22. 10. Godly Martyrs The lyfe story of Richard Woodman Anno â—557 〈◊〉 Râ—â—hard â—oâ—dman 〈…〉 of his 〈◊〉 trouble Râ—chard Woodman agâ—yne apprehended 〈…〉 of Richard Woodman The first appreâ—ension 〈◊〉 Richard Woodman Woodmen purgeth himselfe of false sclander False surmises agaynst Richard Woodman Woodman complayned of to Syr Iohn Gâ—ge Lord Chamberlayne Warrantes sent out to attach Woodman L. Chamberlayne sendeth to take Woodman at his plough Woodman arested Feare comming vpon WoodmaÌ„ at his first taking Woodman comforted in his spirite after his feare Woodman asketh for their Warrant How God worketh for his seruauntes The vnorderly doinges of the Papiâ—tes in attaching men without any warrant Woodman refusâ—th to goe with them vnlesse they shewe their warrant Gods great worke how the persecutors which came to take Woodman went away without him Woodman escapeth the handes of his takers Woodmans house agayne searched for him Woodman lodged sixe weeâ—es in a woode All the countâ—y and Sea coastes lâ—yd for woodman Woodman deliuered by his owne brother into his enenemyes handes Auri sacra fames quid non Mortalia cogis pectora Virgil. Brother bewrayeth the brother Woodmans house agayne beset and searched Woodman put to his shiftes The part of a trusty wife to her husband This belyke was his brother Woodman at length after long seeking found out George 〈…〉 in 〈…〉 Woodman A Pewterer of 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 coate â—oodman 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 â—ounde 〈…〉 of 〈◊〉 Woodman 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 of his â—â—fe and 〈◊〉 The name of this place 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 could 〈◊〉 by 〈…〉 Firle Richard Woodman brought before the B. of Chichester D. Story and D. Cooke Richard Woodman preferreth the kingdome of Christ before lyfe or wyfe all worldly respectes Woodman appealed to his Ordynary D. Story a great spiller of bloud by his owne confession The Papistes in doubte whether they haue the spirite of God D. Story in a fury He is no true Christian that hath not the spirite of God Anno 1556. Iune 1. Cor. 7. Whether Paule was sure to receâ—ue the spirite of Christ. 1. Cor. 7. Rom. 8. Rom. 8. Gâ—l â— 2. Tim. 8. The Papistes bewray their owne blyndnes Richard Woodman glad to goe to the Marshalsâ—â— The liuing God is a pâ—â—ne of heresie among the Catholickes Story scorneth at the holy Bible Barne 6. D. Story set to schoole in the Scriptures Psal. â—4 If the liuing God in heauen doe make an heretick 〈◊〉 maketh 〈◊〉 the dead God on the Aultar Storyes rule to know an hereticke that is a true Christian When D. Story cannot confute them by learning he confuteth them by imprisonment No but if he should say the Sacrament of the aultar worshipped might he be then he were a perfect Catholicke The Lord hereticall our Lord Catholicke with the Papistes Fallacia equiuoci He that erreth from the church which church erreth not in in the right fayth his fayth cannot be good in deede Woodman charged with his owne writinges Richard Woodman 5. tymes before the Commissioners Anno 1557. 〈◊〉 â—oodman 〈…〉 church A man may 〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 preaâ—â—â— â—eading 〈◊〉 Scripture letteth 〈◊〉 man to 〈…〉 〈◊〉 and â—â—â—under Woodman 〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 Church The Bishop 〈…〉 The Bishop biddeth Woodman to dinner Talke betweene Richard Woodman and the Bishop about Priestes mariage Paule if he were not maryed yet he had power to marry as well as the other had 1. Cor. 9. 1. Cor. 7 Priestes ought to haue wyues rather then to burne by Sainct Paules doctrine Gene 2. 1. Tim. 3. Bishops and Deacons were maryed in the Apostles tyme. Papistes â—olde that Byshops Deacons hauing wiâ—es before might keepe them still but not hauing before might not afterward mary Paul confesseth himselfe after his Apostleship to haue power to maâ—y The Bishops fayâ—e wordes to Richard Woodman Richard Woodman complayned of by vnlearned Priestes which could not certyfie him in matters of religion A Byshoplyke diâ—ner without any talke of Scriptures D. story a man without reason 7. Sacramentes denyed Two onely Sacramentes Richard Woodman caryed to the Marshalsey Luke 22. The deuills members persecutors of the Christians Iob. Psal. 1â— Rom 14. Richard Wooâ—mâ—â— to the faythfull brethren Psal. 103. Those that feare God hang not or man The inseparable knot of loue betweene Christ and his members Christians ought to geue there liues for defence of the Gospell if they be thereto called The second examination of Rich. Woodman before D Christopherson Bishop of Chichester Doct. Story c. Prouing of 7. Sacramentes Christopherson not yet consecrated 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 the examination 〈…〉 â—â—ether â—â—trimony 〈◊〉 Sacrament Ephe. 5. S. Paules words be these â—his misteâ—y is greatâ— c. In the Greeke text S. Paule calleth it misterium What is a mistery and what difference there is betweene a mistery and a Sacrament Argument A thing signified a thing signifying can not bee at one tyme in respecte of it selfe in one subiecte Matrimony is a holy thing it selfe signified Ergo Matrimony cannot be a Sacrament signifying a holy thing The hose in a hosiers stalle may be a signâ— signifying moe hose to be within but it is noe signifying signe of it selfe Neyther againe is euery signe of an other thing to be called a Sacrament Chichester proueth Matrimony to be a SacrameÌ„t by a payre of hose Letters written in the booke speaking properly be one thing the testament worde of God is an other thing And yet by vse of speach the booke of the testament is called the testament as bread and wine be called the body bloud of the Lord. Heb. 13. The Bishop of Chichesteâ— rightly aunswered of his man according to his queston Aiâ— Aio Sacrament of the Aultar The aultar how it is to be taken and where it is Math. 18. Math. 5. Christ the true and onely Aultar The place of Math. â— expoundâ— Heb. 13. The Catholickes will not haue the worde to iudge Woodman referreth himselfe to the true Church Doctrine preiudiciall to Christes passion to say that the Sacrament of the Aultar doth pacyfie the wrath of God The Catholickes make themselues Priestes not after the order of Aaron but of Melchisedech The Catholickes 〈◊〉 the Sacrament doth a â—â—gne signiâ—â—â—â—g and the thing it 〈◊〉 signiâ—ied Another 〈◊〉 wordes 〈◊〉 make 〈◊〉 Sacrament of Baptisme 〈…〉 childe 〈◊〉 to be â—â—ptised The word water and
of the harte and veritie wherein consisteth true Christian Religion and not in the outward deedes of the letter onely or in the glisteryng shewe of mans traditions or pardons pilgrimages ceremonies vowes deuotions voluntarie workes and workes of supererogation foundations oblations the Popes supremacie c. so that all these either were nedeles where the other is present or els were of small estimation in comparison of the other The tenour and effect of these his Sermons so far as they could come to our handes here foloweth ¶ The tenoure and effecte of certayne Sermons made by mayster Latimer in Cambridge about the yeare of our Lord. 1529. TV quis es which wordes are as much to say in Englyshe Who art thou These be the wordes of the Phariseis which were sent by the Iewes vnto sainct Iohn Baptist in wildernesse to haue knowledge of hym whom he was which woordes they spake vnto hym of an euill intent thinkyng that he would haue taken on hym to be Christe and so they woulde haue had him done with their good willes because they knewe that he was more carnall and geuen to their lawes then Christ in deede should be as they perceyued by their old prophecies and also because they maruayled muche of his great doctryne preachyng and baptising they were in doubt whether he was Christ or not wherefore they sayd vnto him who art thou Then answered sainct Iohn and confessed that he was not Christ. Now here is to be noted the great and prudent answere of saincte Iohn Baptist vnto the Phariseis that when they required of him whom he was he would not directly answere of himselfe what he was him selfe but he sayd he was not Christ by the which saying he thought to put the Iewes and Phariseis out of their false opinion beliefe towardes him in that they would haue had him to exercise the office of Christ and â—o declared farther vnto them of Christ saying he is in the middes of you and amongst you whoÌ„ ye know not whose â—atchet of his shoe I am not worthy to vnlose or vndoe By this you may perceiue that saint Iohn spake much in the lande and prayse of Christ his maister professing himselfe to be in no wise like vnto him So likewise it shal be necessary vnto all men women of this world not to ascribe vnto them selues any goodnes of themselues but all vnto our Lorde God as shall appeare herafter when this question aforesayd Who art thou shall be moued vnto theÌ„ not as the Phariseis did vnto saint Iohn of an euill purpose but of a good and simple minde as may appeare hereafter Now then according to the preachers mynd let euery man and woman of a good simple mind contrary to the Phariseis intent aske this question Who art thou this question must be moued to themselues what they be of themselues on this fashion What art thou of thy only and natural generatioÌ„ betwene father mother wheÌ„ thou camest into this world What substaÌ„ce what vertue what goodnes art thou of by thy selfe which question if thou reherâ—e often times vnto thy selfe thou shalt well perceiue vnderstand how thou shalt make aunswer vnto it which must be made on this wayes I am of my selfe and by my selfe coÌ„ming from my naturall father mother the childe of the ire indignation of God the true inheritour of hel a lumpe of sinne working nothing of my selfe but all towardes hell except I haue better helpe of an other then I haue of my selfe Now we may see in what state we enter in to this world that we be of our selues the true and iust inheritours of hell the children of the ire indignation of Christ working all towardes hell whereby we deserue of our selues perpetuall dampnation by the ryght iudgement of God and the true clayme of our selues which vnthrifty state that we be borne vnto is come vnto vs for our own desertes and proueth well this example followyng Let it be admitted for the probatioÌ„ of this that it might please the kynges grace now being to accept into his fauour a meane man of a simple degre and byrth not borne to any possession whom the kynges grace fauoureth not because this person hath of himselfe deserued any such fauoure but that the kyng casteth this fauoure vnto him of his owne mere motion fantasy and for because the kings grace will more declare his fauoure vnto him he geueth vnto his sayd man a thousand poundes in landes to hym and his heyres on this condition that he shall take vpon him to be the chiefe captayne and defendour of his towne of Calice and to be trew and faythfull vnto hym in the custodie of the same agaynst the Frenche men specially aboue all other enemies This man taketh on hym this charge promysing his fidelitie thereunto It chaunceth in processe of tyme that by the singuler acquaintaunce and frequent familiaritie of this Captaine with the French men these French men geue vnto this sayde Captayne of Calice a great summe of money so that he will be content and agreeable that they may enter into the sayde towne of Calice by force of armes and so thereby to possesse the same vnto the Crowne of Fraunce vpon this agreement the French men doe inuade the sayde Towne of Calice alonely by the neglygence of this Captayne Now the Kynges grace hearyng of this inuasion commeth with a great puissaunce to defende this his sayd Towne and so by good pollicie of warre ouercommeth the sayd French men and entreth againe into his Towne of Calice Then he beyng desyrous to knowe how these enemies of his came thyther he maketh profound searche and enquirie by whom this treason was conspyred by this searche it was knowen and founde his owne Captayne to be the very authoure and beginner of the betraying of it The King seeing the great infidelitie of this person dischargeth this man of his office and taketh from him and his heyres this thousande poundes possessions Thinke you not but the Kyng doth vse iustice vnto him and all his posteritie and heyres Yes truely the sayde Capitayne cannot deny hymselfe but that he hadde true iustice consyderyng howe vnfaythfully he behaued hym to his Prince contrary to his own fidelitie and promyse so likewyse it was of our fyrst Father Adam He had geuen vnto him the spirite of science knowledge to worke all goodnesse therewith this sayd spirite was not geuen alonely vnto him but vnto all his heyres and posteritie He had also deliuered him the Towne of Calice that is to say Paradise in earth the most strong and fayrest Towne in the worlde to be in his custodie He neuerthelesse by the instigation of these Frenche menne that is to say the temptation of the Feende dyd obey vnto their desire and so brake his promise and fidelitie the commaundemeÌ„t of the euerlasting kyng his maister in eatyng of the apple by hym inhibited Now then the kyng seyng this great treason in
hys capitayne deposed hym of the thousand pound of possessions that is to say from euerlasting lyfe in glory and all his heires and posteritie for likewyâ—e as he had the spirit of science and knowledge for him and his heires so in like maner wheÌ„ he lost the same his heyres lost it also by him and in him So now this example prooueth that by our father Adam we had once in hym the very enheritance of euerlasting ioy and by him and in him againe we lost the same The heires of the captaine of Calice could not by any maner of claime aske of the King the right â—itle of theyr father in the thousand poundes possessions by reason the kyng myght aunswer and say vnto them that although theyr father deserued not of hymselfe to enioy so great possessions yet he deserued by hymselfe to loose theÌ„ and greater committyng so hygh treason as he dyd agaynst hys Princes commaundementes whereby he had no wrong to loose his title but was vnworthy to haue the same and had therein true iustice let not you thinke which bee hys heyres that if hee had iustice to loose his possessions you haue wrong to loose the same In the same maner it may be aunswered vnto all men and women now beyng that if our father Adam had true Iustice to bee excluded from hys possession of euerlastyng glory in Paradise let not vs thinke the contrary that be his heyres but that wee haue no wrong in loosing also the same yea we haue true Iustice and right Then in what miserable state be we that of the right and iust title of our owne deserts haue lost the euerlasting ioy and clayme of our selues to be the true inheritours of hell For hee that committeth deadly sinne willyngly byndeth hymselfe to be inheritor of euerlasting payne and so dyd our forefather Adam willingly eate of the apple forbidden Wherefore he was cast out of euerlastyng ioy in Paradise into this corrupt world amongst all vilenesse whereby of hymselfe he was not woorthy to do any thyng laudable or pleasaunt to GOD euermore bound to corrupt affections and beastly appetites transfourmed into the most vncleannest and variablest nature that was made vnder heauen of whose seede and disposition all the world is lineally discended in so much that this euill nature is so fused and shedde from one into another that at this day there is no man nor woman liuyng that can of themselues wash away this abhominable vilenesse and so we must needes graunt of our selues to be in lyke displeasure vnto God as our forefather Adam was by reason hereof as I sayd we bee of our selues the very children of the indignation and vengeaunce of God the true enheritours of hell and workyng all towardes hell which is the answer of this question made to euery man and woman by themselues Who art thou And now the world standyng in this damnable state commeth in the occasion of the incarnation of Christ the Father in heauen perceiuyng the frayle nature of man that he by hymselfe and of hymselfe could doe nothyng for hymselfe by hys prudent wisedome sent downe the second person in Trinitie hys sonne Iesu Christ to declare vnto man hys pleasure and commaundement and so at the fathers wyll Christ tooke on hym humaine nature beyng willyng to deliuer man out of this miserable way was content to suffer cruell passion in shedyng hys bloud for all mankynd and so left behynd for our safegard lawes and ordinaunces to keepe vs alwayes in the right path to euerlastyng lyfe as the Euangelistes the Sacramentes the commaundementes and so foorth which if wee doe keepe and obserue accordyng vnto our profession wee shall aunswer better vnto this question Who art thou then we dyd before for before thou diddest enter into the Sacrament of Baptisme thou wert but a naturall man a naturall woman as I myght say A man A woman But after thou takest on thee Christes Religion thou hast a longer name for then thou art a Christian man a Christian woman Now then seeyng thou art a Christian man what shall be thy aunswer of this question Who art thou The aunswer of this question is when I aske it vnto my selfe I must say that I am a Christian man a christian woman the childe of euerlastyng ioy thorough the merites of the bitter passion of Christ. This is a ioyfull aunswer Here we may see how much wee bee bounde and in daunger vnto GOD that hath reuiued vs from death to lyfe and saued vs that were damned which great benefite we cannot well consider vnlesse we doe remember what we were of our selues before wee medled wyth hym or hys lawes and the more we know our feeble nature and set lesse by it the more wee shall concâ—iue and know in our heartes what God hath done for vs and the more that we know what God hath done for vs the lesse wee shall set by our selues the more wee shall loue and please God so that in no condition wee shall eyther know our selues or God except wee doe vtterly confâ—sse our selues to bee meere vilenesse and corruption Well now it is come vnto this poynt that we bee Châ—istian men Christian women I pray you what doth Christ require of a Christian man or of a Christian woman Christ requireth nothyng els of a Christian man or a womaâ— but that they will obserue hys rule For likewyse as hee is a good Augustine Frier that keepeth well Saint Augustines rule so is he a good Christian man that keepeth well Christes rule Now then what is Christes rule Christes rule consisteth in many thyngs as in the commaundements and the workes of mercy and so foorth And for because I can not declare Christs rule vnto you at one tyme as it ought to be done I will applye my selfe accordyng to your custome this tyme of Christenmasse I wyll as I sayde declare vnto you Christes rule but that shall bee in Christes cardes And where you are woont to celebâ—ate Christenmasse in playing at cardes I intend with gods grace to deale vnto you Christes cardes wherein you shall pâ—rceyue Christes rule The Game that we will pâ—ay at shal be called the Triumph which if it bee well played at bee that dealeth shall winne the Players shall lykewyse winne and the standers and lookers vppon shall doe the same in so much that there is no man that is willyng to play at this Triumph with these cardes but they shall be all winners and no loosers Let therefore euery Christian man and woman playe at these cardes that they may haue and obtayne the Triumph you must marke also that the Triumph must apply to fetch home vnto hym all the other cardes what so euer suite they bee of Now then take ye this first carde which must appeare and be shewed vnto you as followeth You haue heard what was spoken to the men of the olde Lawe Thou shalt not kyll whosoeuer shall kyll shall be in daunger of iudgement But