And as hee neuer ceaseth to be man so doth he neuer lose the similitude of man hys body there hath hys liniamentes hee leaueth them not so hath that body there hys highnesse and shrinketh not and hys manly shape he altereth not at any tyme. He is in that he tooke of the virgin Mary a naturall man in all conditions except sinne And what he tooke of hys blessed Mother by the workyng of the holye Ghost he tooke it for euer and will not exchaunge the same for anye other He tooke the shape of a man with the substaunce of hys manhoode in one sacred wombe There were they coupled together by the holy ghost neuer to be deuyded a sunder He retayneth the one with the other in seperablye As he will not altar the substaunce of hys fleshe into the substaunce of bread no more will hee altar the shape of hys bodye into the forme of bread There cannot be a greater absurditie agaynst the truth then to thinke that he would leaue the shape that he tooke in the virgins womb being an accident vnto hys manhoode and ioyne vnto the same a wafer cake baken in an ouen or betwene a payre of yrons As he is in heauen very man one onely mediatour betwene God and man euen the man Chryst Iesus hee it is that is the propitiation for our sinnes Be bolde therefore to confesse thys most pure and Apostolicall doctrine and also that all fauoure mercy and forgeuenesse commeth onely by him He onely of God the father was made for vs all wisedome righteousnes sanctification and redemption All these are the giftes of God the father freely geuen vnto vs by Christ Iesus God and man through fayth in his bloud and not by the merites of men Giftes they are I say freely geuen vnto vs of fauoure wythout our deserte by beleeuing and not by deseruing To this doe the lawe and the Prophetes beare witnesse This doctrine haue all the blessed Martyrs of Christes church wytnessed wyth theyr bloude to bee true To thys trueth haue all the consciences of all true beleuers subscribed euer since the Ascension of Christ. This witnesse is not of man but of God What better quarrell can ye thē haue to geue your liues for then the trueth it selfe That man that geueth his lyfe for the truth taketh the rediest way to lyfe He that hath the Popes curse for the truth is sure of Christes blessing Well then my brethren what shall now lette but that ye goe forward as ye haue begon Nay rather runne wyth the runners that ye maye obtayne the appoynted glorye Holde on the right waye looke not back haue the eye of youre heart fixed vppon GOD and so runne that ye may get holde of it Cast awaye all your worldly pelfe and worldly respects as the fauour of friendes the feare of men sensuall affection respect of persons honour prayse shame rebuke wealth pouertie riches landes possessions carnall fathers and mothers wife and children with the loue of your own selues and in respect of that heauenly treasure ye loooke for let al these be denyed vtterly refused of you so that in no cōditiō they do abate your seale or quenche youre loue towardes God In this case make no acōpt of thē but rather repute thē as vile in comparison of euerlasting life Away with them as thornes that choke the heauenly seede of the Gospel where they be suffered to grow They are burdens of the fleshe which encomber the soule exchaunge them therefore for aduauntage Doth not he gayne that findeth heauenly and immortall treasure for earthly corruptible riches Loseth that man any thing whiche of his carnall father and mother is forsaken when therefore he is receaued of God the father to be his childe and eyre in Christ Heauenly for earthly for mortall immortall for transitory thinges permanēt is great gaynes to a Christian conscience Therefore as I beganne I exhort you in the Lorde not to be afrayd Shrinke not my brethren mistrust not God bee of good comforte reioyce in the Lord hold fast your fayth and continue to the end Deny the world and take vp your crosse and follow him whiche is your loadesman and is gone before If you suffer with him yea you shall raygne with him What way can you glorifie the name of your heauenly father better then by sufferyng death for his sonnes sake What a spectacle shal it be to the world to beholde so godly a fellowship as you seruauntes of God in so iust a quarrell as the Gospell of Christ is with so pure a conscience so strong a fayth and so liuely a hope to offer your selues to suffer most cruell tormentes at the handes of Gods enemyes and so to end your dayes in peace to receaue in the resurrection of the righteous life euerlasting Be strong therfore in your battayle The Lord God is on your side and his truth is your cause and against you be none but the enemies of the crosse of Christe as the serpent and his seede the Dragon with hys tayle the marked men of the Beast the ofspring of the Pharisees the congregation malignant the generation of Vipers murtherers as theyr father the deuill hath bene from the beginning To conclude such are they as the Lorde God hath alwayes abhorred and in all ages resisted and ouerthrowne God from whome nothing is hid knoweth what they are Hee that searcheth the heartes of men he hath found them out to be crafty subtill full of poyson proud disdainefull stiffenecked deuourers raueners and barkers against the truth filthy shamelesse and therefore doth the spirite of God by the mouthes of hys holy Prophetes and Apostles call them by the names of Foxes serpentes Cockatrices Lyons Leopardes Bulles Beares Wolues Dogs Swine Beasts teachyng vs therby to vnderstād that their natural inclinatiō is to deceaue poison and destroy as much as in them lyeth the faythfull and elect of God But the Lord with his right arme shal defend his little flocke agaynst the whole rabblement of these worldlings which haue conspired against him he hath numbred all the heares of his childrens heades so that not one of thē shal pearish without hys fatherly wil. He kepeth the sparrowes much more will he preserue them whom he hath purchased with the bloud of the immaculate Lambe Hee will keepe them vnto the houre appointed wherein the name of God shal be glorified in his saynctes In the meane tyme let them woorke theyr willes let them enuy let them maligne let thē blaspheeme let them curse banne betray whippe scourge hang and burne for by these meanes God will try his elect as gold in the furnace and by these fruites shall they also bring themselues to be knowen what they be for all their sheepes skinnes For as he that in suffering paciently for the Gospell of God is thereby knowne to be of Christ euen so in likewise is
denye to be lye or betraye the innocencye of that heauenlye doctrine or to bee ashamed to confesse and stande to the defence of the same seeing that Christe planted it with hys moste precious bloude and all good menne haue more esteemed the true and infallible woorde of GOD then all thys transitorye worlde or their owne mortall liues And I beleeue this doctrine of the Patriarkes Prophetes Christe and his Apostles to be sufficient and absolutely perfecte to instructe and teache mee and all the holy Church of our dueties towardes God the Magistrates and our neighbours Firste and principallye I do assuredly beleeue wythout any doubting that there is one Deitie or Diuine essence and infinite substaunce which is both called and is in dede God euerlasting vnbodilye vnpartible vnmeasurable in power wisedome and goodnesse the maker and preseruer of all thinges as well visible as inuisible and yet there be three distincte persones all of one Godheade or Diuine beynge and all of one power coequall consubstantiall coeternell the Father the Sonne and the holye Ghoste I beleeue in God the Father Almightie c. As touching God the Father of heauen I beleeue as muche as holye Scripture teacheth mee to beleeue The Father is the firste persone in Trinitie first cause of our saluation which hathe blessed vs with all maner of blessinges in heauenly thinges by Christe whych hathe chosen vs before the foundations of the worlde were layde that wee shoulde be holye and wythout blame before hym who hath predestinate vs and ordained vs to bee his childrenne of adoption thorough Christe Iesu. In hym as it is sayde we liue wee mooue and haue oure being he nourisheth feedeth and geueth meate to euery creature And in Iesus Christe his onely sonne our Lorde I beleue that the woorde that is the Sonne of God the seconde person in Trinitie did take mannes nature in the wombe of the blessed Virgine Marie So that there be in hym two natures a Diuine nature and an humaine nature in the vnitie of parson inseparable conioyned and knitte in one Christe truely God and truely man the expresse and perfecte Image of the inuisible God wherin the will of God the Father shineth apparantly and wherein man as it were in a glasse may beholde what he ought to doe that he maye please God the Father Borne of the Virgine Marie truelye sufferinge his Passion crucified deade and buryed to the entent to bring vs againe into fauoure wyth God the Father almightie and to be a sacrifice hoste and oblation not onely for originall sinne but also for all actuall sinnes of the whole generation of mankinde For all the woorkes merites deseruings doinges and obedience of man towards God althoughe they be done by the spirite of God in the grace of God yet being thus done be of no validitie worthine nor merite before God except God for his mercy and grace accoumpte them woorthye for the woorthinesse and merytes of Christ Iesus The same Christ went downe to the helles and truely rose againe the thirde day and ascended into the heauēs that he might there stil raigne and haue dominion ouer all creatures and from thence shall come c. I beleue in the holy Ghost coequall with God the Father and the Sonne and proceeding from them bothe by whose vertue strength and operation the true Catholicke Church which is the Communion and societie of Saintes is guided in all truthe veritie kept frō al errors fals doctrine the deuill all power of sinne Which Church is sanctified and halowed with the precious bloude and spirite of our Lorde Iesus Christe whiche hathe also her signe and mark that she heareth and foloweth the voice of her only and true pastour Christ and no strangers This church also is the house of God the congregation of the liuing God the piller of truth the liuely body of Christe a Church both in name and in deede I beleue the remission of sinnes by the only meanes and merites of Christes death passion who made vnto vs of God that onely sacrifice and oblation offered once for all and for euer for all them that be sanctified I beleue the resurrection of the body whereby in the last day al men shal rise again from death the soules ioyned againe to the bodies the good to euerlasting life the wicked to euerlasting pain and punishmēt And nothing may more certainly stablish confirme our faith that we shall rise againe immortal both in body soule thē the resurrection of Christ our Sauiour and first fruites of the deade Nowe that Christe our head is risen we beynge hys body and members must follow our head Death hell and sinne cannot sunder nor plucke vs from him For as the Sonne can not be deuided nor sundred from the Father nor the holy Ghost frō them bothe no more maye wee beinge the faithfull members of Christ be separated from Christ. And for a confirmation of our resurrection Christ would be seene after his resurrection in hys most glorious body his woundes being handled and felte speaking and teaching eating and drinking c. Wee looke sayeth S. Paul for Iesus Christ our Sauiour which shall trāsfigure our vile bodies conform them to his glorious body by the same power and vertue wherwith he is able to subdue all things euen like as the graine of wheate sowen in the grounde is first putrified and brought as into a thing of noughte yet after that it springeth vp freshly with a more goodly colour forme and beautie then it had before The body is sowne in corruption and riseth in incorruption it is sowen in dishonour and riseth in honour Thus I verely know and assuredly beleue the resurrection of oure bodies and to haue life eternall by Christ and for Christes sake Verely verely I say vnto you sayth Christ he that heareth my woorde and beleeueth on him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into damnation but is escaped frō death to life It is Christe that died once for oure sinnes and is risen againe neuer more to die it is he that swallowed vp death hath cast it vnder his feete for euer What now can death do vnto vs Verelye nothing els but for a little time separate oure precious soules from oure wretched bodies that diuine substaunce from a masse of sinne that eternall life from a body of death and so send our soules oute of this miserable wretched and sorrowfull lyfe combred with all calamities vnto that moste blessed felicitie and ioyes eternall As concerning the holy and reuerende Sacraments of Christes Churche which be in number two the Sacrament of Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord I beleeue them to be as S. Paul calleth them confirmations or seales of Gods promises whiche haue added to them a promise of grace and therfore they are called visible signes of inuisible grace The Sacrament of
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
October An. 1555. VPon the Northside of the towne in the ditch ouer against Baily Colledge the place of execution was appoynted and for feare of any tumult that might aryse to let the burnyng of them the L. Williams was commaunded by the Queenes letters and the householders of the Citie to be there assistant sufficiently appoynted when euery thyng was in a readines the prisoners were broght forth by the Maior and Bailiffes M. Ridley had a faire blacke goune furred and faced with foines such as he was woont to weare beyng Bish. and a tippet of veluet furred likewyse about his necke a veluet night cap vpon his hed a corner cappe vpon the same goyng in a paire of slippers to the stake going betweene the Maior and an Alderman c. After hym came M. Latimer in a poore Bristow freeze frocke all worne with hys buttened cap and a kerchiefe on his hed all redy to the fire a new long shroud hanging ouer his hose downe to the feete which at the first sight stirred mens hearts to rue vpon them beholdyng on the one side the honour they sometyme had on the other the calamitie whereunto they were fallen M. Doctor Ridley as hee passed towards Bocardo lookyng vp where M. Cranmer did lye hopyng belike to haue seene hym at the glasse window and to haue spoken vnto hym But then M. Cranmer was busie with Frier Soto his fellowes disputyng together so that he could not see hym through that occasion Then M. Ridley lookyng backe espied M. Latymer commyng after Unto whome he sayd Oh be ye there Yea sayd M. Latymer haue after as fast as I can follow So he following a prety way of at lenth they came both to the stake one after the other where first D. Ridley entring the place maruelous earnestly holding vp both his hands loked towards heauen then shortly after espying M. Latimer with a wonderous cheerefull looke ranne to hym embraced and kissed hym and as they that stoode neare reported comforted hym saying be of good heart brother for GOD will either asswage the fury of the flame or els strengthen vs to abyde it With that went he to the stake kneeled downe by it kissed it most effectuously prayed and behynd him M. Latymer kneled as earnestly callyng vpon God as he After they arose the one talked with the other a little whyle tyll they which were appoynted to see the execution remooued themselues out of the sunne What they sayd I can learne of no man Then Doctor Smith of whose recantation in K. Edwards tyme ye heard before began his Sermon to them vpon this text of Saint Paule in the xiij chapiter of the first Epistle to the Corrinthians Si corpus meum tradâ—m igni charitatem autem non habeo nihil inde vtilitatis capio That is If I yeld my body to the fire to be burnt haue not Charitie I shall gayne nothyng thereby Where in he alledged that the goodnesse of the cause and not the order of death maketh the holynes of the person Which he confirmed by the examples of Iudas and of a woman in Oxford that of late hanged her selfe for that they and suche lyke as he recited might theÌ„ be adiudged righteous which desperately sundered their lyues from their bodies as he feared that those men that stood before hym would do But he cryed stil to the people to beware of them for they were heretikes and dyed out of the Church And on the other side he declared their diuersities in opinions as Lutherians Oecolampadians Zuinglians of which secte they were he sayd and that was the worst but the old church of Christ and the Catholike fayth beleeued far otherwyse At which place they lifted vp both their handes and eyes to heauen as it were callyng God to witnes of the truth The which countenaunce they made in many other places of his Sermon where as they thought hee spake amisse He ended with a very short exhortation to them to recant and come home agayne to the church and saue their lyues and soules which els were condemned His sermoÌ„ was scant in all a quarter of an houre Doctor Ridley sayd to Maister Latymer will you beginne to aunswer the Sermon or shall I Maister Latimer sayd begin you first I pray you I will sayd Maister Ridley Then the wicked Sermon beyng ended Doctor Ridley and Maister Latymer kneled down vpon their knees towardes my Lord Williams of Tame the Uicechancellor of Oxford and dyuers other Commissioners appointed for that purpose which sate vpon a forme therby Unto whome Maister Ridley sayd I beseech you my Lord euen for Christes sake that I may speake but two or three wordes and whylest my Lord bent hys head to the Maior and Uicechauncellour to know as it appeared whether he myght geue hym leaue to speake the Bailiffes and Doctour Marshall Uicechancellour ranne hastily vnto hym and with theyr handes stopped hys mouthe and sayd Maister Ridley if you will reuoke your erroneous opinions and recant the same you shall not onely haue libertie so to doe but also the benefite of a subiect that is haue your lyfe Not otherwyse sayd Maister Ridley No quoth Doctor Marshall therefore if you will not doe so then there is no remedy but you must suffer for your desertes Well quoth M. Ridley so long as the breath is in my body I will neuer deny my Lord Christ and hys knowen truth Gods will be done in me And with that he rose vp and sayd with a lowde voyce Well then I commit our cause to almighty God which shall indifferently iudge all To whose saying Maister Latymer added hys olde Posie Well there is nothyng hidde but it shall bee opened and he sayd he could aunswere Smith well enough if he myght bee suffered Incontinently they were commaunded to make them ready which they with all mekenesse obeyed Maister Ridley tooke his gown and his tippet and gaue it to his brother in law M. Shepside who all his tyme of imprisonment although he might not bee suffred to come to hym laye there at his owne charges to prouide him necessaries which from tyme to tyme he sent him by the Sergeant that kept hym Some other of hys apparell that was little woorth he gaue away other the Bailifs tooke He gaue away besides diuers other small thynges to Gentlemen standyng by and diuers of them pitifully wepyng as to sir Henry Lea he gaue a new grote and to diuers of my L. Williams gentlemen some napkins some nutmegs and races of ginger his Diall and such other thyngs as he had about hym to euery one that stoode next hym Some plucked the pointes of his hose Happy was he that might get any rag of hym M. Latymer gaue nothyng but very quietly suffered his keper to pull of his hose and his other aray which to looke vnto was very simple and beyng stripped into hys shroud he seemed as
haue robbed and spoyled all this heauenly treasure away I may well complayne on these thyngs and cry out vpon them with the Prophet saying Deus venerunt gentes in haereditatem tuam c. Psal. 72. O Lord God the Gentiles Heathen nations are come into thy heritage They haue defiled thy holy Temple and made Ierusalem an heape of stones that is They haue broken beaten down to the ground thy holy Citie This Heathenish generatiō these thieues of Samaria these Sabei and Chaldei these robbers haue rushed out of their dennes and haue robbed the Church of England of all the foresayd holy treasure of God they haue caried it away and ouerthrown it and in stead of Gods holy worde the true and right administration of Christes holy Sacramentes as of Baptisme and others they mixte theyr ministerie with mens foolish fantasies and many wicked and vngodly traditions withall In stead of the Lordes holy Table they geue the people with much solemne disguising a thyng which they cal their Masse but in deed and in truth it is a very masking and mockerie of the true Supper of the Lord or rather I may call it a crafty iuglyng whereby these false theeues iuglers haue bewitched the myndes of the simple people that they haue broght them from the true worship of god vnto pernicious idolatry and make them to beleeue that to be Christ our Lord and Sauiour which in deed is neither God nor man nor hath any lyfe in it selfe but in substance is the creature of bread and wyne and in vse of the Lordes Table is the Sacrament of Christes bodye and bloud and for this holy vse for the whiche the Lord hath ordained them in hys table to represent vnto vs his blessed body torne vpon the crosse for vs and his bloude there shed it pleased him to call them his body bloud whiche vnderstanding Christ declareth to be his true meanyng when he sayth Do this in the remembraunce of me And agayne Saint Paule likewyse doth set out the same more plainly speaking of the same Sacrament after the words of the consecration saieng As often as ye shall eat of this bread and drinke of this cup ye shall set forth he meaneth with the same the Lordes death vntill his commyng agayne And here agayne these thieues haue robbed also the people of the Lordes cup contrary to the plaine words of Christ written in his Gospell Nowe for the common publike prayers whiche were in the vulgare tongue these theeues haue brought in agayne a strange tongue whereof the people vnderstande not one worde Wherein what doe they els but robbe the people of their Diuine seruice wherein they ought to pray together with the minister and to pray in a strange tong what is it but as Saint Paule calleth it barbarousnesse childishnes vnprofitable folly yea and plaine madnesse For the godly Articles of vnitie in religion for the wholesome Homelies what doe these Thieues place in the stead of them but the Popes Lawes and Decrees lying Legends fayned fables and miracles to delude and abuse the simplicitie of the rude people Thus this robbery and theft is not onely committed nay sacriledge and wicked spoyle of heauenly thyngs but also in the stead of the same is brought in and placed the abhominable desolation of the tyrant Antiochus of proud Senacherib of the shamelesse faced kyng and of the Babilonicall beast Unto this robbery this theft and sacrilege for that I cannot cōsent nor God willyng neuer shall so long as the breath is in my body because it is blasphemy agaynst God hygh treason vnto Christ our heauenly kyng Lord Maister our onely Sauiour and redeemer it is playne contrary to Gods word and to Christes Gospell it is the subuersion of all true godlinesse and agaynst the euerlastyng saluation of myne owne soule and of all my brethren and sisters whom Christ my Sauiour hath so dearely bought wyth no lesse price then with the effusion and shedyng foorth of hys most precious bloud Therfore all ye my true louers in God my kinsfolke and countreymen for this cause I say knowe ye that I am put to death which by Gods grace I shall willingly take with hearty thankes to God therefore in certayne hope without any doubtyng to receyue at Gods hande agayne of his free mercy and grace euerlastyng lyfe Although the cause of the true man slayne of the thiefe helpyng hys neighbour to recouer hys goods agayne and the cause wherfore I am to be put to death in a generality is both one as I sayd before yet know ye that there is no small difference These thieues agaynst whom I do stand are much worse then the robbers and thieues of the borders The goodes which they steale are much more precious and their kynds of fight are far diuers These thieues are worse I say for they are more cruell more wycked more false more deceitfull and crafty for those wyll but kill the body but these will not sticke to kill both body and soule Those for the generall theft and robbery be called are in deed theeues and robbers but these for their spirituall kynd of robbery are called Sacrilegi as ye would say Church robbers They are more wicked for those goe about to spoyle men of worldly thynges worldly riches gold and siluer worldly substance these go about in the wayes of the deuill their ghostly father to steale from the vniuersall Church and perticularly from euery man all heauenly treasure true faith true charity hope of saluation in the bloud of our Sauiour Iesus Christ yea to spoil vs of our sauior Iesus Christ of his gospel of his heauēly spirit of the heauenly heritage of the kingdom of heauē so derely purchased vnto vs with the death of our maister and Sauiour Christ. These be the goodes and godly substance whereupon the christian before God must liue and without the which he cannot lyue These goods I saye these theeues these Church robbers go about to spoile vs of The which goods as to the man of God they excell and farre passe all worldly treasure so to withstand euen vnto the death such theeues as go about to spoyle both vs the whole Church of such goods is most high and honourable seruice done vnto God These church robbers be also much more false crafty and deceitfull then the theeues vpon the borders for these haue not the craft so to commend their theft that they dare auouch it and therefore as acknowledging themselues to be euill they steale commonly vpon the nyght they dare not appeare at iudgements and Sessions where Iustice is executed and when they are taken and brought thether they neuer hang any man but they bee oft tymes hanged for theyr faults But these Church robbers can so cloke colour their spiritual robbery that they can make the people to beleeue falshood to be truth and truth falshood good
Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. Mary in deed you M. Doctour put me in good remeÌ„braunce of the meaning of S. Paule in that place for Apotasia is properly a departing from the fayth and thereof commeth Apostata whiche properly signifieth one that departeth from his fayth and S. Paule in the same place after speaketh of the decay of the Empyre Cole Apostasia doth not onely signify a departing froÌ„ the fayth but also from the Empyre as I am able to shew Phil. I neuer read it so taken and when you shal be able to shew it as you say in woordes I will beleue it and not before Worcest I am sory that you shoulde be agaynst the Christen world Phil. The world commonly and such as be called Christians for the multitude hath hated the truth and bene enemies to the same Gloc. Why M. Philpot doe you thinke that the vniuersall church hath erred and you onely to be in the truth Phil. The church that you are of was neuer vniuersall for two parts of the world which is Asia Africa neuer consented to the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome as at this day they do not neither do folow his decrees Gloc. Yes in Florentines Councell they did agree Phil. It was sayde so by false report after they of Asia and Africa were gone home but it was not so in deed as the sequele of them all hitherto doth proue the contrary Gloc. I pray you by whom will you be iudged in matters of controuersy which happen dayly Phil. By the word of God For Christ sayth in S. Iohn The word that he spake shall be Iudge in the latter day Gloc. What if you take the word one way and I an other way who shall be iudge then Phil. The Primitiue Church Gloc. I know you meane the Doctors that wrote thereof Phil I meane verely so Gloc. What if you take the Doctors in one sense and I in an other who shal be iudge then Phil. Then let that be taken whiche is moste agreeable to Gods word Cole My Lordes why do you trouble your selues to answere him in this matter It is not the thing which is laid to his charge but his error of the sacrament and he to shift himselfe of that brought in another matter Phil. This is the matter M. Cole to the which I haue referred all other questions and desire to be satisfied Worc. It is wonder to see how he standeth with a few agaynst a great multitude Phil. We haue almost as many as you For we haue Asia Africa Germany Denmarke and a great part of France and dayly the number of the Gospel doth encrease so that I am credibly informed that for this Religion in the whiche I stande and for the whiche I am like to dye a greate multitude doth dayly come out of Fraunce through persecution that the Cityes of Germany bee scarse able to receiue them and therefore your Lordship may be sure the word of God will one day take place doe what you can to the contrary Worc. They were wel occupied to bring you such newes and you haue bene well kept to haue such resort vnto you Thou art the arrogantest felow stoutest fond felow that euer I knew Phil. I pray your Lordship to beare with my hasty speech for it is part of my corrupt nature to speake somewhat hastily but for all that I meane with humility to do my duty to your Lordship Boner M. Philpot my Lordes will troule you no further at this time but you shall goe from whence you came and haue such fauor as in the mean while I can shew you and vpon wednesday next you shal be called agayn to be heard what you can say for mainteinaunce of your error Phil. My Lorde my desire is to be satisfied of you in that I haue required and your Lordship shall finde me as I haue sayd Worc. We wish you as well as our selues Phil. I thinke the same my Lordes but I feare you are deceiued and haue a zeale of your selues not according to knowledge Worc. God send you more grace Phil. And also God encrease the same in you and opeÌ„ your eyes that you may see to mayneteyne his trueth and hys true Church Then the bishops rose vp consulted together caused a writing to be made in the which I think my bloud by theÌ„ was bought sold thereto they put to theyr handes and after this I was caried to my Colehouse agayne ¶ Thus endeth the fourth part of this tragedy God hasten the end therof to his glory Amen BEcause I haue begon to write vnto you of mine examinations before the Bishop other more to satisfy your desire then it is any thing woorthy to be written I haue thought it good to write vnto you also that whiche hath bene done of late that the same might come to light which they do in darcknes and priuy corners and that the world now and the posterity hereafter might knowe how vnorderly vniustly vnlearnedly these rauening wolues doe proceed agaynst the seely and faythfull flocke of Christ and condemne persecute the sincere doctrine of Christ in vs which they are not able by honest meanes to resist but only by tyranny and violence * The 5. examination of Iohn Philpot had before the Bishops of London Rochester Couentry S. Asses I trow and one other whose Seas I know not Doctor Story Curtop Doctor Sauerson Doctor Pendleton with diuers other Chaplaynes and Gentlemen of the Queenes Chamber and diuers other Gentlemen in the Gallery of my Lord of Londons Palace BOner M. Philpot come you hither I haue desyred my Lordes here and other learned meÌ„ to take some paines once agayne and to do you good because I do minde to sit in iudgement on you to morow as I am commauÌ„ded yet I would you should haue as much fauor as I caÌ„ shew you if you wil be any thing coÌ„formable Therfore play the wise man and be not singuler in your opinioÌ„ but be ruled by these learned men Phil. My Lord in that you say you will sit on me in iudgement to morrow I am glad thereof For I was promised by them which sent me vnto you that I should haue bene iudged the next day after but promise hath not bene kepte with me to my farther griefe I looke for none other but death at your hands and I am as ready to yeld my life in Christes cause as you be to require it Boner Lo what a wilfull man this is By my fayth it is but folly to reasoÌ„ with him neither with any of these heretickes I am sory that you wil be no more tractable that I am compelled to shew extremity agaynst you Phil. My Lord you need not to shew extremity against me vâ—les you list neither by the law as I haue sayd you haue any thing to do with me for that you are not mine Ordynary albeit I am contrary to
while her husbande was in prison Where the keepers wife named Agnes Penycote had secretlye heated a key fire hoate and laid it in grasse on the backeside So speaking to Alice Coberley to set her the key in all haste the said Alice went with speed to bring the key and so taking vp the key in hast did pitiously burne her hand Wherupon she crying out at the sodein burning of her hand Ah thou drabbe quoth the other thou that canst not abide the burning of the key howe wiâ—e thou be able to burne the whole body and so she afterward reuoked But to returne agayne to the story of Coberley who being somewhat learned and being at the stake was somewhat long a burning as the wynde stoode After his bodye was skorched with the fire and hys leafte Arme drawne and taken from hym by the violence of the fyre the fleshe beinge burnt to the whyte boare at length he stouped ouer the cheyne and wyth the ryghte hande being somewhat starckned knocked vpon his brest softly the bloud and matter issuing out of his mouth Afterward when all they thought he had bene deade sodenly he rose right vp with his body agayne And thus muche concerning these three Salisbury Martyrs ¶ A discourse of the death and Martyrdome of sixe other Martyrs suffering at London whose names here folow ABout the xxiij day of Aprill Anno Dom. 1556. were burned in Smithfielde at one fire these sixe constaunt Martyrs of Christ suffering for the profession of the Gospell viz. Robert Drakes Minister William Tyms Curate Richard Spurge Shereman Thomas Spurge Fuller Iohn Cauell Weauer George Ambrose Fuller They were al of Essex and so of the dioces of London and were sent vp some by the Lord Rich and some by others at suÌ„dry times vnto Stephen Gardiner B. of Winchester then Lord Chauncellor of England about the 22. day of March an 1555. Who vpon small examination sent them some vnto the kinges Benche and others vnto the Marshalsea where they remained almost all the whole yere vntill the death of the sayd Bishop of Winchester and had during that time nothing said vnto them Wherupon after that Doctor Heath Archbishop of Yorke was choseÌ„ to the office of Lord Chauncellorshippe foure of these persecuted brethren being now wery of this theyr long imprisonmeÌ„t made theyr supplication vnto the said D. Heath requiring his fauour and ayd for their deliueraunce the copy whereof ensueth * To the right reuerend father Tho. Archb. of Yorke Lord Chauncellour of England MAy it please your honorable good Lordship for the loue of God to tender the humble sute of your lordships poore Orators whose names are subscribed which haue lien in great misery in the Marshalsea by the space of x. monethes and more at the commaundement of the late Lord Chauncellour to their vtter vndoing with theyr wiues children In consideration wher of your Lordships sayd Oratours do most humbly pray and beseeche your good Lordship to suffer them to be brought before your honour and there if any man of good conscience can lay any thing vnto our charge we trust either to declare our innocency agaynst theyr accusations or if otherwise theyr accusations can be proued true and we faulty we are ready God helping vs with our condigne punishments to satisfy the law according to your wise Iudgement as we hope ful of fatherly mercy towardes vs and all men according to your Godly office in the which we pray for your Godly successe to the good pleasure of GOD. Amen This Supplication was sent as is sayd and subscribed with the names of these 4. vnder folowing Richard Spurge Thomas Spurge George Ambrose Iohn Cauell * Richard Spurge VPon the receipt and sight hereof it was not long after but Syr Richard Read Knight then one of the Officers of the Court of the Chauncery 16. day of Ianuary was sent vnto the Marshalsea to examine the sayd foure prisoners therefore beginning first with Richard Spurge vpon certaine demaundes receiued his answeres therunto the effect whereof was that he with others were complayned vpon by the Parson of Bocking vnto the Lorde Rich for that they came not vnto theyr Parish Church of Bocking where they inhabited and therupon was by the sayd Lord Rich sent vnto the late Lord Chauncellour about the xxij day of March last past videl an 1555. And farther he sayd that he came not to the Church sithens the first alteration of the English seruice into Latin Christmasse day then a tweluemoneth only except that because he misliked both the same and the Masse also as not consonant and agreing with Gods holy word Moreouer he required that he might not be any more examined vpoÌ„ the matter vnles it pleased the Lord ChauÌ„cellour that then was to know his fayth therein which to him he would willingly vtter * Thomas Spurge THomas Spurge being then next examined made the same aunswere in effect that the other had done confessing that he absented himselfe from the church because the word of God was not there truely taught nor the Sacramentes of Christ duely ministred in such sort as was prescribed by the same word And being farther examined of his beliefe concerning the sacrament of the aultar he said that if any could accuse him thereof he would then make aunswere as God had geuen him knowledge therein ¶ George Ambrose THe like answere made George Ambrose adding moreouer that after he had read the late Byshop of Winchesters booke intituled De vera obedientia with Boners preface thereunto annexed inueying both against the authority of the Bishop of Rome he did much lesse set by theyr doinges then before ¶ Iohn Cauell IOhn Cauell agreyng in other matters with them aunswered that the cause why hee did forbeare the comming to the Churche was that the Parson there had preached two contrary doctrines For firste in a Sermon that hee made at the Queenes first entrye to the crowne he did exhort the people to beleue the Gospell for it was the truth and if they did not beleue it they shoulde be damned But in a second Sermon he preached that the Testament was false in forty places which contrariety in him was a cause amongest other of his absenting from the Church ¶ Robert Drakes ABout the fourth day of Marche next after Robert Drakes also was examined who was ParsoÌ„ of ThuÌ„dersley in Essex and had there remayned the space of three yeares He was first made Deacon by Doctour Taylour of Hadley at the commaundement of Doctour Cranmer late Archbyshop of CauÌ„terbury And within one yeare after which was the thyrd of the reigne of kyng Edward he was by the sayd Archbyshop and Doctour Ridley Bishop of London admitted Minister of Gods holy word Sacramentes not after the order then in force but after such order as was after established was presented vnto the sayd benefice of Thundersley by the Lord Rich at the
hee shall not come before hee come to iudgement then how is he here present in your sacrament of the aultar Wherefore I beleeue that the humaine bodye of Christ occupieth no more but one place at once for when he was here he was not there ¶ The sixt examination before the sayd Chauncellor WHo sayd vnto her Woman the last tyme that thou wast before me our talke was concernyng the Sacrament Eliz. Sir true it is and I trust that I sayd nothyng that ye can deny by the scriptures Chanc. Yes thou wilt not beleeue that Christes fleshe is flesh in thy flesh Eliz. No sir God hath geuen me no such beliefe for it can not be found by the scriptures Chanc. Wilt thou beleue nothing but what is in the scripture Why how many Sacraments doest thou find in the Scripture Eliz. The church of Christ doth set forth twaine Chanc. I will as well finde seuen by the scripture as thou shalt finde twaine Eliz. Sir I talke not to you thereof but I saye that the church of Christ setteth out twaine I haue bene taught no more Chanc. What are those twaine Eliz. The Sacrament of Christes body and bloud and the sacrament of Baptise Chauncellour What sayest thou by the Sacramente of Wedlocke Eliz. I haue not heard it called a Sacrament but the holy estate of matrimony which ought to be kept of all meÌ„ that take it vpon them Chanc. How sayest thou by Priestes Is it good that they should marrie is it to be kept of them Eliz. I come not hither to reason any such matters for I am no Diuine and also it is no part of my faith Chanc. Can ye not tell ye shall tell or euer you go Eliz. Sir then must ye keepe me a good while for I haue not studied the scriptures for it Chaunc No why ye will not be ashamed to flee vnto the highest mysterie euen to the Sacrament at the first dashe and ye are not afrayd to argue with the best doctour in the lande Eliz. Gods mysteries I will not meddle with but all things that are written are written for our edification Chanc. What say ye by prayer for the dead is it not meete that if a mans friend be dead his friend coÌ„mend his soule vnto God Eliz. There is no Christian man that will commend hys friend nor his foe vnto the Deuill And whether it be good for him when he is dead or no sure I am that it is good when he is alyue Chaunc Then thou allowest not prayer to bee good for theÌ„ when they be dead lying in Purgatory Is it not meete that prayer be made vnto God for them Eliz. Sir I neuer heard in the Scriptures of Purgatory but in the scripture I haue heard of heauen and hell Chaunc Why ye haue nothyng but the skimmyng of the Scriptures Our auncient fathers could finde out in the bottome of the scriptures that there is a Purgatory Yea they could finde it in the new testament that a Priest shall take the Sacrament and go to the aultar and make an oblation and offer it vp euery day Eliz Sir that could neuer be found in the Bible nor Testament as farre as euer I could heare Chanc. Whome doest thou heare read either the Bible or Testament but a sorte of chismatikes bawdie Byshops and hedge Priests which haue brought into the Churche a stinkyng Communion which was neuer heard of in any place in the world but here in England whiche haue deceyued the king and all the Nobilitie and all the whole Realme Eliz. Sir it is a vile name that ye geue them all Chanc. Where are all the hedge knaues become now that they come not to their answer Eliz. Aunswer Sir why they haue aunswered both with the Scriptures and also with their bloud and then where were you that ye came not forth to answer in their times I neuer knew none of you that were troubled but twain and that was not for Gods worde it was for their disobedience Chaunc No I pray you did ye not knowe that we were killed hanged burned and headed Eliz. Sir I neuer knew that any of you euer was eyther hanged killed burned or headed Chanc. No did ye neuer heare that the Byshop of Rochester lost hys head for the supremacie of the Bishoppes of Rome Eliz Then he died not for Gods word Chaunc Well thou wilt beleeue nothyng but that which is written in Gods worde Where canst thou finde the Saboth written in the Scripture by the name of the Saboth For the right Saboth day I will prooue to be Saterday Or where canst thou finde the Articles of the Creede in the Scripture by the name of the Articles Or where canst thou find in the Scripture that Christ went downe into hell Eliz. What place or part in the scripture can ye finde for to disprooue any of these things Chaunc What priest hast thou lyen withall that thou hast so much Scripture Thou art some Priestes woman I thinke for thou wilt take vppon thee to reason and teach the best Doctor in all the land thou Eliz. I was neuer yet Prieests wyfe nor yet Priests woman Chanc. Haue I touched your conscience Eliz. No Sir ye haue not touched my conscience but beware ye hurt not your owne Chanc. Thou hast red a little in the Bible or Testament thou thinkest that thou art able to reason with a Doctor that hath gone to schoole thirtie yeares and before God I thinke if I had talked thus much with a Iewe as I haue done with thee he would haue turned ere this time But I may say by you as Christ sayd by Ierusalem saying O Ierusalem Ierusalem how ofte would I haue gathered thee together euen as a henne gathereth her chickens but thou wouldst not And so would we gather you together in one fayth but ye will not and therfore your owne bloude bee vpon your own heds for I can do no more but teach you Thou art one of the rankest heretikes that euer I heard for thou beleeuest nothyng but what is in the Scripture and therfore thou art damned Eliz. I do beleeue all thinges written in the scripture and all things agreeable with the scripture geuen by the holy Ghost into the church of Christ set forth and taught by the church of Christ and shall I be damned because I beleue the truth and will not beleeue an vntruth Then the Chancellor called the keper saying Clunie take her away thou knowest what thou hast to doe with her And so she departed and was brought agayne to the stockhouse and there she lay certaine dayes and both her hands maâ—acled in one iron and afterward was remooued into the Lollards Tower and there she remained with both her feete in the stockes and irons till the next tyme of examination ¶ The 7. examination before the Chancellor and the Bishops Scribe WHen she was
himselfe in it and calling on the name of the Lord Iesus he was quickely out of payne c. After the martyrdome was ended that he was fallen a sleepe in the Lord there were some superstitious old women did blasphemously say that the Deuill was so stronge with him and all such hereticks as he was that they could not feele any payne almost nor yet be sory for theyr sinnes * The history and examinations of Robert Smith constantly maynteining the trueth of Gods word and suffering for the same in the moneth of August RObert Smith was brought vnto Newgate the fifte of Nouember in the first and second yere of the king and queene by Ioh. Mathew yeomā of the gard o◠the quenes side by the commaundemēt of the Counsell This Smith first gaue himselfe vnto seruice in the house of sir Thomas Smith knight being thē Prouost of Eton from thence he was preferred to Windsore hauing there in the colledge a clerkship of x. poūd a yere Of stature he was tall slēder actiue about many things but chiefly delighting in the art of Painting which many times rather for his minds sake thē for any liuing or lucre he did practise excercise In religion he was feruent after he had once tasted the trueth wherin he was much confirmed by the preachings readings of one M. Turner of Windsore others wherupō at the comming of Queene Mary he was depriued of hys Clerkship by her visitors not long after he was apprehended and brought to examinatiō before Boner as here foloweth written and testified with his owne hand ¶ The first examination of Robert Smith before Bishop Boner ABout nine of the clocke in the morning I was among the rest of my brethren brought to the Bishops house and I first of al was brought before him into his chamber to whom the bishop sayd as foloweth after he had asked my name Boner How long is it agoe since the time that ye were cōfessed to any priest Smith Neuer since I had yeres of discretion For I neuer saw it needfull neither cōmaūded of God to come to shew my faultes to any of that sinfull nūber whō ye call priests Boner Thou shewest thy selfe euen at the first chop to be a ranke heretick which being wery of painting art entred into Diuinity and so fallen through thy departing frō thy vocation into heresy Smith Although I haue vnderstanding in the said occupation yet I prayse God I haue had litle need all my life hitheyto to liue by the same but haue liued without the same in mine own house as honestly in my vocation as ye haue liued in yours and yet vsed the same better then euer you vsed the Pulpit Boner How long is it ago since ye receiued the sacrament of the aultar and what is your opinion in the same Smith I neuer receiued the same since I had yeres of discretion nor neuer will by Gods grace neither do esteeme the same in any poynt because it hath not gods ordinance neither in name nor in other vsage but rather is set vp erected to mocke God withall Boner Do ye not beleue that it is the very body of Christe that was borne of the virgin Mary naturally substantially and really after the wordes of consecration Smith I shewed you before it was none of Gods ordynaunces as ye vse it thē much lesse to be God or any part of his substance but onely bread wine erected to the vse aforesaid yet neuerthelesse if ye can approue it to be the body that ye spake of by the word I will beleue it if not I will as I do accoūt it a detestable Idol not God but contrary to God and truth Boner Thē after many raging words vayne obiectiōs he sayd there was no remedy but I must be burned Smith Ye shall do no more vnto me then ye haue done to better mē then either of vs both But thinke not therby to quench the spirit of god neither therby to make your matter good For your sore is too well sene to be healed so priuily with bloud For euē the very childrē haue al your deedes in dirision so that although ye patch vp one place with authority yet shall it breake out in forty to your shame Boner Then after much ado many railing sentences he sayd throwing away the paper of mine examinatiō wel euē now by my truth euen in good earnest if thou wilt go and be shriuen I will teare this paper in peces Smith To which I aunswered It would be too much to his shame to shew it to men of discretion After which aunswere I was caried downe into the garden with my Gaoler there remayned vntill my brother Harwood was examined thē being agayn brought vp before the sayd Bishop he demaunded if I agreed with Harwood in his confession vpon these articles folowing Boner What say you to the Catholicke church Do ye not confesse there is one in earth Smith Yes verely I beleue that there is one Catholicke Church or faythfull Congregation which as the Apostle sayth is builded vpon the Prophets and Apostles Christ Iesus being the head corner stone which church in all her wordes and workes mainteineth the word and bringeth the same for her authority without it doth nothing nor ought to doe of which I am assured I am by grace made a member Boner Ye shall vnderstand that I am boūd when my brother offendeth will not be reconciled to bring him before the congregation now if your Church be the same where may a man finde it to bring his brother before the same Smith It is written in the Actes of the Apostles that whē the tyranny of the Bishops was so great agaynst the churche in Iewry they were fayne to congregate in houses priuy places as they now do and yet were they neuerthelesse the Church of God and seing they had theyr matters redressed being shut vp in a corner may not we do the like now a dayes Boner Yea theyr Church was knowne full wel For saint Paul writ to the Corinthians to haue the man punished excommunicate that had committed euil with his fathers wife Whereby wee maye well perceiue it was a knowne church but yours is not knowne Smith Then could ye not persecute it as ye do but as ye say the Churche of God at Corinth was manifest both to God and Paul euē so is this Church of God in England whome ye persecute both knowne to God and also euen to the very wicked although they know not nor will not know theyr truth nor conuersation yea and your sinneful number haue professed theyr verity and maineteyned the same a long season Boner Well thou sayest that the church of God was onely at Corinth when Paul writ vnto them and so will I put in writing shall I Smith I do maruell greatly my Lord that ye are not ashamed to lay
whore in the fornication of her whorish dispensations pardons Idolatrye suche like abhominations so shall ye drinke with her except ye repent betime of the cuppe of the Lordes indignation and euerlasting wrath which is prepared for the beast his false prophetes and all theyr partakers For he that is partner with them in theyr whoredome and abhominations must also be partner with them of theyr plagues and on the latter day shall be throwne with them into the lake burning with Brimstone and vnquenchable fire Thus fare ye wel my Lords all I pray God geue you vnderstanding of his blessed will and pleasure and make you to beleue and embrace the truth Amen * An other farewell to the Prisoners in Christes Gospelles cause and to all them whiche for the same cause are exiled and banished out from theyr owne countrey choosing rather to leaue all worldly commodity then theyr mayster Christ. FArewell my dearely beloued brethren in Christ bothe ye my felow prisoners and ye also that be exiled and banished out of your countryes because ye will rather forsake all worldly coÌ„modity then the Gospell of Christ. Farewell all ye together in Christ farewell and be mery for ye know that the triall of your fayth bringeth forth patience and pacience shall make vs perfecte whole and sound on euery side and such after triall ye knowe shall receiue the crowne of lyfe according to the promise of the Lorde made to his dearely beloued let vs therefore be pacient vnto the comming of the Lord. As the husbandmanne abideth pacientlye the former and latter rayne for the encrease of his croppe so let vs bee paciente and plucke vp our hartes for the comming of the Lord approacheth apace Let vs my deare brethren take example of pacience in tribulation of the Prophetes which spake likewise Gods word truely in his name Let Iob be to vs an example of pacience the end which the Lord suffered which is full of mercy and pitty We know my brethren by Gods worde that our fayth is muche more precious then any corruptible golde and yet that is tryed by the fire euen so our fayth is therfore tried likewise in tribulations that it may be found when the Lord shal appeare laudable glorious and honorable For if we for Christs cause do suffer that is gratefull before God for thereunto are we called that is our state and vocation wherewith let vs be content Christ we know suffered for vs afflictions leauing vs an example that we shoulde folow his footesteps for he committed no sinne not was there any guile found in his mouth when he was rayled vpon and all to reuiled he rayled not agayne when he was euill entreated he dyd not threaten but committed the punishment therof to hym that iudgeth a right Let vs euer haue in freshe remembraunce those wonderfull comfortable sentences spokeÌ„ by the mouth of our Sauior Christ Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theirs is the kingdome of heauen Blessed are ye when men reuile you persecute you speake all euill against you for my sake reioyce and be glad for great is your reward in heauen for so did they persecute the Prophets which were before you Therfore let vs alway beare this in our mindes that if any incommodity doe chaunce vnto vs for righteousnes sake happy are we whatsoeuer the world doth thinke of vs. Christ our mayster hath tolde vs before hand that the brother should put the brother to death the father the sonne and the children should rise agaynst their pareÌ„ts and kill them and that Christes true Apostles should be hated of all men for his names sake but he that shall abide paciently vnto the end shal be saued Let vs then endure in all troubles paciently after the example of our Mayster Christ and be contented therewith for he suffered being our mayster and Lord how doth it not then become vs to suffer For the disciple is not aboue his mayster nor the seruaunt aboue his Lord. It may suffice the disciple to be as his maister and the seruaunt to be as his Lord. If they haue called the Father of the family the Mayster of the householde Belzebub howe much more shall they call so them of his householde Feare them not then sayth our Sauiour for all pâ—iuityes shall be made playne there is nowe nothing secret but it shall bee shewed in light Of Christes wordes let vs neither be ashamed nor afrayd to speake them for so Christ our mayster commaundeth vs saying that I tell you priuily speake openly abroade and that I tell you in your eare preach it vpon the house toppe And feare not them which kill the body for the soule they cannot kill but feare hym which can cast both body and soule into hell fire Know ye that the heauenly Father hath euer a gracious eye and respect towarde you and a Fatherly prouidence for you so that without his knowledge and permission nothing canne doe you harme Let vs therefore cast all our care vpon him and hee shall prouide that whiche shall be best for vs. For if of two small sparrowes whiche both are sold for a mite one of them lighteth not on the grounde without your father and all the heares of our head are numbred feare not them sayth our Mayster Christ for yee are more worth then many small sparrowes And let vs not sticke to confesse our Mayster Christe for feare of daunger whatsoeuer it shal be remeÌ„bring the promise that Christ maketh saying whosoeuer shall confesse me before men him shall I confesse before my father whiche is in heauen but whosoeuer shall denye me him shall I likewise denye before my father which is in heauen Christ came not to geue vnto vs here a carnall amity and a worldly peace or to knitte his vnto the world in ease and peace but rather to separate and deuide them from the world and to ioyne them vnto himselfe in whose cause we must if wee will bee his forsake father and mother and sticke vnto him If wee forsake him or shrinke from him for trouble or deathes sake which hee calleth his crosse he will none of vs we cannot bee hys If for his cause we shall lose our temporall liues here wee shall finde them agayne and enioy them for euermore but if in his cause we will not be contented to leaue nor loose them here then shall we loose them so that we shall neuer finde them again but in euerlasting death What thoughe our troubles here bee paynefull for the time and the sting of death bitter and vnpleasaunt yet we know that they shall not last in comparison of eternity no not to the twinckling of an eye that they pacieÌ„tly taken in Christes cause shall procure and gette vs vnmeasurable heapes of heauenly glory vnto the which these temporall paines of death and troubles compared are not to be estemed but to be reioyced vpon Wonder
Chichester gone away also for he euen a little before departed also without any other word saying but he must needes be gone What is the matter you now stand vpon Morgan M. Christopherson hath shewed M. Philpot a notable place of the authoritie of the Church of Rome and he maketh nothyng of it Boner Where is the place let me see By my faith here is a place alone Come hither sir what say you to this Nay tary a little I will helpe this place with S. Paules owne testimony the first to the Romaines where he sayeth that their faith is preached throughout the world how cā you be able to answer to this Phil. Yes my L. it is soone aunswered if you will consider al the words of Cyprian for he speaketh of such as in his tyme were faithfull at Rome that folowed the doctrine of saint Paul as he had taught them and as it was notified throughout the world by an Epistle which he had written in the commendation of their fayth With such as are praised of S. Paul at Rome for followyng the true faith misbeliefe can haue no place And now if you can shewe that the faith which the church of Rome holdeth now is that faith which the Apostle praised allowed in the Romans in his tyme then wil I say that S. Cyprian then said and with you that infidelitie can haue no place there but otherwyse it maketh not absolutely for the authority of the Church of Rome as you do mistake it Christo. You vnderstand Cyprian well in deed I thinke you neuer red hym in your lyfe Phil. Yes M. Doct. that I haue I can shew you a booke noted with myne owne hand though I haue not read so much as you yet I haue read somewhat It is shame for you to wrast and wreath the Doctors as you do to maintain a fals religion which be altogether against you if you take them aright and in deede your false packing of doctors together hath geuen me and others occasion to looke vpon them wherby we find you shamefull liers and misreporters of the ancient doctors Morgan What wil you be in hand to allow doctors now they of your sect do not so I meruaile thereof you will allow them Phil. I do allow them in as much as they doe agree wyth the scriptures and so do al they which be of the truth how so euer you terme vs and I prayse God for that good vnderstandyng I haue receyued by them Christo. What you vnderstand not the Doctors you may be ashamed to say it Phil. I thanke God I vnderstand them better then you for you haue Excaecationem cordis The blindnes of heard so that you vnderstand not truely what you read no more then the wall here as the takyng of Cyprian doth wel declare And afore God you are but deceyuers of the people for all your brag you make of learnyng neyther haue ye Scripture or auncient doctour on your side being truly taken Morgan Why all the Doctors be on our side and agaynst you altogether Phil. Yea so you say when you be in your pulpits alone none to answer you But if you wil come to cast accounts with me therof I will venter with you a recantatiō that I as little sight as I haue in the doctors wil bring more authorities of ancient Doctors on my side then you shall be able for yours and he that can bring most to him let the other side yeeld Are ye so content herewith Christo. It is but folly to reason with you you wil beleue no man but yourselfe Phil. I will beleue you or any other learned man if you cā bring any thing worthy to be beleued You cannot winne me with vaine words from my fayth Before God there is no truth in you Morgan What no truth no truth ha ha he Phil. Except the Articles of the Trinitie you are corrupt in all other thyngs and sound in nothyng Morgan What say you do we not beleeue well on the sacrament Philpot. It is the thing which among all other you doe most abuse Morgan Wherein I pray you tell vs. Phil. I haue told you before M. Doct. in the Conuocation house Morgan Yea marry in deed you told vs there very well For there you fell down vpon your knees and fel to weepyng ha ha ha Phil. I did weepe in deed and so did Christ vpon Ierusalem and am not to be blamed therefore if you consider the cause of my weepyng Morgan What make you your selfe Christ ha ha Phil. No sir I make not my selfe Christ but I am not ashamed to do as my maister and sauiour did to bewaile lament your infidelitie and idolatrye which I there foresaw thorough tyranny you would bryng agayne to this realme as this day doth declare Morgan That is your argument Christo. Wherein do we abuse the Sacrament tell vs. Phil. As I may touch but one of the least abuses you minister it not in both kynds as you ought to doe but keepe the one halfe from the people contrary to Christes institution Christo. Why is there not as much conteined in one kynd as in both And what neede is it then to minister in both kyndes Phil. I beleeue not so for if it had Christ would haue geuē but one kind only for he instituted nothing superfluous and therfore you cannot say that the whole effect of the sacrament is as well in one kind as in both since the scripture teacheth otherwyse Christo. What if I can prooue it by scripture that we may minister it in one kind The apostles did so as it may appeare in the Actes of the Apostles in one or two places where it is written that the Apostles continued In orationibus fractione panis In prayers and in breakyng of breade which is ment of the Sacrament Philpot. Why Maister Doctour do you not knowe that Saint Luke by the makyng mention of the breakyng of bread meaneth the whole vse of the sacrament accordyng to Christes institution by a Figure which you haue learned in Grammer Synecdoche where part is mentioned and the whole vnderstanded to bee done as Christ commanded it Christo Nay that is not so For I can shew out of Euseb. in Eccles hist. that there was a man of God whom he named that sent the Sacrament in one kynd by a boy to one that was sicke Phil. I haue read in deed that they did vse to geue that was left of the Communion bread to children to mariners to women and so peraduenture the boy might cary a piece of that was left to the sicke man Christo. Nay as a Sacrament it was purposely sent vnto hym Phil. If it were so yet can you not precisely say that he had not the cup ministred vnto him also by some other sent vnto him but though one man did vse it thus doth it folow that all men may do the like S. Cyprian noteth many abuses
destruction And then I weene your new made Prosolites will be glad to couer their crowns with a Cowe turd sauyng your Lordships reuerence I should haue sayd first Well I rather desire the conuersion then confusion the Lord send the one of them shortly as may be most to his glory Amen I signifye also vnto your Lordshyp that the raylyng words which your lying preacher shewed forth of hys filthy fountayne vpon Sonday agaynst the deare seruaunt of God good M. Philpot doth greatly redounde to your Lordships dishonesty and much deface your spiritual honour Uerily I see that the great wrath of GOD hath so blynded your eyes that you see not what is with you nor what is against you but still you vomite out your owne shame and make all the world wonder vpon you Was it not enough for you to condemne hym most vniustly ye contrary to your own lawes and to kill his innocent body most tirannously but you must also set a lying limme of the Deuill to blaspheme slaunder and belye him now he is dead Oh viperous generation seed of the serpent right children of the deuill full well doe you counterfaite the fathers steps whom Christ calleth a murderer and a lyer from the beginnyng which two thinges be the onely weapons of your war wherwith you maintaine all your mischiefe that is to say lying and murder for those whom ye cannot ouercome with your lying perswasions them you kill most cruelly and then blaspheme belye them with railyng sentenses when they are deade But all this will not blynd the people of God nor yet make them any whit the lesse beleeue the truth nor abate their loue from the true preachers thereof yea it is a true signe and token that they are the very disciples of Christ for he hath sayd Blessed are ye when men reuile you and say all maner of euill sayings agaynst you for my names sake Reioyce be glad for great is your reward in heauen And doubtlesse great is that good mans reward in heauen by this time as your Lordships damnation shall be great in hel except you repent and surcease from sheddyng innocent bloud But it is to be feared your hart is hardned as Pharaoes was seyng that with Iudas ye haue sold and betraied your maister Take heed my Lord lest you come to the same ende or a worse then he did For verily I caÌ„not perceiue how you should escape it long Therfore say not but a womaÌ„ gaue you warning if you list to take it And as for the obteining of your popish purpose in suppressing the truth I put you out of doubt you shall not obtaine it so long as ye go this way to worke as you doe for verily I beleeue that you haue lost the harts of 20000. that were ranke papists with in this 12. months It is found very true that one holy doctor sayeth the bloud of the Martyrs is the seed of the Gospel when one is put to death a thousand doth rise for hym And that this is true you may well perceiue by the harty loue that the people shewed vnto good M· Philpot at his goyng to his death They went not about to make an Idoll of hym as your adders brood would beare meÌ„ in hand but they worshipped God which gaue such strength to his deare child to die so constantly for the testimony of his truth to the vtter destruction of that detestable idolatry which your lordship doth most diuelishly maintaine with the force of fire fagots and sword yea rather then faile to famish men in prison agayne as ye haue done already It is reported of your owne tormenters that the 6. prisoners that you haue in your prison be put into 6. seueral places al the day and euery night brought together and set in the stockes Forsooth my L. this doth get you a foule name all abroad the countrey and yet all will not helpe your lordships pestilent purpose but euery way hinder the fame For Zorobabell will bee founde no lyer which sayd The truth should haue victory you do but striue agaynst the streame and kicke against the pricke the Lord doth laugh your doyngs to scorne and will bring all your counsailes and deuises to naugh as knoweth the Lord God who of hys great mercy shortly conuert your Lordship or vtterly coÌ„found you and get his name a glory ouer you Amen Your Lordships Oratour who praieth daily to God that he may rewarde you according to your deeds * Anno. 1556. ¶ The Story of seuen Martyrs suffryng together at London for the lyke testimony of Christes Gospell THe Catholike prelates of the Popes band beyng as yet not satisfied with this their one â—eres bloudy murderyng of the reuerend lerned principal members of Christes church whereof there were now very few which either were not consumed by most cruel fire or els for the auoidyng of their popâ—sh rage compelled to flee their natural country continued still this next yere also which was an 1556. in no lesse crueltie towards the more simple inferior sort of people I meane in degree though God be praysed not in stedfastnes hauing yet sometimes amoÌ„gst them such as were both learned and of good estimation as in continuance of this history shall appeare Wherfore as the first fruites thereof to beginne this yeare withall about the 27. day of Ianuary were burned in Smithfield at London these seuen personnes hereafter followyng to witte Thomas Whittle Priest Barthelet Greene Gentleman Iohn Tudson Artificer Iohn Went Artificer Thomas Browne Isabel Foster wyfe Ioane Warren alias Lashford Mayd All whith seuen as they were burned together in one fire so were they likewyse all vppon one sort and forme of Articles condemned in one day Howbeit forasmuch as the gyfts of God in them were diuers some more abounding in knowledge then others their dealyngs wythall were also diuers as shall be more plainly perceiued in the discoursing of their seuerall processes hereafter folowing And therefore for the better vnderstandyng hereof I will first by the leaue of the Lord passing ouer their priuate articles and examinations had at sundry tymes in the bishops house set foorth their generall examinations in the publike Consistorie vpon the Bishops articles there ministred vnto them with their aunswers also vnto the same accordyng as they all agreed after one maner and sort together as here by the words both of the articles and theyr aunswers vnder written may appeare ¶ The forme and wordes of Boners Articles ministred to the seuen persons aboue mentioned in his Consistorie ANd first to behold the maner of speach in these bishops sittyng in their maiesty to terrifie the eares of the simple withall let vs heare the pontificall phrase of this Bishops beginnyng in this sort ¶ The within written articles and euery of them and euery part and parcell of them we Edmund by the permission of God Bishop of London do obiect and minister to thee Thomas Whittle c of our
and the authoritie of the Church of Rome To the fift article they aunswered the same to be true accordyng to the contents thereof Tho. Whittle addyng moreouer that he had swarued gone away not in whole but in part not from the whole Catholike Church but frō the church of Rome in speakyng agaynst the masse the sacrifice thereof and the Sea of Rome Ioane Lashford aliâs Ioane Warne grauntyng with the other the sayd Article addeth moreouer that she neuer hitherto swarued or went awaye nor yet doth from any part of Christs catholike faith and religion but saith that from the tyme she was xj yeres of age shee hath misliked the sacrifice of the masse the sacrament of the altar and the authoritie of the See of Rome with the doctrine thereof because they be agaynst Christes catholike church and the right fayth of the same Bartlet Greene answering with the other to this Article addeth saith that he swarued not from the Catholike fayth but only from the church of Rome c. ¶ Concernyng the sixt article that they refuse to be reconciled to the vnitie of the sayd Church of Rome To the 6. article they aunswer and confesse the same to be true rendering the cause thereof because say they the same church and doctrine therein set forth and taught disagreeth from the vnitie of Christes word and the true catholike fayth c. Whereunto Bartlet Greene answered that he is contented to be reconciled to the vnitie of Christes Catholike church but not of the church of Rome In lyke maner added also Iohn Went. ¶ Concernyng the seuenth Article that they refuse to come to heare Masse and to receyue the sayde Sacrament callyng it an Idol c. To the seuenth Article they aunswer and confesse the contents thereof to be true geuyng withall the reason and cause of this their so doyng for that the masse with the sacrament thereof as it was then vsed and set foorth in the Church of England is dissonant to the word teachyng of the Gospell c. Iohn Went furthermore said as concerning the masse that he beleueth no lesse but the masse which he calleth the supper of the Lord as it is now vsed in the realm of England is naught full of Idolatry and against gods worde so farre as he seeth it howbeit he sayd that since the Queens coronation by chance he hath bene present where the Masse hath bene sayd whereof he is sory Isabel Foster also answering to the sayd articles with the other before confessed moreouer that since Queene Maries raigne she hath not heard Masse nor receiued the sacrament but hath refused to come in place where it was ministred for she knoweth no such sacrament to bee And beyng demanded of her beliefe in the same she sayth that there is but onely materiall bread and material wine and not the substance reall of the body of Christ in the same sacrament for so she hath bene taught to beleue by the preachers in the tyme of K. Edward whom she beleeueth to haue preached the truth in that behalfe ¶ Concerning the 8. Article that they were sent by the Commissioners to the B. to be examined and imprisoned To the 8. Article they grant the same and the contents thereof to be so Thom. Whittle addyng and affirmyng that the Lord Chancellor that then was sent hym vp to the Bish. there present Bartlet Greene added that he was sent vp to the sayd B. but for no offence herein articulate Iohn Went sayd that D. Story Quene Maries commissioner examined hym vpon the Sacrament because he denied the reall presence he presented this Examinate to the bishop Iohn Tudson likewise examined by M. Cholmly and D. Story vpon the same matters and for not commyng to the Church and accused by the same because he would not agree to them was sent to the B. Tho. Browne also sayde that he for not commyng to the church of S. Brides was brought by the Constable to the B. c. Ioane Warne confessed that she was sent by Doctour Story to the Bishoppe of London about twelue weekes agoe since which tyme shee hath continued with the sayd Bishop ¶ Concernyng the 9. Article To the 9. Article they confesse and say that as they beleeue the premisses before by them confessed to be true so they deny not the same to be manifest and that they bee of the iurisdiction of London And thus hauyng expressed their Articles with their answers iointly made vnto the same yet remayneth further more fully now to discourse the stories handlyng of all the 7. aforesayd Martyrs seuerally and particularly by themselues first beginning with Tho. Whittle ⧠The history of all these 7. Martyrs particularly described in order here followeth first of Tho. Whittle who first recanting then returning agayne with great constancy and fortitude stoode to the defence of Christes doctrine agaynst the Papists to the fire IN the story of M. Philpot mention was made before of a maried Priest whom he found in the Colehouse at hys first commyng thither in heauines of mynd and great sorow for recantyng the doctrine which hee had taught in K. Edwards dayes whose name was Thom. Whittle of Essex and thus lyeth his story This Tho. Whittle after he had bene expulsed from the place in Essex where he serued went abroad where he might now here and there as occasion was ministred preachyng and sowyng the Gospel of Christ. At length beyng apprehended by one Edmund Alabaster in hope of reward promotion whiche he miserably gaped after he was brought first as prisoner before the B. of Winchester who then was fallen lately sicke of his disease whereof not long after hee dyed most straungely But the apprehender for his profered seruice was highly checked rated of the B. askyng if there were no man vnto whome he might bring such Rascals but to him Hence quoth he out of my sight thou varlet what doest thou trouble me with such matters The gredy cormorant beyng thus defeated of his desired pray yet thinking to seek and to hunt further caried his prisoner to the B. of London with whom what an euill messe of hādling this Whittle had and how he was by the B. all to beaten buffeted about the face by this his owne narration in a letter sent vnto his friend manifestly may appeare Upon Thursday which was the x. of Ianuary the B. of London sent for me Thom. Whittle minister out of the porters lodge where I had bene all night lying vpon the earth vpō a pallet where I had as painful a night of sicknes as euer I had God be thanked And when I came before hym he talked with me many thyngs of the sacrament so grossely as is not worthy to be rehearsed And amongst other thynges he asked me if I would haue come to masse that mornyng if he had sent for me Whereunto I answered that I would haue come to
but that within a fewe yeares they began to waxe hungry agayne for so much as no more could be scraped now out of the Abbeys they began to seeke how by some other pray to satisfie their appetites which was to tickle the kings eares with the rich reuenue of the bishops lands And to bring this deuise to passe they procured sir Thomas Seimour knight of the priuy chaÌ„ber to be a promooter of the matter who not in all pointes much fauouryng the Archbishop hauing time and a conuenient occasion declared to the king that my Lord of Caunterbury did nothyng els but sell his woods and let hys Leases by great and many fines makyng hauocke of all the Roialties of the Archbishoprike and that not onely to the intent to gather vp treasure for his wyfe and hys children keepyng no maner of hospitalitie in respect of so great a reuenew aduertising the Kyng further that it was the opinion of many wyse men that it were more meete for the bishops to haue a sufficient yerely stipend in money out of the Exchequer then to be comhered with those temporall affaires of their Roialties beyng impedimentes vnto their studie and pastoral charge and hys hyghnesse to haue their Landes and Royalties conuerted to hys proper vse whiche besides their honest stipends would be vnto his maiestie no small commoditie and profite When the kyng had heard hys faire tale he sayd little thereunto other then this Well quoth he we wil talke more of this matter an other tyme. Nowe within a fortnight after or thereabout whether by chance or of set purpose it is not knowen it came to passe that one day hys highnes going to diner had washed sir Thomas Seimor then holdyng the Ewer he sayd to the sayd sir Tho. Goe you out of hand to Lambeth vnto my L. of Caunterbury bid hym to be with me at two of the clocke at after noone and faile not Sir Tho. straightwayes went to Lambeth and as he came to the gate the Porter beyng in the lodge came out and conueighed hym to the Hall whiche was throughly furnished and set both with the housholde seruants straÌ„gers with 4. principal hed messes of officers as daily it was accustomed to be When sir Thomas Seimor sawe that stately large Hall so well set and furnished beyng therewith abashed and somewhat guiltie of an vntruth told to the Kyng before he retired backe and would needes haue gone to the Archbishop of Caunterbury by the Chappell and not through the Hall Richard Neuell Gentleman then Steward of the household perceiuyng hys retire came by and by vnto hym and after gentle intertaynment demanded of hym whether he would speake with my Lord or no. Sir Tho. sayd that he must needes do so from the Kyngs highnesse saying to hym and this way I am goyng to my Lords grace Sir said the Steward you cannot go that way for the dore is fast shut in the diner tyme and so by gentle meanes brought hym vp to my Lordes chamber through the Hall who then was at diner with whom he dined after he had done his message whose ordinarie fare might alwayes well beseeme a right honorable personage When dinner was scarce done Sir Thomas tooke hys leaue of my Lorde and went againe to the Court. So soone as the Kyngs highnesse sawe hym he sayde to hym Haue you bene with my Lord of Caunterbury Sir Thomas aunswered That I haue if it please your Maiestie and he wyll be with your Highnesse strayghtwayes Dined you not with hym sayd the Kyng Yes sir sayd he that haue I done And wyth that worde whether hee espied by the Kinges countenaunce or by hys wordes any thing tendyng to displeasure he straightway without delay kneeled downe vppon hys knee and sayd I beseech your Maiestie to pardon me I doe now well remember and vnderstand that of late I tolde your highnesse a great vntruth concernyng my Lord of Canterburies house keepyng but from hencefoorth I entend neuer to beleeue that person which dyd put that vayne tale into my head For I assure your hyghnesse that I neuer sawe so honourable a Halle set in this Realme besides your Maiesties Hall in all my lyfe with better order and so well furnished in eche degree If I had not seene it my selfe I could neuer haue beleeued it and hymselfe also so honourably serued Ah sir quoth the Kyngs highnesse Haue you now espied the truth I thought you would tell me another tale when you had bene there Hee was a very varlet quoth the kyng that told you that tale for he spendeth ah good man sayd the kyng all that he hath in housekepyng But now I perceyue which way the wynde bloweth There are a sorte of you to whome I haue liberally geuen of the possessions and reuenewes of the suppressed monasteries which lyke as you haue lightly gotten so haue you more vnthriftily spent some at dice other some in gay apparell other ways worse I feare me now as al is gone you would fain haue me make another cheuance with the Bishops lands to accomplish your gredy appetites But let no other bishops bestow their reuenewes worse then my L. of Cant. doth then shall you haue no cause to complain of their kepyng of house And thus the tale beyng shutte vp and ended by the kings highnes neither sir Tho. Seimor nor none els on hys behalfe euer after durst renue or reuine that sute any more in K. Henries dayes so that it may be euident to all indiffereÌ„t men the liberality of the Archb. in housekeping what it was which beyng defended and commended by the prince himselfe rather may geue a good example to his posterity to follow then was then to be depraued of any priuate subiect such as knew hym not In which Archb. this moreouer is to be noted with a memorandum touchyng the reliefe of the poore impotent sicke and such as then came from the warres at Bullen other partes beyond the seas lame wounded destitute for whom he prouided besides hys mansion house at Beckjsborne in Kent the Personage barne well furnished with certayne lodgyngs for the sicke and maymed souldiours To whom were also appoynted the Almosiner a phisitioÌ„ and a surgeon to attend vppon them and to dresse cure such as were not able to resort to their countries hauyng dayly from the bishops kitchin whoâ—e broth and meate for otherwyse the common almes of the housholde was bestowed vpon the poore neighbours of the shiere And wheÌ„ any of the impotent dyd recouer and were able to trauail they had conuenient money deliuered to beare their charges accordyng to the number of myles from that place distant And this good example of mercy and liberal benignity I thought here good not in silence to be suppressed wherby other may be mooued accordyng to their vocatioÌ„ to walke in the steps of no lesse liberality then in hym in this behalfe appeared ¶ One
such in our consciences as euery Christian man is bound to confesse to be the truth of God and euery member of Christes church here in England must needes embrace the same in heart and confesse it with mouth if need require loose and forsake not onely house land possessions riches wife children and friends but also if God will so call them gladly to suffer all manner of persecution and to loose their liues in the defence of GODS worde and trueth set out amongest vs. For our Sauiour Christ requireth the same of vs saying Who soeuer shal be ashamed of me and my worde before this adulterous and sinfull generation the sonne of man will also be ashamed of hym when he shall come in the glorye of his father with the holye Aungels And agayne sayth he Who soeuer will confesse me before men I will confesse him before my father that is in heauen And who soeuer will deny me before men I will also deny hym before my father that is in heauen And whosoeuer shall speake a worde agaynst the sonne of man it shall be forgeuen him but who soeuer shall rayle against the holy ghost it shall not be forgeuē him We humbly beseeche the Queenes Maiestie and you her honorable Commissioners bee not offended with vs for confessing this truth of God so straightly geuen vs in charge of Christ neither bring vppon vs that great sinne that neuer shall be forgeuen and shall cause our Sauiour Iesu Christ in the great day of iudgement before his heauenly Father all his Aungels to deny vs to take frō vs the blessed price and raunsome of his bloudshed wherwith we are redeemed For in that day neither the Queenes highnes neither you nor any man shal be able to excuse vs nor to purchase a pardon of Christ for this horrible sinne and blasphemye of casting aside and condemning his word We can not agree nor consent vnto this so horrible a sinne but we beseeche God for his mercy to geue vs and all menne grace moste earnestly to flee from it and rather if the will of God be so to suffer all extremitie and punishment in thys world then to incurre such damnation before God Manasses who restored agayn the wickednes of idolatrous religiō before put down by Ezechias his father brought the wrath of God vpon the people so that the scriptures sayth Notwithstanding the reformation made by Iosias the Lord turned not from the fiercenes of his great wrath wherwith hee was angrye agaynst Iuda because of the prouocation with the which Manasses prouoked him And the Lord said euen Iuda will I take away from my presence as I cast away Israell I will cast away this Citty of Ierusalem and the house whereof I sayd my name shall be there Ieroboam who at Bethel and Dan erected vp a new found seruice of God and not onely sinned himselfe but also made all Israel to sinne with him so that not onely he was damned for commaunding but the wrath of God came vppon all Israell for obeing that his vngodly commandement Yet was it not so heynous offence to bring man Idolatry neither yet heard of as after reformation made by the godly kinges and princes by the vertuous and holy Bishoppes by the Prophets and seruaunts of God to reiecte and cast of the word and true Religion of GOD and to receaue againe a damned impietie This moste heynous offence is now offered vnto vs although the same be paynted and coloured with the name of reformation restoring of religion auncient fayth wyth the name of the catholicke Churche of vnitie Catholicke truth with the cloke of fayned holines These are sheepe skinnes vnder the which as Christ saith rauening Wolues couer themselues But Christ willeth vs to looke vpon their fruites whereby we may know them and truely this is no good fruite to cast aside Gods word and to bānish the English seruice out of the Churches and in the place of it to bring in a latine tongue vnknowne vnto the people Which as it edifieth no man so hath it bene occasion of all blindnes and errour amonge the people For afore the blessed reformation begun by the most noble Prince of godlye memory the queenes good father and by our late holy and innocent king her good brother finished it is not vnknowne what blindnes errour wee were all in when not one man in all this realme vnlearned in the latine could say in English the Lordes prayer or knew any one article of his beliefe or rehearse any one of the x. cōmandementes And that ignoraunce mother of mischiefe was the very roote and well spring of all Idolatry Sodomiticall Monkery and whorish chastitie of vnmaryed priests of all whoredome dronkennes couetousnes swearing blasphemie with al other wicked sinfull liuing These brought in the seuere wrathe and vengeance of GOD plaging sinne with famine and pestilence and at last the sword consumed and auenged all theyr impietie and wicked liuing As it is greatly to be feared the same or more greuous plagues shall now agayne follow We cannot therefore consent nor agree that the worde of God and praiers in our English tongue which we vnderstand should be taken away from vs and for it a latin seruice we wote not what for none of vs vnderstande it to be agayne brought in amongest vs specially seeing that Christ hath sayd My sheepe heare my voyce and follow me I geue to them euerlasting life The seruice in Englishe teacheth vs that wee are the Lords people and the sheep of his pasture and commandeth that we harden not our hartes as when they prouoked the Lordes wrathe in the wildernes least hee sweare vnto vs as he did sweare vnto them that they should not enter into his rest The seruice in Latine is a confused noyse which if it be good as the say it is yet vnto vs that lack vnderstāding what goodnes can it bring S. Paule commaundeth that in the Churches all thinges shoulde bee done to edifying which we are sure is Gods commaundement But in the Latine seruice nothing is done to edifying but contrarily al to destroy those that are already edified and to driue vs from Gods word and truth and from beleuing of the same and so to bring vs to beleue lyes and fables that tempting and prouoking God we shoulde be brought into the iudgement that blessed Paule speaketh of saying Antichrist shall come according to the working of Satan with all manner of power and signes and lying wonders in all deceiuablenes of vnrighteousnes in those that pearish because they haue not receyued the loue of the truth that they might be saued And therfore God wil send them strong delusion that they should beleue lyes be damned as many as haue not beleued the truth but haue approued vntighteousnesse Thus altogether drawne from God we shall fal into his wrath through vnbeliefe till
societie And so for this and other Popish pranckes continuing obstinate still he was expelled the house After hee was thus dispatched of his roume hee was faine for his owne maintenance to applie him selfe to be a teacher of children in the house of sir Frances Knolles in the whych trade hee continued vntill the commynge of Queene Mary And wheÌ„ her visitors were sent to Magdalene Colledge vnder a title of reformation wheras all thinges were better afore I meane to displace diuers of the fellowes that were learned and to put ryghte Catholickes as they called them in theyr roumes then came thys Iulins Palmer waiting to be restored to his liuing againe of which he had bene depriued before thinking by good right to be restored of them whose Faith and religion as he sayde he did to the vttermoste of his power defend and maintaine And in deede at length hee obtayned the same Then after he was restored againe to his house in Queene Maries raigne God dealt so mercifull wyth him that in the ende he became of an obstinate Papist an earnest and a zealous Gospeller Concerning whose conuersion to the truthe for the more credite to be geuen to the same we haue heere putte downe a letter wrytten by one M. Bullingham felow in some part of K. Edwardes time wyth the sayde Palmer then also of the same faction of religion with him and toward the latter end of the said Kings raigne a voluntary exile in Fraunce for papistrie In Queene Maries daies likewise a chaplaine vnto Steuen Gardiner B. of Wint. And after comming in of Queene Elizabeth suche a one as for his obstinacy was quite and cleane dispatched from all his liuings by her Maiesties commissioners And yet now God be praised therefore a most constant professor and earnest teacher of the woord of God This man at the request of a certain friend of his in LondoÌ„ being desirous to know the certaine truthe thereof wrate vnto hym concerning this Iulins The copie of which letter we thought good here to insert for that the parties being aliue can testifie the same to be true and certaine if any shall doubt thereof The letter of M. Bullingham is thys M. B. I wish you and all yours continual health in the Lorde Hitherto haue I not wrytten any thing vnto you concerning Iulines Palmer that constante witnesse of Gods truthe for that his doings and sayings known vnto me were worne out of my remembrance and to wryte an vntroth it were rather to deface blemish then to adorne and beutify him After his coÌ„uersion to the most holy gospel I neuer sawe his face Wherefore the lesse haue I to certifye you off But so much as seemeth to me to serue most vnto the purpose heere I commend vnto you and in witnesse that my sayings are true I subscribe my name willyng praying and beseechinge you to publishe the same to the whole world c. At what time I Bullingham entended to forsake England and to flie into Fraunce for the wicked Popes sake whych came to passe in dede for in Roane I was for a time this Iulines Palmer and Rich. Ducke brought me outwardes in my iourney til we came to London where on a day Iulines Palmer I walked to S. Iames the Quenes place and as we leaned at the great gate of that place Palmer spake thus vnto me Bullingham you know into what misery and calamities we are faln for the Pope his religion We are yong men abhorred of all men now presently and like to be abhorred more and more Let vs consider what hangeth ouer our heads You are departing into a strange country bothe frendless and monilesse where I fear me you shal taste of sowrer sauces then hetherto you haue done And as for me I am at my wits end The face of hell it self is as amiable vnto me as the sight of Magdalene colledge For there I am hated as a venemous Tode Woulde God I were raked vnder the earthe And as touching our religion euen our consciences beare witnesse that we taste not such an inward swetenesse in the profession therof as we vnderstand the gospellers to taste in theyr religion Yea to say the truthe we maintaine we wote not what rather of will then of knowledge But what then Rather then I wil yelde vnto them I wil beg my bread So Palmer bequeathed him selfe to the wide world and I passed ouer into Normandie At my returne into England againe my chance was to mete Palmer in Paules where a Roode was set vp This our meeting was in the beginning of Quene Maries raigne and our miserable departing not long before the ende of K. Edwardes daies Then after oure greting thus said Palmer Bullingham is this our God for whoÌ„ we haue smarted No Palmer quod I it is an image of him An Image quod he I tel thee plainly BullinghaÌ„ Ihon Caluin whose institutions I haue perused sith our departure telleth me plainly by Gods word that it is an idoll and that the Pope is Antichrist and his clergy the filthy sinke hole of hel and now I beleue it For I feele it sensibly O that God had reuealed these matters vnto me in times past I woulde haue bequeathed this Romish religion or rather irreligion to the Deuill of hell froÌ„ whence it came Beleue them not Bullingham I will rather haue these knees pared of then I will kneele to yonder Iacknapes meaning the rode God helpe me I am borne to trouble and aduersitie in this worlde Well Palmer sayd I is the winde in that corner with you I warrant you it will blow you to lâ—tle ease at the end I wil neuer haue to do with you agayne So I left Palmer walking in Paules who thorow the element of fier is exalted aboue the elementes where eternall rest is prepared for persecuted Martyrs Thus much is true and let it be knowen that I Bullingham affirme it to be true More I haue not to saye In these wordes and deedes it appeareth that God had elected him From Bridgewater Aprill 26. Anno. 1562. By me Iohn Bullingham When he was by the visiters restored to his Colledge although he began some thing to sauor and taste of Gods truthe by conference and company of certaine godly and zealous men abroade in time of his expulsion specially at the house of sir Frances Knowls yet was he not throughly perswaded but in most poyntes continued for a while either blinde or els doubtfull Neither could he chuse but vtter himself in priuate reasoning from time to time both in what poyntes he was fully resolued and also of what poynts he doubted For such was his nature alway both in Papistrie and in the Gospell vtterly to detest all dissimulation in so much that by the meanes of his plainnes and for that he could not flatter he suffred much woe both in K. Edwards and also in Quene Maries time Wheras hee mighte at the first haue liued in
great quietnesse if hee coulde haue dissembled and bothe done and spoken against his conscience as many stirring Papistes then did And likewise he mighte haue escaped burning in Queene Maries time if he woulde either haue spoke◠or kept silence against his conscience as manye weake Gospellers did But Palmer could in no wise dissemble Now within short space God so wrought in his hart that he became very inquisitiue and carefull to heare and vnderstand howe the Martyrs were apprehended what articles they died for how they were vsed and after what sort they tooke theyr death In so much that he spared not at his owne charges to sende ouer one of his schollers in the companye of a Bacheler of that house to Glocester to see vnderstand the whole order of B. Hoopers deth and to bring him true report therof Which thing some thinke he the rather did because he was woont in king Edwards time to say that none of them all would stand to death for their religion Thus he learned with what extreme horrible cruelty the martyrs of God were tried and how valiauntly they ouercame all kinde of torments to the ende Wherof he himself also did see more experience afterward at the examination and death of those holy confessors and martyrs which were burned at Oxford before his eyes in so muche that the first hope which the godly conceyued of him was at the retourne from the burning of B. Ridley and B. Latimer At what time in the hearing of diuers of his frendes he brast out into these woordes and suche like O raging crueltie O tyrannie tragicall and more than barbarous From that day forward he studiously sought to vnderstand the truth and therefore with all speede he borrowed Peter Martyrs Commentaries vpon the first to the Corinthes of one of Magdalenes yet aliue and other good bookes of other men And so through harty praier and diligent search and conference of the scriptures at length he beleeued and imbraced the truth with great ioy and so profited in the same that daily more and more hee declared it both in word and dede In such sort as he neuer hated the truth more stubbornly before then afterward he willingly embraced the same whē it pleased God to open his eies and to reueale vnto him the light of his woord And nowe againe when he should come to Church in those dayes of Poperie there to be occupied among the rest in singing of Respondes reading of Legendes and suche like stuffe allotted vnto him he had as much pleasure he sayd to be at them as a Beare to be baited and wearied wyth dogs When he came it was as it appeared more to auoid displeasure and daunger then for any good will and readye affection At length through Gods grace he grew vp to suche maturitie and ripenes in the truth that he spared not to declare certaine sparkes thereof in his outward behauior and doyngs For when he should keepe his bowing measures at Confiteor as the custome there was in turning hymselfe to and fro sometyme Eastward somtyme Westward and afterward knocke his brest at the eleuatiō time agaynst which Idolatrous adoration hys hart did so vehemently rise that sometyme hee would absent hymselfe from them and sometyme beyng there he would euen at the sucring tyme as they termed it gette hym out of the church to auoyd those vngodly gestures and Idolatrous adoration To be shorte perceiuing after a while that hee was greatly suspected and abhorred of the President then being which was M. Cole and of diuers other whiche before were his friendes and therewithall feeling great conflict and torment of conscience daily to grow with his conuersation with idolaters seeing also that his newe life and old liuing might not wel nor quietly stande together he addressed himselfe to depart the house For he thoughte it not best to abide the dāger of expulsion as he did at the first seeing the weather was now waxed warmer And being demanded at that time of a special frend who wold gladly haue perswaded him to stay there longer whether he would go or how he would liue he made this answer Domini est terra plenitudo eius i. The earth is the Lordes and the fulnesse thereof Let the Lord woorke I will commit my selfe to God and the wide worlde Here I thinke it expedient before I wryte of the painfull surges that he suffered after he came abroade into the perillous gulphes and deepe Sea of this wretched wyde world first to reherse one or two exāples of his outward behauioure at suche tymes as he hadde recourse to the Colledge after his last departure whereby the Reader may yet better vnderstand of his simplicitie playnenesse and how farre wide he was from all cloked dissimulation in Gods cause which certayne godlesse personnes haue sought maliciously to charge hym with all Beyng at Oxford on a certayne tyme in Magdalene Colledge and hauyng knowledge that the Spanish Frier Iohn who succeeded D. Peter Martyr in the office of the Diuinitie Lecture would preach there that present Sonday he would not at the first graunt to be present at it At length a friend of his a fellow of that house persuaded so much with him that he was content to accompany his sayde friend to the church But sodainly as the Frier vehemently inueyed against Gods truth in defendyng certayne popish heresies Palmer hauyng many eyes bente and directed towardes hym departed from amongst the middest of the auditorie and was found in hys friends chamber weepyng bitterly Afterward beyng demaunded why he slipt away vpon such a sodayne Oh sayd he if I had not openly departed I should haue openly stopped myne eares For the Friers blasphemous talke in disproouyng or rather deprauyng the veritie made myne eares not to glowe but my hart worse to smart then if myne eares had bene cut from myne head It chanced another tyme that the same friend of hys called M. Shipper beyng then Bursar of the house bade hym to dinner in hys chamber Palmer not knowyng what ghestes were also thither inuited and bidden hapned there contrary to his expectation to meete with the foresayd Frier with whom were present D. Smith Doc. Tresham and diuers other papists whose company Palmer coulde not well beare and therefore whisperyng a friend in the eare he sayd he would be gone for that was no place for hym I will sayth he to the Bursars Table in the great hall The Bursar vnderstandyng his mynde desired hym of all friendshippe not so to depart alledgyng that it were the next way to be wray hymselfe as it were of purpose to cast hymselfe into the Briers with many other perswasions as the shortnes of tyme would permit In the end he condescēded to his request and taried Now as he came to the fire side the Frier saluted hym cherefully in Latine for he could not speake Englishe Palmer with an amiable countenaunce resaluted him
gently But when the Frier offered hym hys hand he castyng his eye aside as though he had not seene it found matter of talke to another standyng by and so auoyded it which thyng was well marked of some not without great grudge of stomacke After they were set and had well eaten the Frier with a pleasaunt looke offeryng hym the cup sayd Propino tibi inuenis erudite i. I drinke to you learned yong man Palmer at that word blushyng as red as scarlet aunswered Non agnosco nomen domine i. I knowledge no such name O sir. And therewith takyng the cup at his hand he set it downe by hym as though he would haue pledged him anone after but in the end it was also well marked that he did it not When diner was done beyng sharply rebuked of the sayd Bursar hys friend for hys so vnwise vnciuile and vnseemely behauiour as he termed it he made aunswer for hymselfe and sayd Oleum eorum non demulcet sed frangit caput meum i. The oyle of these men doth not supply but breaketh my hed Another tyme which was also the last tyme of his beyng at Oxforde not long before hys death one Barwike an old acquaintaunce of hys beyng sometyme Clarke of Magdalenes and then fellow of Trinitie colledge a rank papist began to reason with hym in his friendes chamber aforesayd and perceiuyng hym to be zealous and earnest in the defence of the veritie he sayd vnto hym in the hearing of M. Thomas Parry and others there present Wel Palmer well now thou art stoute and hardie in thine opinion but if thou were once brought to the stake I beleeue thou wouldest tell me another tale I aduise thee beware of the fire it is a shrewd matter to burne Truely sayth Palmer I haue bene in daunger of burning once or twise and hitherto I thanke GOD I haue escaped it But I iudge verily it will be my end at the last welcome be it by the grace of God In deed it is a hard matter for them to burne that haue the mynd and soule linked to the body as a thiefes foote is tied in a payre of fetters but if a man be once able through the helpe of Gods spirite to seperate and deuide the soule from the body for him it is no more masterie to burne then for me to eate this piece of bread Thus much by the way concerning his plainnes with out dissimulation and how he feared not openly to shewe hymselfe more grieued in hart to heare the worde of God blasphemed then to suffer any worldly paynes Now let vs proceed in our story and faithfully declare both the occasion and maner of his death Within short space after hee had yelded vp his fellowship in Oxford he was through Gods prouidence who neuer fayleth them that first seeke his glory placed scholemaister by Patent in the Grammer schoole of Readyng where he was well accepted of all those that feared God and fauoured his word as well for his good learning and knowledge as also for his earnest zeale and profession of the truth But Sathan the enemie of all godly attemptes enuying his good proceedyngs and prosperous successe in the same would not suffer hym there long to be in quiet Wherfore he stirred vp against hym certayne double faced hypocrites which by dissimulation crafty insinuatiō had crept in to vnderstand hys secrets vnder the pretence of a zeale to the gospell Which men he suspecting no deceit right ioyfully imbraced making them priuy of al his doyngs For as he hymselfe was then feruently enflamed with the loue of heauenly doctrine so had hee an incredible desire by all means possible to allure and encourage others to the profession of the same These faithful and trustie brethren so soone as they had found good oportunitie spared not in his absence to rifle his study of certayne godly bookes and writyngs amongest the which was his replication to Morwines verses touching Winchesters epitaph and other arguments both in Latin and English written by him against the popish procedings and specially against their vnnaturall brutish tyranny executed toward the Martyrs of God When they had thus done they were not ashamed to threaten hym that they would exhibite the same to the Counsayle vnles he would without delay depart out of their coastes and geue ouer the schole to a friend of theirs The truth of this story appeareth in part by a letter written with hys owne hand out of pryson eight dayes before he was burned which because it is of certaine credite and came to our handes therefore we are the bolder to auouche it for a truth Thus then was this sillie yong man for the sauegard of his lyfe forced to depart vppon the sodayne from Readyng leauyng behynd hym in the handes of his enemies his stuffe and one quarters stipende and so he tooke hys iourney toward Esham where hys mother then dwelt hopyng to obtaine at her hands certaine Legacies due to hym by his fathers last will which he should haue receyued certaine yeares before and taking his iourney by Oxford he requested certain of his friends to accompany him thither His mother vnderstandyng his state and errande by M. Shipper and his brother whom he had sent before to entreat for him as soone as she beheld him on his knees askyng her blessing as he had bene accustomed to do thou shalt sayd she haue Christes curse and myne wheresoeuer thou go He pausing a little as one amased at so heauy a greetyng at length sayde O mother your owne curse you may geue me which God knoweth I neuer deserued but Gods curse you cannot geue me for hee hath already blessed me Nay sayth she thou wentest from Gods blessing into the warme sunne when thou wast banished for an heretike out of that worshipfull house in Oxforde and now for the lyke knauery art driuen out of Readyng too Alas mother sayth he you haue bene misse informed I was not expelled nor driuen away but freely resigned of myne accorde And hereticke I am none for I stande not stubbornly agaynst any true doctrine but defend it to my power And you may be sure they vse not to expel nor banish but to burne heretikes as they terme them Well quoth she I am sure thou doest not beleeue as thy father and I and all our forefathers haue done But as we were taught by the new lawe in K. Edwards dayes which is damnable heresie In deed I confesse sayd he that I beleeue that doctrine which was taught in K. Edwards tyme which is not heresie but truth neither is it newe but as olde as Christ and his Apostles If thou be at that poynte sayth she I require thee to departe from my house and out of my sight and neuer take me for thy mother hereafter As for money and goodes I haue none of thyne thy father bequeathed nought for heretickes Fagots I haue to burne thee
Thornton Well doe yee not beleeue that hee is there really New No I beleue it not Thornton Well will ye stand to it New I must needes stande to it till I bee perswaded to a further truth Thornton Nay yee will not bee perswaded but stande to your owne opinion New Nay I stand not to mine owne opinion GOD I take to witnesse but onely to the scriptures of God and that can all those that stand here witnes with me and nothing but the scriptures and I take God to witnes that I do nothing of presumption but that that I do is onely my conscience and if there be a further trueth then I see excepte it appeare a trueth to me I cannot receiue it as a truth And seeing fayth is the gifte of God and commeth not of man for it is not you that can geue me fayth nor no man els therfore I trust ye will beare the more with me seing it must be wrought by God and when it shall please God to open a further truth to me I shall receiue it with all my hart and embrace it Thornton had many other questions which I did not beare away but as I doe vnderstand these are the chiefest as for tauntes foolish and vnlearned hee lacked none Prayse GOD for his giftes and GOD increase in vs strength * The argument of Iohn Newman If the body of Christ were really and bodily in the sacrament then who soeuer receiued the sacrament receiued also the body The wicked receiuing the sacrament receiue not the body of Christ. Ergo the bodye of Christe is not really in the Sacrament * Argument Ca They which eate the fleshe and drinke the bloude of Christ dwell in him and he in them mes The wicked dwell not in Christ nor he in them tres Ergo The wicked eate not the fleshe nor drinke the bloud of Christ. * Argument Ca They that haue Christ dwelling in them bring foorth much fruite Iohn 15. Hee that dwelleth in me and I in him bringeth forth much fruite c. mes The wicked bringeth forth no fruit of goodnes tres Ergo they haue not Christes body dwelling in them ¶ Argument Da Where remembrrunce is of a thing there is imported the absence thereof ti Remembraunce of Christes body is in the sacrament Do this in remembraunce of me c. si Ergo Christes body there is imported to be absent Mary they will say we see him not with our outward eyes but he is commended vnder the fourme of breade wine and that that we see is nothing but a quallitie or an accidence But let them shew me a quallitie or an accidence without a substaunce and I will beleue them And thus much concerning Newmans examinations and argumentes whose Martyrdome is before expressed ¶ The Martirdome of Ioane Wast a blynde woman in the Towne of Darbye THe first day of August in the yeare aboue specified suffered likewise at the Towne of Darby a certaine poore honest godly woman being blinde from her birth and vnmaryed about the age of xxii named Ioane Wast of the Parish of Alhallowes Of them that sate vpon this innocent womans bloude the chiefest was Raâ—e Bayne Bishop of the Dyoces Doctour Draycot hys Chauncellour sir Iohn Port Knight Henrye Uernon Esquire Peter Finshe officiall of Darby with the assistaunce also of diuers other Richard Warde and William Bembrige the same time being Bayliffes of the Towne of Darby c. First after the aboue named Byshoppe and Doct. Draycot had caused the sayd Ioane Waste to be apprehended in the Towne of Darby suspecting her to bee guilty of certayne heresies she was diuers times priuily examined as well in prison as out of Prison by Finsh the Officiall aforesayd After that brought to publicke examination before the Bishop at last was there burnt in Darby as is aboue sayd Touching whose life bringing vp conuersatioÌ„ somewhat more amply we mynd to discourse as by faythfull relation hath come to my handes First this Ioane Wast was the daughter of one William Wast an honest poore man and by hys science a Barber who some time also vsed to make Ropes His wife had the same Ioane and one other at one byrth and shee was borne blinde And when shee was about xij or xiiii yeares old she learned to knitte hosen and sleeues and other thinges which in time she could do very well Furthermore as time serued she would help her father to turn ropes and do such other thinges as she was able and in no case would be idle Thus continued she with her father and mother during their liues After whose departure then kept she with one Roger Wast her brother who in the time of king Edw. the 6. of blessed memory gaue her selfe dayly to go to the church to heare Diuine seruice read in the vulgar tongue And thus by hearing Homilies and sermons she became merueilously well affected to the Religion then taught So at length hauing by her labour gotten and saued so much mony as would buy her a newe testameÌ„t she caused one to be prouided for her And though she was of herselfe vnlearned and by reason of her blindnes vnable to read yet for the great desire shee had to vnderstand and haue printed in her memory the sayinges of holy scriptures conteined in the new Testament shee acquaynted her selfe chiefly with one Iohn Hurt then prisoner in the common Hall of Darby for debtes The same Iohn Hurt being a sober graue man of the age of three score and ten yeares by her earnest intreatie and being Prisoner and many times idle and without coÌ„pany did for his exercise dayly read vnto her some one chapter of the new Testament And if at any time he wer otherwise occupied or letted through sickenes she woulde repayre vnto one Iohn Pemerton Clarke of the Parishe Churche of all sayntes in the same towne of Darby or to some other person which could read and sometimes shee would geue a penny or two as shee might spare to suche persons as woulde not freely read vnto her appoyntyng vnto them aforehand how many Chapiters of the newe Testament they should read or how often they should repeate one Chapiter vpon a price Moreouer in the sayde Ioane Wast this was notoryous that she being vtterly blinde could not withstanding without a guide go to any Church within the sayd town of Darby or to any other place or person with whom she had any such exercise By which exercise shee so profited that she was able not onely to recite many Chapiters of the new testament without book but also could aptly impugne by diuers places of scriptures as well sinne as suche abuses in Religion as then were to much in vse in diuers and sondry persons As this godly woman thus dayly increased in the knowledge of Gods holy worde and no lesse in her life expressed the vertuous fruites and exercise of the same Not long after
mindfull of my bloud Wint. Now you may see hee will not aunswere to these but as he hath aforesayd Then spake the Counterfeit Ordinary agayne and sayd Counterf My Lord aske him what he sayth to the Sacrament of the aultar Then the Byshop asked me as my Counterfeit Ordinary required him Grat. My Lord I doe beleue that in the sacrament of the Supper of the Lord truely ministred in both kinds according to the institution of Christ vnto the worthy receauer he eateth mistically by fayth the body and bloud of Chryst. Then I asked him if it were not the truth And hee sayde yes Then sayd I beare witnesse of the truth Winchester Then the Bishop of Winchester whose head being subtilest to gather vpon my wordes sayd My Lord see you not how he creepeth away with his heresies and couereth them priuely Note how hee here seperateth the Sacrament of the aulter from the supper of the Lord meaning it not to be the true sacrament also how he condemneth our ministration in one kinde and alloweth that the vnworthy receauer doth not eate and drinke the body and bloud of Christ which be sore matters truely wayed being couered very craftely with his subtill shiftes of sophistry but he shall aunswere directly or euer he depart Grat. My Lord this is but your gathering of my wordes for you before confessed the same sayinges to be the truth this you catch at me and fayne woulde haue a vauntage for my bloud but seeing you iudge me not to meane the sacramēt of the aultar nowe come to the probatiō of the same sacrament and proue it to be the true sacrament and I am with you or els if you can proue your Church to be the true Church I am also with you But then he called to memory the last probation of the Churche and sacramentes howe hee before was driuen to forsake the scriptures and to shew me by good reason how they might minister the sacrament in one kinde his reason was this Like as a man or woman dyeth on a sodayn and so when we haue geuen him the body of Christ in the meane time the partie dyeth and so he eateth the bodye of Christ not drinketh his bloud And this was his simple shift in the prouing of their Sacramentes so that he was now halfe abashed to begin that matter agayne But yet a little subtile shift he brought in and sayd Winc. What sayest thou by the administration of the priests euery day for them selues and they minister in bothe kindes To that I aunswered you haue two administrations for I am sure at Easter you minister but in one kinde and therfore it is not according to the institution of Christ but after your owne imaginations Winc. Why then what sayest thou to these wordes Take eate this is my body These are the wordes of Christe Wilt thou deny them Grat. My Lord they are the words of scripture I affirme them and not deny them Rochest Why then thou doest confesse in the sacrament of the aulter to be a reall presence the selfe same body that was borne of the Uirgine Mary and is ascended vp into heauen Grat. My Lord what do you now meane do you not also meane a visible body for it cannot be but of necessitie if it be a reall presence and a materiall body it must be a visible body also Winc. Nay I say vnto thee it is a reall presence and a materiall body and an inuisible body to Grat. My Lord then it must needes be a phantastical body for if it shoulde bee materiall and inuisible as you affirme then it must needes be a phantasticall body for it is aparaunt that Christes humayne body was visible and seene Winc. Then the Bishop brake out and said when diddest thou see him I pray thee tell me Grat. To that I aunswered and sayd a simple argument it is Because our corporall eyes cannot comprehend christ doth that proue or follow that he is inuisible because wee cannot see him Winc. And with that the Bishop began to waxe weary of his argument and remoued his talke to Iudas in eatyng the sacrament said he eat him wholy as the Apostles did Grat. And then I asked him if he meant Christes flesh and bloud the which he speaketh of in the 6. of Iohn and saith he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath eternall lyfe in me Winc. To that he aunswered and sayd yea Grat. Then sayd I of necessitie Iudas must needes be saued because hee eate the fleshe and dranke the bloude of Christ as you haue affirmed and also all the vngodly that dye without repentance because they haue eaten your sacrament which you say is the flesh bloud of Christ therfore of necessitie they shall receiue the benefite thereof that is eternall life Which is a great absurditie to graunt then of necessitie it must follow that all that eate not drynke not of your sacrament shall finally pearish and bee damned for Christ sayth except you eate my fleshe and drinke my bloud you can haue no life in me And you haue afore sayd that your sacrament which you say is the same flesh bloud that Christ speaketh of and here I proue that all children then that dye vnder age to receaue the sacrament by your owne argument they must be damned whiche is horrible blasphemy to speake Nowe here I turne your owne argument vpon you aunswere it if you can Winc. My Lord do you not see what deceitful arguments he bringeth in here agaynst vs mingled with sophistry keepeth himselfe in vauntage so that we can get no holde vpon him But I say vnto thee thou peruerse hereticke I see now thou art a peruerse fellowe I had a better opinion of thee but now I see we lose our time about thee yet I aunswere thee S. Paule doth open the sixte of Iohn playne if thou wilt see for he sayth they eate Christes body and drinke his bloud vnworthely and that was the cause of their damnation Grat. My Lord take heede ye doe not adde vnto the texte for he that addeth vnto the text is accursed of God and I am sure here you haue brought more then Paule hath spoken for he sayth not because they haue eaten his body and dronke his bloud vnworthily but S. Paule sayth Who so euer shall eate of this bread and drinke of the Cuppe vnworthely shall be giltie of the body and bloud of Christ. Note my lord he saith not as you haue affirmed but clene contrary And with that they were all in a great rage Winch. And the bish of Winchester said I belied the text Grat. And then I called for the text Winch. And he said I asked thee euen now if thou vnderstoodest Latine and thou saidest whether I can or no the people shall beare witnesse in English Grat. And so I called againe for the Testament whether it were Latin or English for the
her first comming into this place she did greuously bewaile with great sorrowe lamentation and reasoned with her selfe why her Lorde God did with his so heauy iustice suffer her to be sequestred from her louing fellowes into so extreeme miserie In these dolorous mournings did shee continue til on a night as shee was in her sorrowful supplications in rehearsing thys verse of the Psalme Why arte thou so heauie O my soule And againe The right hande of the most highest can chaunge all shee receiued comforte in the middest of her miseries And after that continued very ioyfull vntill her deliuerie from the same About the 25. day of March in the yeare of our Lorde 1557. shee was called before the Bishop who demaunded of her whether shee would nowe goe home and go to the church or no promising her great fauour if she woulde be reformed and doe as they did To whom she answered I am throughly perswaded by the great extremitie that you haue already shewed me that you are not of God neither can your doings be godly and I see sayeth she that you seeke my vtter destruction shewing how lame she then was of cold taken for lacke of foode while she lay in that painful prison whereby shee was not able to mooue her selfe without great paine Then did the bish deliuer her frō that filthy hole and sent her to Westgate whereas after she had bene changed and for a while ben cleane kept her skin did wholy so pill scale off as if she had bene with some mortal venome poysoned Heere she continued till the latter end of Aprill At which time they called her before them and with others condemned her committing her then to the prisone called the Castle Where shee continued till the slaughter daye which was the 19. day of Iune when by terrible fire they tooke away her life When she was at the stake she cast her handkerchiefe vnto one Iohn Bankes requiring him to kepe the same in the memorie of her and from about her middle she tooke a white lace which she gaue to the keeper desiring him to geue the same to her brother Roger Hall and to tell hym that it was the last band that she was bound with except the chaine A shilling also of Phillip and Mary shee tooke foorth which her father had bowed and sent her when shee was first sent to prison desiring that her said brother should with obedient salutations render the same to her father againe shew him that it was the first peece of mony that he sent her after her troubles begon which as shee protested she had kept now sent him to do him to vnderstand that shee neuer lacked money while shee was in prison With this Alice Benden were burned also the residue of the other blessed Martyrs aboue named being seuen in number Who being brought to the place where they shuld suffer for the Lordes cause at Canterbury vndressed them selues ioyfully to the fire and being ready thereto they all like the communion of Saints kneled downe and made their humble praiers vnto the Lorde with such zeale and affection as euen the enemies of the Crosse of Christ coulde not but like it When they had made inuocation together they roase and went to the stake where being compassed with horrible flames of fire they yeelded their soules and liues gloriously into the handes of the Lord. The burning of seuen Martyrs at Caunterburie The troubles and examinations of Mathew Plase VNto these holy martyrs of Kent aboue specified wher of seuen suffered at Maidstone and seuen at Canterb. I thought not vnmeete heere also to be adioyned the examination of Mathew Plase a Weauer of the same Countie of Kent and a faithful christian Who being apprehended and imprisoned likewise for the testimonie of a good conscience in the Castell of Canterbury was brought to examination before the Bishop of Douer and Harpsfield the Archdeacon as here is to be red and seene The examination and answeres of Mathewe Plase Weauer of the Parish of Stone in the Countie of Kent before Thornton Bishop of Douer Harpesfield Archdeacon Collins Commissarie other Inquisitours An. 1557. FIrst when I came before the bishop he asked me whether I were not of that Dioces and where I dwelt for that was my first Article Ans. I aunsweared I was of the Parishe of Stone in Kent and subiect vnto the King Queene of England Bish. Then he sayd I was indicted by xij men at Ashford at the Sessions for heresie Auns I sayd that was sooner sayd then prooued Bish. Then he sayde it was the truthe that he had spoken to me for he had whereby to prooue it Auns Then I desired him to let me heare it and I would answere to it Bish. But he sayd he would not so do but I should aunswere to my Article yea or nay Auns I said he could not for I was not at Ashforde and therfore he had nothing to lay to my charge But nowe I perceiue you goe about to lay a net to haue my bloud Arch. After many woordes betwixt the bishop and me the Archdeacon said peace peace we do not desire thy bloud but we are glad to heare that thou art no hereticke wyth many flattering woordes and said yet I was suspected of heresie and if I woulde be content to confesse howe I did beleeue as concerning those Articles they woulde gladly teache me Auns But I sayd I did not so thinke for I talked wyth one of your doctors and after long talke he would nedes know how I did beleeue in the Sacrament and I recited vnto him the text and because I would not make him an exposition he would teach me nothing yet I praied hym for my learning to wryte his minde if it were the truth I would beleeue him and this I did desire him for the loue of God but it would not be Arch. Then sayd he it was not so he durst sweare vpon a booke Auns I sayd it would be so prooued Arch. Then he stoode vp with a long processe and sayd he would tell me the truth and was sure that the same Doctour did beleeue as he did Auns I asked him how he knew that seing S. Paul doth say that no man knoweth what is in man but the spirite which dwelleth in him but if you wist what Christ meant by these woords I require mercy and not sacrifice you wold not kill innocents Bishop The Bishop began with me againe and charged me in the king and Queenes name and the Lord Cardinals to answere yea or nay to the Articles that followed Auns Then I commanded him in his name that should come in flaming fire with his mighty Aungels to render vengeance to the disobedient and to all those that beleued not the gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ which should be punished with euerlasting damnation that he should speake nothing but the truth grounded vpon Christ and
hys Apostles and then I would answer him or els not Bish. Then he was very angry and sayd if I would not answer he would condemne me in dede vnlesse I would answer euery Article Auns Wel said I if you do you shal be giltie of my bloud and prooue your selfe a murtherer Arch. Then the archdeacon tooke the articles in his hand red the seconde Article which was that I was a Christian man and did beleeue in theyr mother the Catholicke church and the determination thereof Auns I sayd I was a Christian man in deede and therefore they had nothing against me Arch. Thē said he what saiest thou to the catholicke church which hath so long cōtinued except it were 9. or 10. yeres that this heresie hath sprong vp here in this realme Auns I sayde no man can accuse me of any thing spoken against the catholicke church of Christ. Bish. Then saide the bish doest thou not beleue the Creede Ans. Yes verely I beleue my Creede all that is written in the Testamēt of Christ with the rest of the Scriptures Bish. Then sayth he thou doest confesse that there is a Catholicke church I am glad of that but tell me is the King and Queene of that Church or not Ans. Wel said I now I perceiue you go about to be both mine accuser also my iudge contrary to all right I confesse Christ hath a Church vpon earth which is built vpon the Apostles Prophets Christ being the head therof and as touching the King and Quene I answere I haue nothing to do with no mās faith but with my owne neither came I hether to iudge for I iudge not my selfe but the Lord must iudge me Bishop Then sayd he Is there no part of that church here in England Auns Well I perceiue you would faine haue some thing to lay to my charge I will tell you where Christ sayeth whereas two or three be gathered together in his name there is he in the middest among them Then the archdeacon stoode vp with his mockes to put me out of comfort said to the people that I had no wit but that I thought all they were deceiued so long time and that halfe a dosen of vs should haue the truth in a corner that al they should be deceiued with such like taunts and mockes but would not suffer me to speake one woord Arch. Then he red the Article of the Sacrament and said I did denie the reall presence to be in the Sacrament after it was once consecrated and that I sayde Christes body was in heauen no where els and that the bread was nothing but a signe token or remembrance Ans. Then I said you haue to shew where and what my woordes were and heereof we talked a great while Bish. At the last the bishop was so angrie that he charged me in the Kinges Queenes and Cardinals name before the Maior and his brethren taking them to witnesse if I did not say yea or nay he would condemne me Ans. Then I saide seeing you haue nothing to accuse me of wherefore should I so answer Arch. Then the archd said I was gilty and sayd I was like a thefe at the barre which would not cōfesse his fault because his accusers were not present with a great many wordes would not let me open my mouth against him Ans. Then I sawe where about they went graunting to answere them by the woorde or els I thinke they woulde haue cōdemned me for holding of my peace and this was my beginning I beleue that Christ tooke bread and when he had geuen thankes he brake it and gaue it to his disciples and sayde Take eate this is my body which is geuen for you this doe in remembrance of me Arch. Doest thou beleeue that Christ meant euen as he sayd Ans. I said Christ was no dissembler but he spake the very truthe Arch. Thou hast very well sayd we will make the best of thy words Then he praised me with many words going about to prooue it his body reall and substantiall and said Christ called himself bread and this to proue when Christ saide This is my body the breade was his body saide he in dede real substantial not so long so big as it hong on the Crosse as the Capernaites did thinke but we eate it as mās weake nature can eate Christ. Therfore when he had sayd This is my body the bread was his body in very dede Ans. Then I asked him what Christ meant by these wordes Which is geuen for you Arch. He saide Christ spake that by the bread also but it was not written in Mathew but Luke had those words Ans. Then I asked him if Christes bodye were made of bread that was geuē for our redemption or whether the bread was crucified for vs or not Arch. Then he sayd no by saint Mary I say not so Ans. You haue said the truth in dede euen as I beleue Arch. Then he stoode vp with a great many of words and sayd that I did think it but bare bread stil as other bread is but he was sure Christe called it his body and then it was his body in deede for he would beleeue Christ. Ans. When he had spoken his pleasure by me thinking to haue condēned me by their law I said he had not iudged right of mee for I hadde not so spoken but did beleue the wordes of Christ as well as he and as much as he coulde prooue by the woorde Arch. Then he would heare what I did say it was Ans. I said I did beleeue it was that he gaue them Arch. Then he asked me what it was that he gaue them Auns I sayd that which he brake Arch. Then he asked me what was that he brake Auns I sayd that he tooke Arch What was it that he did take Auns I sayd the text sayth he tooke bread Arch. Wel then thou sayest it was but bread that his Disciples did eate by thy reason Auns Thus much I say looke what hee gaue them they did eate in deede Arch Why then was not that his body that they did eate Auns It was that which he brake Arch. Well sayd he I perceiue thy meaning well inough for thou doest thinke it is but breade still and that hee was not able to make it his body Auns That is your exposition vpon my minde Arch. Then saide he what diddest thou receiue when thou diddest receiue last Auns I sayde I doe beleue that I did eate Christes flesh and drinke his bloud For he saith My flesh is meat in deede and my bloud is drinke in deede Arch Then he sayd I had well aunsweared thinking to haue had some aduauntage at my hand and praied me to tell him how I did eate his flesh and drinke his bloud Auns Then I sayde I must aunswer you by the woorde Christ sayeth He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloude dwelleth
in me and I in him Arch Then he faced out the matter with Sophistrie and sayde I did eate Christe as that Church was in his eye with many such like mockes but woulde not let me aunswere one woorde Commis Then the Commissarie did aske mee if I did not remember S. Paule which did rebuke the Corinthes for theyr euill behauior and because they made no difference of the Lordes body and brought in to prooue hys matter howe he called him selfe bread in the 6. of Iohn So Paul sayth So oft as ye eate of this breade meaning Christes body vnwoorthely ye eate and drinke your owne damnation because ye make no difference of the Lordes body For thus sayeth Christ The bread that I will geue you is my flesh Now it is no bread but it is his flesh And thus he alledged euery Scripture false to make vp the matter Auns Then I sayde I did beleeue the woordes of Paule very wel euen as he had spoken them For thus he sayeth He that eateth and drinketh vnwoorthely eateth and drynketh hys owne damnation because hee maketh no difference of the Lordes body Commis What is the cause that he eateth his owne damnation Auns I sayd Saint Paule declareth it plainly wyth these woordes If ye had iudged your selues ye should not haue bene iudged of the Lord. Arch. Then the Archdeacon sayde he marueiled whye I would not say that he called the breade hys bodye seeing Cranmer Ridley and Latimer with many other sayd he called it his bodye Auns I saide you haue condemned them as heretickes and you wold haue me say with them because you wold kill me Arch. Then he saide In that they said it was his bodye they did say the truth Auns I asked wherefore they were killed seeing they sayd the truth Bishop Then sayde the Byshop that he had all theyr aunsweres and that they did not beleue as they said For they sayd Christ called it his body but it was not his naturall body but thou shall answere me by and by whether it be his body or not or els I will anger thee Auns Then I sayd I had answeared him by the word already and did beleeue it also therefore if he did condemne me for that my life was not deare vnto me I was sure he should not scape vnpunished for God wil be reuenged vpon such murtherers Arch. Then the Archdeacon intreated mee to be ruled by him take mercy while it was offered for if I were condemned I must needes be burned Yet he would not say but my soule might be saued with many moe wordes and desired me that I would beleue hym for he would speake the truth beginning how Christ fed fiue thousande wyth foure loaues and how he turned the water into wine euen so Christ tooke breade and blest it and when he had done he brake it and sayd This is my body and then he commāded them to eat it and therfore it must nedes be his body Auns Then I desired him to speake the text right or els I would not beleeue him Arch. Then he stoode vp and put off his cap and thanked me for teaching of him and sayde I was a stubberne fellow and tooke scorne to be taught Auns I sayd I ought to holde him accursed if he taught doctrine contrary to Christ and his Apostles Arch. Then he asked me whether I did beleue that Christ did geue that he tooke or not Auns I said I do beleue as much as can be proued by the Scripture and more I will not beleeue Arch. Then he began with Moyses rod howe God commanded him to lay it down and it was turned into a serpent Seing that this was by Moyses being but a man how much more Christ being both God man tooke one thing and gaue to his Disciples an other Ans. I said his comparison was nothing like for Moyses rod when it was laid downe he saw that it was tourned into a verye Serpent in deede but in this Sacrament no mā can see neither qualitie nor yet quantitie to be chāged Bish. Then sayd the Bishop that mine opinion and Faith was like vnto the Capernaites Ans. I sayd theirs was more like theyr opiniō then mine Arch. The Archdeacon asked me whether Christe tooke not one thing and gaue an other Auns I sayde Looke what he brake hee gaue vnto them and had them eate and other answere I will make none contrary to the woorde Arch. Then he sayd he marueiled why I woulde not beleue them seeing this learning had continued this fiftene hundred yeares neither yet did saye as other had before howe Christ did call it his bodye Auns Then I sayde when Cranmer whyche was heere Byshop was in authoritie he sayde that he did holde the truth and commaunded vs to beleeue him and hee hathe geuen his life for his opinion and would you haue me to beleeue you because you say that you holde the truth and that which makes me beleeue chiefly is the scripture which I am sure is the truth in deede Bish. The Bishop sayd he hath spoken the truthe that I would not beleeue him Auns I sayde if he did not nowe speake the truthe I was sure he had spoken the truthe for hee had preached before doctrine cleane contrary vnto this Then were the rest of my articles read which I aunswered and in euery article we had vp this breaden god And they sent for a candle light I thought they woulde haue condemned me but God would not suffer their cruel hearts to haue theyr pleasure at that time blessed he hys name for euermore Amen Arch. Then the Archdeacon was angry began to chide with me because I woulde not desire a day of the byshop and said I was a noughty stubberne felowe and sayde it had bene my duety to haue desired him to haue bene good to me that I might haue a day Auns Then I sayde I haue spoken the truth and therefore I would aske him no day except he would geue me a day of his owne minde Commis Then sayde the Commissarie Doest thou not thinke that thou maiest be deceiued seeing hee may be deceiued that hath gone to study all the daies of his life Auns I saide Yes I mighte be deceiued in that I was a man but I was sure Gods woord could not be deceiued Com. Then hee praied me to be content and confesse that I might learne and said they would be glad to teach me Auns And I sayde I would be as glad to learne as any man And thus they roase vp and went away saying nothing What became of this Mathewe Plaise after whether he died in prison or was executed or deliuered I haue as yet no certaine knowledge The hystorie of ten true godly Disciples and Martyrs of Christ burnt together in one fire at Lewes An. 1557. Iune 22. IN the towne of Lewes were ten faithfull seruauntes of God put in one fire the xxij day of Iune whose names
you be your selues You will go to hell all the sorte of you if you condemne me if you repent iâ— not with speede Wood. Then my keeper and the Sheriffes deputie Fuller rebuked me because I spake so sharpely to them And I sayde I praye you let me alone I aunswere for my life Then there was muche adoe that I shoulde keepe silence and so I held my peace Then spake the Bishop of Winchester and the Archdeacon of Caunterbury saying we go not about to condemne thee but goe aboute to saue thy soule if thou wilt be ruled ane doe as we would haue thee Wood. To saue my soule nay you can not saue my soule My soule is saued already I praise God therefore There can no man saue my soule but Iesus Christ and hee it is that hath saued my soule before the foundation of that would was layd The fat Priest What an heresie is that my Lorde here is an heresie He sayth hys soule was saued before the foundations weâ—e layd Thou canst not tell what thou saiest Was thy soule saued before it was Wood. Yes I prayse God I can tell what I say I say the truth Looke in the first of the Ephesians and there you shall finde it where Paule sayth Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ whiche hath blessâ—d vs with all maner of spirituall blessinges in heauenly thinges by Christ according as hee hathe chosen vs in himselfe before the foundation of the earth was layd that we shuld be holy and without blame before him through loue and thereto were wee predâ—stinated These be the wordes of Paule and I beleue they be moste true And therefore it is my fayth in and by Iesus Christe that saueth and not you or any man els The fat priest What fayth without workes Saint Iames sayth faythe without workes is dead and wee haue free will to do good workes Wood. I would not that any of you should think that I do disallow good workes For a good fayth cannot be wtout good works Yet not of our selues but it is the gift of God as sayth S. Paule to the Phillippians the 2. Chapt. It is God that worketh in vs both the wil and also the deed euen of good will Winchester Make an ende aunswere to me Here is your Ordinary the Archdeacon of Caunterbury hee is made your Ordinary by my Lord Cardinall and he hath authoritie to examine you of your fayth vppon a booke to aunswere to such Articles as he will laye to you And I praye you refuse it not for the daunger is great if you do Wherfore we desire you shew your selfe a subiect in this matter Then they spake al and said loe my Lord desireth you gently to aunswere to him and so we do all For if you refuse to take an othe hee may excommunicate you For my Lord Cardinall may put whom he wil in the Bishops office vntill he is consecrated Wood. I know not so much If you will geue me time to learne the trueth of it if I can proue it be as you saye I will tell you my mind in any thing that he shall demauÌ„d of me without any flattering Priest My Lord and all we tell thee it is true therefore aunswere to him Wood. I will beleue none of you all for you be turne coates chaungelinges be wauering minded as sayth S. Iames you be neither hoate nor colde as sayth S. Iohn therfore God will spue you out of his mouth Wherfore I can beleue none of you all I tell you truth Winchest What be we turne coates and chaungelinges what meanest thou by that Wood. I meane that in king Edwardes time you taught the doctrine that was set forth then euery one of you and now you teach the contrary and therfore I call you turne coates and chaungelinges as I may well enough Which wordes made the most part of them to quake Winc. Nay not all as it chaunced Wood No I pray you where were you then Winch. I was in the Tower as the Lieutenaunt wyll beare me record Wood. If you were in the Tower it was not therefore I dare say it was for some other matter TheÌ„ they tooke all hart of grace and sayd my Lord he coÌ„meth to examine you we think if he will not answere to the Articles you were best to excommunicate him Winch. He is the naughtiest verlet hereticke that euer I knew I will read the sentence agaynst him Wood. Then they spake all at once and I aunswered then as fast as I could But I can not remember it all the wordes came out so thicke that I spared them not I prayse God therfore for I spake freely Then they that stood by rebuked me sayd you caÌ„ not tell to whom you speake I thinke Wood. No thinke you so they be but men I am sure I haue spoken to as good as they bee and better then they will euer be for any thing that I can see if they repent not with speed Winc. Geue eare for I will read sentence agaynst you Wood. Will you so wherefore will you you haue no iuste cause to excommunicate me and therefore if you doe condemne me you wil be condemned in hell if you repent not and I prayse God I am not afrayd to dye for Gods sake if I had a hundred liues Winch. For Gods sake nay for the Deuilles sake Thou sayest thou art not afrayde to dye No more was Iudas that hanged himselfe as thou wilt kill thy selfe wilfully because thou wilt not be ruled Wood. Nay I defye the deuill Iudas and all their members And Iudas flesh was not afrayd but his spirite and conscience was afrayde and therefore despayred and hong himselfe But I prayse God I feele no lothsomnes in my flesh to dye but a ioyfull conscience and a willing mynde thereto Wherfore my flesh is subdued to it I prayse God and therfore I am not afrayd of death Chichester Woodman for Gods sake be ruled You know what you sayd to me at my house I coulde say more if I would Wood. Say what you can the most fault that you founde in me was because I praysed the liuing God and because I sayd I prayse God and the Lorde which you ought to be ashamed of if you haue any grace for I told you where the wordes were written Winc. Well how say you will you confesse that Iudas receiued the body of Christ vnworthely tell me playnely Wood. My Lord if you or any of you all can proue before all this audience in all the bible that any man euer eat the body of Christ vnworthely then I will be with you in all thinges that you will demaund of me of the which matter I desire all this people to be witnes Priest Will you so then we shall agree well enough S. Paule sayth so Woodman I pray you where sayeth he so rehearse the wordes Priest In
till he come and therefore I meruaile ye blushe not before all this people to lye so manifestly as ye doe With that Gascoine held his peace made her no answer for as it seemed he was ashamed of his doyngs Then the Chancellor lift vp his hed of from his cushion and commanded the Gaoler to take her away Dry. Now sayd she ye be not able to resist the truth ye coÌ„maund me to prison agayne Well the Lord in the end shal iudge our cause and to hym I leaue it Iwisse iwisse this geare will go for no payment then So went she with the Gaoler away The second examination of Alice Dryuer THe next day she came before them agayne the Chancellor then asked her what she said to the blessed sacrament of the aulter Dry. I will say nothing to it for you will neither beleeue me nor your selues For yesterday I asked you what a sacrament was and you sayde it was a signe and I agreed therto sayd it was the truth confirming it by the scriptures so that I went not from your owne words now ye come and aske me agayne of such a sacrament as I told you I neuer red of in the scriptures Spens Thou lyest naughty woman we did not say that it was a signe Dry. Why maisters be ye not the meÌ„ that you were yesterday will ye eat your owne wordes Are ye not ashamed to lie before all this multitude here present who heard you speake the same Then stoode vp D. Gascoine said she was deceyued for there were three churches the malignant church the church militant and the church triumphaÌ„t So he would â—ame haue made matter but he could not tell which way Dry. Sir is there mention made of so many Churches in the scripture Gasc Yea. Dry. I pray you where find you this word Church written in the scripture Gasc It is written in the new Testament Dry I pray you sir shew the place where it is written Gasc I cannot tell the place but there it is With that she desired him to looke in his Testament Then he fombled sought about him for one but at that tyme he had none that he knew well enough though he seemed to search for it At the last she said Haue ye none here sir Gasc No. Dâ—y I thought so much in deede that ye were little acquainted withall Surely you be a good Doctor You say you sit here to iudge accordyng to the law and howe can you geue iudgement haue not the booke of the law with you At which words Gascoine was out of countenance and asked her if she had one Dry. No sayd she Gasc Then sayd he I am as good a doctor as you Dry. Well sir I had one but you tooke it from me as you would take me from Christ if you could and since would ye not suffer me to haue any booke at all so burnyng is your charitie But you may well know I thanke God that I haue exercised the same Els could I not haue answered you to Gods glory be it spokeÌ„ as I haue Thus she put them all to silence that one looked on another and had not a word to speake Dry. Haue you no more to say God be honoured You bee not able to resist the spirit of God in me a poore woman I was an honest poore mans daughter neuer brought vp in the vniuersitie as you haue bene but I haue driuen the plough before my father many a tyme I thanke God yet notwithstandyng in the defence of Gods truth and in the cause of my maister Christ by his grace I will set my foote against the foote of any of you all in the maintenance and defence of the same and if I had a thousand lyues it would go for payment thereof So the Chancellour rose vp and red the sentence in Latine of condemnation and committed her to the secular power so went she to prison agayne as ioyful as the bird of day praysing and glorifiyng the name of God ¶ Alexander Gouche Martyr AT which tyme Alexander Gouch also was examined who was taken with her as before is said whose examination here after followeth This Alexander Gouch was examined chiefly of the Sacrament other ceremonies of the popish church And as for that his beliefe was that Christ was ascended into heauen and there remayneth that the Sacrament was the remembraunce of his death and passion and for refusing the Masse and the Pope to be supreme hed of Christs Church for these causes was he condemned died with Alice Dryuer at Ipswich the 4. of Nouember which was the Monday after All Saintes 1558. D. Myles Spenser beyng Chancellor they both endyng their lyues with earnest zeale nothing fearyng to speake their conscience wheÌ„ they were commaunded to the contrary These two godly personnes beyng come to the place where the stake was set by 7. of the clocke in the morning notwithstandyng they came the selfe same mornyng from Melton Gaole which is vj. myles from Ipswich beyng in their prayers and singyng of Psalmes both of them together Sir Henry Dowell then beyng Shiriffe was very much offended with them and wylled the Bailiffes of Ipswich to bidde them make an ende of their Prayers they kneelyng vpon a broome fagot one of the Bailiffes whose name was Richard Smart commaunded them to make an ende saying On on haue done haue done make an ende nayle them to the stake yet they continued in prayer Then sir Henry sent one of his men whose name is Rich. Coue that they should make an end Then Gouch stood vp and sayd vnto the Shiriffe I pray you M. Shirife let vs pray a litle while for we haue but a little tyme to lyue here Then said the Bailife Come of haue them to the fire Then the sayd Gouch and Alice Driuer sayde Why M. Shiriffe and M. Bayliffe wyll you not suffer vs to pray Away said sir Henry to the stake with them The Martyrdome of Alexander Gouch and Driuers wyfe Then diuers came tooke them by the handes as they were bound standing at the stake The shiriffe cryed laye hands on them lay hands on them With that a great nuÌ„ber ran to the stake The shirife seyng that let them all alone so that there was not one taken There was one Bate a Barbour a busie doer about theÌ„ who hauing theÌ„ a freese gowne vpon hym sold it immediately saying it stunke of heretikes with other foule wordes moe After this within three or foure weekes Gods hand was vpon hym and so he dyed very miserably in Ipswich The Martyrdome of three which were burned at Bury for the true testimony of Iesus Christ. ALthough our history hasteth apace the Lord be praysed to the happy death of Queene Mary yet she died not so soone but some there were burned before and moe should haue bene burnt soone after them if Gods
the very same Christ that was borne of the virgine Mary that was hanged on the Crosse and that suffered for our sinnes and at these words they al put of their cappes and bowed theyr bodyes White My Lord what is a Sacrament Brookes It is the thing it selfe the which it representeth White My Lord that can not be for he that representeth a Prince can not be the Prince himselfe Brookes How many sacraments findest thou in the scriptures called by the name of Sacramentes White I finde 2. Sacraments in the Scriptures but not called by the names of the sacramentes But I thinke S. Augustine gaue them the first name of Sacramentes Brookes Then thou findest not that word sacrameÌ„t in the Scriptures White No my Lord. Brokes Did not Christ say This is my body and are not his words true White I am sure the wordes are true but you play by me as the deuill did by Christ for he sayd If thou be Mat. 4. For it is c. Psal. 91. But the words that folowed after he clean left out which are these Thou shalt walke vpon the Lion and Aspe c. These woordes the Deuill lefte out because they were spoken agaynst hymselfe and euen so doe you recite the Scriptures Brokes Declare thy fayth vpon the Sacrament White Christ and his Sacramentes are like because of the natures for in Christ are 2. natures a diuine and a humane nature so likewise in the Sacrament of Cristes body and bloud there be two natures the which I deuide into 2. partes that is externall and internal The external part is the element of bread and wine according to the saying of S. Austine The internal part is the inuisible grace which by the same is represented So is there an externall receiuing of the same Sacrament an internall The externall is with the hande the eye the mouth and the eare The internall is the holy ghost in the hart which worketh in me fayth Wherby I apprehend all the merits of Christ applying the same wholly vnto my saluation If this bee truth beleue it and if it be not reproue it Doct. Hoskins This is Oecolampadius doctrine Hooper taught it to the people Brokes Doest thou not beleue that after the wordes of coÌ„secration there is the naturall presence of Christes body White My Lord I will aunswere you if you wyll aunswere me to one question Is not this article of our beliefe true He sitteth at the right hand of God the father almighty if he be come from thence to iudgement say so Brokes No. But if thou wilt beleue the Scriptures I will proue to thee that Christe was both in heauen and in earth at one time White As he is God he is in all places but as for hys manhood he is but in one place Brokes S. Paule sayth 1. Cor. 15. Last of all he was seene of me c. Here S. Paule sayth he sawe Christ and S. Paule was not in heauen White S. Pauls chief purpose was by this place to proue the resurrection But how do you proue that Christ when he appered to S. Paule was not still in heauen like as he was sene of Stephen sitting at the right hand of God S. Augustine sayth the head that was in heauen dyd crye for the body and members which were on the earth said Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And was not Paule taken vp into the thyrd heauen where hee might see Christ as he witnesseth Cor. 15. For there he doth but onely saye that he saw Christ but concerning the place hee speaketh nothing Wherfore this place of scripture proueth not that Christ was both in heauen and earth at one tyme. Brokes I told you before he woulde not beleeue Here be three opinions the Lutherans the Oecolampadians and we the Catholickes If you the Oecolampadians haue the truth then the Lutherians we the catholickes be out of the way If the Lutherians haue the truth then you the Oecolampadians and we the Catholickes be out of the way But if we the catholicks haue the truth as we haue in deede then the Lutherians and you the Oecolampadians are out of the way as ye are in deede for the Lutherians do call you heretickes White My Lorde ye haue troubled me greatly wyth the Scriptures Brokes Did I not tell you it was not possible to remoue him from his errour Away with him to the Lollardes Tower and dispatch him as soone as ye can This was the effect of my first examination More examinations I had after this which I haue no tyme now to write out Amongest many other examinatioÌ„s of the foresaid Richard White at diuers and sondry times susteined it happened one time that Doctour Blackston Chancellour of Exeter saâ—e vpon him with diuers other who alledging certayne Doctors as Chrysostom Cyprian Tertullian agaynst the sayd Richard and being reproued by hym for his false patching of the Doctors fell in such a quaking shaking his conscience belike remorsing him that he was fayne â—lowping downe to laye both his handes vpon his knees to stay his body from trembling Then the sayd Iohn Hunt and Richard White after many examinatioÌ„s and long captiuity at length were called for and brought before Doctour Geffrey the Byshops Chancellor there to be condemned and so they were The high Sheriffe at that present was one named Syr Anthony Hungerford who being theÌ„ at the Sessions was there charged with these two condeÌ„ned persoÌ„s with other malefactours there condemned likewise the same time to see the execution of death ministred vnto them In the meane tyme M. Clifforde of Boscon in Wiltshyre sonne in law to the sayd Syr Anthony Hungerford the Shiriffe commeth to his father exhorting him counselling him earnestly in no case to medle with the death of these two innocent persons and if the Chauncellour and Priestes would needes be instant vpon him yet he should first require the writ to be sent downe De comburendo for his discharge Syr Anthony Hungerford hearing this and vnderstanding Iustice Browne to be in the town the same time went to him to aske his aduise couÌ„sel in the matter who told him that without the writ sent downe from the superiour powers he could not be discharged and if the writte were sent then he must by the law do his charge The Sheriffe vnderstanding by Iustice Browne how farre he might go by the lawe and hauing at that time no writ for his warrant let them alone and the next daye after taking his horse departed The Chauncellor all this while maruelling what the Sheriffe ment and yet disdayning to go vnto him but looking rather the other should haue come first to him at last hearing that he was ridden taketh his horse and rideth after him who at length ouertaking the said Sheriffe declareth vnto him how he had committed certaine condemned prisoners to his hand whose duty had bene to haue sene
it I will declare it vnto you But I praye you that you will take your pen and wryte it and then examine it and if ye find any thing therein that is not fit for a Christian woman then teache me better and I will learne it Chaunc Wel said But who shal be Iudge betwene thee and me Elizab. The Scripture Chaunc Wilt thou stand by that Eliz. Yea sir. Chaunc Wel go thy way out at the doore a litle while for I am busie and I will call for thee anon againe Then he called me againe and said Nowe woman the time is too long to wryte Say thy minde and I wil bear it in my head Then Elizabeth began and declared her faith to him as shee had done before the Bishop Chaunc Woman spirit and faith I do allow but dost not thou beleeue that thou doest receiue the body of Christ really corporally and substantially Eliz. These wordes really and corporally I vnderstond not as for substantially I take it ye meane I should beleue that I should receiue his humane body which is vpon the right hand of God and can occupy no moe places at once and that beleeue not I. Chanc. Thou must beleeue this or els thou art damned Eliz. Sir can ye geue me beliefe or fayth Chanc. No God must geue it thee Eliz. God hath geuen me no such fayth or beliefe The Chauncellor then declared a text of S. Paule in Latine and then in English saying I could make thee beleeue but that thou hast a cankered heart and wilt not beleeue Who then can make thee to beleeue Eliz. You sayd euen now that fayth or beliefe commeth of God and so beleeue I and then may not I beleue an vntruth to be a truth Chanc. Doest thou not beleeue that Christes flesh is flesh in thy flesh Eliz. No sir I beleeue not that for my flesh shall putrifie and rot Chanc. Christ sayd my flesh is flesh in flesh Eliz. Who so receiueth him fleshly shall haue a fleshly resurrection Chanc. Christ sayeth in the 6. of Iohn My fleshe is meate in deed and my bloud is drinke in deed Eliz. Christ preached to the Capernaits saying Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye shall not haue lyfe in you and the Capernaites murmured at it And his Disciples also murmured saying among themselues This is an hard saying and who can abide it Christe vnderstoode their meanyng and sayde Are ye also offended Will ye also goe away What and if ye shall see the sonne of man ascende vp to heauen from whence hee came will that offende you It is the spirite that quickeneth the fleshe profiteth nothyng I praye you Sir what meaneth Christ by that Chanc. O God forbid Would ye haue me to interprete the Scriptures We must leaue that for our olde auncient fathers which haue studied scriptures a long tyme haue the holy ghost geuen vnto them Eliz. Why sir haue ye not the holy ghost geuen and reuealed vnto you Chanc. No God forbid that I should so beleeue but I hope I hope But ye say ye are of the spirit Will you say that ye haue no profit in Christes flesh Eliz. Sir we haue our profite in Christes flesh but not as the Capernaites did vnderstand it For they vnderstoode that they must eate his fleshe as they did eate Oxe fleshe and other and drinke his bloud as we drinke Wyne or Beere out of a Bole. But so we must not receyue it But our profite that we haue by Christ is to beleeue that hys body was broken vpon the Crosse and his bloude shedde for our sinnes That is the very meanyng of Christ that so we should eate his fleshe and drinke hys bloude when he sayde My fleshe is meate in deede and my bloud is drinke in deede Chanc. How doth thy body lyue if Christes flesh bee not flesh in thy flesh Eliz. Sir I was a body before I had a soule which body God had created yet it could not lyue til God had breathed lyfe into me and by that lyfe doth my body lyue And when it shall please God to dissolue my lyfe my flesh will offer it selfe vnto the place from whence it came through the merites of Christ my soule wil offer it selfe to the place from whence it came Chanc. Yea but if thou doe not beleeue that Christes flesh is flesh in thy flesh thou canst not be saued Eliz. Sir I do not beleeue that Chauncel Why doth not Christ saye My fleshe is meate in deede and my bloude is drinke in deede Canst thou denye that Eliz. I denye not that for Christes fleshe and bloude is meate and drinke for my soule the foode of my soule For who so euer beleeueth that Iesus Christ the sonne of God hath dyed and shed his bloud for his sinnes his soule feedeth thereon for euer Chauncel When thou receiuest the Sacrament of the aultar doest thou not beleeue that thou doest receiue Christes body Eliz. Sir when I do receiue the Sacrament which Christ did institute and ordaine the night before he was betraied and left among hys Disciples as often I say as I receiue it I beleeue that spiritually and by fayth I receyue Christ. And of this Sacrament I knowe Christ himselfe to be the author and none but hee And this same Sacrament is an establishment to my conscience an augmenting to my fayth Chaunc Why did not Christ take bread and gaue thankes and brake it and gaue it to his Disciples and sayde Take eate this is my body that is geuen for you Did he geue them his body or no Elizabeth He also tooke the cuppe and gaue thankes to his Father and gaue it vnto his Disciples saying Drynke ye all hereof for this is the Cuppe of the newe Testament in my bloude which shall bee shedde for many Nowe I praye you Sir let me aske you one question Dyd he geue the cuppe the name of hys bloud or els the wyne that was in the cuppe Then was he very angry and sayd Doest thou think that thou hast an hedge priest in hand Eliz. No sir I take you not to bee an hedge priest I take you for a Doctor Chauncel So me thinketh Thou wilt take vpon thee to teach me Eliz. No sir But I let you know what I know and by argument one shall know more Christ sayd As oft as ye do this do it in the remembrance of me but a remembrance is not of a thing present but absent Also S. Paule saith So oft as ye shall eate of this bread and drinke of this cup ye shall shew forth the Lordes death till he come Then we may not looke for hym here vntill his cōmyng agayne at the latter day Agayne is not this article of our beliefe true He sitteth at the right hand of God the father almighty from thence he shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead But if
What sayest thou to the reall presence in the sacrament Rose I wist right well yee were made an instrument to seeke innocent bloud well ye may haue it if God permitte it is present and at hande for I am not come hither to lye but to dye if God see it good in defence of that whiche I haue sayd Wherefore ye may begin when ye shall thinke good for I haue sayd nothing but the trueth and y◠which in those dayes was of al men allowed for truth agaynst the which ye at that time durst not once whisper although ye now brag neuer so much Bish. Wel father Rose sayd he what soeuer hath ben done in times past shal not now be called in question so that ye now submit your self For not only you but all the whole realm hath bene out of the right way both high low spiritual tēporal but al notwtstāding haue submited thēselues acknowledged their faith Wherfore if ye wil be accoūted for an Englishman ye must likewyse submit your selfe Rose My L. I am an Englishman borne do most humbly require of the christian congregation of England to bee counted as a perticular member of the same with al due reuerence submit my self as in forme maner followyng That whatsoeuer law or laws shal be set forth in the same for the establishment of Christs true religion that according to the faith doctrine of the holy patriarchs prophets Iesus Christ his holy apostles with the faithful fathers of Christs primatiue church I do not only hold it beleeue it but also most reuerently obey it At which my assertion the B. seemed to be greatly reioiced said well then we shall soone be at a point But said he you shal take this for no day of examination but rather of communication so that ye shall now depart pawse your selfe vntill we call for you againe and so ended our first meetyng ¶ The third examination of Thomas Rose ON the Friday following I was called agayne into Christes church within their Ladies chapell as they termed it where was gathered a great part of the whole citie of Norwich after I was by my keper presented the B. began with a great protestation after many wordes demanded of me whether according to my former promise I would submit my selfe or no I answered as before I had done that according to my former protestation I would most gladly obey Then said the Chauncellor to vtter hys gentlenes I thinke ye do but fayne Rose The fault then said I shal be in your selfe and not in me For if ye burthen me with nothing but scriptures the fathers of Christes primatiue church then as I sayde before so I say agayne I shall most gladly obey Chanc. Well then seeyng you chalenge to be a member of the church of England your mother here for triall of obedience prouoketh you as mothers are woont to allure you to receiue this little gift at her hand Rose Forsooth sayd I if she offer it me as receyued of God my father I shal gladly receiue it as from the hand of my very true and ghostly mother Chanc. What say you to care confession is it not a law ecclesiasticall and necessary for the church of England Rose Some wayes it might be permitted some wayes not that because it had not his originall of God hys blessed word and yet I deny not but that a man beyng trobled in his conscience and resorting to a discreete sober christian learned man for the quieting of hys mind might well be permitted but to binde a man vnder payne of dānation once euery yeare to number his sinnes into the eare of a filthy lecherous priest is not of God neither cā be approued by his word Bish. Ah sirrha yee will admitte nothing but scripture I see well Rose No truely my Lord I admit nothing but scripture for the regiment of the soule for why faythe commeth by hearing hearing by the word of god and where the word of God is not there ought no beliefe to bee geuen For what soeuer is not of fayth is sinne and here they leaue of speaking any more of that matter But then M. Chancelor began to whet his teeth at me saying Yea but you haue here preached that the reall naturall and substantiall presence of Christ is not in the Sacrament of the altar what say ye to that Rose Uerily I say that you are a bloudy man seeke to quench your thirst with the bloud of an innocent therefore to satisfie you in that behalfe I say verily vnto you that euen so I haue here preached and althoughe contrary to law you charge me with the same yet will I in no wise deny it though iustly I might do it but stand thereunto euē to seale it with my bloud desiring all that be here present to testifie the same and beleue it as the onely truth Bish. I charge you all beleue it not Rose Yea But my Lord sayde I if ye will needes haue credence geuen you you must bring Gods word to maintayne your sayinges Bish. Why doth not Christ say This is my body and can there be any playner wordes spoken Rose It is true my Lord the words be as playne as can be and euē so be these where as it is said I am a dore a vine and Christ called a stone a Lyon and yet is hee naturally none of these For they be all figuratiue speaches as both the scriptures and fathers do sufficiently proue At which my saying the Bishop woulde haue had me stay saying I should haue an other day wherin I might take better aduisement Rose Not so my Lord sayde I for I am at a full point with my selfe in that matter and am right well able to proue both your transubstantiation with the reall presence to be agaynst the scriptures the ancient fathers of the primatiue churche For Iustinus which is one of the ancientest writers that euer wrote vpon the sacramentes wryteth in his 2. Apologie that the bread water and wine in the sacrament are not to be taken as other meates drinkes but bee meates purposely ordayned to geue thankes vnto God and therfore be called Eucharistia and also haue the names of the body and bloud of Christe and that it is not lawfull for anye man to eate and drinke of them but suche as professed the religion of Christ and liue also accordyng to theyr profession and yet sayth he the same bread drink is chaunged into our flesh and bloud and nourisheth our bodyes By which saying it is euident that Iustine ment that the bread and wine remayne still or els they coulde not haue bene turned into our fleshe and bloud and nourish our bodyes At which my saying they were not a litle troubled but enforced themselues to haue denyed the Doctor and would suffer me to speake no more but strait way
My friend or friends be it known vnto you that this is no errour as ye suppose but it is the truth of Gods will that we should beleeue as S. Iohn sayth That Christ Iesus is the sonne of the liuing God and in so beleeuyng wee should haue euerlasting lyfe Thus with loue I write vnto you praying God night and day to deliuer you froÌ„ euill which is in you and to keepe you from it Wherefore my friend or friendes you are not crucified with Christ you are not dead with him as concerning sinne you are not graffed with him in Baptisme nor you know not god nor his sonne whome he hath sent nor his commaundements which he hath commaunded and yet will ye teach other with most hearty prayer praying to God for you continually Patrike Patingham A note of a certaine letter of Wil. Tymmes GRace mercy and peace from God the father through the mercies of his deare sonne Iesus Christ our Lord and onely Sauiour with the comfort of his holy spirite that as you haue full godly begun euen so to continue to the end to the glory of God and your euerlasting comfort which thing to do I pray God to geue you grace who is the geuer of all good and perfect gifts to the glory of hys holy name Amen My dere sisters after most harty commendations vnto you and also most harty thankes geuing vnto you for all the great kyndnesse that you haue always shewed vnto me most vnworthy of the same I certifie you that I am very glad to heare of your good health which I pray God long to continue to his glory And especially I doe much reioyce in your most godly constancie in the Gospell of Christ which is the power of God vnto saluation vnto so many as beleeue it Therefore my deare hartes goe forward as you haue godly begunne for the tyme will come that these cruell tyrants which now so cruelly persecuteth the true members of Christ shall say for very anguish of mynde These are they whom we sometyme had in derision and iested vppon We fooles thought their lyfe to haue bene very madnesse and their ende to haue bene without honour But lo how they are counted among the children of God and their portion is among the Saints therefore we haue erred from the way of truth The light of righteousnes hath not shined vnto vs and the sonne of vnderstandyng rose not vpon vs. We haue weried our selues in the way of wickednesse and destruction Tedious wayes haue we gone but as for the way of the Lord we haue not knowen it What good hath our pride done vnto vs or what profit hath the pompe of riches brought vs. All these things hath passed away as a shadow or as a Messenger running before As a sheepe that passeth ouer the waues of the water which when it is gone by the trace thereof cannot be found neither the path in the flouds c. For as soone as we were borne we began inordinately to drawe to our ende and haue shewed no token of vertue but are consumed in our owne wickednesse Such wordes shall they that thus haue sinned speake in the hell c. But the righteous shall lyue for euermore their reward is also with the Lord and their remembraunce with the highest therfore shall they receiue a glorious kingdome and a beautifull crowne at the Lordes hand for with his right hande shall he couer them and with his holy arme shall he defend them c. The soules of the righteous are in the haÌ„ds of God and the paynes of death shall not touch them but in the sight of the vnwyse they appeare to die and their end is taken for very destruction but they are in rest And though they suffer payne before men yet is their hope full of immortalitie They are punished but in few thynges neuerthelesse in many things shall they be wel rewarded for God prooueth them and findeth them meete for hymselfe yea as the golde in the fornace doth he try them and receiueth them as a burnt offering and when the tyme commeth they shall be looked vppon the righteous shall shine as the sparkes that runneth through the red bushe they shall iudge the nations and haue dominion ouer the people and their Lord shal raigne for euer They that put their trust in hym shall vnderstand the truth and such as be faithfull will agree vnto hym in loue and he shall be a piller in the temple of God and shall no more go out and there shall be written vppon him the name of God And they shall lye vnder the aultar which is Christ crying with a lowd voyce saying How long tariest thou Lord holy and true to iudge and auenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth and they shall haue long white garmentes geuen vnto them and it shall be sayd vnto them that they should rest yet for a little season til the number of their fellowes and brethren of them that should bee killed as they were were fulfilled For as S. Iohn sayth they are worthy that thus ouercommeth to bee clothed in white aray and their names shall not bee put out of the booke of lyfe but shall be seperated from the Gotes and set on Christes right hand hearing his sweet and comfortable voice wheÌ„ he shall say Come ye blessed of my Father and possâ—sse the kingdome prepared for you from the beginnyng of the world And the very redy way to obtaine the same is as our maister Christ saith to forsake our selues takyng vp our crosse followyng our maister Christ which for the ioy that was set before him abode the crosse and despised the shame and is set downe on the throne of the right hand of God therefore let vs follow his example in sufferyng for his worde seeyng that hee of his mercifull goodnesse suffered so muche for vs when wee were his enemies for it was our sinne that killed Christ and by his death hath made vs on lyue Therefore with ioy seeing all these his merciful benefites purchased for vs onely by his death and bloudsheding Let vs with boldnesse confesse his holy word before this wicked generation euen to death and we be called thereto and so be well assured that our lyues be not in the hands of men but in Gods handes Therefore my deare sisters as you haue godly begun so go forward euen through many tribulations euen into the euerlasting kingdom of heauen To the which God the father of all mercy for his deare sonne Christes sake bring both you and all yours Amen Yours to commaund to my poore power Wil. Tymmes Continue in prayer Aske in fayth And obtaine your desire Praying for you as I know that you do for me ¶ Another Sermon of M. Latimer concerning his playing at Cardes NOw you haue heard what is ment by this first carde and how you ought to play with it I purpose againe to deale vnto you another carde almost of
as he did but truely I beleeue the Deuill was in him * The cursed lyfe and bloudy end of Doctor Story a cruell persecuter of Christ in hys members I had thought christian reader here to haue made an end and to haue concluded the volume of this booke had not the remembraunce of Doctour Story an Archenemy to Christes gospell and a bloudy persecutor of Gods people come into my minde The discourse of whose lyfe and doinges I thought good here briefly to lay open to the view of the world as followeth This Doctor Story beeing an Englishe man by byrth and from his infancie not onely missed in papistry but also euen as it were by nature earnestly affected to the same and growing somewhat to riper yeares in the dayes of Queene Mary became a most bloudy tyrant and cruel persecutor of Christ in his members as all the stories in this booke almost doe declare Thus hee raging all the raygne of the foresayde Queene Mary agaynst the infallible truth of Christes Gospel and the true professors thereof neuer ceased till hee had consumed to ashes two or three hundred blessed martyrs who willingly gaue their liues for the testimony of his truthe and thinking theyr punishment in the fire not cruell enough went about to inuent new tormentes for the holy martyrs of Christe suche was his hatred to the trueth of Christes Gospell but in the ende the Lorde God looking vpon the affliction and cruell bloudshedding of his seruauntes tooke away Queene Mary the great pillar of papistry After whome succeeded Ladye Elizabeth nowe Queene of Englande who staying the bloudy sworde of persecution from ragyng any further caused the same Doctor Story to be apprehended and committed to ward with many other his complices sworne enemies to Christes glorious gospell The sayd story hauing bene a while deteined in prison at the last by what meanes I knowe not brake forth of hold and conueyed himselfe ouer the seas where he continued a most bloudy persecutor still raging against Gods saynctes with fire and sworde In somuche as hee growing to be familiar and right deare to Duke Dalua in Antwerpe receiued a speciall commission from him to search the Shippes for goodes forfayted and for english bookes and such like And in this fauour and authoritie hee continued there for a spare by the which meanes he did muche hurte and brought many a good man and woman to trouble and extreme perill of life thorough his bloud thyrstye cruelty but at the last the Lord when the measure of his iniquitie was full proceeded in iudgement agaynst him and cut him off from the face of the earth according to the prayers of many a good man whiche came to passe in order as followeth It being certainly knowne for the bruite thereof was gone forth into al landes that he not onely intended the subuersion and ouerthrowe of his natiue countrey of England by bringing in forreigne hostilitie if by anye meanes he might compasse it but also dayly and hourely murthered gods people there was this platform layd by Gods prouidence no doubt that one M. Parker a marchaunt should sayle vnto Antwerpe and by some meanes to conuey Story into England This Parker arriuing at Antwerpe suborned certain to repayre to Doctor Story and to signifie vnto him that there was an english ship come fraught with marchandize that if he would make search thereof himselfe he should find store of english books other things for his purpose Story hearing this and suspecting nothing made haste towardes the ship thinking to make the same his praye and comming a boord searched for english heretical books as hee called them and going downe vnder the hatches because he would be sure to haue theyr bloud if hee coulde they clapped downe the hatches hoysed vp their sayles hauing as God would a good gale sayled away into England where they arriuing presented this bloudy butcher and trayterous rebell Story to the no litle reioysing of many and Englishe hart He being now committed to prison cōtinued there a good space during all which time he was labored and solicited daily by wise and learned fathers to recant his deuillishe and erroneous opinions to conforme himselfe to the trueth and to acknowledge the Queenes Maiesties supremacy All which he vtterly denyed to the death saying that he was sworne subiecte to the King of Spayne and was no subiecte to the Queene of England nor she his souereigne Queene and therfore as he well deserued he was condemned as a traytor to God the Queenes Maiesty the Realme to be drawne hanged and quartered which was performed accordingly he being layde vpon an hurdle and drawne from the tower along the streetes to Tiborn where he being hanged till he was halfe dead was cut downe and stripped which is not to be forgot when the executioner had cut off his priuy mēbers he rushing vp vpon a sodeine gaue him a blow vpon the eare to the great wonder of all that stood by and thus ended this bloudy Nemrode his wretched life whose iudgemēt I leaue to the Lord. * A not◠of Raphe Lurdane persecuter of George Eagles IN the history of George Eagles alias Trudgeouer the world pag. 2009. mention is made of his apprehension jn a corne field where by the benefite of the heighth of the corne and breadth of the field he had escaped had not one of his persecuters with more malicious crafte climed a high tree to view ouer the place so descried him This persecutor named Raph Lurdane as we haue since learned a lewd felow of life for theft and whoredome was within few yeares after he had apprehended the foresayd George Eagles for gayne of money attached of felony for stealing horse condemned and hanged in the same place Towne of Chelmesford where George Eagles before suffered Martyrdome ¶ A briefe Note concerning the horrible Massaker in Fraunce an 1572. HEre before the closing vppe of this booke in no case woulde bee vnremembred the tragicall and furious Massaker in Fraunce wherein were murdered so many hundrethes and thousands of Gods good Martyrs But because the true narration of this lamentable story is set forth in english at large in a booke by it selfe and extant in print already it shall the lesse neede nowe to discourse that matter with any new repetition only a briefe touch of summary notes for remembraunce maye suffice And first for breuity sake to ouerpasse the bloudy bouchery of the Romish Catholickes in Orynge agaynst the Protestantes most fiercely and vnawares breaking into theyr houses and there without mercy killing man woman child of whom some being spoyled and naked they threw out of theyr loftes into the streetes some they smothered in theyr houses with smoake with sword weapon sparing none the karkases of some they threwe to dogges which was an 1570. in the reign of Charles 9. Likewyse to passeouer the cruell slaughter at
No man so 〈◊〉 but he may learne The copy of Syr Edward BayntoÌ„s letter to M. Latimer These friendes of M. Bayâ—toÌ„ seeme to be some Popish Priestes and enemyes to the Gospell as Powell Wilson Sherwood Hubberdine c. The Papistes will not haue vnity disturbed Papistry coloured with authority of holy fathers M. BayntoÌ„ will follow the most number Note the proceedynge of the Popeâ— Church which would not haue the people certayne of Gods truth and religion Errour and false doctrine would fayne lye still in peace and noâ— be stirred Vnity in the Lord in Baptisme in fayth The Chayne of christen charity Answere of M. Latimer to M. BayntoÌ„s letter The Bee The Spinner Euery thing as it is taken Had I wist Example of a true diligent pastor M. Latimer vnfurnished with outward helpe M. Latimer blamed for saying he was sure of the truth which he preached As God alone knoweth all truth so some truth he reuealeth to be certaine to his seruauntes 〈◊〉 presumption in a Preacher being certayne of that which he Preacheth to shew it to the people Let not man Preach except that he be certayne of that which he preacheth Euery true christian ought to be certayne of his fayth The doubting doctrine of the Catholickes Argumentes Aunswere i. The 〈…〉 the most 〈◊〉 certayn◠〈◊〉 Certaâ—ne knowledge Clâ—are knowledge M. Latimer not 〈◊〉 of the 〈…〉 Which 〈…〉 had knowledg without any 〈…〉 while thâ—y knowing the will of God doe nothing theâ— after 1. 〈…〉 that alâ—o which he 〈…〉 as not to haue it And also seing it is true that Gods 〈…〉 will not dwell in a body subiect to sinne albeit he abound in carnall wisedome to much yet the same â—â—rnall and Philosophicall vnderstanding of Gods 〈◊〉 is not the wisedome of God which is hidde from the wiâ—e and iâ— reuealed to litle ones Euery Preacher ought to be suâ—e of the truth There be many truthes whereof a good man may well be ignoraunt There be many thinges in Scripture in the profundities whereof a man may wade to farre Agaynst preachers which take vpon theÌ„ to define great subtilties and highe matters in the Pulpit Vayne subtilties and questions to be declined Simple and playne preaching of faith and of the fruites thereof Foolishe humilitye A meane betweene to hie and to low Not euery thing wherâ—â—pon disseÌ„tion comâ—eth iâ— the 〈…〉 He 〈…〉 Pope and his Papists which 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 the 〈…〉 K. Henry and 〈◊〉 brâ—thers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be taken where 〈◊〉 is geuen The church of the Galathians Erasmus in 〈◊〉 epistle set before the Paraâ—â—rase in â—â— Cor. To pretend vnitye vnder the title of one Lord is not inough Chrisost. Hom. 49. in Mat. cap. 24. To be in vnity of fayth except the fayth be sound is not inough i. If we beleeue we shew the truth in working i. He that beleueth God attendeth to his commaundementes Hieron Tom. 5. in Hierem. Cap 26. How true preachers should order themselues when the wicked Priestes be against them Hieron Tom. 6. in Naum cap. 30. i. The people which before were brought a sleepe by their Maners must goe vp to the mountaynes not such mouÌ„taines which smoke when they are touched but to the mountaines of the old and new testament the Prophets Apostles and Euangelistes And when thou art occupyed with reading in those mountaines yf then thou find no instructors for the haruest is great and the workemen be few yet shall the diligent study of the people be flying to the mountaines and the slouthfulnes of the Maisters shal be rebuked i. Which witâ— mouth onely confesse Christ to come in flesh Naughty seruauntes not feeding but smitting their fellow seruauntes eating and drinking with the drunken which shall haue their portion with hypocrites i. Because they confesse Christ in flesh and naughty they are called because they deny him in their deedes not geuing meat in due season and excercising maistershippe ouer the flocke August in Ioan. Tract 3. Both Christians and Antichristians confesse the name of Christ. i. Let vs not stand vpon our talkes but attend to our doinges and conuersation of life whether we not onely do not put our indeuour thereto but also perswade our selues as though it were not necessary for vs to accomplish such thinges c. but that it is inough to beare rule and authoritye ouer them and to bestow our selues wholy vpon secular matters pleasures pompe of this world In the people is required a iudgmeÌ„t to discerne whether they tooke of their ministers chalke for cheese The blind eateth many a flye Intollerable secularitye and negligence in Churchmen Better is in the Church a deforme disagreement so that Christ be truely preached then vniforme ignorance agreeing in Idolatrye i. If ye loue me keepe my commaundementes i. He that knoweth my preceptes and doth them he loueth me The state of Curates what it is The true honour of Christ turned to Piping playing and Singing He that wilâ— be busie with Vâ— Vobis let him looke shortly for coraÌ„ nobis Iohannes do tuâ—â—e Cremata The Pope great Maister Lord and king ouer all the world i. He came into his owne and his owne receaued him not Iohn 1. The Popes dominion Purgatory Worshipping of Saintes i. I shall haue neede of great patience to beare the false reportes of the malignaÌ„t church A priuye nippe to such as haue many cures and are resident to none i. I must needes suffer and so enter so perilous a thing it is to liue vertuously in Christ. An other â—â—tter of M. â—aâ—imer to â— Henry August ad Caâ—ulaâ—uÌ„ Chrisost. M. Latimer tâ—uched in conscience 〈◊〉 write to the king 〈…〉 to truth Math. 23. The subtile wilines and practises of the prelats 〈…〉 2. 〈…〉 12. 1. 〈◊〉 2. 〈…〉 1. 〈◊〉 12. Math. 7. The rule of Christ. The pouerty of Christes life expressed The poore conâ—dition of Christs life is an example to vs to cast down our pride nor to set by riches It is not agaynst the pouertye of the spirite to be rich What is to be poore in spirite and what not Priuy enemyes to spirituall pouertye Against Monkes and Fryers and Prelates of the spiritualtye Math. 17. Subiection to superiour powers Ambition of the spiritualtye Math. 7. Math. 15. Christ promiseth no promotions but persecution to his followers Math. 1â— Iohn 16. Math. 10. Gods word only is the weapon of Spirituall Pastors The Apostles were persecuted but neuer no persecutors Phillip 1. Persecution a sure marke of true preaching The worde of the Crosse. Iohn 3. Crafty pretenses of the Prelates to stoppe the reading of holy Scripture Belly wisedome Perswation to let the Scripture to be read in Englishe Sinister counsell about Princes Wicked 〈…〉 his owne deâ—struction Vnder the 〈…〉 Christes Gospell Obiection preuented and aunswered The cause and causeâ—s of 〈◊〉 kinges Proclamation against â—he reading of Scripture booke in 〈◊〉 He meaneâ—h oâ— Cronmer Cromwell one or two moâ— agaynst whom the Bishop of Winchester his faction
Article and required an aunswere and M. Ridley referred him to his aunswere in wryting exhybited now and also before at the time of disputation and like aunsweres were taken to all the residue of the Articles These aunsweres in maner rehearsed taken and penned of the Notaries the Byshop of Glocester began an exhortation to moue M. Ridley to turne Glo. If you would once empty your stomacke captiuate your senses subdue your reason and to gether with vs consider what a feeble ground of your religion you haue I doe not doubt but you might easely be perduced to acknowledge one Churche with vs to confesse one fayth with vs and to beleue one religion with vs. For what a weake and feeble stay in religion is this I pray you Latimer leaneth to Cranmer Cranmer to Ridley Ridley to the singularitie of his owne witte so that if you ouerthrowe the singularitie of Ridleyes wit then must needes the Religion of Cranmer and Latimer fall also You remember well M. Ridley that the Prophet speaketh most truely saying vae vae wo wo be to them which are singular and wise in their owne conceytes But you wyll saye here it is true that the Prophete sayth but how know you that I am wyse in myne owne conceyte Yes Maister Ridley you refuse the determination of the Catholike Churche you muste needes bee singular and wyse in your owne conceyte for you bryng Scripture for the probation of your assertions and wee also bryng Scriptures you vnderstande them in one sense and wee in an other Howe wyll ye knowe the trueth herein If you stande to your owne interpretation then you are singular in your owne conceyte but if you say you wyll followe the myndes of the Doctors and auncient Fathers semblably you vnderstande them in one meanyng and wee take them in another howe wyll ye knowe the trueth herein If you stande to your owne iudgement then are you singular in your owne conceyte then can you not auoyde the vae and woe which the Prophete speaketh of Wherfore if you haue no stay but the Catholike church in matters of controuersie except you wyll rest vpon the singularitie and wysedome of your owne brayne if the Prophet most truely sayth vae vae wo wo be to them that are wyse in their owne conceite then for Gods loue M. Ridley stand not singular be not you wyse in your owne conceite please not your selfe ouermuch Howe were the Arrians the Manicheis the FutichiaÌ„s with other diuers Heretickes which haue bene in the Church how I pray you were they suppressed and conuinced by reasonyng in disputations No truly the Arrians had mo places of Scriptures for the confirmation of their heresie then the Catholickes for the defence of the trueth Howe then were they conuinced onely by the termination of the Church And in deede except we do constitute the Churche our foundation stay and iudge we can haue no ende of controuersies no ende of disputations For in that we all bryng Scriptures and Doctors for the probation of our assertions who shoulde be Iudge of this our controuersie If we our selues then be we singular and wise in our owne conceites then can not we auoyde the woe that the Prophet speaketh of It remayneth therefore that we submitte our selues to the determination and arbitrement of the Churche with whom God promised to remayne to the worldes ende to whom he promised to sende the holy Ghost which shoulde teache it the trueth Wherefore M. Ridley if you will auoyd the wo that the prophet speaketh of be not you wyse in your iudgement if you wyll not be wyse and singular in your owne iudgement captiuate your owne vnderstanding subdue your reason and submit your selfe to the determination of the Church This is briefly the summe of the Oration of the Byshop of Glocester by the which he endeuored in many mo woordes amplyfiyng and enlargyng the matter eloquently with sundry poyntes of Rethoricke to moue affections to perswade Maister Ridley to recant and forsake his Religion To whom M. Ridley aunswered in few wordes that he sayd most truly with the Prophet wo be to him which is wyse in his owe conceite but that he acknowledged no suche singularitie in hym ne knewe any cause why he shoulde attribute so muche to him selfe And where as he sayde Maister Cranmer leaned to hym that was moste vntrue in that he was but a young Scholer in comparison of Maister Cranmer for at what tyme he was a young Scholer then Maister Cranmer a Doctor so that he conâ—essed that M. Cranmer might haue ben his Scholemaister these many yeares It seemed that he woulde haue spoken more but the Bishop of Glocester interrupted hym saying Glo. Why M. Ridley it is your owne confession for M. Latimer at the time of his disputations confessed his learnyng to lye in M. Cranmers bookes and M. Cranmer also sayd that it was your doyng Linc. Likewyse the Byshoppe of Lincolne with many woordes and gentle holding his Cappe in hand desyred him to turne But M. Ridley made an absolute aunswere that he was fully perswaded the Religion whiche he defended to be grounded vpon Gods worde and therefore without great offence towardes God great peryll and damage of his soule he coulde not forsake his Maister and Lorde God but desired the Byshop to performe his graunt in that his Lordshyp sayde the day before that he shoulde haue licence to shewe his cause why he coulde not with a salfe conscience admitte the authoritye of the Pope but the Byshop of Lincolne sayde that where as then he had demaunded licence to speake three woordes he was contented then that he shoulde speake .xl. and that graunt he would performe Then stepped forth D. Weston which sate by and sayd why my Lord he hath spoken foure hundred already M. Ridley confessed he had but they were not of his prescribed number neither of that matter The Bishop of Lincolne bad him take his licence but he shoulde speake but .xl. and he would tell them vpon his fingers and eftsoones M. Ridley began to speake but before he had ended halfe a sentence the Doctours sittyng by cryed and sayd that his number was out and with that he was put to silence After this the Bishop of Lincolne which sat in the middes began to speake as foloweth Linc. Now I perceiue M. Ridley you will not permit ne suffer vs to stay in that point of our Commission which we most desired for I ensure you there is neuer a worde in our Commission more true then dolentes gementes For in deede I for my part I take God to witnesse am sory for you Whereunto M. Ridley aunswered Rid. I beleue it well my Lord for as much as one day it will be burdenous to your soule Linc. Nay not so M. Ridley but because I am sory to see suche stubbornesse in you that by no meanes you may be perswaded to acknowledge your errours and receiue
the truth but seeyng it is so because you will not suffer vs to persist in the first we must of necessitie proceede to the other part of our Commission Therefore I pray you harken what I shall say and forthwith did read the sentence of condemnation which was written in a long processe the tenour of which because it is sufficiently already expressed before we thought meete in this place to omitte forasmuche as they are rather wordes of course then thinges deuised vpon deliberation Howbeit in deede the effecte was that for as much as the sayd Nic. Ridley dyd affirme maintaine and stubbornely defende certaine opions assertions and heresies contrary to the worde of God and the receiued fayth of the Churche as in denying the true and naturall body of Christe and his naturall bloud to be the Sacrament of the Altar Secondarily in affermyng the substaunce of bread and wine to remayne after the wordes of the Consecration Thirdly in denying the Masse to be a liuely Sacrifice of the Churche for the quicke and the dead and by no meanes woulde be perduced and brought from these his heresies they therefore the sayde Iohn of Lincolne Iames of Glocester Iohn of Bristowe did iudge and condemne the sayd Nic. Ridley as an Hereticke and so adiudged hym presently both by woorde and also in deede to be degraduated from the degree of a Byshoppe from Pristhoode and all Ecclesiasticall order declaryng moreouer the sayde Nic. Ridley to be no member of the Churche and therefore committed hym to the secular powers of them to receyue due punishment accordyng to the tenour of the temporalll lawes and further excommunicatyng hym by the great excommunication ¶ The last appearaunce and examination of M Latimer before the Commissioners THis sentence beyng published by the Bishop of Lincolne M. Ridley was committed as a prisoner to the Maior and immediatly M. Latimer was sent for but in the meane season the Carpet or cloth whiche lay vpon the table whereat M. Ridley stode was remoued because as men reported M. Latimer had neuer the degree oâ— a Doctor as M. Ridley had But eftsones as M. Latimer appeared as he did the day before perceiuyng no cloth vpon the table layde his hat which was an olde felte vnder his elbowes and immediatly spake to the Commissioners saying Lati My Lordes I beseech your Lordships to set a better order here at your entraunce for I am an olde man and haue a very euill backe so that the presse of the multitude doth me much harme Linc. I am sory M. Latimer for your hurt At your departure we will see to better order With that M. Latimer thanked his Lordshyp making a very low curtesie After this the Bishop of Lincolne began on this manner Linc. M. Latimer although yesterday after we had taken your aunsweres to those Articles whiche we proposed might haue iustly proceeded to iudgement against you especially in that you required the same yet we hauyng a good hope of your returning desiring not your destruction but rather that you woulde recant reuoke your errours and turne to the Catholicke Church differred farther processe tyll this day and now accordyng to the appoyntment we haue called you here before vs to heare whether you are content to reuoke your hereticall assertions and submitte your selfe to the determination of the Church as we most hartely desire and I for my part as I did yesterday most earnestly doe exhort you eyther to know whether you perseuer still the man that you were for the which we would be sory It seemed that the Bishop woulde haue farther proceeded sauyng that M. Latimer interrupted hym saying Lati. Your Lordship often doth repeate the Catholike Church as though I should deny the same No my Lord I confesse there is a Cotholicke Church to the determination of the which I will stande but not the Churche which you call Catholicke which soner might be termed diabolike And where as you ioyne together the Romish and Catholicke Church stay there I pray you For it is an â—ther thing to say Romish Church and an other thing to say Catholicke Church I must vse here in this myne aunswere the counsell of Cyprianus who at what tyme he was ascited before certayne Bishoppes that gaue him leaue to take deliberation and counsell to try and examine his opinion he answered them thus in stickyng and perseueryng in the truth there must no counsel nor delibera tion be taken And agayne beyng demaunded of them sitting in iudgement which was most like to be of yâ— Church of Christe either he whiche was persecuted eyther they which did persecute Christ sayd he hath foreshewed that he that doth follow hym must take vp his crosse and follow him Christ gaue knowledge that the disciples should haue persecution and trouble Howe thinke you then my Lords is it like that the sea of Rome which hath bene a continual persecutor is rather the Church or that swal flocke which hath continually ben persecuted of it euen to death Also the flock of Christ hath ben but few in comparison to the residue and euer in subiection which he proued beginning at Noâ—s tyme euen to the Apostles Linc. Your cause and S. Cyprians is not one but cleane contrary for he suffered persecution for Christes sake and the Gospell but you are in trouble for your errours and false assertions contrary to the worde of God and the receiued trueth of the Church Lati. M. Latimer interruptyng hym sayd yes verely my cause is as good as S. Cyprians for his was for the worde of God and so is myne But Lincolne goeth forth in his talke Also at the beginnyng and foundation of the Churche it coulde not be but that the Apostles shoulde suffer great persecution Further before Christes commyng continually there were very fewe whiche truely serued God but after his commyng beganne the tyme of grace then beganne the Churche to encrease and was continually augmented vntyll that it came vnto this perfection and now hath iustly that iurisdiction whiche the vnchristian Princes before by tyranny dyd resist there is a diuerse consideration of the estate of the Churche nowe in the tyme of grace and before Christes commyng But Maister Latimer although we had instructions geuen vs determinately to take your aunsweare to suche Articles as we shoulde propose without any reasonyng or disputations yet wee hopyng by talke somewhat to preuayle with you appoynted you to appeare before vs yesterday in the Diuinitie Schole a place for disputations And whereas then notwithstanding you had licence to saye your mynde and were aunsweared to euery matter yet you coulde not be brought from your errours We thynkyng that from that tyme ye would with good aduisement consider your state gaue you respite from that tyme yesterday when we dimissed you vntill this tyme and now haue called you agayne here in this place by your aunsweres to learne whether you are the same man you were