of late yeares past Let vs bee hartye and of good courage therefore and throughlye comforte our selues in the Lorde Bee in no wise afrayd of your aduersaries for that which is to them an occasion of perdition is to you a sure token of saluatiō and that of GOD. For vnto you it is geuen that not onely ye shoulde beleeue on hym but also suffer for hys sake And when ye are rayled vppon for the name of Christe remember that by the voyce of Peter yea and of Christe our Sauiour also ye are counted with the Prophetes with the Apostles and with the holy Martyrs of Christ happy and blessed therefore for the glory and spirit of God resteth vpon you On their part our Sauiour Christe is euill spoken of but on your part he is gloryfied For what can they els do vnto you by persecuting you and working al crueltie villanie agaynst you but make your crownes more glorious yea beautifie multiply the same heape vpon them selues the horrible plagues and heauy wrath of God and therfore good brethrē though they rage neuer so fiercely against vs yet let vs not wish euill vnto thē againe knowing that whiles for Christes cause they vexe and persecute vs they are lyke mad men most outragious and cruell agaynst them selues heaping hot burning coles vpon their owne heades but rather let vs wish well vnto thē knowing that we are thereunto called in Christe Iesu that we should be heyres of the blessing Let vs pray therefore vnto God that he would driue out of their harts this darkenes of errours make the light of his truth to shine vnto thē that they acknowledging their blindnes may with al humble repentance be conuerted vnto the Lord together with vs confesse hym to be the onely true God which is the father of light his onely sonne Iesus Christ worshipping him in spirit and veritie Amen The spirit of our Lord Iesus Christ comfort your hartes in the loue of God and pacience of Christ. Amen Your brother in the Lord whose name this bearer shall signifie vnto you ready alwayes by the grace of God to liue and die with you ¶ To the breathren which constantly cleaue vnto Christ in suffering affliction with him and for his sake GRace and peace from God the father and frō our Lord Iesus Christ be multiplied vnto you Amen Although brethren we haue of late heard nothing from you neither haue at this present any newes to send you yet we thought good somthing to write vnto you wherby ye might vnderstand that we haue good remembraunce of you continually as we doubt not but ye haue of vs also When this messenger comming vnto vs from you of late had brought vs good tidinges of your great constancie fortitude and patience in the Lord we were filled with much ioy gladnes geuing thankes to God the father through our Lord Iesus Christe which hath caused his face so to shine vpon you and with the light of spirituall vnderstanding hath so lightened your hartes that now being in captiuitie bandes for Christes cause ye haue not ceased as much as in you lyeth by wordes but much more by deede and by your example to stablysh and confirme that thing which when ye were at libertie in the world ye laboured to publish and set abrode by the word and doctrine that is to say holding fast the worde of life ye shine as lightes in the worlde in the middest of a wicked and crooked nation and that with so much the greater glory of our Lord Iesus Christe and profite of your brethren by how muche Satan more cruelly now rageth and busily laboureth to darken the light of the Gospel And as for the darkenes that Satan nowe bringeth vpon the Church of England who needeth to doubt therof Of late tyme our Sauiour Christe his Apostles Prophetes and Teachers spake in the Temple to the people of England in the Englishe tongue so that they might be vnderstanded playnly and without any hardnesse of the godly and such as sought for heauenly knowledge in matters whiche of necessitie of saluation perteyned to the obteyning of eternall life but now those thinges which once were written of them for the edifiyng of the congregation are read in a strange tongue without interpretatiō manifestly agaynst saint Paules commaundement so that there is no man able to vnderstand them which hath not learned that strange and vnknowen tongue Of late dayes those heauenly mysteries whereby Christe hath ingrafted vs into his body and hath vnited vs one to another whereby also being regenerate borne anew vnto God he hath nourished encreased and strengthened vs whereby moreouer eyther he hath taught and set foorth an order amongest them which are whole or els to the sicke in soule or body hath geuen as it were wholesome medicines and remedies those I say were al plainlye set foorth to the people in their owne language so that what great and exceeding good things euery man had receiued of God what duetie euery one owed to an other by Gods ordinaunce what euery one had professed in his vocation and was bound to obserue where remedy was to be had for the wicked and feeble he to whom God had geuen a desire and willing hart to vnderstand those thinges might soone perceiue and vnderstand But now all these thinges are taught set forth in such sort that the people redeemed with Christes bloud and for whose sakes they were by Christe himselfe ordeined can haue no maner of vnderstanding thereof at all Of late for as much as we knowe not how to pray as we ought our Lorde Iesus Christe in his Prayer wherof he would haue no man ignoraūt and also the holy Ghost in the Psalmes Hymnes and spirituall songes which are set foorth in the Bible did teache and instructe all the people of Englande in the Englyshe tongue that they might aske such thinges as are according to the will of the Father and might ioyne their hartes and lyppes in prayer together but nowe all these thynges are commaunded to be hid and shutte vp from them in a straunge tongue whereby it must needes followe that the people neyther can tell how to pray nor what to pray for and how can they ioyne their hartes and voyce together whē they vnderstande no more what the voyce signifieth than a bruite beast Finally I heare say that the Catechisme whiche was lately set foorth in the Englyshe tongue is now in euery Pulpite condemned O deuilishe malice and most spitefully iniurious to the saluation of mankinde purchased by Iesus Christe In deede Satan coulde not long suffer that so great light should be spread abrode in the world he sawe well enough that nothing was able to ouerthrow his kingdome so much as if childrē being godly instructed in Religion should learne to knowe Christe whilest they are yet young whereby not onely chyldren but the elder sort also
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
custodire vir autem ipse Irischius nomine mitis satis est oiÌ„bus â—xori vero plusquam obsequentiss Licet vxorem vti nosti nunquam habuerim tamen ex hac quotidiana consuetudine quem cum istis coniugibus habeo videor mihi nonnihil posse intelligere quam graue malum intolerabile iugum sit cum mala muliere in coniugio collâ—cari Recte ergo sapiens dixit vxor bona donum Dei iterum mulieris bonae beatus vir Vel haec inquam causa est vel quia á magnis magistratibus nescio quas ob causas illud est vt ita fieret ipsis mandatum idque illi si quando de mea nimia seruitute apud eos conqueror sedulo saepe rursus mihi inculcant At Cambridge as I heare say Omnes studiorum statutorum reformationes nuper factae nunc sunt denuo deformatae delete omnia sunt in pristinum chaos in antiquum papismum reducta omnes collegiorum prefecti qui synceritati Euangelij fauebant vel qui coniugati erant loco motiâ— sunt alij Papisticae factionis in eorum loca surrogati quod de socijs collegiorum qui noluerunt flectere genu Baal factum esse audio Nec mirum nam illud passim factum est in vniuerso regno Angliae in omnibus Archiepiscopis Episcopis Decanis Prebendarijs Sacerdotibus Ecclesiarum in toto clâ—â—o and to tell you muche naughty matter in fewe woordes Papismus apud nos vbique in pleno suo antiquo robore regnat The Lord be mercyfull and for Christes sake pardon vs our olde vnkyndnesse and vnthankefulnesse for when he powred vppon vs the gyftes of his manifolde graces and fauoure alas we did not serue him nor render vnto hym thankes according to the same We pastors manye of vs were to colde and bare to much alas with the wicked worlde our Magistrates did abuse to their owne worldly gayne both Gods Gospell and the ministers of the same The people in many places was wayward and vnkynde Thus of euery side and of euery sorte we haue prouoked Gods anger and wrath to fall vppon vs but blessed myght he be that hath not suffered his to continue in those wayes which so wholly haue displeased his secrete Maiestie but hath awaked them by the fatherly correction of his owne sonnes crosse vnto his glorie and our endlesse saluation through Iesus Christe our Lorde My dayly prayer is as God doth know and by gods grace shall be so long as I lyue in this worlde for you my deare brethren that are fled out of your owne Counâ—â—y because you will rather forsake all worldly thynges 〈◊〉 the truth of Gods worde It is euen the same that I 〈◊〉 to make to GOD for all those Churches abroad through the worlde which haue forsaken the kyngdome of Antichrist and professed openly the puritie of the Gospell of Iesus Christ that is that God our eternall father for our Sauiour Christes sake will dayly encrease in you the gracious gifte of his heauenly spirite to the true settyng forth of his glory and of his Gospell and make you to agree brotherly in the truth of the same that there arise no rote of bitternesse among you that may infect that good seede which God hath sowen in your hartes already and finally that your lyfe may be so pure and so honest accordyng to the rule of Gods worde and according to that vocation whereunto we are called by the Gospell of Christ our Sauiour that the honesty and purity of the same may prouoke all that shall see or knowe it to the loue of your doctrine and to loue you for your honesty and vertues sake and so both in brotherly vnity of your true doctrine and also in the Godly vertue of your honest lyfe to glorifie our father which is in heauen Ex nostratibus magni aliquot magistratus Cancellarius Wint. Comes Arundellus Dominus Pachetus iam legatione funguntur vna cum Cardinali Polo in partibus transmarinis ad componendam vt aiunt pacem inter imperatorem regem nostrum Francorum regem Post illorum magistratuum nostrorum reditum partum reginae quem iam quotidie expectamus iam aliquandiu expectauimus quemque Deus pro sui nominis gloria dignetur bene illi fortunare nos tunc statim nihil aliud quam nostrae confessionis de hoste nostro antiquo triúmphales in domino coronas expectamus Omnium vestrûm precibus me humillime ex toto corde commendo In primis tuis o chariss in Christo frater delectiss Grindalle chariss fratrum vnicè mihi in domino delectorum Checi Coxi Turneri Leueri Sampsonis Chamberi omnium fratrum nostrorum conterraneorum qui apud vos degunt deligunt dominum nostrum Iesum Christum in veritate Commendo etiam vobis reuerendiss patres concaptiuos meos in domino Thomam Cranmerum iam veri magni pastoris Archipresulis nomine digniss veteranum illum Christi nostrae gentis Anglicanae verum Apostolum Hugonem Latimerum Condona mihi frater harum prolixitatem non enim post hac credo charissime frater meis literis iam amplius aliquando turbaberis Oxonij N. R. ¶ To Augustine Bernher BRother Augustine I blesse God with all my hart in his maninifolde mercifull gyftes geuen vnto our deare breathren in Christ especially to our brother Rogers whom it pleased to set forth fyrst no doubt but of his gracious goodnes and fatherly fauour towardes hym And likewyse blessed be God in the rest as Hoper Saunders and Taylour whom it hath pleased the Lord likewyse to set in the forefront of the battayle agaynst his aduersaries and hath endued them all so farre as I can heare to stand in the confession of his truth and to be content in his cause and for his Gospels sake to lose their lyfe And euermore and without ende blessed be euen the same our heauenly father for our deare and entirely beloued brother Bradford whom nowe the Lorde I perceiue calleth for for I weene he will no longer vouchsafe him to abide among the adulterous and wicked generation of this worlde I do not doubt but that he for those giftes of grace whiche the Lorde hath bestowed on hym plenteously hath holpen those which are gon before in their iourney that is hath animated and encouraged them to keepe the hygh way sic currere vti tandem acciperent praemium The Lord be his comfort whereof I do not doubt and I thanke God hartely that euer I was acquainted with him and that euer I had such a one in my house And yet agayne I blesse GOD in our deare brother and of this tyme Protomartyr Rogers that he was also one of my calling to be a Prebendary Preacher of London And now because Grindall is gone the Lorde I doubt not hath and knoweth wherein
and otherwise then it was in hys tyme. For there were by Nicene Councell iiii Patriarckes appoynted the Patriarcke of Hierusalem the Patriarcke of Constantinople the Patriarcke of Alexandria and the Patryarcke of Rome of whiche foure the Patriarcke of Rome was placed lowest in the Councell and so continued many yeares for the tyme oâ— vii or viii generall Councelles as I am able to shew Therefore S. Cyprian writing to Cornelius Patriarcke of Rome whome he calleth hys fellowe Byshoppe findeth himselfe offended that certayne heretickes beyng iustly excommunicated by him as the Nouatians were did flye from the Dyoces whiche was their chiefe bishop refusing to be obedient to him and to bee reformed to the Bishop of Rome and to the Patriarcke of Constantinople and there were receaued in communion of congregation in derogation of good order and discipline in the church and to the mayntayning of heresies and schismes and that heresies did spring vp and schismes dayly rise hereof that obedience was not geuen to the Prieste of God nor once considered him to be in the Churche for the time the priest and for the time the Iudge in Christes steade as in the decree of Nicene Councell was appoynted not the Byshop of Rome onely but euery Patriarcke in his precinct who had euery one of them a Colledge or Cathedrall churche of learned Priestes in hearyng of whome by a conuocation of his fellow Byshops with the consent of the people all heresies were determined by the word of God and this is the meanyng of S. Cypryan D. Sauer You take it so but it seemeth to me otherwise Phil. UpoÌ„ what grouÌ„d it shuld seeme otherwise vnto you I know not but this meaning whiche I haue declared the general Councels 7. or 8. one after an other confirmed it so to be whiche did not allowe one supreme head onely Pend. There were not so many generall Councels but 4. onely allowed Phil. That is not so M. Pendleton although there be 4. specially allowed for the confirmation of the Trinitie but beside these foure there were many other generall Councels as you may learne by many writers A Chaplayne Did not Christ builde his Church vpon Peter S. Cyprian sayth so Phil. S. Syprian De simplicitate praelatorum declareth in what respect he so sayd In persona vnius dedit Dominus omnibus claues vt omnium vnitatem denunciaret i. God gaue in person of one man the keyes to all that he might signifie the vnitie of all men And also saynt Austen sayth in the x. treatise of S. Iohn Si in Petro non esset Ecclesiae mysterium non ei diceret Dominus tibi dabo claues Si autem hoc Petro dictum est non habet Ecclesia si autem Ecclesia habet quando claues accepit Ecclesiam totam designauit i. If in Peter hadde not bene the misterie of the Churche the Lord had not sayde vnto him I will geue vnto thee the keyes For if that were sayd vnto Peter the Churche hath them not if the Church haue them when Peter receiued them he signified the whole Church And also S. Hierome a Priest of Rome writing to Nepotian sayth that al Churches do leane to their owne Pastours where he speaketh of the Ecclesiasticall Hierarchie or regiment where hee maketh no mention of the Bishop of Rome And Ad Euagium hee sayth that wheresoeuer a Byshop be whether it be at Rome or at Euagie or at Regium he is of one power and of one Iurisdiction D. Sauer S. Hierome De coelesti hierarchia It was Dyonisius you meane Phil. I say not that Hierome wrote anye booke so intituled But I say that in the Epistle by me alledged hee maketh mention of the Ecclesiasticall regiment D. Sauer I wonder you will stand so steadfast in your errour to your owne destruction Philpot. I am sure we are in no errour by thy promise of Christe made to the faythfull once whiche is that he will geue to hys true Churche suche a spirite of wisedome that the aduersaries therof should neuer be able to resist And by this I knowe we are of the trueth for that neyther by reasoning neyther by writing your Sinagogue of Rome is able to aunswere Where is there one of you all that euer hath bene able to answere any of the godly learned ministers of Germany who haue disclosed your counterfayt Religion Which of you all at this day is able to answere Caluins institutions which is minister of Geneua D. Sauer A godly minister in deede of receite of â—urpurses and runnagate traytours And of late I can tell you there is such contention fallen betweene hym and his own sects that he was fayne to flye the towne about predestination I tell you truth for I came by Ieneua hether Phil. I am sure you blaspheme that godly man and that Godly church where he is minister as it is your churches condition when you cannot answere men by learnyng to oppresse them with blasphemies and false reportes For in the matter of predestination hee is in none other opinion then al the Doctors of the church be agreeing to the scriptures Sauer Men be able to answere hym if they list And I pray you which of you haue answered Byshop Fishers booke Phil. Yes mayster Doctor that booke is answered and aunswered agayn if you list to seek what hath bene written agaynst hym And after this Doct. Story came in To whom I said mayster Doctor you haue done me great iniury and with out law haue straightly imprisoned me more like a Dogg theÌ„ a man And besides this you haue not kept promise with me for you promised that I should be iudged the next day after Story I am come now to keepe promise with thee Was there euer such a fantasticall man as this is Nay he is no man he is a beast Yea these heretickes be worse then brute beastes for they will vpon a vayne singularitie take vpon them to be wiser then all men being in deede very fooles and Asseheades not able to mayntayne that whiche of an arrogant obstinacie they do stand in Phil. M. Doct. I am content to abide your rayling iudgement of me now Say what you will I am content for I am vnder your feete to be troden on as you list God forgeue it you yet I am no hereticke Neither you nor anye other shall be able to proue that I hold any iote agaynst the word of God otherwise then a Christian man ought Story The word of God forsooth the word of God It is but a folly to reason wyth these heretickes for they are incurable and desperate But as I may reasoÌ„ with thee not that I haue any hope to winne thee whom wilt thou appoynt to be iudge of the word wherto thou standest Phil. Uerely the word it selfe Story Doe you not see the ignoraunce of this beastly hereticke He willeth the word to be iudged of the word Can the word speake Phil. If I cannot
it hath bene frō the beginning from time to tyme as it appereth by stories as Christes true religion is now to be found here in Englād although hypocrisie hath by violence the vpper hād And in the Apocalyps you may see it was prophesied that the true Church should be driuen into corners and into wildernes and suffer great persecution Morgan A are you seene in the Apocalyps there are many strange thyngs Phil. If I tel you the truth which you are not able to refel beleeue it dally not out so earnest matters Me thinke you are liker a scoffer in a play then a reasonable doctor to instruct a man you are bare arsed dance naked in a net and yet you see not your owne nakednes Morgan What I pray you be not so quicke with me Let vs talke a little more coldly together Philpot. I will talke with you as mildely as you can desire if you wil speake learnedly and charitably But if you go about with taunts to delude truth I will not hyde it from you Morgan Why will you not submit your iudgement to the learned men of this Realme Phil. Because I see they can bring no good ground whereupon I may with a good conscience settle my fayth more surely then on that which I am now grounded vppon by Gods manifest word Morgan No do that is maruell that so many learned men should be deceyued Phil. It is no maruell by S. Paule for he sayeth That not many wyse neither many learned after the world bee called to the knowledge of the Gospell Morgan Haue you then alone the spirite of God and not we Phil. I say not that I alone haue the spirite of God but as many as abide in the true faith of Christ haue the spirit of God as well as I. Morgan Howe knowe you that you haue the Spirite of God Phil. By the fayth of Christ which is in me Morgan A by faith do you so I ween it be the spirit of the buttry which your fellowes haue had that haue ben burned before you who were dronk the night before they wēt to their death and I weene went dronken vnto it Phil. It appeareth by your communication that you are better acquainted with the spirit of the Buttry then with the spirit of God Wherefore I must now tell thee thou painted wall hypocrite in the name of the liuing Lord whose truth I haue told thee that God shal raine fire and brimstone vpon such scorners of his worde and blasphemers of his people as thou art Morgan What you rage now Phil. Thy foolish blasphemies hath compelled the spirit of God which is in me to speake that which I haue said vnto thee thou enemy of all righteousnes Morgan Why do you iudge me so Phil. By thine owne wicked words I iudge of thee thou blynd and blasphemous Doctour for as it is written By thy words thou shalt be iustified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned I haue spoken on Gods behalfe now haue I done with thee Morgan Why then I tel thee Philpot that thou art an heretike and shalt be burnt for thine heresy and afterwards go to hell fire Phil. I tel thee thou hypocrite that I passe not this for thy fire and fagots neither I thanke God my Lord stande in feare of the same my faith in Christ shall ouercome thē But the hel fire which thou threatnest me is thy portion and is prepared for thee vnlesse thou spedily repent and for such hypocrites as thou art Morgan What thou speakest vpon wyne thou hast tipled well to day by likelihood Phil. So said the cursed generation of the Apostles beyng replenished with the holy Ghost speaking the wōdrous works of God they said they were dronk when they had nothing els to say as thou doest now Morgan Why I am able to answer thee ywis I trow Phil. So it seemeth with blasphemies and lyes Morgan Nay euen with learnyng say what thou canst Phil. That appeared well at my disputation in the Conuocation house where thou tookest vpon thee to aunswer those few arguments I was permitted to make and yet wast not able to aunswere one but in thyne aunsweres did fumble and stammer that the whole house was ashamed of thee and the finall conclusion of all thine answers was that thou couldst answer me if I were in the scholes at Oxford Morgan What did I so thou beliest me Phil. I do not belye thee the booke of the report of the disputation beareth record therto and al that were present then can tell if they list thou saydst so And I tell thee playne thou art not able to answer that spirit of truth which speaketh in me for the defence of Christes true Religion I am able by the might therof to driue thee roūd about this gallery before me and if it would please the queenes maiesty and her Councell to heare thee and me I woulde make thee for shame shrinke behinde the doore Morgan Yea would you so Phil. Thou hast the spirite of Illusion and Sophistrye which is not able to counteruaile the spirit of truth Thou art but an Asse in the true vnderstanding of thinges pertayning vnto God I cal thee Asse not in respect of malice but in that thou kickest agaynst the trueth and art voyde of all godly vnderstāding not able to answere to that thou braggest in Morgan Why haue I not answered thee in all things thou hast sayd vnto me I take them to record Phil. Aske of my felow whether I be a theefe Cosins Harke he maketh vs all theeues Phil. You know that phrase of the Prouerbe that like will holde with like And I am sure you will not iudge with me against him speake I neuer so true and in this sense I speake it The strongest answere that he hath made against me is that you will burne me Morgan Why we doe not burne you it is the Temporall men that burne you and not we Phil. Thus you woulde as Pilate dyd washe your handes of all your wicked doinges But I pray you Inuocate seculare brachium call vpon the secular power to be executioners of your vnrighteous iudgementes And haue you not a title in your law De haereticis comburendis for to burne heretickes Harps I haue hearde you both a good while reason together and I neuer hearde so stout an hereticke as you are M. Philpot. Cosins Neither I in all my life Phil. You are not able to proue me an heretick by one iote of Gods word Harps You haue the Spirite of arrogancy I will reason with you no more And so he was departing and M. Cosins also And with that the bishop and Christoforsō came in agayne and sayd Boner Mayster Doctour howe doeth this man and you agree Morgan My Lord I doe aske him where his church was fifty yeares agoe Boner Are you not halfe agreed as one man sayd once to tway parties of whō the one was
to dwel in the Lords tabernacle Our Christe and his heauenly companye looke for vs let vs haste and runne thereto for beholde the Lord is ready to embrace vs. Mine owne bowels in the Lorde be merry in the Lorde with your afflicted brother who daily offereth your merciful almes which most vnworthely I do receiue still of you vnto the Lorde But nowe deare mother you neede not to burden so muche your selfe as my last letters did signifie for that my chargeable imprisonment is cut off and a litle nowe serueth me wherefore I praye you sende no more vntill I sende to you for I haue sufficient and abounde Gods peace be with you for euer Out of my Lord of Londons Colehouse the last of October Your owne Iohn Philpot. An other Letter of Maister Philpot to the sayde Ladie wherin partly he complaineth of the dissimulation and periurie of English men falling againe to the Pope and partlye he expresseth his ioy in his afflictions I Cannot but ioy with you my hearty beloued in Christ of the fall of Senacherib since it is to the glory of God and to the consolation of his church to see the fall of theyr enemies before their face according as it is wrytten The iust shall reioyce when hee seeth the vengeaunce of the wicked God make this your ioy perfite for as cōcerning my self I counte not to see those good dayes whereof you haue a glimmering in this life For although the Cockatrice be dead yet his pestilent chickens with the whore of Babylon yet liueth But a great hope there is of their shorte confusion because god doth not prosper their doings according to their expectation Most happiest shal he be whome the Lorde shall moste soonest take out of this life that he may not see the plagues which the manifest periurie and the manifolde idolatrie and detestable dissimulation and that of such as do know the truth do threaten to come The Lord is iust all vnrighteousnes displeaseth him either heere or els in an other world he will punish this grosse infidelity of the worlde but his elect and such as he loueth wil he punish here that they should not be condēned heereafter with the world eternally we haue nothing so much to reioyce in as in the crosse of Iesu Christ and in that we are partakers of his afflictions which be the earnest penie of that eternall kingdome which he vppon the crosse for vs hathe purchased For as Paule hys faithfull witnes saith If we suffer with him we shall raigne with him If we die with him we shall liue with him Wherefore mine owne deare bowels praise God with me moste intirely that it hath pleased him now mercifully to visite the sinnes of my youth my huge vnthankfulnes and by the same doth geue me such consolation that he assureth me of his great goodnesse mercy and turneth his fatherly castigation into my crown of glory O good God what am I on whome he should shew this great mercy To him that is immortal inuisible and onely wise be all honor praise and glory therfore Amen This is the day that the Lord hath made let vs reioyce and be glad in the same This is the way though it be narrow which is ful of the peace of God leadeth to eternal blisse O how my heart leapeth for ioy that I am so neare the apprehēsion therof God forgiue me mine vnthākfulnes and vnworthines of so great glory The swordes whyche pearced Maries hart in the passion of our Sauiour whych daily also go through your faithful hart be more glorious and to be desired then the golden Scepters of this world O blessed be they that mourne in this world to Godwarde for they shall eternally be comforted God make my stony heart to mourne more then it doth I haue so muche ioy of the reward that is prepared for me most wretched sinner that though I be in a place of darknes mourning yet I cā not lament but both night day am so ioyfull as though I were vnder no Crosse at all yea in all the dayes of my life I was neuer so merry the name of the Lorde be praised therfore for euer euer and he pardon mine vnthankfulnes Our enemies do freat fume and gnash their teeth to see and heare that we vnder this grieuous affliction in the world can be so mery We are of them counted as desperate persones for the certaine hope feeling which we haue of our euerlasting saluation and it is no maruell for the worldly man can not perceiue the things of God it is meere foolishnesse and abhomination to them Be thankefull vnto our God mine owne deare helper for his wonderous working in his chosen people Praye instantly that this ioy be neuer taken from vs for it passeth all the delightes of this worlde This is the peace of God which surmounteth all vnderstanding this peace the more his chosen be afflicted the more they feele therfore can not faint neither for fire neither for water Lette vs pray for our weake brethren sisters sake that it may please God to alleuiate the greeuous and intollerable burden of these cruel daies But touching our selues let vs hartily besech our sauiour to vouchsafe to geue vs this glorious gifte to suffer for hys Gospels sake and that we may thincke the shame of the world to be our glory as it is in deede God increase our faith and open our eyes to beholde what is prepared for vs. I lack nothing praise be to God I trust my marriage garment is ready I will send you my examinations as soone as I can get them wrytten if you be desirous of them God of his mercy fill your mercifull heart with all ioy and consolation of the hope to come Out of the colehouse the 19. of Nouember Your owne louer Iohn Philpot. A Letter of M. Philpot to a frende of his prisoner the same time in Newgate wherein is debated and discussed the matter or question of Infants to be baptised THe God of all lighte and vnderstanding lighten your heart wyth all true knowledge of his word and make you perfect to the day of our Lorde Iesus Christ wherevnto you are nowe called through the mighty operation of his holy spirite Amen I receiued yesternight from you deare brother S. and felow prisoner for the truth of Christes Gospell a Letter wherein you gently require my iudgement cōcerning the Baptisme of infantes which is the effect thereof And before I doe shewe you what I haue learned out of Gods word of his true infallible church touchyng the same I thinke it not out of the matter first to declare what vision I had the same night whiles musing on your letter I fell a sleepe knowing that God doth not without cause reueale to his people who haue their mynds fixed on him speciall and spirituall reuelations to their comfort as a tast of their ioy and kingdome
prouision had not preuented her with death In the number of them which suffred the same month when Queene Mary died were three that were burned at Bury whose names were these Phillip Humfrey Iohn Dauid Henry Dauid his brother Concernyng the burnyng of these three here is to bee noted that sir Clement Higham about a fortnight before the Queen died did sue out a writ for the burning of these three aforesayd godly and blessed Martyrs notwithstandyng that the Queene was then known to be past remedie of her sicknesse The trouble and Martyrdome of a godly poore woman which suffred at Exeter ALthough in such an innumerable company of godlye Martyrs which in sundry quarters of this Realme were put to torments of fire in Q. Maries time it be hard so exactly to recite euery perticular person that suffred but that some escape vs eyther vnknowen or omitted yet I can not passe ouer a certaine poore woman and a sely creature burned vnder the sayd queenes reigne in the City of Exeter whose name I haue not yet learned who dwelling sometime about Cornewall hauing a husbande and childrē there much addicted to the superstitious sect of popery was many times rebuked of thē driuē to go to the church to their Idols and ceremonies to shrift to follow the Crosse in Procession to geue thankes to God for restoryng Antichrist agayne into this Realme c. Which when her spirit could not abide to do she made her prayer vnto God calling for helpe and mercy and so at length lying in her bed about midnight she thought there came to her a certaine motion and feeling of singuler comfort Wherupon in short space she beganne to grow in contempt of her husband and children and so taking nothing from them but euen as she went departed from them seeking her lyuing by labor spinning as well as she could here there for a time In which time notwithstanding she neuer ceased to vtter her minde as well as she durst howbeit she at that time was brought home to her husband agayn Wher at last she was accused by her neighbours and so brought vp to Exeter to be presented to the Bishop and his Clergy The name of the Bishop which had her in examination was Doctour Troubleuile His Chauncellour as I gather was Blackstone The chiefest matter whereupon she was charged and condemned was for the Sacrament which they call of the Aultar and for speaking against Idols as by the declaration of those which were present I vnderstand which report the talk betwene her and the bishop on this wise Bishop Thou foolish woman quoth the Byshop I heare say that thou hast spoken certayne words of the most blessed Sacrament of the Aultar the body of Christ. Fye for shame Thou art an vnlearned person and a woman wilt thou meddle with such highe matters whiche all the Doctours of the worlde can not define Wilt thou talke of so high misteryes Keepe thy worke medle with that thou hast to do It is no womans matters at cardes and towe to be spoken of And if it be as I am infourmed thou art worthy to be burned Woman My Lord sayde she I trust your Lordship will heare me speake Bish. Yea mary quoth he therfore I send for thee Woman I am a poore woman do liue by my hands getting a peny truely of that I get I geue part to the poore Bish. That is well done Art thou not a mans wife And here the Bishop entred into talke of her husband To whom she answered againe declaring that she had a husband and children and had them not So long as she was at liberty she refused not neyther husband nor children But now standing here as I doe sayd she in the cause of Christ his trueth where I must either forsake Christ or my husband I am contēted to sticke onely to Christ my heauenly spouse and renounce the other And here she making mention of the words of Christ He that leaueth not father or mother sister or brother husband c. the Byshop inferred that Christ spake that of the holy martyrs which dyed because they would not doe sacrifice to the false Gods Woman Sikerly syr and I will rather dye then I will do any worship to that foule Idoll whiche with your Masse you make a God Bish. Yea you callet will you say that the sacrament of the aultar is a foule Idoll Wom. Yea truly quoth she there was neuer such an Idoll as your sacramēt is made of your priestes cōmaūded to be worshipped of al mē with many fōd phantasies where Christ did commaund it to be eaten drunken in remembraunce of his most blessed passion our redemption Bish. See this pratling woman Doest thou not heare that Christ did say ouer the bread This is my body ouer the cup This is my bloud Wom. Yes forsooth he sayd so but he meant that it is hys body and bloud not carnally but sacramentally Bish. Loe she hath heard pratling among these new preachers or heard some peeuish book Alas poore womā thou art deceiued Wom. No my Lorde that I haue learned was of Godly preachers of godly books which I haue heard read And if you will geue me leaue I will declare a reason why I will not worship the sacrament Bish. Mary say on I am sure it will be goodly geare Woman Truely such geare as I will loose this poore life of mine for Bish. Then you will be a martyr good wife Woman In deed if the denying to worshippe that bready God be my martyrdome I will suffer it with all my hart Bish. Say thy minde Wom. You must beare with me a poore woman quoth she Bish. So I will quoth he Woman I will demaunde of you whether you can denye your creed which doth say that Christ perpetually doth sit at the right hand of his father both body soule vntill he come againe or whether he be there in heauē our aduocate do make prayer for vs vnto God his father If it be so he is not here in the earth in a piece of bread If he be not here if he do not dwel in temples made with hands but in heauen what shall we seeke him here if he did offer his body once for all why make you a new offering if with once offring he made al perfect why do you with a false offring make al vnperfect if he be to be worshipped in spirite and truth why doe you worship a piece of bread if he be eaten drunkē in faith truth if his flesh be not profitable to be among vs why do you say you make his body and fleshe and say it is profitable for body soule Alas I am a poore woman but rather then I would do as you doe I would liue no longer I haue sayd syr Bish. I promise you you are a iolly protestant I pray you in what schooles haue you
of thy brothers bloud * To All whiche loue God vnfaynedly and entend to lead a godly life according to his Gospell and to perseuer in his trueth vnto the ende grace and peace from God the father and from our Lorde Iesus Christ Amen BE not afrayd most dearely beloued in our Sauior Iesus Christ at these most perillous dayes wherein by the sufferaunce of God the Prince of darkenes is broken lose and rageth in hys members agaynst the electe of God wyth all crueltie to set vp agayne the kingdome of Antichrist agaynst whome see that ye be strong in fayth to resist his most deuilishe doctrine with the pure Gospell of God armyng your selues with pacience to abide what soeuer shal be layd to your charge for the truthes sake knowyng that thereunto ye be called not onely to beleeue in hym but also to suffer for hym Oh howe happy are ye that in the sight of God are counted worthy to suffer for the testimony of Christ Quiet therefore your selues Oh my louing brethren and reioyce in hym for whome ye suffer for vnto you do remain the vnspeakable ioyes which neither the eye hath seene nor the eare hath heard neither the hart of man is able to comprehende in anye wyse Be not afrayd of the bodily death for youre names are written in the booke of lyfe And the Prophetes doth recorde that in the sight of the Lorde precious is the death of hys Saynctes Watch therefore and praye that yee be not preuented in the daye of temptation Now commeth the day of your tryall wherein the waters rage and the stormy windes blowe Now shall it appeare whether ye haue builded vppon the fleeing sande or vppon the vnmoueable rocke Christe whiche is the foundation of the Apostles and Prophetes whereon euery house that is builded groweth into an holy temple of the Lord by the mighty workyng of the holy Ghost Now approcheth the daye of your batttayle wherein it is required that ye shewe your selues the valiaunte souldiours of Iesus Christ wyth the armour of God that yee may be able to stand fast agaynst all the craftye assaultes of the Deuill Christ is your Captayne and yee be his souldiours whose cognisaunce is the Crosse to the whiche hee wyllingly humbled hymselfe euen vnto the death and therby spoyled hys enemies and now triumpheth hee ouer them in the glorye of hys father makyng intercession for them that here doe remayne to suffer the afflictions that are to be fulfilled in his misticall bodye It behoueth therefore euery one that will be counted his scholler to take vp his owne crosse and follow hym as ye haue hym for ensample and I assure you that hee being on your side nothing shal be able to preuayle agaynst you And that he will be with you euen to the worldes ende yee haue hys promise in the 28. of Mathew He will goe foorth wyth hys host as a conquerour to make a conquest He is the man that sitteth on the white horse crowned with immortalitie and yee brethren are his fellowship whereof he is the head He hath your hart in hys hand as a bow bent after hys godly will he shall dyrect the same accordyng to the riches of hys glory into all spirituall and heauenly cogitations He is faythfull and will not suffer you to be further assaulted then he will geue you strength to ouercome and in the most daunger he will make a waye that ye may be able to beare it Shrynke not therefore deare heartes when ye shal be called to aunswere for the hope that is in you for we haue the comforter euen the spirite of trueth whiche was sent from the heauens to teache vs. He shall speake in vs hee shall strengthen vs what is he then that shal be able to confound vs Naye what Tiranne is he that now boasteth hymselfe of hys strength to doe mischiefe whome the Lord shall not with the same spirite by the mouth of his seruauntes strike downe to hell fire Yea sodaynly will the Lord bryng downe the glory of the proud Philistians by the handes of hys seruaunt Dauid Theyr strength is in speare shield but our helpe is in the name of the Lord which made both heauen and earth He is our buckler and our wall a strong Tower of defence He is our God and we are his people Hee shall bryng the counsels of the vngodly to nought He shall take them in theyr owne nette He shall destroy them in theyr own inuentions The right hand of the Lorde shall worke this wonder His power is knowne among the children of men Theyr fathers haue felt it and are confounded In lyke maner shall they knowe that there is no counsell agaynst the Lorde when their secrets are opened to the whole worlde and are found to be agaynst the lyuing God Worke they neuer so craftily builde they neuer so strongly yet downe shall theyr rabble fall and the builders them selues shall then be scattered vpon the face of the earth as accursed of God The iust shall see this and be glad prayse the name of the Lord that so meruellously hath delte with hys seruauntes as to bryng theyr enemies vnder theyr feet Thē shall the fearfull seed of Cayne trēble and quake Thē shall the mockyng Ismaelites be cast out of the doore Then shall the proud Nembroth see hys labour lost Then shal the beast of Babilon be troden vnder foot Then shall the scribes and Pharisees for madnes fret and rage Then sha theyr paynted wisedome be knowne for extreme folly Then shall bloudy Dragon be voyd of hys pray Then shall the whore of Babilon receaue double vengeaunce Then shall they scratch theyr crownes for the fall of their Maistres harlot whom they now serue for filthy lucre whē no man will buy their wares any more Then shall the Popishe Priesthoode crye weale away with care euen when the Lord shall helpe his seruauntes which day is not farre of the daye wherein the kingdome of Antichrist shall haue an ende and neuer aryse anye more In the meane tyme abide in certayne and sure hope cleauing vnto the promises of God whiche in theyr owne tyme shal be fulfilled Acquite youre selues lyke men agaynst the enemies of GOD in all humblenes of minde strong in spirite to acknowledge one God one holy Sauioure Iesus Christ one onely euerlastyng and sufficient sacrifice for the remission of sinnes euen the precious bodye of the Lorde Iesus once offered for all and for euer Whiche now sitteth on the right hand of God and from thence shall hee come to iudge both the quicke and the dead at the last day vntil that tyme occupyeth that blessed body none other place to dwell in to be kepte in to be closed in but onelye in the heauens euen in the glorious maiestye of God personally abidyng there in the fleshe not commyng downe from thence till the last houre
in the scriptuâ—es in that signification yet in the worlde euen in the most famous assemblies of Christendome this Churche hath borne the greatest swinge This distinction presupposed of the 3. sortes of Churches it is an easy matter by a figure called Sinecdoche to geue to the mingled and vniuersall Church that which cannot truely be vnderstanded but onely of th one part therof But if any man will stiffely affirme that vniuersally doth so pertayne vnto the church that what soeuer Christ hath promised to the Churche it must needes bee vnderstanded of that I would gladlye knowe of the same man where that vniuersall Churche was in the tymâ—s of the Patriarches and Prophetes of 〈◊〉 Abraham and Moses at suche tyme as the people would haue stoâ—ed hym of Helias of Hieremy in the times of Christ and the dispersion of the Apostles in the time of Arius when Constantius was Emperour and Felix bishop of Rome succeeded Liberius It is worthye to be noted that Lira writeth vpon Mathew The church sayth he doth not stand in men by reason of theyr power or dignitie whether it be Ecclesiastical or secular For many princes and Popes and other inferioures haue bene â—ouÌ„d to haue fallen away froÌ„ God Therfore the church consisteth in those persons in whome is true knowledge and confession of the fayth and of the truth Euill men as it is in a glose of the decrees are in the Church in name and not in deede And S. Augustine contra Cresconium grammaticum sayth Who soeuer is afrayd to be deceiued by the darkenes of thys question let hym aske counsell at the same churche of it which Churche the scripture doth poynt out without anye doubtfulnes All my notes whiche I haue written and gathered out of suche authors as I haue red in this matter and such like are come into the handes of suche as will not let me haue the least of all my wrytten bookes wherein I am enforced to complayne of them vnto God for they spoyle me of all my laboures whiche I haue taken in my study these many yeares My memorye was neuer good for helpe whereof I haue vsed for the most part to gâ—ther out notes of my readyng and so to place them that thereby I might haue hadde the vse of them when the time required But who knoweth whether this be Gods will that I should be thus ordered and spoyled of the poore learning I had as me thought in store to thintent that I now destitute of that shoulde from henceforth learne onely to knowe with Paule Christ and hym crucified The Lord graunt me herein to be a good young scholer and to learn this lesson so well that neyther death nor lyfe wealth nor woe c. make me euer to forget that Amen Amen I haue no more to say in this matter for you your selfe haue sayd all that is to be sayd That same vehement saying of S. Augustine I would not beleue the Gospell c. was wont to trouble many men as I remember I haue read it well qualified of Philippe Melancthon but my memory is altogether slippery This it is in effecte The church is not a iudge but a witnes There were in hys tyme that lightly esteemed the testimony of the Churche the outward ministery of preachyng and reiected the outward word it selfe sticking onely to their inward reuelations Suche rashe contempte of the worde prouoked and drone S. Augustine into that excessiue vehemency In the which after the bare sound of the wordes he might seeme to such as do not attayne vnto hys meaning that hee preferred the Churche farre before the Gospell and that the Church hath a free authoritie ouer the same but that godly man neuer thought so It were a saying worthye to be brought forth agaynst the Anabaptistes whiche thinketh the open ministerye to be a thinge not necessary if they any thing esteemed such testimonies I would not sticke to affirme that the more part of the great house that is to say of the whole vniuersall Churche may easely eâ—re And agayne I would not sticke to affirme that it is one thynge to be gathered together in the name of Christe and an other thing to come together with a Masse of the holy ghost going before For in the first Christ ruleth in the latter the Deuill beareth the swinge and how then can anye thyng be good that they goe about From this latter shall our sixe articles come foorth agayne into the light they themselues being very darckenes But it is demaunded whether the sounder or better part of the Catholicke Churche may be seene of men or no Sainct Paule sayth The Lord knoweth them that are hys What manner of speaking is this in commendation of the Lord if we know as well as he who are hys Well thus is the text the sure foundation of God standeth still and hath his seale the Lord knoweth theÌ„ that are his and let euerye man that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquitie Nowe howe many are there of the whole Catholicke Churche of Englande whiche departe from iniquitie Howe many of the noble men how many of the Byshops or Clergy how many of the rich men or marchauntes how many of the Queenes councellours yea howe many of the whole Realme In how small rome then I pray you is the true church within the Realme of England And where is it And in what state I had a conceite of mine owne well grounded as they say when I began but now it is fallen by the way Generall councels represent the vniuersall Church haue this promise of Christ where two or three be gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of theÌ„ If Christ be present with two or three then muche more where there is so great a multitude c. But in generall councels Masse hath bâ—ne approoued and vsed Therefore c. Of the vniuersall Churche which is mingled of good and bad thus I thinke Whensoeuer they whiche be chiefe in it which rule and gouerne the same and to whome the rest of the whole misticall body of Christ doth obey are the liuely members of Christ and walk after the guidyng and rule of hys word and go before the flocke towardes euerlasting life then vndoubtedly Councels gathered together of such guides and pastours of the christian flock doe in deede represent the vniuersall Church and being so gathered in the name of Christe they haue a promise of the gifte and guiding of hys spirite into all truth But that any such counsell hath at any time allowed the Masse suche a one as ours was of late in a straunge tongue and stuffed with so many absurdities errours and superstitions that I vtterly deny and affirme it to be impossible For like as there is no agreement betwixt light and darcknes betweene Christ and Belial so surely superstition and the sincere religion of Christ wil worship and the pure
worshipping of God suche as God requireth of his that is in spirite and truth can neuer agree together But ye wil say where so great a company is gathered together it is not credible but there be two or three gathered in the name of Christ. I aunswere if there be one hundred good and two hundreth bad forasmuch as the decrees and ordinaunces are pronoūced according to the greater number of the multitude of voyces what can the lesse number of voyces auayle It is a knowen thing and a common prouerbe Oftentimes the greater part ouercommeth the better As touchyng general councels at this present I haue no more to say then you haue sayd Onely I referre you to your owne experience to thinke of our country parliamentes and conuocations howe and what ye haue seene and heard The more part in my tyme did bryng forth sixe articles for then the king would so haue it being seduced of certayne Afterward the more part did repell the same our good Iosias willing to haue it so The same articles now agayne alas another great but woorse parte hath restored O what an vncertaynty is thys But after thys sorte most commonly are mans proceedings God be mercifull vnto vs. Who shall deliuer vs from such tormentes of minde Therefore is death the best phisition but vnto the faythfull whome she together and at once deliuereth from all griefes You must thinke this written vpon this occasion because you woulde needes haue youre paper blotted If the matter should goe thus that in generall counsailes men shoulde not stand to the more number of the multitude I meane of them whiche ought to geue voyces then should no certaine rule be left vnto the Church by the which controuersies in weighty matters might be determined but it is not to be beleued that Christ woulde leaue his Church destitute of so necessary a helpe and safegarde Christ who is the most louing spouse of his espouse the church who also gaue himselfe for it that he might sanctify it vnto himselfe did geue vnto it aboundantly all things which are necessary to saluation but yet so that the church should declare it selfe obedient vnto hym in all things and keepe it selfe within the boundes of hys commaundemēts and further not to seeke any thing which he teacheth not as necessary vnto saluation Now further for determination of all controuersies in Christes Religion Christ him selfe hath left vnto the Church not onely Moses and the Prophetes whom he willeth his Church in al doubtes to go vnto and aske counsell at but also the Gospelles and the rest of the bodye of the newe testament in the whiche what soeuer is heard of Moses and the Prophetes and whatsoeuer is necessary to be knowne vnto saluation is reuealed and opened So that now we haue no neede to say who shal clyme into heauen or who shall goe downe into the depth to tel vs what is needefull to bee done Christe hath done both and hath commended vnto vs the word of fayth whiche also is aboundantly declared vnto vs in his word written so that hereafter if we walke earnestly in this way to the searching out of the truth it is not to be doubted but thorough the certayne benefite of Christes spirite whiche hee hath promised vnto his wee may finde it and obtayne euerlasting life Shoulde men aske counsell of the dead for the liuing sayth Esay Let them go rather to the law and to the testimony c. Christ sendeth them that be desirous to know the truth vnto the scriptures saying searche the scriptures I remember a like thing well spoken of Hierome Ignoraunce of the scriptures is the mother and cause of all errours And in an other place as I remember in the same author The knowledge of the scriptures is the foode of euerlasting life But nowe me thinketh I enter into a very broad sea in that I begin to shew either out of the scriptures themselues or out of the ancient writers how muche the holy scripture is of force to teache the truth of our religiō But this is it that I am now about that Christ would haue the church his spouse in al doubts to aske counsell at the word of his father written faythfully left and commended vnto it in both Testaments the olde and the new Neither doe we read that Christ in anye place hath layde so great a burthen vppon the members of his spouse that he hath commaunded them to go to the vniuersall Churche What soeuer things are written saith Paule are written for our learning And it is true that Christ gaue vnto his Churche some Apostles some Prophetes some Euangelistes some shepheardes and teachers to the edifying of the sayntes till we come all to the vnity of fayth c. But that all men should meete together out of all partes of the world to define of the articles of our fayth I neither finde it commaunded of Christe nor written in the word of God There is diuersitie betwixt things pertayning to god or fayth and politicke and ciuill matters For in the first we must stand onely to the scriptures whiche are able to make vs all perfect and instructed vnto saluation if they be well vnderstāded And they offer themselues to be well vnderstanded onely to them which haue good willes and geue themselues to study and prayer Neither are there any men lesse apte to vnderstand them then the prudent wise men of the world But in the other that is in ciuil or politicke matters oftentimes the magistrates do tolerate a lesse euil for auoyding of a greater as they whiche haue this saying oft in their mouthes Better an inconuenience then a mischiefe And it is the property of a wise man saith one to dissemble many thinges and he that cannot dissēble cannot rule In whiche sayinges they bewray themselues that they do not earnestly weigh what is iust what is not Wherefore forasmuch as mans lawes if it be but in this respect onely that they be deuised by men are not able to bring any thing to perfectiō but are inforced of necessitie to suffer many thinges out of square and are compelled sometime to wincke at the worst things seeing they know not how to mayntayne the common peace and quiet otherwise they do ordayne that the more part shal take place You know what these kindes of speaches meane I speake after the maner of men yea walke after the maner of men al men are lyers And that of S. Augustine if ye lyue after mans reason yee do not lyue after the wyll of God If ye say the councels haue sometime erred or may erre how then should we beleue the catholicke Church For the councels are gathered by the authoritie of the Catholicke Churche From may be to be in deed is no good argument but from being to may be no man doubteth but it is a moste sure argument But
heart as I graunt I haue fealt sometimes before O good brother blessed be God in thee and blessed be the time that euer I knewe thee Farewell farewell Your brother in Christ Nicholas Ridley Brother farewell To the brethren remaining in captiuitie of the flesh and dispearsed abroad in sundry prisones but knit together in vnity of spirit and holy Religion in the bowels of the Lorde Iesu. GRace peace mercye be multiplied among you What worthy thankes can we render vnto the Lorde for you my brethren namely for the great coÌ„solation which through you we haue receiued in the Lorde who notwithstanding the rage of Sathan that goeth about by all maner of subtill meanes to beguile the worlde and also buâ—lâ— laboreth to restore and set vp his kingdome againe that of late began to decay and fall to ruine ye remaine yet stil 〈◊〉 as men surely grounded vpon a strong rocke And nowe albeit that sathan by his souldiors and wicked ministers daily as we heare draweth numbers vnto hym so that it is sayd of him that he plucketh euen the very starres out of heauen whiles hee driueth into some men thâ— feare of death and losse of all their goods and sheweth and offereth to other some the pleasaunt baites of the worlde namelye richesse wealth and all kinde of delightes and pleasures faire houses great reuenues â—at benefices and what not and all to the intent they should fall downe worship not the Lorde but the Dragon the olde Serpent whych is the deuil that great beast and his image and should be inâ—iced to commit fornication with the strompet of Babilon together wyth the kings of the earth wyth the lesser beast and with the false Prophetes and so to reioyce and be pleasant wyth her and to be drunken wyth the wine of her fornication yet blessed be God the Father of oure Lorde Iesus Christe which hath geuen vnto you a manly courage and hath so strengthened you in the inwarde man by the power of his spirite that you can contemne as well all the terrours as also the vaine flatteringe allurementes of the worlde esteeming them as vanities mere trifles things of nought Who hath also wroughte planted and surely stablished in your hearts so stedfast a fayth and loue of the Lorde Iesus Christe ioyned with such constancie that by no engines of Antichriste be they neuer so terrible or plausible yee will suffer any other Iesus or any other Christ to be forced vpon you besides him whom the Prophetâ— haue spoken of before the Apostles haue preached the holy Martyrs of God haue coÌ„fessed and testified with the effusion of their bloud In thys Faith stand ye fast my brethren and suffer not your selues to be brought vnder the yoke of bondage and superstition any more For ye know brethren howe that our sauiour warned his beforehand that such shoulde come as would poynt vnto the world an other Christ and woulde set him out wyth so many fals myracles and with such deceiueable and subtill practises that euen the very electe if it were possible should be therby deceiued such strong delusion to come did our Sauiour geue warning of before But continue ye faithful and constant and be of good comfort remember that our graund captaine hath ouercome the world for he that is in vs is stronger then he that is in the world and the Lorde promiseth vnto vs that for the elects sake the daies of wickednes shall be shortned In the meane season abide ye endure with patience as ye haue begun endure I say and reserue your selues vnto better times as one of the heathen Poetes said cease not to shew yourselues valiant Soldiours of the Lorde and helpe to maintaine the trauelling faith of the Gospell Yee haue neede of patience that after ye haue done the wil of God ye may receiue the promises For yet a very litle while and he that shall come will come and wil not tarie and the iust shall liue by faith but if anye withdrawe him selfe my soule shall haue no pleasure in him sayth the Lorde But we are not they which doe withdrawe oure selues vnto damnation but beleeue vnto the saluation of the soule Let vs not suffer these woordes of Christ to fall out of our hearts by any manner of terrours or threatnings of the worlde Feare not them which kil the body the rest ye know For I wryte not vnto you as to menne which are ignoraunt of the truth but which know the truthe and to this ende onely that we agreeing together in one faith may take comfort one of an other and be the more confirmed and strengthened thereby We neuer had a better or more iust cause either to contemne our life or shed our bloud we can not take in hande the defence of a more certaine cleare and manifest truthe For it is not any ceremonie for the which we contend but it toucheth the very substance of our whole Religion yea euen Christ him selfe Shall we either can we receiue and acknowledge any other Christe in steade of hym who is alone the euerlasting sonne of the euerlasting Father and is the brightnesse of the glory and liuely image of the substaunce of the Father in whome onely dwelleth corporally the fulnesse of the Godhead who is the onely waye the truth and the life Let such wickednesse my brethren lette such horrible wickednesse be farre from vs. For althoughe there be that are called Gods whether in heauen either in earth as there be many Gods and many Lordes yet vnto vs there is but one God which is the Father of whome are al things and we in him and one Lord Iesus Christ by whome are all things and wee by him but euery man hath not knowledge This is life eternal sayth S. Iohn that they know thee to be the onely true God and whome thou haste sent Iesus Christ. If any therfore would force vpon vs any other GOD besides him whom Paule and the Apostles haue taughte let vs not heare him but let vs flee froÌ„ him and hold him accursed Brethren ye are not ignorant of the deepe and profouÌ„d subtleties of Satan for he will not cease to raunge about you seking by all meanes possible whom he may deuour but play ye the men and be of good comfort in the Lorde And albeit your enemies and the aduersaries of the truth armed with all worldly force and power that may be doe set vppon you yet be not ye faynt harted nor shrinke not therfore but trust vnto your Captayne Christ trust vnto the spirit of truth trust to the truth of your cause which as it may by the malice of satan be darckened so can it neuer be cleane put out For we haue high prayse be geuen to God therfore most playnely euidently and clearely on our side all the Prophets all the Apostles and vndoubtedly all the auncient Ecclesiastical writers which haue writtan vntill
to be euill and euill good lyght to be darknesse and darknesse lyght superstition to be true religion and Idolatry to be the true worship of God and that which is in substance the creature of bread and wyne to bee none other substaunce but onelye the substaunce of Christ the liuyng Lord both God and man And with this their falshoode craft they can so iuggle and bewitch the vnderstanding of the simple that they dare auouch it openly in Courte and in Towne and feare neyther hangyng nor headyng as the poore theeues of the borders doe but stout and strong lyke Nembroth dare condemne to bee burned in flamyng fire quicke and alyue whosoeuer wil go about to bewray their falshood The kynd of fight against these Churchrobbers is also of another sort and kynd then is that which is agaynst the theeues of the borders For there the true men go forth agaynst them with speare and launce with bow and hyll and all such kynd of bodily weapons as the true mē haue but here as the enemies be of another nature so the watch men of Christes flocke the warrioures that fight in the Lordes warre must be armed fight with another kynd of weapons and armour For here the enemies of GOD the souldiours of Antichrist although the battaile is set foorth agaynst the Church by mortall men beyng flesh and bloud and neuerthelesse members of their father the deuill yet for that their graund maister is the power of darknesse their members are spirituall wickednes wicked spirites spirits of errors of heresies of all deceit and vngodlinesse spirits of Idolatry superstition hypocrisy which are called of S. Paule Principates and powers Lordes of the world rulers of the darkenes of this world spirituall subtleties concernyng heauenly thyngs and therfore our weapons must be fitte and meete to fight agaynst such not carnall nor bodily weapons as speare launce but spirituall and heauenly we must fight agaynst suche with the armour of God not entendyng to kill their bodies but their erroures their false craft and heresies their idolatry superstition and hypocrisie and to saue as much as lyeth in vs both their bodies and soules And therfore as s. Paul teacheth vs we fight not against flesh and bloud that is we fight not with bodily weapon to kil the man but with the weapons of God to put to flight his wicked errors vice to saue both body and soule Our weapons therfore are faith hope charitie righteousnes truth patience prayer vnto God our sword wherwith we smite our enemies we beat and batter and beare downe all falshood is the worde of God With these weapons vnder the banner of the crosse of Christ we do fight euer hauing our eye vpon our graund maister Duke and captaine Christ then we reckon our selues to triumphe to win the crowne of euerlasting blisse when enduryng in this battail without any shrinking or yeldyng to the enemies after the example of our graund capitaine Christ our maister after the example of his holy prophets Apostles Martyrs when I say we are slaine in our mortal bodies of our enemies are most cruelly without all mercy murdered down like a many of sheepe And the more cruell the more painful the more vile spiteful is the kind of the death whereunto we bee put the more glorious in God the more blessed and happy we reckon without all doubts our martyrdome to be And thus much dere louers friends in God my coūtreyman kinsfolke I haue spoken for your comfort lest of my death of whose life you looked peraduenture sometymes to haue had honestie pleasures commodities ye might be abashed or thinke any euill wheras ye haue rather cause to reioyce if ye loue me in deed for that it hath pleased God to cal me to a greater honor and dignitie thē euer I did enioy before eyther in Rochester or in the sea of London or euer should haue had in the Sea of Durham whereunto I was last of all elected named yea I count it greater honour before God in deede to dye in hys cause whereof I nothing doubt then is any earthly or temporal promotion or honor that can be geuen to a man in this world And who is he that knoweth the cause to be Gods to be Christes quarel of his Gospell to be the common weale of all the elect and chosen children of God of all the inheritours of the kyngdome of heauen who is he I say that knoweth this assuredly by Gods worde and the testimony of hys owne conscience as I thorough the infinite goodnesse of GOD not of my selfe but by his grace acknowledge my selfe to doe who is hee I saye that knoweth this and both loueth and feareth GOD in deed and in truth loueth and beleeueth his maister Christ and his blessed Gospel loueth his brotherhoode the chosen children of God and also lusteth and longeth for euerlasting lyfe who is he I say agayne that would not or can not finde in his hart in this cause to be content to die The Lord forbidde that any such should bee that should forsake this grace of God I trust in my Lord God the GOD of mercies the Father of all comfort through Iesus Christ our Lord that he which hath put this mynd will affection by his holy spirit in my hart to stand against the face of the enemy in his cause and to chuse rather the losse of al my worldly substance yea and of my lyfe too then to deny his known truth that he will comfort me ayde mee and strengthen me euermore euen vnto the end and to the yeldyng vp of my spirit soule into hys holy hands whereof I most hartily beseech his most holy sacred Maiestie of his infinite goodnes and mercy through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Now that I haue taken my leaue of my countriemen and kinsfolke and the Lord doth lend me lyfe and geueth me laisure I will bid my other good friends in God of other places also farewell And whom first or before other then the Uniuersitie of Cambridge wheras I haue dwelt longer found more faithfull and hartie friendes receyued more benefits the benefits of my naturall parents onely excepted then euer I did euen in myne own natiue countrey wherein I was borne Farewel therfore Cambridge my louyng mother and tender nurse If I should not acknowled thy manifold benefits yea if I should not for thy benefits at the least loue thee agayne truly I were to be counted to vngrate vnkynde What benefites hadst thou euer that thou vsest to geue bestow vppon thy best beloued children that thou thoughtest too good for me Thou didst bestowe on mee all thy schoole degrees of thy common offices the Chaplaynship of the vniuersitie the office of the Proctorship of a common Reader of thy priuate commodities emoluments in colledges what was it that
shrining of reliques from any kinde of wickednes if you will pay well for it cleare absolution a poena culpa with thousandes of yeares yea at euery poore Bishops hand and suffragan ye shall haue halowing of Churches Chappels aulters superaulters chalices and of all the whole housholde stuffe and adornamēt which shal be vsed in the church after the Romish guise for all these thinges must be estemed of such high price that they may not be done but by a consecrate bishop onely O Lorde all these thinges are suche as thy Apostles neuer knew As for coniuring they call it halowing but it is cōiuring in deede of water and salt of christening of belles and such like thinges what neede I to speake for euerye priest that can but read hath power they say not onely to do that but also hath suche power ouer Christes body as to make both God and man once at the least euery daye of a wafer cake After the rehearsall of the said abhominations and remembraunce of a number of many moe which the Lorde knoweth irketh me to thinke vpon and were to longe to describe when I consider on the other side the eternall word of God that abideth for euer and the vndefiled law of the Lord which turneth the soule from all wickednes and geueth wisedome vnto the innocent babes I meane that milk that is without all guile as Peter doth call it that good word of God that word of trueth whiche must be grauen within the hart and then is able to saue mens soules that wholesome seede not mortall but immortall of the eternal and euerliuing God wherby the man is borne a new and made the childe of God that seed of God wherby the man of God so being borne can not sinne as Iohn sayeth hee meaneth so long as that seede doth abide in him that holy scripture which hath not bene deuised by the wit of man but taught from heauen by the inspiratiō of the holy ghost which is profitable to teache to reprooue to correct to instruct and geue order in all righteousnesse that the man of God may be whole sound ready to performe euery good worke when I say I consider this holy and wholesome true word that teacheth vs truely our bounden duety towardes our Lorde God in euerye poynt what his blessed will and pleasure is what his infinite great goodnes and mercy is what he hath done for vs how he hath geuē hys owne onely dearely beloued sonne to death for our saluation and by him hath sent vs the Reuelation of his blessed will and pleasure what his eternall word willeth vs both to beleue and also to doe and hath for the same purpose inspired the holy Apostles with the holy ghost sent them abroad into all the world and also made them other disciples of Christ inspired by the same spirite to write leaue behinde them the same thinges that they taught which as they did proceed of the spirit of trueth so by the confession of all them that euer were endued with the spirite of God were sufficient to the obteining of eternall saluation and likewise when I consider that al that man doth professe in his regeneration when he is receiued into the holy catholicke church of Christ and is now to be accoūted for one of the liuely mēbers of Christes owne body all that is groūded vpon Gods holy word and standeth in the profession of that fayth obedience of those commaundements whiche are all conteined and comprised in Gods holy word furthermore when I consider whom our Sauiour Christ pronoūceth in his gospell to be blessed and to whom Moses geueth his benedictiōs in the law what wayes the law the Prophets the Psalmes and all holy Scriptures both newe and olde doth declare to be the wayes of the Lorde what is good for man to obteine and abide in Gods fauor which is that fayth that iustifieth before God and what is that charity that doth passe and excell all whiche be the properties of heauenly wisedome and whiche is that vndefiled religion that is allowed of GOD which thinges Christ himself called the weighty matters of the law what thing is that which is onely auayleable in Christ what knowledge is that that Paule esteemed so much that he counted himself onely to know what shall be the maner of the extreme iudgement of the latter day who shall iudge by what he shall iudge what shall be required at our handes at that fearefull day howe all thinges must be tried by the fire and that that onely shal stand for euer which Christes wordes shall allow which shal be the iudge of all flesh to geue sentēce vpon all flesh and euery liuing soule either of eternall damnation or of euerlasting saluation from which sentence there shall be no place to appeale no witte shal serue to delude nor no power to withstand or reuoke when I say I consider all these thinges and conferre to the same agayne and agayne all those wayes wherein standeth the substaunce of the romishe religion wherof I spake before it may be euident and easy to perceaue that these two wayes these two religions the one of Christ the other of the Romishe sea in these latter dayes be as farre distaunt the one from the other as light and darckenes good and euill righteousnes and vnrighteousnes Christ and Beliall He that is hard of beliefe let him note and weigh well with himselfe the places of holy Scriptures which be appoynted in the margent wherupon this talk is grounded by Gods grace he may receyue some light And vnto the contemner I haue nothing now to say but to rehearse the saying of the Prophet Esay which Paule spake to the Iewes in the end of the Actes of the Apostles After he hadde expounded vnto them the trueth of Gods word and declared vnto them Chryst out of the Lawe of Moses and the Prophetes from morning to night all the day long he sayd vnto them that would not beleue Well sayd he spake the holy Ghost vnto our fathers saying go vnto this people and tell them ye shall heare with your eares and not vnderstande and seeing you shall behold and not see the thing for the hart of this people is waxed grosse and dulle and wyth their eares they are hard of hearing and they haue shut together their eyes that they shoulde not see nor heare with theyr eares nor vnderstand with their hartes that they might returne and I should heale them sayth the Lord God All as Englande alas that this heauy plague of GOD shoulde fall vpon thee Alas my dearely beloued country what thing is it now that may doe thee good Undoubtedly thy plague is so great that it is vtterly vncurable but by the bottomlesse mercy and infinite power of almightye God Alas my deare country what hast thou done that thus hast prouoked the wrath of God and caused him to poure out his vengeaunce
daunger of the plague Now the causes why we shoulde flye followeth in the same place of saynct Mathewes Gospell whiche I now passe ouer thou maist read them there And in the xviii chapter of the Reuelation the angell is sayd to haue cryed mightely with a loud voyce Flye my people out of Babilon least you be infected with her faultes so be made partners of her plagues for her offences and sinnes are â—rowne so great that they swel and are come vnto the heauens â—â—â—aynely the tyme doth approche and the Lordes day is at hand Heare I beseeche you also holy Paule that bessed Apostle He playnely forbiddeth vs ducere iugum cum incredulis that is to ioyne or couple our selues with the vnfaythfull for what fellowship can there be sayth hee of righteousnes with vnrighteousnes what companie hath lighte with darckenesse or what agreement hath Christ with Beliall or what part can the faythfull haue with the vnfaythfull or how doth the temple of God agree with Images or Idols for you are the temple of the liuing God as God hath sayd I will walke and dwell in them I will be their God and they shall be my people wherefore depart from amongst them and get you from them sayth the Lord and touche no vncleane thing and I will receaue you bee to you in the stead of youre father and you shal be vnto me as my sonnes and daughters sayth the almighty Lord. This councell to depart the realme I doe not maruel if it do seeme to diuers euen of them I meane that beare fauour to Godward diuersly Many I trust that bee learned shall thinke the councell good Other there be peraduenture that will thinke it rather a thinge to be more tollerable and that it may be in deede by Gods worde lawfully done rather then to bee counsayled to bee done for they will peraduenture say we shoulde counsell a man alwayes to doe that whiche is best of all and of moste perfection but boldly in Christes cause to spend a mans lyfe is best of all and of moste perfection and to flye it maye seeme to smell of cowardnes In many thinges that whiche is best for one at some tymes is not best for all at all tymes and it is not most perfection nor meete for a childe to couet to run before he can goe I will not make here a discourse in this matter what might here be obiected and what might bee aunswered agayne I leaue that to the wittie and eloquent men of the world This is my minde whiche I woulde thou shouldest know O man of God as I woulde wishe and I do pray to almighty God it may be that euery true Christian either brother or sister after they be called and brought into the wrestling place to striue in Christes cause for the best game that is to confesse the truth of the Gospell and of the Christian fayth in hope of euerlasting life shoulde not shrink nor relent one inch or giue back what soeuer shal befall but stande to theyr tackle and sticke by it euen vnto death as they wil Christ shall sticke by them at the latter day so likewise I dare not wishe nor councell any either brother or sister of theyr owne swinge to starte vp into the stage or to cast themselues eyther before or farther in daunger then tyme and neede shall require for vndoubtedly when God seeth hys tyme and his pleasure is that his glory shall be set forth and his Churche edified by thy death and confession meanes shal be found by hys fatherly vniuersall prouidence that thou without thyne owne presumptuous prouocation shalt be lawfully called to do thy feate and to playe thy part The miserable ende that one Quintus came vnto may be a warning and a feareful example for all men to beware of presumption and rashnesse in suche thinges as Eusebius writeth in Eccle. historia for euermore But a thyrd sorte of men there be whiche also wyll be counted fauourers of Gods worde and are I feare in number farre moe and worse to be perswaded to that which is yâ— godly meane I meane of such as wil peraduenture say or thinke that my former councell which was to slye the infection of the Antichristian doctrine by departing out of the Realme is more then needeth and other waies and meanes may be found both to abide and also to be cleare out of daunger of the foresayde plague If that coulde be found both to abide and also to be cleare out of daunger of the foresaid plague If that could be found in deed truely agreable to Gods word I woulde be as glad to heare it God is my witnesse as who is the other Yes peraduenture will some say Thus it may be Thou mayst keep thy selfe thy fayth and thy religion close to thy selfe and inwardly and priuately worship God in spirite trueth and outwardly see thou be no open medler nor talker nor transgressour of common order so mayst thou be suffered in the common wealth and yet vse thy religioÌ„ without offence of thy conscience In other countryes somewhere this peraduenture might be vsed but in Englande what shall be God wot but it was neuer yet so farre as euer I haue knowne or heard And also how can it be but eyther thou must transgresse the common order and the Romishe lawes and customes whiche haue bene vsed in England in the times past of Popery and now it is certayne they retourne agayne I say thou mayst eyther be a breaker of these rites lawes and customes and so bewraye thy selfe or els if thou be in deede a man of GOD thou shalt offend thy conscience for in obseruing of them thou shalt be compelled to breake Gods law which is the rule of conscience to the man of God For how canst thou resort euery holy day to the Churche and beare a face to worship the creature for the creatour as thou must doe peraduenture confesse it too with thy mouth and to sprinckle thy selfe with thy coniured water Thou must bee contributour also to the charges of all their popery as of books of Antichristes seruice of lights of the roode lofte of the sepulchre for settyng vp paynting of Images nay in deede of Idolles and thou muste beare a face to worship them also or els thou must be had by the backe Thou must serue the turne to geue the holye loues as they call it whiche is nothinge els but a verye mockery of the Lordes holy table Thou must be a contributor to the charges of all the disgised apparell that the popishe sacrificing Priest like vnto Aaron must playe hys part in Yea when the pardoner goeth about or the flattering Fryer to begge for the mayntenaunce of superstition except thou doe as thy neighbours doe looke not long to liue in rest If anye of thy housholde dye if thou wilt not pay money for ringing and singing for Requiem Masses Dirige and commendations and
you as good authoritye agaynst me in my cause now as Ireneus had agaynst those heretickes But the church of Rome hath swarued from the truth and simplicitye of the Gospell whiche it mainteined in Ireneus time and was vncorrupted from that whiche it is nowe wherefore your Lordships can not iustly apply the authority of Ireneus to the Church of Rome now which is so manifestly corrupted from the Primitiue Church Boner So will you saye still it maketh nothinge for the purpose whatsoeuer authority wee bring and will neuer be satisfied Phil. My Lorde when I doe by iust reason proue that the authorities which be brought agaynst me doe not make to the purpose as I haue alredy proued I trust you will receiue mine aunswere Worc. It is to be prooued most manifestly by all auncient writers that the Sea of Rome hath alwayes folowed the truth and neuer was deceiued vntill of late certayne heretickes had defaced the same Phil. Let that be proued and I haue done Worcest Nay you are of suche arrogancy singularitye and vayne glory that you will not see it be it neuer so wel proued Phil. Ha my Lordes is it nowe time thinke you for me to folow singularity or vayne glory since it is now vpon daunger of my life and death not onely presently but also before God to come and I know if I dye not in the true fayth I shall dye euerlastingly and agayne I knowe if I do not as you would haue me you will kill me and many thousandes moe yet had I leuer perish at your handes then to perishe eternally And at this time I haue lost all my coÌ„modities of this worlde and now lye in a colehouse where a man would not lay a dog with the whiche I am well contented Cole Where are you able to prooue that the Churche of Rome hath erred at any time and by what Historye certayne it is by Eusebius that the Church was stablished at Rome by Peter and Paul and that Peter was bishop 25. yeares at Rome Phil. I know well that Eusebius so writeth but if we coÌ„pare that which saynt Paul writeth to the Galathians the first it will manifestlye appeare the contrarye that he was not halfe so long there He liued not past 35. yeres after he was called to be an Apostle and Paul maketh mention of his abiding at Hierusalem after Christes death more then 18. yeares Cole What did Peter write to the Galathians Phil. No I say Paule maketh mention of Peter writing to the Galathians and of his abiding at Hierusalem And further I am able to proue both by Eusebius other Historiographers that the church of Rome hath manifestly erred and at this present doth erre because shee agreeth not with that which they wrote The primitiue Church didde vse according to the Gospell and there needeth none other proofe but compare the one with the other Bon. I may compare this man to a certayne man I reade of which fell into a desperation weÌ„t into a wood to hang himselfe and wheÌ„ he came there he went vewing of euery tree and could find none on the which he might vouchsafe to hange himselfe But I will not apply it as I mighte I pray you M. Doctor go forth with him Cole My Lord there be on euery side on me that be better able to answere him and I loue not to fall in disputation for that now a daies a man shal not but susteine shame and obloquy thereby of the people I had leuer shewe my mind in writing Phil. And I had leuer that you should do so then otherwise for then a man may better iudge of your words then by argument and I beseeche you so to do But if I were a rich man I durst wager an hundred pouÌ„des that you shal not be able to shew that you haue sayde to be decreed by a generall Counsell in Athanasius time For this I am sure of that it was concluded by a generall Councell in Africa many yeares after that none of Africa vnder payne of excommunication should appeale to Rome the which Decree I am sure they woulde not haue made if by the scriptures by an vniuersall Councell it had bene decreed that al meÌ„ should abide folow the determination of the churche at Rome Cole But I can shew that they reuoked that error again Phil. So you say M. Doctour but I pray you shewe me where I haue hitherto heard nothing of you for my conteÌ„tation but bare wordes without any authority Boner What I pray you ought we to dispute with you of our fayth Iustinian in the law hath a title De fide Catholica to the contrary Phil. I am certayne the Ciuill lawe hath such a constitution but our fayth must not depend vpon the ciuil law For as saynt Ambrose sayth Non lex sed fides congregauit Ecclesiam Not the lawe but the Gospell sayth hee hath gathered the church together Worcest M. Philpot you haue the spirit of pride wherewith ye be led which will not let you to yelde to the truth leaue it for shame Phil. Syr I am sure I haue the spirite of fayth by the which I speake at this present neyther am I ashamed to stand in my fayth Glocest. What do you thinke your selfe better learned then so many notable learned men as be here Phil. Elias alone had the truth when they were foure huÌ„dreth priestes agaynst him Worcest Oh you would be counted now for Helias And yet I tel thee he was deceiued for he thoght there had bene none good but himselfe and yet he was deceiued for there were seuen hundred besides him Phil. Yea but he was not deceiued in doctrine as the other seuen hundred were Worcest By my fayth you are greatly to blame that you can not be conteÌ„t to be of the Church which euer hath â—en of that faythfull antiquity Phil. My Lord I know Rome and haue bene there wher I saw your Lordship Worcest In deede I did flee from hence thither and I remember not that I saw you there But I am sory that you haue bene there for the wickednesse which you haue seene there peraduenture causeth you to do as you do Phil. No my Lord I doe not as I do for that cause for I am taught otherwise by the Gospell not altogether to refuse the minister for his euill liuing so that he bring sound doctrine out of Gods booke Worc. Doe you thinke that the vniuersall Church may be deceiued Phil. S. Paul to the Thessalonians prophesieth that there should come an vniuersall departing from the faith in the latter dayes before the coÌ„ming of Christ saying Non veniet Christus nisi venerit defectio prius that is Christ shal not come till there come a departing fyrst Cole Yea I pray you how take you the departyng there in S. Paule It is not meant of fayth but of the departing from the Empyre For it is in
when he had done hee deliuered him to the Sheriffes and so two officers brought him thorough the Byshops house into Pater noster rowe there his seruaunt met him and when he saw him he said Ah deare mayster Then M. Philpot sayd to his man content thy self I shall do well enough for thou shalt see me agayne And so the Officers thrust him away had his mayster to Newgate And as hee went he sayde to the people Ah good people blessed be God for this day and so the Officers deliuered him to the keeper Then his man thrust to go in after his mayster and one of the Officers sayd vnto him hence fellow what shouldest thou haue And he sayd I would goe speake with my Mayster M. Philpot then turned him about and sayde to him to morow you shall speake with me Then the vnder keeper said to Mayster Philpot is this your man And he sayd yea So he did licence his man to go in with him and M. Philpot and his maÌ„ were turned into a litle chamber on the right hand and there remained a litle time vntil Alexander the chief keeper did come vnto hym who at his entring greeted him with these words Ah sayd he hast not thou done well to bringe thy selfe hether Well sayde M. Philpot I must bee content for it is Gods appointmeÌ„t I shal desire you to let me haue your gentle fauour for you and I haue bene of olde acquayntaunce Well sayd Alexander I will shew thee gentlenes and fauour so thou wilt be ruled by me Then sayd M. Philpot I pray you shew me what you would haue me to do He sayd if you would recaÌ„t I will shew you any pleasure I can Nay sayd M. Phil. I wil neuer recant whilest I haue my life that which I haue spoken for it is a most certayne truth and in witnesse hereof I will seale it wyth my bloud Then Alexander sayd This is the saying of all the whole packe of you heretickes Whereupon hee commaunded him to be set vpon the block and as many irons vpon his legges as he might beare for that he would not follow hys wicked minde Then the Clarke tolde AlexaÌ„der in his eare that maister Philpot hadde geuen hys man money And Alexander sayd to his man what money hath thy mayster geuen thee His man said my mayster hath geuen me none No sayd Alexander hath he geueÌ„ thee none that will I know for I will search thee Do with me what you list search me all that you can quoth hys sâ—ruaunt Hee hath geuen me a tokeÌ„ or two to send to hys frends as to hys brother and sister Ah sayd Alexander to M. Philpot Thou art a mayntayner of heretickes Thy man should haue gone to some of thyne affinitie but he shal be known wel enough Nay sayd M. Philpot I do send it to my frendes There he is let him make aunswere to it But good mayster Alexander be so much my frend that these irons may be taken of Well sayd Alexander geue me my fees and I will take them off if not thou shalt weare them still Then sayd Mayster Philpot sir what is your fees he sayd foure pound was his fees Ah sayd mayster Philpot I haue not so muche I am but a poore man and I haue bene long in prison What wilt thou geue me then said Alexander Syr sayd he I will geue you twenty shillings and that I will send my man for or elles I will lay my gowne to gage for the time is not long I am sure that I shal be with you for the bishop sayd vnto me that I shuld be soone dispatched Then sayd Alexander vnto him what is that to me with that he departed from him and commaunded hym to be had into Limbo and so his commaundement was fulfilled but before he could be taken from the blocke the clark would haue a grote Then one Wittrence Steward of the house took hym on his backe and caryed him downe hys manne knewe not whether Wherfore mayster Philpot sayd to his man go to maister Sheriffe and shew hym how I am vsed and desire maister Sheriffe to be good vnto me And so hys seruaunte went strayghtway and tooke an honest manne with him And when they came to mayster Sheriffe whiche was Maister Macham and shewed him howe mayster Phil. was handled in Newgate The Sheriffe hearyng this tooke his ring of from his finger and deliuered it vnto the honest man whiche came with M. Philpots man and bad him go vnto Alexander the keeper coÌ„manded him to take of his irons and to handle him more gentlye and to geue his man again that which he had taken from him And when they came agayn to the sayd AlexaÌ„der told their message from the Sheriffe Alexander tooke the ring and said Ah I perceaue that mayster Sheriffe is a bearer with him all such heretickes as he is therfore to morow I wil shew it to his betters Yet at x. of the clocke he went into Mayster Philpot where he lay and tooke of his irons gaue him such things as he had taken before from hys seruant Upon Tuesday at supper being the 17. day of December there came a messenger from the Sheriffes and bad M. Philpot make him ready for the next day he should suffer and be burned at a stake with fire M. Philpot aunswered and sayd I am ready God graunt me strength and a ioyfull resurrection And so he went vnto his chamber and poured out his spirit vnto the Lord God geuing him most harty thankes that he of his mercy had made hym worthy to suffer for his truth In the morning the Sheriffes came according to the order about viii of the clocke and calleth for him he most ioyfully came downe vnto them And there his man dyd meete him and sayd A deare maister farewell His mayster sayd vnto him serue God and he will helpe thee And so he went with the Sheriffes vnto the place of execution and when he was entring into Smithfield the way was foule two officers tooke him vp to beare him to the stake Then he sayd merily what will you make me a Pope I am content to goe to my iourneys end on foote But first comming into Smithfield he kneeled down there saying these wordes I will pay my vowes in thee O Smithfield And wheÌ„ he was come to the place of suffering he kissed the stake saide shall I disdayne to suffer at this stake seeing my redeemer did not refuse to suffer most vile death vpon the Crosse for me And then with an obedient hart full meekely he sayd the Cvi Cvii and Cviii. Psalms and when he had made an end of all hys prayers he said to the officers What haue you done for me euery one of theÌ„ declared what they had don he gaue to euery of theÌ„ mony Then they bound hym vnto the stake and set fire vnto that
be Pray I beseech you that I may be stil careles in my careful estate as you haue cause to be carelesse in your easier condition Be thaÌ„kful and put away all care and then I shall be ioyfull in my straite present care Commend me to all our brethren and desire them to praye for me that I may ouercome my teÌ„ptations for the deuil rageth against me I am putte in the stockes in a place alone because I would not answer to such articles as they would charge me wtall in a corner at the bishops appoyntment and because I did not come to Masse when the bish sent for me I will sic all the dayes of my life in the stockes by Gods grace rather then I wil consent to the wicked generation Praise God be ioyfull that it hath pleased him to make vs worthy to suffer somwhat for his names sake The deuil must rage for 10. daies Commend me to maister F. and thanke him for his lawe bookes but lawe neither equitie wil take any place among these bloud thirsty I would for your sake their vniust dealing were noted vnto the parlament house if it might auaile God shorteÌ„ these euil daies I haue answered the bish meetely plaine already and I said to him if he wil cal me in open iudgement I wil answer him as plainly as he will require otherwise I haue refused because I feare they will condemne me in hugger mugger The peace of God be with you my dear brother I canne wryte no more for lacke of light and that I haue wrytten I can not reade my selfe and God knoweth it is wrytten farre vneasily I pray God you may picke out some vnderstanding of my minde towards you Wrytten in a Colehouse of darkenesse oute of a paire of paynefull stockes by thine owne in Christ. Iohn Philpot. An other letter of M. Philpot to certaine godlye women forsaking their owne countrey for the Gospell full of frutefull precepts and lessons for all good women THe spirite of truthe reuealed vnto you my dearely beloued by the Gospell of oure Sauiour Iesus Christe be continually abiding with you and augmented into a perfect building of you into the liuely temple of God through the mighty operation of hys power Amen I reade in the Euangelistes of certaine Godly women that ministred vnto Christ folowing him in the daies of his Passion and neuer forsoke him but being dead in his graue brought oyl to annoynt him vntill that he had shewed himselfe vnto them after his resurrection and bidden them shewe vnto his Disciples which at his Passion were dispearsed and tell them that he was riâ—en and that they shoulde see him in Galile To whome I may iustly compare you my louinge Sisters in Christe who of late haue seene him suffer in his meÌ„bers and haue ministred to theyr necessity annoynting them with the comfortable oyle of your charitable assistance euen to the death and now since yee haue seene Christ to liue in the ashes of them whome the tyrans haue 〈◊〉 he willeth you to go away vpon iust occasion offred you and to declare to our dispearsed brethren and sisters that he is 〈◊〉 and liueth in his electe members in Englande and by death doth ouercome infidelitye and that they shall see him in Galile which is by forsaking this world and by a faithful desire to passe out of this world by those waies which he with his holy Martyrs hath gone on before God therfore entire sisters directe your way as he did Abraham Tobias vnto a strange land God geue you health both of body and soule that ye may go from vertue to vertue and grow from strength to strength vntil yee may see face to face the God of Syon in his holy hil with the innumerable companye of hys blessed Martyrs and Saintes Let there be continuall ascensions vnto heauen in your hearts Let there be no decrease of any vertue which is already planted in you Be as the light of the iuste such as Salomon saith increaseth to the perfect day of the Lord. Let the strength of God be commended in your weake vessels as it is Be examples of faith and sobrietie to al that ye shal come in company with all Let your godly conuersation speake where your toung may not in the congregation Be swift to heare and slow to speake after the counsell of S. Iames. Be not curious about other mens doings but be occupied in praier and coÌ„tinual meditation with reuerent talking of the word of God wythout contention amongst the Saintes Lette your faith shine in a straunge countrey as it hath done in youre owne that your father which is in heauen may be glorified by you to the ende This farewel I send you not as a thing nedefull which know already what your duety is be desirous to performe the same but as one that would haue you vnderstand that he is mindeful of your godly conuersation wherof he hath had good experieÌ„ce and therfore wryteth this to be as a perpetual memorial betwixt you and him vntil our meeting together before God where we shall ioy that we haue here louingly put one an other in memory of our duetie to performe it Farewell againe mine owne bowels in Christ and take me with you where soeuer you goe and leaue your selues wyth me that in spirite we may be present one with an other Commende me to the whole congregation of Christe willing them not to leaue their countrey without witnesse of the Gospell after that we al be slaine which already be stalled vp and appoynted to the slaughter and in the meane season to praye earnestly for our coÌ„stancie that Christ may be glorified in vs and in them bothe by life and death Farewel in the Lord. Yours for euer Iohn Philpot. An exhortation to his owne sister constantly to sticke to the truth which she had frutefully professed GOd the eternall Father who hath iustified you by the bloud of his sonne Iesus Christ and called you to hallow his name through a good conuersation and profession of life he sanctifie you with daily encrease of vertue faith by his holy spirit that you may appeare a vessell of sanctification in the middest of this wicked peruerse generation to the laud and praise of the Gospel Amen I haue occasion mine owne deare sister to praise God in you for 2. causes the one that to your habilitie you are ready to shew your self a naturall louing sister to me your poore afflicted brother as by your geÌ„tle tokens you haue eftsoones testified being absent as also presently visiting me which wel declareth that you be a very naturall sister in dede and to be praised in this behalfe But in the other that you be also a sister to me in faith after Christes Gospell I am occasioned to thanke God so muche the more howe much the one excelleth the other and the spiritual consanguinitie is more perdurable then that which is of flesh bloud
dying most constantly for hys woord and truth to whom most louingly shee espoused her selfe And thus muche concerning the life storie condemnation of these vij Martyrs afore specified ⧠Seuen godly and constant Martyrs suffering at one fire together in Smithfield Fiue other Martyrs in Caunterburie foure women and one man at two stakes and one fire all together burned AFter these seuen aboue rehearsed Martyred together in Smithfielde shortly after in the same moneth the â—â—â—â— day of Ianuarie followed an other like fellowship of godly Martyrs at Caunterburie four women and one man whose names be these Iohn Lomas a yong man Anne Albright Ioane Catmer Annes Snoth widowe Ioane Sole wife 1 Iohn Lomas Martyr IOhn Lomas of the parish of Tenterden detected and presented of that religion which the papists call heresie and cited vpon the same to appeare at Canterburie examined there of the first article whether he beleued the catholicke church or no answeared thus that he beleeued so much as is contained in Gods booke and no more Then being assigned to appeare againe vnder the pain of lawe the next Wednesday seuennight after which was the xvij day of Ianuarie the said Lomas examined whether he would be confessed of a priest or no answeared and sayde that he founde it not wrytten that he should be confessed to any Priest in Gods booke neither would be confessed vnlesse hee were accused by some man of sinne Againe examined whether he beleeued the body of Christe to be in the Sacrament of the Altare really vnder the formes of bread and wine after the consecration or no he answeared that he beleeued no realtie of Christes body to be in the Sacrament neither founde hee wrytten that hee is there vnder forme or tressell but he beleeued so muche as is wrytten Being then demaunded whether he beleeued that there is a catholicke churche or no and whether hee would be content to be a member of the same he answeared thereunto that he beleeued so muche as was wrytten in Gods booke and other aunsweare then this hee refused to geue c. Whereuppon the sentence was geuen and red against hym the xviij day of Ianuarie and so committed to the seculare power hee constantly suffered for the conscience of a true Faith wyth the other fower women here following 2 Agnes Snoth Martyr AGnes Snoth widowe of the Parishe of Smarden likewise accused cited for the true profession of Christes religion was diuers times examined before the Pharisaicall fathers Who there compelled to answere to suche Articles and Interrogatories as should be ministred vnto her firste denied to be confessed to a Priest notwithstanding shee denied not to confesse her offences as one to an other but not auricularlye to anye Priest And as touching the Sacrament of the aultare shee protested that if shee or any other did receiue the Sacrament so as Christe and as his Apostles after him did deliuer it then shee and they did receiue it to their comfort but as it is nowe vsed in the church shee sayd that no man coulde otherwise receiue it than to his damnation as she thought Afterward being examined againe concerning penaunce whether it were a Sacrament or no she plainly denied the same and that the Popish manner of their absolution was not consonant to the woorde nor necessary to be taken with suche other like agreeing with the aunsweres and confession of Iohn Lomas before mentioned Whereupon the sentence likewise being red she was committed to the sheriffes of Canterbury and so suffering Martyrdome with the rest declared her selfe a perfect and constant witnesse of Christ and of his truth the xxxj day of Ianuarie 3 Anne Albright alià s Champnes Martyr AGainst Anne Albright likewise appearing before the Iudge and his Colleagues it was also obiected concerning the same matter of Confession Whereunto shee answeared in these woordes saying that shee woulde not be confessed of a priest and added moreouer speaking vnto the Priests You Priests sayde shee are the children of perdition and can doe no good by your Confession And likewise speaking vnto the Iudge and his assistants shee tolde them that they were subuerters of Christes truth And as touching the Sacrament of the aultar she said it was a noughty and abhominable idoll and so vtterlye denied the same sacrament Thus persisting and perseuering in her former sayings answers shee was condemned the sayd 18. day of the sayde moneth with the other aboue mentioned with whom also she suffered quietly and with great comfort for the right of Christes religion Ioane Sole IN like maner Ioane Sole of the parish of Horton was condemned of the same Phariseis and Priestes for not allowing confession ariculare and for denyinge the reall presence and substaunce of Christ to be in the sacrament of the aultare Who after their Pharisaicall sentence beynge promulgate was brought by the Sheriffes to the stake with the other fower and sustained the like Martyrdome with them through the assistaunce of Gods holy grace and spirite mightely woorking in her to the glorye of his name and confirmation of his truth Ioane Catmer THe fift and last of this heauenly company of Martyrs was Ioane Catmer of the parish of Hith wife as it should seeme of George Catmer burned before Who being asked what shee sayde to Confession made to a Priest denyed to be confessed to any suche priest And moreouer the Iudge speaking of the sacrament of the altar she sayd and affirmed that shee beleeued not in that sacrament as it was then vsed for that it was made sayd shee a very idoll In this her confession she remaining and persisting was by the like sentence cruelly of them condemned and so suffered with the foresayd Thomas Lomas and the other three fellow Martyrs ratifying and confessing wyth their bloud the true knowledge and doctrine oâ— the glorious Gospel of Christ Iesus our Sauiour The burning of the foresayd man and foure women These 5. persones were burnt at 2. stakes and one fire together at Canterbury as is before sayd Who when the fire was flaming aboute their eares did singe Psalmes Whereat the good Knight Syr Iohn Norton being there present wept bitterly at the sight thereof The Iudges and the other assistantes which sate vppon her and the other foure aboue mentioned were Richard Faucet Iohn Warren Iohn Milles Robert Collins and Iohn Baker the Notarie ⧠The life state and storie of the Reuerend Pastour and Prelate Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Caunterburie Martyr burned at Oxforde for the Confession of Christes true Doctrine vnder Queene Marie An. 1556. March 21. AS concerning the life and estate of that moste reuerend father in God and woorthy Prelate of godlye memorie Thomas Cranmer late Archbishop of Canterburie and of the originall cause and occasion of his preferment vnto hys Archiepiscopall dignitie who of many hath bene thought to haue procured the same
and tarieth as long in wicked men as in godly mē And what comfort can be herein to any christen man to receiue Christes vnshapen body and it to enter no further then the stomacke and to depart by by as soone as the bread is consumed It semeth to me a more sound comfortable doctrine that Christ hath but one body and that hath forme and fashion of a mās true body which body spiritually entreth into the whole man body and soule though the Sacrament be consumed yet whole Christ remayneth feedeth the receiuer vnto eternall lyfe if he continue in godlynes and neuer departeth vntill the receiuer forsake hym And as for the wicked they haue not Christ within them at all who cannot be where Beliall is And this is my faith and as me semeth a sound doctrine according to gods word sufficient for a christen to beleeue in that matter And if it can be shewed vnto me that the Popes authority is not preiudicial to the thyngs before mentioned or that my doctrine in the sacrament is erroneous which I thinke can not be shewed then I was neuer nor will be so peruerse to stand wilfully in myne owne opinion but I shall with all humilitie submit my selfe vnto the Pope not onely to kisse his feete but another part also Another cause why I refused to take the B. of Glocester for my iudge was the respect of his owne person beyng more then once periured First for that hee being diuers tymes sworne neuer to consent that the B. of Rome should haue any iurisdiction within this Realme but to take the kyng and his successors for supreme heds of this realme as by Gods lawes they be contrary to that lawfull othe the sayd B. sate then in iudgement by authoritie from Rome wherein he was periured and not worthy to sit as a Iudge The 2. periury was that he tooke his bishoprike both of the Queenes maiesty of the Pope making to eche of them a solemn oth which othes be so contrary that the one must needs be periured And furthermore in swearyng to the Pope to maintain his lawes decrees constitutions ordinances reseruatiōs and prouisions he declareth him selfe an enemy to the Imperiall crowne and to the lawes and state of this realme whereby he declared himselfe not worthy to sit as a iudge within this realme And for these considerations I refused to take him for my iudge ¶ This was written in another Letter to the Queene I Learned by Doctour Martin that at the day of your Maiesties Coronation you tooke an othe of obedience to the Pope of Rome and the same tyme you tooke an other othe to this realm to mayntayne the lawes liberties and customes of the same And if your Maiestie dyd make an othe to the Pope I thinke it was accordyng to the other othes which he vseth to minister to Princes which is to be obedient to hym to defend his person to maintayne his authoritie honor lawes lands and priuiledges And if it be so which I know not but by report then I beseeche your Maiesty to looke vpon your othe made to the crowne and Realme and to expend and weigh the two othes together to see howe they do agree and then do as your graces conscience shall geue you For I am surely perswaded that willingly your Maiestie will not offend nor do agaynst your conscience for nothyng But I feare me that there be contradictions in your othes that those which should haue informed your grace thoroughly did not their dueties therein And if your Maiesty ponder the two othes diligently I thinke you shall perceiue you were deceiued and then your highnesse may vse the matter as God shall put in your hart Furthermore I am kept here from company of learned men from bookes from counsaile from pen and inke sauing at this tyme to write vnto your Maiestie which all were necessary for a man beyng in my case Wherefore I beseech your Maiestie that I may haue such of these as may stand with your Maiesties pleasure And as for my appearāce at Rome if your Maiestie wil geue me leaue I will appeare there And I trust that God shal put in my mouth to defend his truth there as well as here But I referre it wholy to your Maiesties pleasure ¶ Another Letter of the Archbishop to D. Martin and D. Story I Haue me commended vnto you And as I promised I haue sent my letters vnto the Queenes Maiestie vnsigned praying you to signe them and deliuer them with all speede I might haue sent them by the Carier sooner but not surer But hearyng M. Bailiffe say that he would goe to the Court on Friday I thought hym a meete Messenger to send my letters by For better is later and surer thē sooner and neuer to bee deliuered Yet one thyng I haue written to the Queenes Maiestie inclosed sealed which I require you may be so deliuered without delay and not bee opened vntill it bee deliuered vnto her Graces owne handes I haue written all that I remember I sayd except that which I spake agaynst the Bishop of Gloucesters owne person which I thought not meete to wryte And in some places I haue written more then I sayde which I would haue answered to the Bish. if you would haue suffred me You promised I should see myne aunswere to the 16. Articles that I might correct amend and chaunge them where I thought good which your promise you kept not And myne aunswer was not made vpon my othe nor repeated nor made in Iudicio but Extra iudicium as I protested nor to the Bish. of Gloucester as Iudge but to you the Kyngs and Queenes Proctors I trust you deale sincerely with me without fraud or craft and vse me as you would wish to be vsed in lyke case yourselues Remember that Qua mensura mensi fueritis eadem remetietur vobis i. What measure you meate the same shall be measured to you agayne Thus fare you well and God send you his spirit to induce you into truth Ye heard before how the Archb. Doct. Cranmer in the month of Febr. was cited vp to Rome and in the moneth of March next followyng was degraded by the B. of Ely and B. Boner In tyme of which his degradation he put vp his Appellation In this his Appellation because he needed the helpe of some good and godly Lawier he writeth to a certain frend of his about the same The copy of which letter in Latin is before expressed in the old booke of Acts there to be red pag. 1492. The English of the same I thought here to insert as vnder ensueth ¶ A Letter of Doctour Cranmar Archbishop to a Lawyer for the drawyng out of hys Appeale THe law of nature requireth of all men that so farre forth as it may be done without offence to God euery one should seke to defend and preserue his owne lyfe Which thyng when I about
there is the reall substance of the body of Christ Fort. And I aunswered him that it is the greatest plague that euer came into England Bish. Why so Fort. I sayd if I were a Bishop and you a poore man as I am I would be ashamed to aske such a question For a Bishop should be apt to teach and not to learne Bish. I am appoynted by the law to teach so are not you Fort. And I sayd Your lawe breaketh out very well for you haue burned vp the true Bishops and preachers and mainteined lyers to be in theyr steed Bish. Now you may vnderstand that he is a traytour for he denyeth the higher powers Fort. I am no traytour for S. Paule sayth All soules must obey the higher powers and I resist not the higher powers concerning my body but I must resist your euill doctrine wherwith you would infect my soule A Doct. Then sayd a Doctor my Lord you doe not well let him aunswere shortly to his articles Bish. How sayst thou make aunswere quickly to these articles Fort. S. Paule sayth Christ did one sacrifice once for all and set him downe on the right hand of his father triumphing ouer hell and death making intercession for sinnes Bish. I aske thee no suche question but make aunswere to this article Fort. If it be not GOD before the consecration it is not God after for God is without beginning and without ending Bish. Then sayd he lo what a stiffe hereticke is this He hath denyed altogether how sayest thou Is it idolatry to worship the blessed sacrament or no. Fort. God is a spirit and will be worshipped in spirit and trueth Bish. I aske thee no such question answere me directly Fort. I answere that this is the God Mauzzim that robbeth God of his honor Bish. It is pity that the grounde beareth thee or that thou hast a toung to speak Thē sayd the scribe here are a great many more articles Bish. Then sayde the Bishop Away with him for he hath spoken to much ¶ An other examination of I. Fortune ANd when I came to mine examination agayne the bishoppe asked me if I would stand vnto mine answere that I had made before and I sayd yea for I had spoken nothing but the truth And after that he made a great circumstance vpon the Sacrament Then I desired him to stand to the text he read the Gospell on Corpus Christi day whiche sayd I am the breade which came downe from heauen beleuest thou not this And I sayd yea truely And he sayd why doest thou deny the Sacrament Because your doctrine is false sayd I. Then sayd he how can that be false which is spoken in the Scripture And I sayd Christ sayd I am the bread and you say the breade is he Therefore your doctrine is false sayd I. And he sayd doest thou not beleue that the bread is he And I sayd no. Bish. I will bring thee to it by the Scriptures Fort. Hold that fast my Lord for that is the best Argumēt that you haue yet Bish. Thou shalt be burned like an hereticke Fort. Who shall geue iudgement vpon me Bish. I will iudge an hundred such as thou art and neuer be shriuen vpon it Fort. Is there not a lawe for the spiritualty as well as for the temporaltye and Syr Clement Higham sayde yes what meanest thou by that Fort. When a man is periured by the law he is cast ouer the barre and sitteth no more in iudgement And the Byshop is a periured man and ought to sit in iudgement of no mā Bish. How prouest thou that Fort. Because you tooke an oth by king Henries dayes to resist the Pope So both spirituall and temporall are periured that here can be no true iudgement Bish. Thinkest thou to escape iudgement by that no for my Chaūcellor shall iudge thee He took no oth for he was out then of the Realme M. Hygham It is time to weede out such felowes as you be in deed Bysh. Good fellowe why beleuest not thou in the Sacrament of the aultar Fort. Because I finde it not in Gods booke nor yet in the Doctors If it were there I would beleue it with al my hart Bysh. How knowest thou it is not there Fort. Because it is contrary to the second cōmaundement and seing it is not written in Gods booke why do you thē robbe me of my life Then the Bishop hauing no more to saye commaunded the Bailiffe to take him away And thus much touching the examinations of this man Now whether he died in fire or otherwise preuented with death as I sayd before I am vncertayne In the Registers of Norwich this I do finde that his sentence of condemnation was drawne and Registred but whether it was pronounced in the said Register it is not expressed according as the vsuall maner of the Notary is so to declare in the end of the sētēce Neuertheles this is most certayne that he neuer abiured nor recanted howsoeuer it pleased the Lord by death to call him out of this world ¶ The death of Iohn Careles in the Kynges Benche ABout this time the first day of Iuly amongest diuers other prisoners which dyed the same yeare in the Kinges Bench was also one Iohn Careles of Couentry a weauer Who though he were by the secret iudgemēt of almighty God preuented by death so that he came not to the full Martyrdome of his body yet is he no lesse worthy to be counted in honor place of Christes martyrs then other that suffered most cruell torments aswell for that he was for the same truthes sake a long time imprisoned as also for his willing mind zelous affection he had thereunto if the Lord had so determined it as well may appeare by his examinatiō had before Doct. Martin Which examination because it conteineth nothing almost but wrangling interrogations and matters of contentiō wherin Doctour Martin would enter into no communication about the articles of his accusation but onely vrged him to detect his felowes it shall not be greatly materiall therfore to expresse the whole but onely to excerpt so much as perteining to the question of predestination may bring some fruit to the Reader ¶ The effect of Iohn Careles examination before Doctour Martin briefly declared FIrst Doctour Martin calling Iohn Careles to hym in his Chamber demaunded what was his name To whom when the other had answered that his name was Iohn Careles then began Doctour Martin to descant at his pleasure vpon that name saying that it would appere by his conditions by that time he had done with him that he would be a true careles man in deed And so after other by talke there spent about much needelesse matter then he asked him where he was borne Careles Forsooth sayth he at Couentry Mart. At Couentry what so farre man How camest thou hither Who sent thee to the kinges Bench to prison Carel. I was
not awaye all thy true preachers forth of this realme O Lord but leaue vs a seede least England be made like vnto Sodome and Gomorre when thy true Lothes be gone But what goe I aboute to mingle your myrthe wyth my mourning and your iust ioy with my deserued sorow If I loued you in deede as I haue pretended I shoulde surely reioyce with you most hartily praise god on your behalfe from the very bottome of my hart I should prayse God day and night for your excellēt election in through his great mercy and should geue him most humble thākes for your vocation by his Gospell your true knowledge in the same I should earnestly prayse him for your sweete iustification wherof you are most certayne by Gods grace and spirite should instantly pray vnto him for your glorification which shall shortly ensue I should reioyce and be glad to see you so dignifyed by the crowne of Martyrdome and to be appoynted to that honour to testify hys truth and to seale it with your bloud I should highly extoll the Lord who hath geuen you a glorious victory euer al your enemies visible and inuisible and hath geuen you grace and strength to finish the Tower that you haue begunne to build Finally if I loued you I should most hartily reioice and be glad to see you deliuered from this body of sinne and vile prison of the fleshe and brought into that heauenly tabernacle where you shal be safely kept and neuer offend him more This and much more should I do if I had a good hart towardes God or you his deare childe But alas I am an hypocrite do seeke nothing but mine owne commodity I would haue gods euerlasting prouidēce geue place to my peeuish will purpose although it were to the hinderance of his glory and your sweet commodity God forgeue me my horrible ingratitude sinnes offēces agaynst him and good brother do you forgeue me my great negligence and vnthankfulnes towards you and henceforth I promise you I will put my will to Gods wil pray that the same may be fulfilled in you so long as you be on this earth and when you are taken hence I will most hartely prayse the Lord for you so lōg as I haue my being in this world Ah my deare hart nowe I muste take my leaue of you and as I thinke my Vltimum vale in this lyfe but in the life to come I am righte well assured we shall merilye meete together that shortly I trust And in taking of my leue of you my deare hart in the Lord I shall desire you faythfully to remēber all the sweet messages that the Lord our good God most deare louing father hath sent you by me his most vnworthy seruaunt which as they are moste true so shall they be most truly accōplished vpon you eternally and for the more assurance and certificate thereof to your godly cōscience he hath cōmaunded me to repeat the same vnto you agayne in his owne name and word Therfore now geue eare and faithfull credence Harken O ye heauens and thou earth geue eare and beare me witnes at the great day that I do here faythfully and truly the lordes message vnto his dear seruant his singularly beloued and elect childe Iohn Bradford Iohn Bradford thou man so specially beloued of God I pronoūce testify vnto thee in the word name of the Lord Iehoua that all thy sinnes whatsoeuer they be be they neuer so many so grieuous or so great be fully freely pardoned released forgeuen thee by the mercy of God in Iesus Christ thyne onely Lord sweet sauiour in whom thou doest vndoubtedly beleue Christ hath cleansed thee with his bloud and clothed thee with his righteousnes and hath made thee in the sight of God his father without spotte or wrinckle so that when the fire doth his appoynted office thou shalt be receyued as a sweete burnt sacrifice into heauen where thou shalt ioyfully remayn in Gods presence for euer as the true inheritor of his euerlasting kingdome vnto that whiche that wast vndoubtedly predestinate ordeined by the Lords vnfallible purpose and decree before the foundation of the worlde was layde And that this is most true that I haue sayd I call the whole Trinity the almighty and eternall maiesty of God the father the sonne and the holy ghost to my record at this present whom I humbly beseech to confirme and stablish in thee the true and liuelye feeling of the same Amen Selah Now with a mery hart and a ioyfull spirit something mixed with lawful teares I take my farewel of you mine owne deare brother in the Lorde who sende vs shortly a merye meeting in his kingdome that we maye both sing prayses together vnto him with hys holy Aungelles and blessed spirites for euer euer Farewel thou blessed of the Lord farewell in Christ depart vnto thy rest in the Lorde and pray for me for Gods sake As I had made an ende of this simple Letter I hearde some comfort both of good Maister Philpots seruant and yours but alas I doe scarcely beleue them Well I wyll hope in God pray all night that God will send me some comfort to morrowe and if the Lorde geue you sparing to morow let me heare foure words of comfort from you for Gods sake The blessing of God be with you now and for euer Amen Yours for euer in the Lord Iesus Iohn Careles liuing in hope agaynst hope In reading this letter of Iohn Careles to M. Bradford aboue prefixed wherein he maketh so much mētion of a certayne letter of his sent to him and of the great exceeding consolation he receiued of the same thou wilt wishe peraduenture good louing Reader in thy mynd to haue some sight also of the sayd Letter of M. Bradford Wherein to satisfy thy desire or rather to preuent thy petition I haue hereunto annexed the same to the entent thou mayest not onely vnderstand the contentes therof but also receiue fruit therof to thy cōsolation likewise The purport of the letter here foloweth ¶ Mayster Bradford to Careles ALmighty God our deare father through and for the merits of his dearely beloued sonne Iesus Christ be mercifull vnto vs pardon vs our offences vnder the winges of his mercy he protect vs from all euill from henceforth and for euer Amen Deare brother Careles I hartely pray you to pray to GOD for me for the pardon of my manifold sinnes and most grieuous offences whiche neede none other demonstration vnto you then this namely that I haue behaued my selfe so negligently in aunswering your godly triple letters whiche are three witnesses agaynst me God lay not them nor none other thing to my charge to condemnation though to correction not my will but his wil be done Concerning your request of absolution my dearest brother what shall I saye but euen as trueth is that the
all other his benefites Ah my deare heart in the Lord well is me that euer I was borne that God of his great mercy and infinite goodnes hath vsed me most miserable wretche at any tyme as his instrument to minister any thing vnto you eyther by wordes or writing that might bee an occasion of your ioy and comfort in the Lorde and a prouoking of you to prayse and thankesgeuing vnto GOD for the same as your moste louing and godly letter seemeth to importe Oh happy am I that the Lorde hath appoynted me vnto so good a ground to sowe his seede vppon but muche more happie are you whose heart the Lorde hath prepared made so meete to receiue the same so effectuously geuing therto the sweete showers and heauenly dewes of his grace and holy spirit that it may bring forth fruite in due season accordingly the increase whereof we shall shortly reape together with perfect ioye and gladnes and that continually Therefore my deare brother I say vnto you as good Elizabeth did to her deare cosin Mary Happy are you and happy shall you be for euermore because you haue beleued The most sweet and faythfull promises of your redeemer Iesus Christ you haue surely layd vp in the treasury of your hart His comfortable callinges you haue faythfully heard his faythfull admonitions you haue humbly obeyed and therefore you shall neuer come into iudgement your sinnes shall neuer be remembred for your sauiour hath cast them all into the bottome of the sea he hath remoued them from you as farre as is the East from the West and hath geuen you for an euerlasting possession his iustification holynesse so that now no creature neyther in heauen nor in earth shal be able to accuse you before the throne of the heauenly king Sathan is nowe iudged he is nowe cast out from you hee hath no part in you you are wholy geuen vnto Christ whyche wil not loose you your stedfast fayth in him hathe ouercome that sturdy and braggyng Prince of the worlde Christ hath geuen you the finall victory ouer hym and al hys army that they shall neuer hurt you What woulde you haue more Oh my deare heart howe great treasures are layde vp in store for you and how gloryous a Crowne is alreadye made and prepared for you And albeit the holy Ghost doth beare wytnesse of all these thinges in your heart and maketh you more sure and certain thereof then if you had all the outward oracles in the worlde yet I being certaynly perswaded and fully assured by the testimony of Gods spirite in my conscience of youre eternall and sure saluation in our sweete Sauioure Iesus Christe haue thought it good yea and my bounden duety not onely at thys tyme to wryte vnto you and to shew my ioyfull hart in that behalfe but also by the word and commaundement of Christ to pronounce and affirme in the name and worde of the heauenly king Iehouah and in the behalfe of his sweete sonne Iesus chryst oure Lorde to whom all knees shall bow whom all creatures shall worshippe and also by the impulsion of the holy Ghost by whose power and strength all the faythfull bee regenerate I doe I say pronounce to thee my deare brother T. V. that thou art already a Citizen of heauen The Lord thy God in whom thou doest put all thy trust for his deare sonnes sake in whom thou doest also vndoubtedly beleue hath freely forgeuen thee all thy sinnes clearely released all thyne iniquities and full pardoned all thine offences bee they neuer so many so grieuous or so great and will neuer remember them any more to condemnation As truely as he liueth he will not haue thee dye the death but hath vtterly determined purposed and eternally decreed that thou shalte lyue with him for euer Thy sore shall bee healed and thy woundes bounde vpp euen of himselfe for his owne names sake He doth not nor will not looke vpon thy sinnes in thee but he respecteth and beholdeth thee in Christ in whome thou art lyuely graffed by faith in his bloud and in whome thou art most assuredly elected and chosen to be a sweete vessell of his mercy and saluation and wast thereto predestinate in him before the foundation of the world was laid In testimony and earnest whereof he hath geuen thee his good and holye spirite which woorketh in thee faith loue and vnfained repentance with other godly vertues contrary to the corruption of thy nature Also he hath commanded me this day although a most vnwoorthy wretch to be a witnesse hereof by the ministery of hys holy woord grounded vpon the truth of his most faithfull promisses the which thou beleeuing shalt liue for euer Beleeuest thou this my deare heart I knowe well thou doest beleeue The Lorde increase thy faith and geue thee a liuely feeling of all hys mercies wherof thou art warranted and assured by the testimony of the holy Ghost who confirme in thy conscience to the vtter ouerthrowing of Sathan and those his most hurtfull dubitations wherby he is accustomed to molest and vexe the true children of God all that I haue sayde and by Gods grace I will as a witnesse thereof confirme and seale the same with my bloud for a most certaine truthe Wherefore my good brother praise the Lord with a ioyful heart and geue him thankes for this his exceeding great mercy casting away all dubitation and wauering yea all sorow of heart and pensiuenesse of minde for this the Lord your God and most deare and louing father commandeth you to doe by me nay rather by his owne mouth woord pronounced by me But now my deare brother after that I haue done my message or rather the Lordes message in deede I coulde finde in my heart to wryte 2. or 3. sheetes of paper declaring the ioy I beare in my heart for you mine owne bowels in the Lord yet the time being so short as you do well know I am heere constrained to make an ende desiring you to pardone my slacknesse and to forgeue my great negligence towardes you promising you still that so long as my poore life doth last my prayer shal supply that my pen doth wāt as knoweth the almighty God to whose most merciful defence I doe heartely commit you and all other his deare children as wel as though I had rehearsed them by name desiring them most heartely to remember me in their hearty and dailye prayers as I know right well they doe for I feele the daily comfort and commodity therof therfore I neither wil nor can forget them nor you or any such like The blessing of God be with you al. Amē Yours for euer vnfainedly Iohn Careles A letter of thankes to a faithfull frend of his by whom he had receiued much comfort in his inward troubles BLessed be God the father of all mercye for the great comfort and Christian consolation which he hath so mercifully ministred vnto
my poore afflicted heart by your meanes my moste deare and faithful brother Truely me thinketh your woords or rather Gods woordes by you vttered haue a wonderfull power and efficacie woorking in my heart at the hearing or readyng of them Reioyce therfore my deare brother and be thankfull vnto God for verily he both is will be mightely magnified in you and that diuers and manye waies both to the strengthening of them that stand in his truth and also to the raising vp of such as are fallen from the same God make me thankefull for you on your behalfe for verily great is the goodnesse of God towardes me in geuing me acquaintance in faithfull loue and amitye with you Gods name for euer be praised therfore and he perfourme all his mercifull promises vpon you as I doubt not but he will for his sake in whome you trust I thanke my God most hartely also you my good brother for that you are carefull for me in your faithfull praiers remembring my iust deserued sorowes as though they were your own and laboring so much to solace the same Ah my gracious good God what am I for whom thou thy deare children should be so carefull Oh sweete Lord forgeue me my great ingratitude sinne and grauÌ„t that I neuer abuse thy great benefits Oh let the loue of thine elect which loue me for thy sake be a sure signe token yea a most firme testimony a seale to my sinfull conscience of thine euerlasting loue and mercy towards me in Christ as verely it would and ought to be if mine infidelity did not let it Oh circumcise therefore the foreskin of my heart that I may with liuely faith behold thy great loue towardes me in all thine elect that I may alwaies be thankeful for the same and loue thee and them againe most heartely and vnfainedly Ah my deare heart how sweetely and how truely yea howe godly how coÌ„fortably haue you rehersed the swete saying of Salomon concerning prosperity with true godly frends I wil ioine with it the sentence which goeth a little before for doubtlesse it may be well verified on you A sure frend sayeth the wise man wil be vnto thee euen as thine owne soule and deale faithfully with thy houshold folke If thou suffer trouble and aduersitye he is with thee and hideth not his face from thee A faythful friend is a strong defence who so finedeth such a one finedeth a treasure A faithfull friend hath no peere the waight of golde is not to bee compared to the goodnesse of his faith A faythfull frend is a medicine of life and they that feare the Lord shal finde him c. Loe my deare heart in the Lord here is a liuely image or description of you for verely such a one haue I alwaies fouÌ„d you vnto me not onely sorrowing for my great sorrow but also oftentimes making me merry and ioyfull with such ioyes as the world can not feele Nowe let the worlde bragge of hys fained frendship but I will boast of this true frendship in God and esteeme it a more treasure then all transitorye things And as for my mourning deare brother God hathe made you to tourne it vnto mirth for God hath put you in the stead of them to be my comfort whome he hath in hys great mercy taken away I trust hencefoorth to leaue the mourning for my greate losse and to praise God for gaining vnto him selfe so great glory by his chosen children God make me a true mourner of Syon bothe for mine owne sinne and wickednesse and also to see his honoure defaced that I may be made meete and apte to beare the ioyfull and comfortable message that your beautifull feete shall brynge me God blesse thee my deare heart and faithful louing brother and increase his good giftes of grace in thee as he hathe moste happely begonne that you may daily more effectually feele and liuely perceiue the certaintie of Gods grace wherin you stand and firmely to testifie the same to the conuersion or confouÌ„ding of all gainsayers and to the comfort confirmation of al Gods deare children Amen Farewell mine owne sweete brother fare well as mine owne heart Your owne in Christ Iohn Careles· An other letter of Iohn Careles to a certaine godly faithfull sister by the name of E.K. THe grace and free mercy of God in Iesus Christ the sweete consolations of the holy Ghost the guide of all Gods deare children he with you strengthen and comfort you my dearely beloued sweete sister E.K. now and euer Amen Albeit my dearely beloued sister in Christe that as yet wee did neuer see one an other personally to any knowledge yet by the vertuous reporte that I haue hearde of you and also by the large louing token that I haue receiued from you mee thincke that I do euen presently see you and behold your person faâ—thfully walking in the fear and loue of God ioying and reioycing with you in the spirite as thoughe we were sweetely talking together of Christes veritie The Lord God doe I humbly beseeche in the bowels and bloud of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christe that he wil strengthen vs both with hys holy and mighty spirit that we may constantly continue in the confession of his truthe vnto the ende that like as we now see one an other presently in spirite we may also see one an other personally in the glorious presence of God and his holy Aungels where vndoubtedly we shall know one an others personage to oure great ioy felicitye and endlesse comfort And now therfore deare sister K be strong in the Lorde our God for doubtlesse the time of triall is at hand a great persecution with cruell murthering of Gods deare Saintes is like to be very shortly in this wofull wicked Realme of Englande Therefore deare sister for the loue of God prepare you to the Crosse with all diligence and make your selfe ready to die with Christ that you may also liue with him for euer There is no remedye if you will be Christes Disciple you must needes take vppe youre crosse and followe him for the Disciple must not looke to be aboue his maister nor the seruant to be better intreated then his Lord. If we were of the worlde good sister no doubt the world woulde loue vs. But for as much as Christe hath chosen vs out of the worlde to serue God in spirite and veritie lette vs be wel assured the worlde will hate vs and persecute vs as it hath done our Lorde and maister Christ. But yet let vs be of good cheare for Christe hath ouercome the worlde The paine is but shorte that we can feele heere but the pleasure is perpetuall that wee shall feele elsewhere Let vs set before vs the example of Christe which abode the Crosse and despised the shame in respecte of the ioy that was set before him Euen so let vs consider for whose
first what he will say to his owne handy worke Ieffrey Ye say truth Tell me Palmer art thou he that wrote this faire volume Looke vpon it Palmer I wrote it in deede and gathered it out of the scripture Ieffrey Is this doggish rime yours also Looke Palmer I wrote this I deny not Ieffrey And what say you to these Latine verses entituled Epicidion c. Are they yours too Palmer Yea sir. Ieffrey Art thou not ashamed to affirme it It came of no good spirit that thou didst both raile at the dead slander a learned and Catholike man yet alyue Palmer If it be a slander he hath slandered hymselfe For I do but report hys owne writyng open the folly therin declared And I recken it no railyng to inuey agaynst Annas and Caiphas beyng dead Ieffrey Sayest thou so I will make thee recant it and wryng Peccaui out of your lying lyppes ere I haue done with thee Palmer But I know that although of my selfe I bee able to do nothyng yet if you and all myne enemies both bodily and ghostly should do your worst you shall not be able to bryng that to passe neither shall ye preuaile agaynst Gods mighty spirit by whom we vnderstand the truth and speake it boldly Ieffrey Ah are you ful of the spirit Are you inspired with the holy ghost Palmer Sir no man can beleeue but by the inspiration of the holy ghost Therfore If I were not a spirituall man and inspired with Gods holy spirite I were not a true christian Qui spiritum Christi non habet hic non est eius i. He that hath not the spirit of Christ is none of his Ieffrey I perceyue you lacke no words Palmer Christ hath promised not onely to geue vs store of words necessary but with them such force of matter as the gates of hell shall not be able to confound or preuayle agaynst it Ieffrey Christ made such a promise to his Apostles I trow you will not compare with them Palmer With the holy Apostles I may not compare neyther haue I any affiaunce in myne owne wit or learnyng which I know is but small yet this promise I am certain pertaineth to all such as are appoynted to defende Gods truth against hys enemies in the tyme of their persecution for the same Ieffrey Then it pertaineth not to thee Palmer Yes I am right well assured that thorough hys grace it pertaineth at this present to me as it shal I dout not appeare if you geue me leaue to dispute wyth you before this audience in the defence of all that I haue there written Ieffrey Thou art but a beardlesse boy starte vp yesterday out of the schooles and darest thou presume to offer disputation or to encounter with a Doctor Palmer Remember M. Doctour Spiritus vbi vult spirat And agayne Ex ore infantium c. And in another place Abscondisti haec a sapientibus c. i. The spirit breatheth whē it pleaseth hym c. Out of the mouth of Infants c. And thou hast hidden these thyngs from the wyse c. God is not tyed to tyme wit learnyng place nor person And although your wit and learnyng be greater then myne yet your beliefe in the truth and zeale to defend the same is not greater then myne Register Sir if you suffer hym thus impudently to trifle with you he will neuer haue done Ieffrey Wel ye shal vnderstand that I haue it not in commission at this present to dispute with you neither were it meete that we should call againe into question such Articles as are already discussed and perfectly defined by our mother the holy Church whom we ought to beleue without why or wherefore as the Creede telleth vs. But the cause why ye be now called hither is that ye might be examined vpon such articles as are ministred against you such matter as is here conteined in your hand writyng that it may be seene whether you will stand to it or nay How say you to this Palmer By your holy church you meane the Sinagogue of Rome which is not vniuersall but a perticular Church of shauelyngs The catholike church I beleeue yet not for her owne sake but because she is holy that is to say a Church that groundeth her beliefe vpon the word of her spouse Christ. Ieffrey Leaue railing answer me directly to my questiō Will ye stand to your writing or will ye not Palmer If ye prooue any sentence therein comprised not to stand with Gods word I will presently recant it Ieffrey Thou impudent fellow haue I not told thee that I came not to dispute with thee but to examine thee Here the parson of Inglefield pointing to the pixe said What seest thou yonder Palmer A canapie of silke brodered with gold Person Yea but what is within it Palmer A piece of bread in a clout I trow Person Thou art as froward an heretike as euer I talked with all Here was much spoken of Confiteor and other partes of the Masse Person Do you not beleeue that they which receiue the holy Sacrament of the aultar do truly eate Christes natural body Palmer If the Sacrament of the Lordes supper bee ministred as Christ did ordaine it the faithfull receiuers do in deed spiritually and truely eate and drinke in it Christes very naturall body and bloud Person The faithfull receiuers ye cannot bleare our eies with such Sophistry Doe not all maner receiuers good bad faithfull and vnfaithfull receiue the very natural body in forme of bread Palmer No sir. Person How prooue you that Palmer By this place Qui manducat me viuet propter me i. He that eateth me shall lyue for me Person See that fond fellow whiles he taketh himselfe to be a Doctor of the law you shall see me prooue him a stark foolish dawe Do you not read likewise Quicunque inuocauerit nomen domini saluus erit id est Whosoeuer inuocateth the name of the Lord shall be saued Ergo Doe none but the godly call vppon hym therefore you must marke how S. Paul answereth you He sayth that the wicked do eate the true body to their condemnation As Palmer was bent to aunswere him at the full the Person interrupted hym crying still what sayest thou to S. Paule Palmer I say that S. Paule hath no such wordes Person See the impudent fellow denieth the playne text Qui edit bibit corpus Domini indignè reus erit Iudicij i. He that eateth and drinketh the body of the Lord vnworthily is guiltie of iudgement Palmer I beseech you lend me your booke Person Not so The Shiriffe I pray you lend hym your booke So the booke was geuen ouer to hym Palmer Your owne booke hath Qui manducat hunc panem c. i. He that eateth this bread Person But S. Hieromes translation hath Corpus Palmer Not so M. Parson and God bee praysed that I haue in the meane season shut
the first second thyrd fourth fift ninth tenthe twelfth they generally graunted vnto sauing that they denyed the soules of the departed to sleepe til the day of iudgement as is mentioned in the ix article And as concerning the sixt obiection they thought thē selues bound to beleue the true Catholicke Church so far foorth as the same doth instructe them according to Gods holy word but not to follow the determinations of the erroneous and Babilonicall Church of Rome As for the seuenth eight and thirtenth they vtterly denyed that euer they were of any such absurde opinions as are contayned therein but they graunted that man of him selfe without the helpe and assistance of Gods spirite hath no power to do any good thing acceptable in Gods sight To the eleuenth they sayd that true fasting and prayer vsed according to Gods word are allowable and auaylable in his sight and that by the same word euery faythfull man may eate all meates at all times with thankesgeuing to God for the same After this the first day of Aprill were they agayne conuented before the Bishop in his palace at London where little appeareth to be done excepte it were to know whether they would stand to their aunsweres whether they would recant or no. But when they refused to recant and deny the receiued and infallible truthe the Byshop caused them to be brought into the open Consistory the third day of the same moneth of Aprill in the forenone where firste vnderstanding by them their immutable constauncye and stedfastnes he demaunded particularly of euery one what they had to say why he should not pronounce the Sentence of condemnation To whom Tho. Loseby firste aunswered God geue me grace and strength to stand agaynst you your Sentence also agaynst your law which is a deuouring law for it deuoureth the flocke of Christe And I perceiue there is no way with me but death except I would consent to your deuouring law and beleeue in that Idoll the Masse Next vnto him answered Thomas Thirtell saying my Lorde I say thus if you make me an hereticke then you make Christ and all the 12. Apostles heretickes for I am in the true fayth and right beliefe I will stand in it for I know full well I shall haue eternall lyfe therefore The Byshoppe then asked the lyke question of Henry Ramsey Who sayd agayne my Lord will you haue me to go from the truth that I am in I say vnto you that my opinions be the very truth which I will stand vnto and not go from them I say vnto you farther that there are two Churches vpon the earth and we meaning himselfe other true Martyrs and professours of Christ be of the true Church and ye be not Unto this question next aunswered Margaret Hide saying my Lord you haue no cause to giue Sentence agaynst me for I am in the true fayth and opinion will neuer forsake it I do wishe that I were more stronger in it then I am Last of all aunswered Agnes Stanley sayd I had rather euery heare of my head were burned if it were neuer so much worth then that I will forsake my fayth and opinion which is the true fayth The tyme being now spent they were commaunded to appeare agayne at afternoone in the same place which commaundement being obeyed the Bishop firste called for Loseby after his accustomed maner willed his Articles answeres to be read in reading thereof when mention was made of the Sacrament of the Aultar the Bishoppe with his Colleagues put of their cappes Whereat Loseby sayd my Lord seing you put of your cappe I will put on my cappe there withall did put on his cappe And after the Bishop continuing in his accustomable perswasions Loseby agayn sayd vnto him my Lorde I trust I haue the spirite of truth which you detest and abhorre for the wisdome of God is foolishnes vnto you Wherupon the Byshop pronounced the sentence of condemnation agaynst him And deliuering him vnto the Sheriffe called for Margaret Hide with whō he vsed the like order of exhortatōs To whom notwithstanding she sayd I will not depart from my sayinges till I bee burned and my Lorde quoth she I would see you instruct me with some parte of Gods word not to geue me instructiōs of holybread and holy water for it is no part of the scripture But he being neither himselfe nor any of his able rightly to accomplish her request to make short worke vsed his final reason of conuincement which was of the sentence of condēnation And therfore leauing her off called for an other videl Agnes Stanley who vpon the Bishoppes like perswasions made this aunswere My Lord wher you say I am an heretick I am none neither yet will I beleue you nor any man that is wyse will beleue as you do And as for these that ye say bee burnt for heresie I beleue are true martyrs before God therefore I will not go from my opinion and fayth as long as I liue Her talk thus ended she receaued the like reward that the other had And the bishop then turning his tale maner of inticement vnto Thomas Thyrtel receiued of him likewise this finall aunswere My Lord I will not holde with youre Idolatrous wayes as you do for I saye the Masse is Idolatry and will sticke to my fayth and beliefe so long as the breath is in my body Upon which wordes he was also condemned as an hereticke Last of all was Henry Rāsey demanded if he would as the rest stand vnto his aunsweres or els recanting the same come home agayn and be a member of their church Whereunto he aunswered I will not go from my religiō and belief as long as I liue and my Lord quoth he your doctrine is naught for it is not agreable to Gods worde * The cruell burning of 5. Martyrs in Smithfield Three burned in Sainct Georges field in Southwarke AFter these moreouer in the month of May followed 3. other that suffered in S. Georges field in Southwark William Morant Stephen Gratwicke with one king Among other histories after the persecuted and condemned saintes of God I find the condemnation of none more straunge nor vnlawfull thē of this Stephen Gratwicke Who first was condemned by the byshopp of Wynchester and the byshop of Rochester which where not hys Ordinaryes Secondly when he did appeale from those imcompetēt Iudges to hys right Ordinary his appeale coulde not be admitted Thirdly when they had no other shifte to colour theyr inordinate proceedings with all they suborned one of the priestes to come in for a counterfayt and a false Ordinary and sit vpon him Fourthly being openly conuinced and ouerturned in his own argumentes yet the sayd Byshop of Winchester D. White neyther would yeald to the force of trueth nor suffer any of the audience assistant once to say God strengthen him Fiftly as
they brought in a false Ordinarye to sit vpon him so they pretended false articles agaynst him whiche were no part of his examinations but of their deuising to haue his bloud Sixtly and lastly hauing no other groūd nor iust matters agaynst him but onely for saying these wordes that which I sayd I haue sayde they red the sentence of death vpon him And this was the dealing of these men whiche needes will be reputed for Catholicke fathers of the spirituality succeders of the Apostles disciples of Christ pillers of the holy Churche and leaders of the people Of whose doynges and proceedinges howe agreable they are to the example of Christ and his Apostles I leaue to discusse referryng the iudgement hereof to them which know the institution of Christes religion and doctrine Now least peraduēture the disordered misrule of these Christmas Lordes will not be credited vppon the simple narration of the story yee shall heare the whole discourse of this processe registred by the hand of the Martyr hymselfe who as he could tell best what was done so I am sure would not testifie otherwise then trueth was according as you shall heare by his owne declaration here following ¶ The declaration of Steuen Gratwicke concerning his owne story and condemnation VPon the xxv day of May in the yeare of our Lord 1557. I. Stephen Gratwick came before the Bishop of Winchester D. White into S. Georges Churche in Southwarke at eight of the clocke in the morning and then hee called me before him and sayd vnto me B. Winchester Stephen Gradwick how standeth the matter with thee now Art thou contented to reuoke thy heresies the which thou hast mayntayned and defended here within my Dioces oftentimes before me and also vppon Sonday last ye stoode vp in the face of the whole Churche mayntayning your heresies so that you haue offended with in the libertie of my Dioces and now I being your Ordinary you must aunswere to me directly whether you will reuoke them or not the which I haue here in writing and if so be that you wil not reuoke them then I will excommunicate you and therefore note well what you doe for now I read here the Articles agaynst you And so whē he had ended he bad me answer vnto them Grat. My Lord these articles whiche you haue here obiected agaynst me are not mine but of youe owne making For I neuer had any of mine examinations written at any time and therefore these be the obiections that you laye agaynst me as a snare to get my bloud Wherefore I desyer your lawfull fauour to allow my lawfull appeale vnto myne Ordinary for I haue nothing to do with you And whereas you do burden me that I haue offended within your Dioces it is nothing so for I haue not interprised neyther to preache nor teache within your Dioces but was apprehended by mine own Bishop sent prisoner into your Dioces by the consent of the Coūsell mine own Ordinary therefore I so being in your Dioces you haue no cause to let my lawfull appeale And with that there came the Bishop of Rochester was receaued at the B. of Winchesters hands with much gladnes according to their determinate purpose before inuented And so followed the Archdeacon of Canterbury And then the Bishop agayne start vp as a man halfe rauished of his wittes for ioye embracing him with many gētle wordes and sayd that he was very glad of his comming making himselfe ignorant thereof as he thought it should appeare to me Then sayd Winchester B. Win. Syr I am very glad of your cōming For here I haue one before me who hath appealed vnto you being his Ordinary Then sayd the Archdeacon of Canterbury Arch. Cant. I know this man very well He hath bene diuers times before me And then I aunswered and sayd Gratw My Lorde I am not of his Dioces not by fiue miles for his Dioces reacheth on that parties but to the Cliffes of Lewes I dwelled at Bright Hempson fiue miles beyond in the Dioces of the Bishop of Chichester and therefore I am not of his Dioces Then the the Bishop of Winchester the B. of Rochester and the Archdeacon of Canterbury cast their heades together laughed and thē they sayd my Ordinary wold be here by and by so they sent forth for a counterfayte in steede of mine Ordinary and then I saw them laugh and I spake vnto them and sayd Grat. Why do ye laugh are ye confederate together for my bloud and therein triumph you haue more cause to looke waightely vpon the matter For I stand here before you vpon life and death But you declare youre selues what you are for you are lapped in Lambes apparell but I would to God ye had coates according to your assemblye here which is scarlet gownes for I do here perceiue you are bent to haue my bloud And then came rushing in their counterfayted Bishop who was the hyred seruaunt to deliuer me into the hands of the high Priest the Bishop hearyng him come with haste enquired of his man who was there and he sayd my lord of Chichester Then the Bish. with hast rose vp and sayd Wint. Ye are most hartily welcome and required him to sit downe and then sayd the Bishop of Winchester to me Loe here is your Ordinary What haue you nowe to saye vnto him Grat. I haue nothing to say vnto him If he haue nothing to say vnto me I pray you let me depart Then aunswered my Counterfeyt Ordinary and sayd Counterf Here you stand before my Lords and me in triall of your fayth and if you bring the trueth wee shall by compulsion geue place vnto you as it is to be proued by the word and your doctrine to be heard and placed for a truth Grat. Then I demaunded of him whether hee meant by authoritie or by the iudgement of the spirite of GOD in his members And he aunswered me by authoritie as well as by the spirite Grat. Then I sayd Nowe will I turne your own Argument vpon you for Christ came before the high priests Scribes and Phariseis bringing the truth with him beyng the very truth hymselfe which truth cannot lye yet both he and his truth was condemned and took no place with them And also the Apostles and all the Martyrs that dyed since Christ therefore I turne your owne argument vpon you aunswere it if you can Counterf Then he with a great hast of coller sayd vnto the Bishop of Winchester obiect some Articles agaynst hym for he is obstinate and would fayne get out of our handes therefore holde him to some particular so that other aunswere could I not haue of his argument Wint. Then the Bishop of Winchester began to reade hys obiections of his owne making agaynst me and bad me aunswere vnto them And I sayd Grat. No except you would set the law apart because I see you are
to Gods woorde And where as you doe laye vnto my charge that I shoulde denye the woordes of our Sauiour Iesus Christ Oh good Lord from whence commeth this rash hastie and vntrue iudgement Forsooth not from the spirite of truthe for he leadeth men into all truthe and is not the father of liers Whereupon should your Lordship gather or say of me so diffamously Wherefore I beseeche you if I denie the Scriptures Canonicall or anye parte thereof then let me die Tie the Priest My Lord he is a very sedicious fellow and perswadeth other men to doe as he himselfe doth contrary to the order appoynted by the Queenes highnesse and the Clergie of this Realme For a great sorte of the parish will be gathered one day to one place and an other day to an other place to heare him so that very fewe commeth to the Church to heare diuine seruice and this was not onely before that he was taken and brought vnto the Councell but also since his retourne home againe he hath done much harme For where both men and women were honestly disposed before by Saint Anne now are they as ill as he almoste And furthermore hee was not ashamed to withstande me before all the Parish saying that we were of the malignant churche of Antichrist and not of the true Church of Christ alledging a great manye of Scriptures to serue for his purpose saying Good people take heede and beware of these bloudthirsty dogges c. And then I commaunded the Constable to apprehend hym and so he did Neuerthelesse after thys apprehension the Constable let him goe about his businesse all the next day so that wythout putting in of suerties he lette him go into Suffolke and other places for no goodnesse I warrante you my Lorde It were almes to teache suche Officers theyr duetie howe they should let such rebels go at their owne libertie after that they be apprehended and taken but to keepe them fast in the stockes vntill they bring them before a Iustice. Rafe As I sayde before so say I nowe againe thou arte not of the Churche of Christe and that will I prooue if I may be suffered And where you said that you commaunded the Constable to apprehende mee you did so in deede contrary to the Lawes of this Realme hauing neither to lay vnto my charge Treason Fellonie nor murther no neither had you Precept Processe nor Warrante to serue on me and therefore I say without a law was I apprehended And whereas you seeke to trouble the Constable because he kept mee not in the stockes three dayes three nightes it doth shewe a parte what you are And my going into Suffolke was not for any euill but only to buye halfe a bushell of corne for bread for my poore wife children knowing that I had no longer time to tarrye wyth them But if I had runne away then you woulde surely haue laid somewhat to his charge Boner Goe to thou art a Marchant in deede Ah syrrha before God thou shalt be burnt with fire Thou knowest Richard Roth doest thou not Is hee of the same minde that thou art off or no canst thou tell Rafe He is of age to answer let him speake for himselfe for I heare say that he is in your house Boner Loe what a knaue heere is Goe Clunie fetche me Roth hither By my trouth he is a false knaue but yet thou art woorse then he Ah Syrha did not you sette your hand to a wryting the tenoure whereof was that if thou shoulde any time say or doe heretically then it shoulde be lawfull for mee to take thee as a Relaps and to proceede in sentence against thee Rafe Yea that is so But heere is to be asked whether it be sufficient that my hād or name wryting be able to geue authoritie to you or to any other to kill mee For if I by wryting canne doe so muche then must my authoritye be greater then yours Neuerthelesse I haue neither sayde nor done heretically but like a true Christian man haue I behaued my selfe And so I was committed into prison againe and the 24. day of the same month I was brought before the Bishop the Lord North D. Story and others and after a long talke in Latine amongst themselues vnto the which I gaue no answere because they spake not to mee although they spake of me at the last the Byshoppe sayde Boner How say you syrrha tell me briefly at one woord wilt thou be contented to goe to Fulham with me there to kneele thee downe at masse shewing thy self outwardly as though thou didst it with a good wil Go to speake Rafe I will not say so Boner Away with him away with him The 2. day of May I was brought before the byshop and three noble men of the counsell whose names I doe not remember Boner Lo my Lordes the same is this fellowe that was sent vnto me from the Counsell and did submit himselfe so that I had halfe a hope of him but by S. Anne I was alwayes in doubt of him Neuerthelesse he was with me and fared well and when I deliuered him I gaue hym money in his purse How sayest thou was it not so as I tell my Lordes heere Rafe In deede my Lorde I hadde meate and drynke enough but I neuer came in bed all the while And at my departing you gaue mee xij d howe be it I neuer asked none nor would haue done A Lorde Be good to him my Lorde Hee will be an honest man Boner Before God howe should I trust him He hathe once deceiued me already But ye shall heare what he wil say to the blessed Sacrament of the altare Howe say you sirha after the woordes of consecration be spoken by the priest there remaineth no bread but the very bodye of our sauiour Iesus Christ God and man and none other substance vnder the forme of bread Rafe Where finde you that my Lord wrytten Boner Lo Syr. Why Doeth not Christ saye This is my body Howe sayest thou Wilt thou denye these woordes of our Sauiour Christ Or els was he a dissembler speaking one thing and meaning an other Goe to nowe I haue taken you Rafe Yea my Lord you haue taken me in dede and will kepe me vntill you kill me How be it my Lord I maruel why you leaue out the beginning of the institution of the supper of our Lord For Christ sayde Take yee and eate yee this is my bodye And if it will please you to ioyne the former woordes to the latter then shall I make you an aunswer For sure I am that Christe was no dissembler neyther did he say one thing and meane an other Boner Why Then must thou needes saye that it is hys body for he sayeth it him selfe and thou confessest that he will not lie Rafe No my Lorde he is true and all menne are lyers Notwithstanding I vtterly refuse to take the woordes of our Sauior so
many promoters and vnneighborly neighbors to help them forwards By which kinde of people it is not vnlike these two godly yokefellowes were accused and taken and being once deliuered into the pitiles haÌ„dling of Boner their examinations ye may be sure were not long deferred For the 16. day of Iuly 1557. they were brought before him into hys palace at London Wher first he demaÌ„ded of the said Iames Austoo amongst other questions where he had bene confessed in Lent and whether he receiued the sacrament of the altare at Easter or not To whom he answered that in dede he had ben confessed of the curate of Aâ—halowes Barking â—e to the tower of London but that he had not receiued the sacrament of the altar for he defied it from the bottome of his heart Why quoth the Bishop doest thou not beleeue that in the sacrament of the altare there is the true body bloude of Christ. No sayd Austoo not in the Sacrament of the altar but in the Supper of the Lorde to the faithfull receiuer is the very body and bloud of Christ by faith Boner not well pleased with this talke asked then the wife how she did like the religion then vsed in this courâ—h of England Shee answered that shee beleeued that the same was not according to Gods word but false and corrupted and that they which did goe thereunto did it more for feare of the law then otherwise Then hee againe asked her if shee woulde goe to the Churche and heare Masse and pray for the prosperous estate of the king being then abroad in his affaires Whereunto she said that she defied the Masse with all her heart and that she would not come into any Churche wherein were Idols After this the Bish. obiected vnto them certaine articles to the number of 18. The tenor whereof because they touch only such common trifling matters as are already mentioned in diuers sondry places before I do here for breuitie sake omit and passe ouer geuing you yet this much to vnderstand that in the maters of faith they were as souÌ„d and answered as truly God be therfore praised as euer any did especially the woman to whom the Lord had geuen the greater knowledge and more feruentnes of spirit Notwithstanding according to the measure of grace that God gaue them they both stood most firmly vnto the truthe And therefore to conclude the 10. day of Sept. they were with Rafe Allerton of whoÌ„ ye haue heard brought againe before the bishop within his chappell at Fulham where he speaking vnto them said first on this wise Austoo doest thou knowe where thou art nowe and in what place and before whom and what thou hast to doe Yea quoth Austoo I knowe where I am For I am in an idols temple After which wordes their articles being againe red their constancie in faith perceiued Boner pronounced against either of them seuerally the sentence of coÌ„demnation and deliuering them vnto the sheriff there present did rid his hands as he thought of them but the Lorde in the ende will iudge that to whome I referre his cause It so happened vpon a night that as this Margerie Austoo was in the bishops prisone which prison I suppose was his dogge kennel for it was as is reported vnder a paire of staires by the bishops procurement there was sent a stoute champion as appeared about 12. of the clocke at nighte who suddenly opened the doore and with a knife drawen or ready prepared fell vppon her to the intent to haue cut her throte Which she by reason of the clearnes of the Moone perceiuing and calling vnto God for helpe he but who it was she knewe not geuing a grunt and fearing belike to commit so cruel a dede departed his waies without any more hurt doing The next night following they caused a great rumbeling to be made ouer her head which semed to her to haue bene some great thuÌ„der which they did for to haue feared her out of her wittes but yet thanks be to God they missed of their purpose Richard Roth. IN the godly felowship of the forenamed three Martyrs was also this Rich. Roth as is alreadye specified Who being apprehended and brought vp vnto the bish of London was by him examined the 4. day of Iuly at what time the bish did earnestly trauel to induce him to beleeue that there were 7. sacraments in Christes churche and that in the sacrament of the altar after the words of consecration duely spoken there remained the very substance of Christes body and bloud and none other Wherunto at the present he made only this aunsweare that if the scriptures did so teach him and that he might be by the same so perswaded he would so beleue otherwise not But at another examination which was the 9. day of Sept. he declared plainly that in the said sacrameÌ„t of the altar as it was then vsed there was not the very body and bloud of Christ but that it was a dead God and that the Masse was detestable and contrary to Gods holy woorde and will from the which faith and opinion he would not goe or decline The next daye being the 10. day of the same moneth of September the Bishop at his house at Fulham by waye of an article laid and obiected against him that he was a comforter and boldener of hereticks and therefore hadde wrytten a letter to that effect vnto certaine that were burned at Colchester the copie whereof ensueth A letter wrytten by Rich. Roth vnto certaine brethren and sisters in Christ condemned at Colchester and ready to be burned for the testimonie of the truth O Deare brethren and sisters how much haue you to reioyce in God that he hath geuen you such faith to ouercome thys bloud thirsty tyrants thus far and no doubt he that hathe begon that good worke in you wil fulfil it vnto the end O deâ—◠〈…〉 in Christ what a crowne of glory shall ye receiue with Christe in the kingdom of God Oh that it had bene the good will of God that I had ben ready to haue gon with you For I lie in my 〈◊〉 little ease in the day and in the night I lie in the Colehouse froÌ„ Rafe Allerton or any other and we loke euery day wheÌ„ we 〈◊〉 be condemned For he said that I shoulde be burned wythin 〈◊〉 daies before Easter but I lie still at the pooles brinke and euery man goeth in before mee but we abide paciently the lordes lâ—isure with many bandes in setters and stockes by the whiche we haue receiued great ioy in God And nowe fare you well deare brethren and sisters in this worlde but I trust to see you in the heauens face to face Oh brother Munt with your wife and my deare sister Rose how blessed are you in the Lord that God hath found you worthy to suffer for his sake with all the rest of my deare brethren sisters knowen vnknowen O be ioyful euen
vnderstandyng in the contentes of the same article 4. To the fourth he aunswered that hee did well like the Communion vsed in Kyng Edwardes dayes but sayde that he had not ministred or receyued the same here in England since the Queenes reygne neyther yet knewe any that had the bookes thereof But on the other side he knew many that had those bookes and that there also hee hadde receiued the Communion in sundrye places 5. The contentes of the fift he graunted to be true 6. To the sixt he confessed that he had bene familiar with diuers Englishe menne and women being in Friseland and agreed with them in opinion as Maister Scory Thomas Young George Roo and others to the number of one hundreth persons whiche fled thither for Religion vsing there the order set forth in the reigne of king Edward and otherwise he denyeth the contentes of thys Article 7. The contentes of the seuenth hee graunted in euery poynt to be true 8. To the eight he aunswered and confessed that sithens his last comming into England which was aboue the x. day of Nouember he had in sundry places in the suburbes of London prayed and read such prayers and seruice as is appoynted in the booke of the communion and hadde willed others to doe the like both men and women which he did know by sight but not by name Howbeit he didde neyther cause any to withdrawe themselues from the Latine seruice but he sayed that it were better to pray in a tongue that they didde vnderstande then in an vnknowne tongue 9. To the ninth he confessed that the time and place articulate he was present to heare and see a playe and there was apprehended by the Queenes Maiesties Vicechamberleyne with one Cutbert a taylour and one Hugh a hosier and diuers other both men and women whose names he knewe not and by him was brought before the Counsell who sent him vnto Newgate and from thence he was brought to the bishop And othewise he denieth the contentes of this Article Upon these answeres he was dismissed and the nexte day being the xix of December he was agayne brought before the sayd Byshop and others Who when they perceiued his constantnesse determined the nexte day after to bring him openly into the Consistory there to adiudge condemne him as an hereticke Whiche purpose they accomplished For the xx day at afternoone in the presence of the Byshops of London and S. Dauides with Fecknam Abbot of Westminster and others he was there produced Where after muche and many fayre perswasions Boner read vnto him the articles and aunsweres before mentioned in the which they charged him to haue receyued the orders of the church and therefore might not mary and that he had refused to consent vnto the Latine seruice then vsed in the Church Whereunto he then aunswered and sayde that theyr orders were no thing at all and that he being a Prieste might lawfully mary and that hys children whiche he had by his wife were lawfull And as touching the seruice then vsed he vtterly detested it saying that if he should liue as long as did Methusalach yet he would neuer come to the Church to heare the abhominable Masse and other seruice being as it was then Upō which wordes the Bishop proceeded to the actuall degradation of the sayde Rough exempting him from all the benefites and priuiledges of theyr Church and after condemning him as an hereticke committed his body to the secular power who taking him into their charge and custody caried him vnto Newgate Moreouer as touching the sayde M. Rough this is further to be noted that he being in the North country in the dayes of king Edward the sixt was the meane to saue Doctor Watsons life who in queene Maryes tyme was Byshop of Lincolne for a Sermon that hee made there The sayd Watson after that in the sayde dayes of Queene Marye being with Boner at the examination of the sayde M. Rough to requite the good turne in sauing his life de tected him there to be a pernicious hereticke who did more hurt in the North partes then an hundreth besides of hys opinions Unto whom M. Rough sayd agayne Why sir is this the rewarde I haue for sauing your life when you preached erroneous doctrine in the dayes of king Edward the sixt This M. Rough sayd he had liued thirty yeares and yet had neuer bowed his knee to Baall and being before Boner among other talke he affirmed that he hadde bene twise at Rome and there had sene playnely with his eyes whiche he had manye times heard of before namelye that the pope was the very Antichrist for there he saw him caried on mens shoulders and the false named sacrament borne before him Yet was there more reuerence geuen to him then to that which they counted to be theyr GOD. Whē Boner heard this rising vp and making as though he would haue torne his garmentes hast thou sayd hee bene at Rome and sene our holy father the Pope doest thou blaspheme him after this sort and with that flying vpon him he plucked of a piece of his beard and after making speedy haste to his death he burnt him half an houre before sixe of the clocke in the morning because the day belike shoulde not be farre spent before he had done a mischieuous deed Furthermore note that this Mayster Rough being at the burning of Austoo in Smithfield and returning home ward agayne met with one Mayster Farrar a Marchant of Hallifaxe who asked him where hee had beene Unto whō he aunswered I haue bene saith he where I would not for one of mine eyes but I had bene Where haue you bene sayd M. Farrar Forsoothe sayth hee to learne the way And so he tolde hym hee had bene at the burning of Austoo where shortly after he was burned hymselfe ¶ A letter written by Iohn Rough vnto certeine of his godly frendes confirming and strengthning them in the truth which he had before taught THe comfort of the holy Ghost make you able to geue consolation to others in these daungerous dayes when Sathan is let lose but to the triall onely of the chosen when it pleaseth our God to sift his wheat from the Chaffe I haue not leysure tyme to write the great tēptations I haue bene vnder I speak to Gods glory my care was to haue the senses of my soule open to perceiue the voyce of God saying Who so euer denyeth me before men him will I deny before my father and his aungels And to saue the life corporall is to lose the life eternall And he that will not suffer with Christ shall not reigne with him Therefore most tender ones I haue by Gods spirite geuen ouer the flesh with the fight of my soule and the spirite hath the victory The fleshe shall now ere it be long leaue of to sinne the spirite shall reigne eternally I haue chosē the death to confirme the truth by me
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
bene brought vp Wom. I haue vpon the sondayes visited the sermons and there haue I learned suche thinges as are so fixed in my brest that death shall not separate them Bish. O foolish woman who wil wast his breath vpoÌ„ thee or such as thou art But how chaunceth it that thou wentest away from thy husbande if thou were an honest woman thou wouldest not haue left thyne husband and children and runne about the country like a fugitiue Wom. Syr I laboured for my liuing And as my mayster Christ counselleth me when I was persecuted in one city I fled vnto another Bish. Who persecuted thee Wom. My husband and my children For when I woulde haue him to leaue Idolatry and to worship God in heauen he would not heare me but he with his children rebuked me and troubled me I fled not for whoredom nor for theft but because I would be no partaker with him his of that foule Idoll the Masse And whersoeuer I was as oft as I could vpon sondayes and holy dayes I made excuses not to go to the popish church Bish. Belike theÌ„ you are a good houswife to flee from your husband and also from the church Wom. My houswifry is but small but God geue me grace to go to the true church Bish. The true church what doest thou meane Woman Not your Popish Church full of Idolles and abominations but where three or foure are gathered together in the name of God to that Church wil I go as long as I liue Bish. Belike then you haue a Church of your owne Well let this mad woman be put down to prison vntil we send for her husband Wom. No I haue but one husband which is here already in this city and in prison with me from whom I will neuer depart and so theyr communication for that day brake of Blackstone and others perswaded the Bishop that she was a mazed creature and not in her perfect wit which is no new thing for the wisedome of God to appere foolishnes to carnall men of this world therfore they consulted together that she should haue liberty and go at large So the keper of the bishops prison had her home to his house where shee fell to spinning and carding and did all other worke as a seruant in the said kepers house went about the city when and whither she would and diuers had delight to talke with her And euer shee continued talking of the sacrament of the aultar Which of all thing they coulde least abide Then was her husband sent for but she refused to go home with him with the blemish of the cause and religion in defence wherof she there stood before the Bishop and the priestes Then diuers of the Priestes had her in handling perswading her to leaue her wicked opinion about the sacrament of the aultar the naturall body and bloud of our Sauiour Christ. But she made them aunsweare that it was nothing but very bread and wine and that they might be ashamed to say that a piece of bread should be turned by a man into the naturall body of Christ which bread doth vinow and Mice oftentimes do eate it and it doth â—ould is burned And sayde she Gods owne body wyll not be so handled nor kept in prison or boxes or aumbries Let it be your God it shall not be mine for my Sauiour sitteth on the right hand of God doth pray for me And to make that sacrameÌ„tal or significatiue bread instituted for a remeÌ„brance the very bodye of Christ and to worship it it is very foolishnes and deuillish deceit Now truly sayd they the deuill hath deceiued thee No sayd she I trust the liuing God hath opened mine eyes and caused me to vnderstand the right vse of the blessed sacrament which the true church doth vse but the false church doth abuse Then stept forth an old Frier and asked what she said of the holy Pope I sayd she say that he is Antichrist and the deuill Then they all laughed Nay sayde she you had more neede to weepe then to laugh to be sory that euer you were borne to be the chapleines of that whore of Babilon I defie him and all hys falshood and get you away froÌ„ me you do but trouble my conscience You would haue me folow your doinges I will first loose my life I pray you depart Why thou foolish woman sayd they we come to thee for thy profite and soules health O Lord God sayd she what profite riseth by you that teach nothing but lyes for trueth how saue you Soules when you preach nothing but damnable lyes and destroy soules How prouest thou that sayd they Do you not damne soules sayd she when you teache the people to worship Idolles Stockes and Stones the worke of mens handes and to worship a false GOD of your owne making of a piece of breade and teach that the Pope is Gods Uicar and hath power to forgeue sinnes and that there is a Purgatory when Gods sonne hath by his Passion purged all and say you make God and sacrifice him when Christes bodye was a Sacrifice once for all Doe you not teach the people to number theyr sinnes in your eares and say they be damned if they confesse not all when Gods word sayth Who can number hys sinnes Do you not promise them Trentals and Diriges masses for soules and sell your prayers for money and make them buy pardons and trust to such foolish inuentions of your owne imaginations Do you not altogether against God Doe you not teache vs to pray vpon Beades and to pray vnto Sayntes and say they can pray for vs Do you not make holy water and holy bread to fray Deuils Doe you not a thousand more abhominatioÌ„s And yet you say you come for my profite and to saue my soule No no one hath saued me Farewell you with your saluation Muche other talke there was betwene her and them which here were too tedious to be expressed In the meane time during this her monethes libertye graunted to her by the Byshop which we spake of before it happened that she entring in saynt Peters Church beheld there a cunning Dutchman how he made new noses to certayne fine Images whiche were disfigured in Kyng Edwardes time What a madde man art thou sayde she to make them new noses which within a few dayes shall all lose theyr heades The Dutchman accused her layde it hard to her charge And she sayd vnto him Thou art accursed and so are thy Images He called her Whoore. Nay sayd she thy Images are Whoores and thou art a Whore hunter for doth not GOD say You go a whoryng after straunge Gods figures of your owne making and thou art one of them Then was she sent for and clapped fast and from that time she had no more liberty Duringe the time of her imprisonment diuers resorted to her to visit her some sent of the byshop some of their
owne voluntary will amongest whō was one Daniell a great doer and preacher sometimes of the Gospell in the dayes of king Edward in those parties of Cornewall and Deuonshyre whom after that she perceiued by his owne confession to haue reuolted from that whiche he preached before through the grieuous imprisonmentes as he sayd and feare of persecution whiche he had partly susteined by the cruell Iustices in those parties earnestly she exhorted him to repent with Peter and to be more constant in his profession Moreouer there resorted to her a certeine worthy gentlewoman the wife of one Walter Rauley a womā of noble wit and of a good godly opinion came to the prisō talked with her she sayd her creede to the gentlewoman when she came to the Article· He ascended there she stayed and bade the Gentlewoman to seeke his blessed bodye in heauen not in earth told her playnly that God dwelleth not in temples made with handes that sacrament to be nothing els but a remembrance of his blessed passion yet sayd she as they now vse it it is but an Idoll far wide from any remembrance of Christes body which sayd she will not long continue so take it good maistres So that as soone as she came home to her husband she declared to him that in her life she neuer heard a woman of such simplicity to see to talk so godly so perfectly so sincerely so earnestly in so muche that if God were not with her shee could not speak such things to the which I am not able to answere her sayd she who can read and she can not Also there came to her one William Kede and Iohn his brother not onely brethren in the flesh but also in the truth and men in that Country of great credite whose father Robert Kede all his life suffered nothing but trouble for the Gospell These two good and faythfull brethrē were present with her both in the hall and also at the prison as they reported they neuer heard the like woman of so godly talke so faythfull or so constant as godly exhortations she gaue them Thus this good matrone the very seruant and handmayd of Christ was by many wayes tried both by harde prisonment threatninges tauntes and scornes called an Anabaptist a madde woman a drunkard a whoore a runnagate She was prooued by liberty to goe whither she would she was tryed by flattery with many fayre promises she was tryed with her husband her goodes and childred but nothing could preuayle her hart was fixed shee had cast her anker vtterly contēning this wicked world A rare ensample of constancy to all professors of Christes holy Gospell In the bill of my Information it is so reported to me that albeit shee was of suche simplicity and without learning yet you could declare no place of Scripture but she would tell you the Chapter yea she woulde recite to you the names of all the bookes of the Bible For whiche cause one Gregory Basset a rancke Papist sayd she was out of her wit and talked of the Scripture as a dogge rangeth farre of from his mayster whē he walketh in the fieldes or as a stolen sheepe out of his maisters handes she wist not wherat as all heretickes do with many other such taūtes which she vtterly defyed Whereby as almightye God is highly to be praysed working so mightely in such a weake vessell so men of stronger and stouter nature haue also to take example how to stand in like case whē as we see this poore woman how manfully she went through with such constancy and pacience At the last when they perceiued her to be past remedy and had consumed all theyr threatninges that by neyther prisonmēt nor liberty by manaces nor flattery they could bring her to sing any other song nor win her to their vanities and superstitious doinges then they cryed out An Anabaptist an Anabaptist Then at a daye they brought her from the Bishops prison to the Guildhall after that deliuered her to the tēporall power according to their custome where shee was by the Gentlemen of the countrey exhorted yet to call for grace to leaue her fond opinions And go home to thy husband sayd they thou art an vnlearned woman thou art not able to answere to such high matters I am not sayd she yet with my death I am content to be a witnes of Christs death and I pray you make no lōger delay with me my hart is fixed I will neuer otherwise say nor turne to theyr superstitious doinges Then the bishop sayd the deuill did lead her No my Lord sayd she it is the spirite of God whiche leadeth me and which called me in my bed at midnight opened his truth to me Thā was there a great shout and laughing among the priestes and other During the time that this good poore woman was thus vnder these priestes handes amongest many other baytinges and sore conflictes whiche she susteyned by thē here is moreouer not to be forgotten howe that Mayster Blaxton aforesayd being treasurer of the Church had a concubine which sundry times resorted to him with other of his gossips so that alwayes when they came this sayde good woman was called forth to his house there to make his miniō with the rest of the company some myrth he examining her with suche mocking gyruing deriding the truth that it would haue vexed any christian hart to haue seene it Then when he had long vsed his foolishnes in this sort had sported himselfe enough in deriding this christian martyr in the end he sent her to prison agayne and there kept her very miserablye sauing that sometimes he would send for her when his foresayd guest came to him to vse with her his accustomed folly aforesaid But in sine these vile wretches after many combates and scoffing perswasions whē they had played the part of the cat with the mouse at length condemned her and deliuered her ouer to the secular power Then the Indictment beyng geuen and read whiche was that she should go to the place whence she came and from thence to be led to the place of execution then there to bee burned with flames till shee shoulde bee consumed shee lifted vppe her voyce and thanked GOD saying I thanke thee my Lord my God this daye haue I founde that which I haue long sought But such outcries as ther were agayne and such mockings were neuer seene vpō a poore seely woman Al which she most paciently took And yet this fauour they pretended after her iudgement that her life should be spared if she would turne recant Nay that will I not sayd she God forbyd that I shoulde loose the life eternall for this carnall and shorte life I wyll neuer turne from my heauenly husband to my earthly husband from the feloshippe of aungels to mortall children And if my husband and children be faythfull then am I
theirs God is my father God is my mother God is my Sister my Brother my Kinsman God is my frend moste faythfull ¶ The cruell burning of a woman at Exeter Touching the name of this woman as I haue nowe learned she was the wife of one called Prest dwelling in the Dioces of Exeter not farre from Launceston ¶ The Persecution and Martyrdome of three godly men burnt at Bristow about the latter yeares of Queene Maries reigne IN writing of the blessed Sayntes which suffered in the bloudy dayes of queene Mary I had almost ouerpassed the names and story of three godly Martyrs whiche with theyr bloud gaue testimony likewise to the gospell of Christ being condemned and burnt in the town of Bristow The names of whom were these Richard Sharpe Thomas Benion Thomas Hale First Richarde Sharpe Weauer of Bristowe was brought the 9. day of Marche an 1556. before M. Dalbye Chauncellour of the Towne or City of Bristow and after examination concerning the sacrament of the aultar was perswaded by the sayde Dalbye and others to recant and the 29. of the same moneth was enioyned to make his recantation before the Parishioners in his parish Churche Which whē he had done he felt in his cōscience such a tormenting hell that he was not able quietly to worke in his occupation but decayed and chaunged both in colour and liking of his body Who shortly after vpon a sonday came into his parish Church called Temple after high masse came to the queere doore sayd with a loud voyce Neighbors beare me recorde that yonder Idoll and poynted to the aultar is the greatest and most abhominable that euer was and I am sory that euer I denied my Lord GOD. Then the Constables were commaunded to apprehende him but none stepped forth but suffered him to goe out of the Church After by night he was apprehended and caried to Newgate shortly after he was brought before the sayd Chauncellor denying the sacrament of the aultar to be the body bloud of Christ sayd it was an Idoll and therfore was cōdemned to be burnt by the sayd Dalby He was burnt the 7. of May. 1557. and dyed godly paciently and constantly confessing the articles of our fayth ¶ Thomas Hale Martyr THe Thursday in the night before Easter .1557 came one M. Dauid Herris Alderman Iohn Stone to the house of one Thomas Hale a Shoomaker of Bristowe caused him to rise out of his bedde brought hym foorth of his dore To whō the said Tho. Hale said You haue sought my bloud these two yeares now much good do it you with it Who being committed to the watchmen was caried to Newgate the 24. of April the yere aforesaid was brought before M. Dalby the Chancelor committed by him to prison after by him condemned to be burnt for saying the sacrament of the altar to be an Idoll He was burned the 7. of May with the foresayd Rich. Sharpe godly paciently and constantly embracing the fire with his armes Two Godly Martyrs burned at Bristow Richard Sharpe Thomas Hale were burned both together in one fire and bound backe to backe Thomas Benion THomas Benion a Weauer at the commaundement of the Commissioners was brought by a Constable the thirtenth daye of August 1557. before Mayster Dalbye Chauncellour of Bristow who committed him to pryson for saying there was nothing but bread in the Sacrament as they vsed it Wherefore the twenty day of the sayd August he was condemned to be burnt by the sayd Dalby for denying fiue of theyr Sacramentes and affirming two that is the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ and the Sacrament of Baptisme He was burnt the seuen and twenty of the sayd moneth and yeare and dyed godly Thomas Benion burned at Bristow constantly and patiently with confessing the articles of our christian fayth ¶ The Martyrdome of fiue constant Christians which suffered the last of all other in the time of Queene Mary THe last that suffred in Queene Maries time were fiue at Caunterburye burned about sixe dayes before the death of Queene Mary whose names follow here vnder written Iohn Corneford of Wortham Christopher Browne of Maydstone Iohn Herst of Ashford Alice Snoth Katherine Knight otherwise called Katherine Tynley an aged woman These fiue to close vp the finall rage of queene Maries persecution for the testimony of that word for whiche so many had died before gaue vp theyr liues meekly and paciently suffering the violent malice of the Papistes Which Papists although they then might haue either well spared them or els deferred theyr death knowing of the sicknesse of Queene Mary yet such was the implacable despite of that generation that some there be that say the Archdeacō of Canterbury the same time being at London vnderstanding the daunger of the Queene incontinently made al post hast home to dispatch these whom before he had thē in his cruell custody The matter why they were iudged to the fire was for beleuing the body not to be in the sacrament of the aulter vnlesse it be receiued saying moreouer that we receiue an other thing also beside Christes body which we see and is a temporall thing according to S. Paule The thinges that be sene be temporall c. Item for confessing that an euill man doth not receiue Christes body Because no man hath the sonne except it be geuen him of the father Item that it is Idolatry to creepe to the crosse and S. Iohn forbidding it sayth Beware of Images Itē for confessing that we should not pray to our Lady and other Sayntes because they be not omnipotent For these and such other articles of Christian doctrine were these fiue committed to the fire Agaynst whom whē the sentence shoulde be read and they excommunicate after the maner of the papistes one of them Iohn Cornford by name styrred with a vehemēt spirit of the zeale of god proceeding in a more true excōmunication agaynst the papistes in the name of them all pronounced sentēce against them in these wordes as folow In the name of our Lord Iesus Christ the sonne of the most mighty God and by the power of his holy spirite the authority of his holy catholick Apostolick church we do geue here into th◠handes of Satan to be destroyed the bodies of all those blasphemers hereticks that do mainteine any error agaynst his most holy word or do cōdemne his most holy truth for heresy to the mainteinaunce of any false Churche or fayned Religion so that by this thy iuste iudgement O most mighty God against thy aduersaries thy true religion may be knowne to thy great glory and our comfort and to the edifying of al our natiō Good Lord so be it Amen This sentence of excommunication beyng the same time openly pronounced and registred proceeding so as it seemeth from an inwarde fayth and hartye zeale to Gods trueth and
barbarous nations of all countries and sortes of men were they neuer so wylde euermore made their prayes and sacrifices to their Gods in their owne mother tongue Which is a manifest declaratioÌ„ that it is the very light and voyce of nature ¶ Thus much vpon the ground of S. Paule and other reasons out of the Scriptures ioyning therewith the common vsage of all nations as a testimony of the lawe of nature Now for the second part of the assertion which is that the vse of a strange tongue in publike prayer and administration of sacraments is against the custome of the Primitiue church which is a matter so cleare that the deniall of it must needes proceed either of great ignorance or els of wilfull malice For first of all Iustinus Martyr describing the order of the communion in his tyme sayth thus Die solis vrbanorum ac rusticorum coetus fiunt vbi Apostolorum prophetarumque literae quoad fieri potest praeleguntur Deinde cessante lectore praepositus verba facit adhortatoria ad imitationeÌ„ tam honestarum rerum inuitans Posthaec consurgimus omnes preces offerrimus quibus sinitis profertur vt diximus panis vinum aqua tum praepositus quantum potest preces offert gratiarum actiones plebs vero Amen accinit That is to saye Uppon the Sonday assemblies are made both of the citizens and countreymen whereas the writings of the Apostles and of the Prophets are red as much as may be Afterwards when the Reader doth cease the head minister maketh an exhortation exhortyng them to folâ—ow so honest thyngs After this we rise altogether and offer praiers which beyng ended as we haue sayde bread wine water are brought forth Then the hed Minister offreth prayers and thansgeuing as much as he can and the people answereth Amen ☞ These wordes of Iustine who liued about 160. yeares after Christ considered with their circumstaunce declare playnely that not onely the Scriptures were red but also that the prayers and administration of the Lords supper were done in a tongue vnderstanded Both the Liturgies of Basil and Chrysostom declare that in the celebration of the Communion the people wer appointed to answer to the prayer of the Minister sometymes Amen sometymes Lord haue mercy vppon vs sometymes and with thy spirite and we haue our hartes lifted vp vnto the Lord c. Which aunswers they coulde not haue made in due tyme if the prayers had not bene made in a tong vnderstanded And for further proofe let vs heare what Basill writeth in this matter to the Clarkes of Neocaesarea Caeterum ad obiectum in Psalmodijs crimen quo maxime simpliciores terrent calumniatores c. As touching that is layed to our charge in Psalmodies and songs wherwith our slaunderers doe fraie the simple I haue thus to say that our customes and vsages in all Churches be vniforme and agreeable For in the night the people with vs riseth goeth to thâ— house of prayer and in trauaile tribulation and continual teares they confesse themselues to God and at the last rising agayne go to their songs or Psalmody where being deuided into two partes sing by course together both deepely weying and confirmyng the matter of the heauenly sayinges and also stirring vp their attention and deuotion of heart which by other meanes bee alienated and plucked away Then appoynting one to beginne the song the rest followe and so with diuers songes and prayers passing ouer the nyght at the dawnyng of the day altogether euen as it were with one mouthe and one heart they sing vnto the Lord a song of Confession euery man framyng to hymselfe meete wordes of repentaunce If you will flie vs from hencefoorth for these thynges ye must flie also the Egyptians and both the Libianes ye must eschew the Thebanes Palestines Arabians the Phenices the Syrians and those that dwell besides Euphrates And to be short all those with whome watchinges prayers and common singyng of Psalmes are had in honour ⧠Testimonies of S. Ambrose written vpon the 14. to the Corinth the first epistle Super illud qui enim loquitur linguis HOc est quod dicit quia qui loquitur incognita lingua c. This is it that he sayth because he which speaketh in an vnknowen tongue speaketh to God For he knoweth all thyngs but men know not therfore there is no profit of this thyng ¶ The same author afterwardes Super illud si benedixeris spiritu Hoc est si laudem dei lingua loquaris ignota c. Uppon these wordes if thou blesse or geue thanks with the spirit how shall he that occupieth the roume of the vnlearned say Amen at the geuyng of thankes seeyng he vnderstandeth not what thou sayest That is sayth Ambrose if thou speake the prayse of God in a tongue vnknowen to the hearers For the vnlearned hearing that which he vnderstandeth not knoweth not the end of the prayer and he answereth not AmeÌ„ That is as much to say as true that the blessing or thaÌ„ksgeuing may bee confirmed For the confirmation of the prayer is fulfilled by them which do answer Amen That all things spoken might be confirmed in the mindes of the hearers through the testimony of the truth ¶ Afterward in the same place vpon these wordes if any Infidell or vnlearned come in Quum enim intelligit intelligitur c. For when hee vnderstandeth and is vnderstanded hearing God to bee praysed and Christ to bee worshipped he seeth perfectly that the religion is true and to be reuerenced wherein he seeth nothyng to be done colourably nothyng in darkenesse as among the Heathen whose eyes are couered that they seyng not the thyngs which they call holy might perceyue themselues to be deluded with diuers vanities For all falsehood seketh darkenes and sheweth false things for true Therefore with vs nothing is done priuily nothing couertly but one God is simply praysed of whom are all things and one Lord Iesus by whom are all things For if there be none which can vnderstand or of whome hee may be tried he may say there is some deceit and vanitie which is therfore song in tongues not vnderstanded hee meaneth because it is a shame to open it Vpon this place Omnia ad aedificationem fiant Conclusio haec est vt nihil incassum in ecclesia geratur hocque elaborandum magis vt imperiti proficiant ne quid sit corporis per imperitiam tenebrosum Let all thyngs be done to edifie This is the conclusion that nothyng should be done in the Church in vayne and that this thyng ought chiefly to bee laboured for that the vnlearned also myght profite least any part of the body should bee darke thorough ignoraunce Agayne Si non fuerit interpres taceat in Ecclesia Hoc est intra se tacitè oret aut loquatur deo qui audit muta omnia In Ecclesia enim ille debet loqui qui
mentioned pag. 1555. woulde not suffer bishop Farrer when he was at the stake to bee burnt to speake his mynd and about halfe a yeare after the said Doc. Leison died and when he would haue spoke himselfe he could not The trouble and examination of Thomas Hitton Martyr with his examinations answers condemnation and Martyrdome An. Dom. 1529. the 20. of February THomas Hitton of Martham in the Diocesse of Norwich an honest poore man and religious euer fearyng God from his youth and louyng his worde When persecution for the same word in the dayes of king Henry the 8. grew to bee somewhat hote tooke his iourney toward Rochester in Kent intendyng to haue gone to Douer so to haue crossed the seas into Fraunce and other countries for a tyme where reposing himself a while he might be free from the heat of persecution As he was goyng on his intēded iourny one Thomas Swainesland Baily to William Warrham Archbish. of Canterbury meting him by the way and suspecting him to be as they called them an heretike caused him to be staied and brought before the said William Archb. of Cant. his maister who demanded of him from whence he came and whether he intended to haue gone if he had not bene intercepted The sayd Tho. answered that he came out of the Dioces of Norwich and purposed to haue gone beyond the seas if God had so permitted Then the Bishop asked him if he had euer bene beyond the seas before and what bookes he had brought ouer He answered that he had bene once beyond the seas before and had brought certaine bookes with hym from thence namely two new Testaments and one Primer in English The Bishop asked him to whome hee gaue the sayde bookes He aunswered he would not declare For saieth he such is your bloudy crueltie that you woulde neuer sleepe quietly till you had sucked their bloude as you meane to do myne The Bishop seyng he could extort no more out of him and perceiuyng his constant spirite and feruent zeale to the truth commanded hym to prison till further oportunitie might serue for the shedding of his bloud The second appearance of Thomas Hitton before the said Archb. of Cant. WIthin a while after the bishop commanded the sayd Thomas to be brought before him agayne who demanded of him how he iudged and beleued of the religion then in force and of the authoritie of the bishop of Rome The said Thomas answered that the religion then vsed was most abhominable idolatry and contrary to the holy word of God And as for the Pope quoth he he is Antichrist the first borne of Sathan and hath no more power or authoritie then any other bishop hath in his owne diocesse nor so much neither The Bishop hearing this was in such a peltyng chafe that at that tyme he would talk no more with hym but returned hym from whence he came namelye to Bocardo with commaundement to appere before him agayne vpon the 13. day of the same month folowyng at his Manor of Knoll to aunswer to such Articles and Interrogatories as should be obiected ex officio against hym The third appearance of Tho. Hitton before the said Archb. of Cant. THe sayd Thomas Hitton at the day prefixed made his personall appearance before the bishop at the place appointed to whom the Bishop ministred certaine articles and interrogatories for him to aunswer vnto commaundyng him to sweare to answer truly and vnfainedly vnto them and euery part of them The sayd Tho. Hitton refused to sweare saying It is against Gods lawes and good conscience for any man to sweare to shed hys owne bloud for so he should be a murtherer of hymselfe and become guiltie of his owne death But yet notwithstādyng that he refused to sweare to aunswer yet he answered truly and directly to euery perticular Article and Interrogatorie propounded vnto hym but so as was finally to their contentation yet no doubt to the great glory of God and comfort of the godly This done the Bishop brake of hys session for that tyme and commaunded him to prison agayne and to appeare before hym in the place aforesayde vpon the Friday next followyng to aunswer further as should be demaunded of hym granting him liberty withall to adde too or subtract from his former aunswers eyther els vtterly to deny and reuoke the same The fourth appearance of Tho. Hitton before the said Archb. of Cant. THe day and tyme approching the sayd Thom. Hitton appeared agayne accordingly and hauing heard hys former aunswers and confessions distinctly by the Notarie red vnto hym hee reformed them in certaine pointes to some he added from other some he subtracted but none he denied Then the Bishop perceiuyng his vnmoueable constancie in the truth setting learnyng and reason apart beyng not able to conuince him by arguments and truth nor yet to improoue the spirite which spake in hym fell to exhortyng of him to haue respect to his soules health and not so wilfully as he termed it to cast away himselfe for euer but to repent and to abiure his errors and in so doyng he would be good vnto him he sayd When the bishop with all his perswasions could doe no good with hym to withdraw him from the truth of gods word then the doctors and other the assistants attempted the lyke all which notwithstanding the said Thomas Hitton would not desist nor shrinke one iote from the truth but both affirmed and confirmed his former articles and confessions to the ende Inferring withall that they sinned against the holy Ghost in as much as they knew that Gods worde was the truth and that the Masse and all popish religion is nothing els but Idolatry lies and open blasphemy against the maiestie of God and his word and contrary to Gods word in euery respect and yet they would allowe and maintaine the same contrary to their owne consciences whereat all the Bench was greatly offended commaunded him to prison agayne assignyng him a day to come before them agayne The fift appearance of Tho. Hitton before the said Archb. of Cant. AT the day appointed the said Tho. Hitton appeared to whom the bishop sayd Thomas doest thou beleeue that any man either spirituall or temporall is of sufficient authoritie to set forth any lawe or sanction of himselfe the breach whereof is Mortall or Ueniall sinne To whome Tho. Hitton answered that no man either spirituall or temporall might make any lawe or sanction the breache whereof is mortall or veniall sinne except the same lawe or sanction bee drawen out of the worde of God or els grounded vppon the same with a good conscience And therfore neither the church cannot set forth any lawe the breach whereof is Mortall or Ueniall sinne vnlesse it bee grounded vpon the word of God also But if any man or the church of God it selfe do set forth any lawe grounded vpon the word of God good conscience the breach thereof to
church of Christ. 1811.1812 Bishops of the popes making displaced 2102. Bishops of Rome a great many Martyrs 95. Bishops and priests of England against Images 131. Bilney Martyr his excellent story 998. articles obiected against him 1001. his notable dialogue .1002 his recantation .1003 he burneth his hand and fingers in a candle .1012 his constant and glorious martyrdome 1013. Bill set vpon the townehouse doore at Ipswich 1232. Bindyng and loosing what it is and how it is done by the ministers 1106 Bindyng and loosing of Satan examined 398. Bibliothecarie of the Popes suspected and why 4. Bibles printed at Paris .1191 staid by English bishops ibid. Bibliades Martyr 47. B O. Body of Christ is locall and but in one place at once 1128. Bodies of christians not permitted to be buried 37. Body of Christ cannot be the Sacrament of his body 1137. Body must ioyne with the spirite mynd in the seruing of god 1908 Bohemians their tragicall story trouble and persecution for the truth 588. Bohemians wholy against the pope and his doynges .589 writte in the behalfe of Iohn Hus .602 their godly exhortation to kinges and princes .653 sent for to the Councell of Basill their safe cōduct for their comming thether and the maner of their receiuyng there .657.675 wherein they disented from the church of Rome .657 their goyng vp to the councell .691 their articles debated of .692 they are permitted to haue Communion vnder both kynds .694 their petitions to the councell 693.696 Bookes of holy scripture which be autentique 61. Bookes of scripture burned consumed 77. Bookes of scripture burned by K. Henry the 8. 1246. Bookes forbid by K. Henry the 8. to be printed 1134. Bookes translated by Alfrede 144 Bookes against transubstantiation burned by the papists 1141. Bookes of Latine seruice suppressed and abolished 1330 Bookes of Luther burned in chepeside 1207 Bookes of conclusion for reformation exhibited to the parliament 507. Bookeseller with Bibles about his necke burned 947. Booke of Cranmer loste in the Thames found and deliuered to a popish priest 1185 Booke called opus tripartitum 200. Bookes of common prayer by kyng Edward .6 1303 Bookes restrained by Queen Mary 1598 Bookes hard to be got for Friers 411. Bookes in English forbidde by the bishops 1017.1018 Booke whether lawfull to sweare by it or not 529. Bones of P. Martirs wife in Oxford taken vp buried in a dung hil by the papists reduced againe interred in a decent tombe 1968 Bones of Wickliff burned after his death 463. Boniface the 7. drawn through the streetes in Rome 159. Boniface Archb. of Magunce hys popish acts 129. Boniface his abhominable lyfe hee had rather be a dog then a Frēchmā .344 accused of infinit crimes 345. Boniface 8. besieged taken prisoner his infinite treasure .348 his death 349 Boniface 8. author of the decretals 342 Boniface 8.2 his pride and shamefull death 159.342 Boniface 1. falsifieth the councel of Nice 4. Boniface an Englishman Archbishop of Mentz in Germany 128 Boniface 3.1.2 first bringers in of the Popes vsurped supremacie 120. Boners visitation with his ridiculous behauiour at certain places .1474 his Mandate to abolish scriptures and writings vppon churchwals .1475 hys preface to Winchesters booke De vera obedientia 1060 Boners whole history with his actes and doyngs .1292.1296 sent as Embassadour into Fraunce hys letters to the L. Cromwel .1088 1089. his comming vp by the gospell .1092 his letter to Clunny for the abolishing of images .1293 committed to the Marshalsee .1296 his continuāce there .2125 pro. esse against hym .1309 hys recantation .1310 he is enioyned to preach at Paules crosse ibid. leaueth out the article of the kings authoritie .1311 conuented before the commissioners with hys behauiour there .1312 his protestation .1313 his answers to the articles obiected agaynste hym .1319 his interrogatories .1320 hee refuseth Secretary Smith .1324 his appeale .1325 depriued 1329. his letters and supplications 1330 Boners death and filthy end 2114 Boniface 3. Bishop of Rome obtained of Phocas to be called vniuersall Bishop 782. Bonauenture author of our Ladies Psalter .1598 compiler of the rosarie of our Lady no lesse blasphemous than the other 1601. Bongey Martyr his story martyrdome 1714. Bongeor martyr burned at Colchester his story 2007.2008 Borthwicke Knight his story .1259 Articles against him with his answeres to the same .1260 his great commendation withall his condemnation for the truth 1265. Breaking of the hoste 1404. Brewster Martyr 818. Browne Martyr 805.1292.1293 Bowyer Martyr his story martyrdome 1914. Bosomes wife her trouble and deliuery 2072. Bosworth field 722. Bostone pardons .1178 theyr excessiue price ibid. Boston burned 339. Bourne his Sermon at Paules Crosse where hee had a dagger throwne at him 1409.1407 Bourne deliuered from the rage of the people at Paules Crosse thorow the meanes of Maister Bradford preacher and martyr 1604. Boulstring of falshood and iniquitie 1755. Bowchurch rose in London ouerthrowne with 600. houses with a tempest 184. Boyes 300. placed in benefices in England by the Pope 287. Boyes beaten by Boner in goyng to Fulham 2062. B. L. Blacke friers there originall 259. Blacke heath field 800. Blage Knight his great trouble and persecution 1245. Bland preacher and martyr hys story .1665 apprehended .1666 his confutation of the popishe transubstantiation .1671.1672 hys martyrdome 1673.1676 Blaudina her cruell handling by the Ethnikes her paciēce constancie and martyrdome 46.37 Blasphemy punished 2103. Blasphemy of the Popes religion 726. Blacke Crosse of Scotland 375. Black friers by Ludgate built 339. Bloud and strangled why forbid in the primitiue Church 56. Bloud rayned in Yorke 132 Bloud of hayles .1110 proued to be the bloud of a ducke 1742. Bloud of Christians spilt to cease the sweating sickenes 885. Blondus taken with a lye in writing in the Popes behalfe 303.304 Blomfield persecutor his death 2101. B. R. Bradford Saunders and others theyr declaration out of prison concerning the disputation 1470. Bradford martyr his excellent story .1603 cast into prison .1604 his examinations and answeres .1606.1608.1609 his talk with certayn Bish. 1615.1616 wyth friers 1617. his condemnation .1623 his constant death martyrdome .1624 his letters 1625 1628.1630 Bradway persecutor bereft of hys wittes 2101 Brasen Nose Colledge in Oxford built 820. Bradbridge Martyr her story 1979. Bradbrige Martyr his story 1970 Brodbrige Martyr 1708. Bread and wine why geuen in the sacrament of the Lordes supper 1973. ought not a◠any hād to be worshipped 1974. Bread representeth the bodye of Christ. 1128. Bradbriges widow and Martyr her story and martyrdome 1980 1981. Britayne inuaded by the Saxons and deuided into 7. kingdomes how wekened and destroyed of the Saxons 108.109 Britayne kinges who they were 108. Britaynes and Scotte◠vsed not the rites of Rome 119. Britaynes neuer persecuted before Dioclesian 108. Britaynes destroyed and the causes why 114. Britaynes persecuted by the heathen Saxons 113. Britaynes called to the fayth by the speciall election of God 480.
1742. fell out of the pulpit and brake his legge 1743 Hudson Martyr his story and persecution 1970. Hudson Martyr his story 2035. Hugh Foxe Martyr his story and martyrdome 2033.2034 Hugo Bishop of Lincolâ—e redeemeth hys Byshoppricke for a 1000. markes 258. Hugo de sancto victore 201. Hugh Lauerocke martyr 1910 Hugh Pye Priest 660. Hugh Spencer hys sonne there exceeding and far surmounting pride .371 executed as they well deserued 373. Hugh Latimer martyr his actes doinges 1730. first a Papist conuerted by M. Bilney ibid. his exellente sermon in Cambridge of the Cardes .1731.1732.1734 his story in sauing a poore woman .1735 his reply to a certayne barking frier in Cambridge .1734 1735. cited 1736. his letter to the archbishop of Canterbury 1736.1737 Articles deuised by the bishop for him to subscribe vnto 1737. made Bishop of Worcester 1738. preacheth before K. Edw. 6. 1739. cast into the Tower .1740 his letter to M. Morice .1741 writ agaynst by Sherwoode .1743 hys aunswere .1744 his other godly letters to sondry persons .1746.1748.1750 1752.1755 his appearaunce before the Commissioners .1762 hys examination and answeres .1763.1766 hys martyrdome death in Oxford 1769.1770 Huggard meeter to eate a puddyng rather then to dispute of Scripture 1591. Hulderiche byshop of Ashborough his exile in defence of Priestes mariage 137. Hull seruaunt to Doctor Taylour 1520. Hullier his story and martyrdome .1907.1908.1909 a note of hym further 2004. Hullier martyr hys story 1906.1907 Humfrey Duke Lord protectour agaynst the Cardinall of Winchester 703. hys articles exhibited agaynst the sayde Cardinall 704. his story and death 704.705.706 Humfrey Middleton Martyr hys story and persecution .1673 hys martyrdome 1676 Humfrey Mummouth hys story 997. Humanitie of Christe cannot be in many places at once 1687.1951 Humilitie the porâ—er of Chrystes schoole 1788. Hunne martyr hys story 805. articles obiected agaynst him with hys aunsweres .806 murthered in prison .806.807 burned after hys death .808 hys defence agaynst Syr Thomas More and Ala. Copus 811. Hunter hys letter to hys mother 2150. Huniades gouernour of Hungary 720. Huniades hys victoryes agaynst the Turkes 740. Hunt confessor his story 2054. Hunter martyr hys excellent story 1536.1577 Hurst deliuered by Gods prouidence 2075.2076.2077 Hurst Martyr 1914.1915 Hurly burly betweene Popes 200 Hus his publique defence of Wickliffe 451.452.453 Hus hys excellent story cited by the pope and excommunicate .588 banished Prage .590 hys obiections agaynst the Doctours degrees .599.590 his safe conduct with hys letters certificatory of hys goyng vpp to the Councell .596 hys personall appearaunce before the Pope and Cardinals 599. falleth sicke in prison hathe articles obiected agaynst hym with his aunsweres 600. hys books writteÌ„ in prison .601 his protestation .604 hys false accusations .606 hys appeale from the Councell .611 his degradation .623 hys sentence definitiue of condemnation .622.624 hys deathe and martyrdome for the gospell of Iesus Christ .624 his letters 626.627.628 Hutt martyr her story and martyrdome 1910.1911 I A. IAcobus Latomus enemy to the gospel brought to madnes and desperation 2106 Iacobus Misnensis an olde auncient writer agaynst the Pope 420 Iacobus priest Martyr 98 Iackson his story 1950.1949 Iackson Martyr his story martyrdome 1914.1915 Iacke Cade 711 Iacke Straw his rebellion in england 434 Iacke Upland 261.264 Iames Abbes Martyr hys story 1683 Iames Ashley Martyr hys storye and martyrdome 2047 Iames Austoo Martyr his story and martyrdome 2013.2014.2016.2017.2018.2019 Iames Bainham Martyr .1027 articles ministred agaynst hym he submitteth hymselfe .1028 his abiuration and penance .1030 he returneth to the truth again and is condemned .1029 hys godly death and martyrdome 1030 Iames Brewster Martyr 818. Iames George his death in prison and buried in the fields 1482 Iames Gore his trouble for the gospell died in prison 1795 Iames Harris scourged 2062 Iames Morden martyr his story and martyrdome 774 Iames Morton martyr 1207 Iames Morris Martyr his story and martyrdome 1983.1984 Iames the apostle elected bishop of Ierusalem .32.33 cast downe from the pynacle of the Church and Martyred for the trueth of Iesus Christ. ibid. his accuser conuerted martyred with him ibid. Iames the apostle how it chanceth that he is thought of some to bee the setter vp of the masse 1401 Iames Pilkington his sermon at the restoring of Mar. Bucer Paulus Phagius again 1966.1967 Iames Tuttie Martyr 1708 Iames Tyrrell a bloudy murtherer 728 Iames Treuisam buried in the fieldes and summoned after hys death 1665 Iane daughter to Henrye Lorde Gray Duke of Suffolk proclaimed Queene .1406 beheaded immediatly after .1422 her Epitaph 1423. her godly letters 1420 Iane Lady her lamentable storye trouble and death 1419.1420.1422 Iane Lady wife to the Lord Gilford brought into displeasure with the Lady Mary for her Godlye zeale by Lady Anne Wharton 2128 Iane Queene maried to K. Henry the 8. 1083. her death in child-bed 1087 Ianizarie amongest the Turkes what they be 741.730 I D. Idle and vayne swearing pestiferous 538 Idolatry offensiue to Infidels 1001 Idoll and Image their difference 1588 I E. Iewes destroyed .235 one baptised and after reuolted agayne ibid. they slayne theyr houses burnt in London ibid. they crucifye a childe at Lincolne .327 at Norwich another 201 banished out of England and Fraunce 327 Iew through his owne superstitioÌ„ drowned in a Priuy 327 Theyr fayth 22 Iewes burnt at Northhampton 327 Iew martyred in Turky kept still his colour sauor lying 3. dayes in the streetes 972 Iewes destroyed by Titus Uaspasion .31 their second destruction .41 euer enemies to Christians 43 Ieffrey Hurst deliuered by Gods prouidence 2075.2076.2077 I G. Ignatius his martyrdome deuoured with wilde beastes His godly life and Christian zeale 40.41 Ignoraunce of the trueth will not excuse any man 1775 I L. I le of Wight last conuerted to the fayth of Christ. 124 Ile of Ely assaulted by Prince Edward 335 I M. Imber fast first ordeyned by whoÌ„ and where 58.197 Images in England abolished 1095.1096 Image of the Trinity an abhominable thing 508.534 Images with theyr false lying miracles reproued 534. Images not to be worshipped 470 563.564.1110 Images subuerted by Emperours and maynteined by the Pope 129 Images of God what be 1111 Images suppressed by kinge Edward the 6. 1300 Image maker burned in Spayne for the trueth of Christes Gosspell 930 Images are not to be worshipped adored ne to be placed in Churches or oratories 2128.2129.2130.2131.2132 Images good to roste a shoulder of mutton by but good for nothing els 2144 Images destroyed at Zuricke 869 Images of the Gentiles and of the Christians 868 Image of the Crucifix at ConstaÌ„tinople 742 Image worship who first decreed 130 Images in England abolished 1095.1096 Image of the Trinity an abhominable thing 508.534 Images defended to be laye mens bookes by Pope Adrian 130 Imprisonment perteyneth not to the Clergy 354 Images reproued by Thorpe 534 Image of Antichrist exalting himselfe aboue all that is called God 784 Immunity of the Clergy 860 Images
commoÌ„ly of English women 〈◊〉 1. Tim. â— Ghosâ—â—ly 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 of â—â—ristian 〈◊〉 1. Peter 4. Iohn 12. 1. Cor. 1. Luke 17. Example of Lots wyfe Nothing vseâ— in Q. Maâ—yâ—s 〈…〉 The first note prouing the Church of the Papistes not to be the true Church 2. Note Iohn 10. 3. Note Actes 7. 4. Note to know the Church 5. Note Iohn 5 6. Note to know the Church Ephes. 5. Compare the proceedinges doinges of the Popes Church with the true members of Christs Church and you shall see what they are The Church of the valiant Papistes compared to Nemrod and why The Popes Church standeth all in lying and murdering 3. Reg. 18. Luke 9. The Popes Church vnder payne of damnation is to be auoyded Apoc. 2. Phil. 1. He exhorteth to be bolde in Christ. Math. 13. Worldly Christians resembled to Aesops Cocke Worldly allurements motions of drawing backe by Gods grace with standed Experience of the Lordes assistance in confirming his seruantes M. Glouer coÌ„mitted to the Iayle before any cause was declared Gods mighty consolation vpon Rob. Glouer in prison M. Glouer weepeth for ioy in prison M. Glouer couÌ„selled to put in bondes Rober Glouer refuseth to enter into bondes Worldly persuasions not receiued M. Glouer agâ—yne visited with Gods holy comfort M Glouer reasoning with himselfe M. Glouer taketh courage al 〈◊〉 and daungerâ— set aside M. Glouer resolued in himselfe to abyde the vttermost for the Gospells cause The Papistâ— proceede with M. Glouer agaynst the lawes of the realme Commaundement geuen to the Sumner agaynst Iohn Glouer and not agaynst Robert Glouer This Byshops name was Doct. Banes M. Warren of Couentry persecutor of Rob. Glouer A lesson for all persecutors Luke 16. R· Glouer brought before Banes B. of Lichfield and Couentrye M. Robert Glouer M. of Art in Cambridge R. Glouer charged for not comming to the Church The Bishop refuseth to be iudged by the primatiue Church Robert Glouer and his fellow prisoners remoued from Couentry to Lichfield in the face of the open market Iephcot the Chauncellours seruaunt Papistes keepe no promise Iephcot Persey cruell and straite agaynst M. Glouer Talke betweene M. Glouer and the Chancellor in prison * The Church geueth witnes which be the true bookes and writings of the Apostles as also the olde Sinagogue of the Iewes doth witnes which be the true bookes of the holy Prophetes yet it followeth not thereby that the Iewes haue authority ouer the Scripture The comforts sweete feelinges of M. Glouer in prison M. Glouer assaulted by the enemy in prison concerning vnworthynes Actes 24. Rom. 11. Rom. 4. Iohn 2. Gods election bound to no worthines or person Rom. 10. Psalme 145. It is no arrogaÌ„cye to presume vpon Gods promise Psalm 50. Robert Glouer replyeth against the tentation of the enemy in that he is a sinner M. Glouer brought agayne before the Bishop Reasoning betwene M. Glouer and the Byshop * The true Church is alwayes builded vp on the doctrine of the Apostles which though it appeare not alwaies alyke in outward â—â—ght the faulte is in the tyme not in the Church Tymes do alter and with the tymes the outward face of the Church may alter sometymes appearing more sometymes lesse sometymes very little sometymes nothing at all according as the persecution is Neuertheles the truth of the church abydeth alwayes one Neyther doth it goe by number of meÌ„ but by soundnes of truth Many agreeing in one may make an vnitye but the veritye of the word maketh the Church whether it be in few or in many The first question Power by Gods word in the ministery to remit sinnes 2. questioâ— 3. question Robert Glouer destitute foâ—â— tyme of the Lords comfort The Lord for a tyme may withdraw his comfortes but at leÌ„gth he visiteth his seruantâ— R. Glouer receaueth agayne coÌ„fort of the Lord. Cornelius Bongey Martyr Articles obiected to Cornelius Bongey Hâ—s Aunsweres to the articles Iohn Glouer William Glouer after their deaâ—h condemned and cast out for heretickes A new search made for Iohn Glouer The prouidence of God agayne in sauing Iohn Glouer Agnes Glouer wyfe to Iohn Glouer apprehended D. Dracot not suffering Iohn Glouer to be buryed in the Churchyearde Iohn Glouer after his death iudged of Doct. Dracot to be a damned soule Testimony of this story The maner of handling the body of WilliaÌ„ Glouer after his death Bernard a Popish Curate of Weme Iohn Thorlyne agaynst the burying of W. Glouers brother The letter of Raufe Bayne B. of Chester for the not burying of W. Glouers body The dead corpeâ— of W. Glouer dragged with horse into the field M. Edward Burton not suffered to be buryed in Christian buriall the same day when Q. Elizabeth was crowned Oliuer Richardine in Hartford West Martyr William Wolsey Robert Pigot Martyrs Richard Euerard extreame agaynst WilliaÌ„ Wolsey W. Wolsey commaunded to the Iayle D. Fuller Christopherson D. Yong come to conferre with Wolsey Wolsey putteth a question to the 〈…〉 D. Watsons booke of Sermons or Homelyes D. Fuller agayne resorteth to W. Wolsey The Chauncellour geâ—eth leaue to Wolsey to depart W. Wolsey layd in the Castle of Wisbich Rob. Pigot Painter presented for not coÌ„ming to the Chuâ—ch Talke betweene Syr Clement Higham Iudge and Rob. Pigot Rob. Pigot brought to the Iayle where W. Wolsey 〈◊〉 Anno 1555. October Wolsey and Pâ—got returned to Eley to prison Tho. Goodâ—â—â—e Biâ—â—hop of Eley The Bishops Câ—â—playne a FrenchmaÌ„ 〈◊〉 the prisoners in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Woâ—sey called to iudgment in the Bâ—shops 〈◊〉 Wolseys aunswere to Sâ—â—xton M. Christopherson writeth what he would haue Pâ—got conâ—â—â— of the â—acrâ—ment 〈◊〉 refuseth to 〈◊〉 to Christophersons 〈◊〉 M. Peacoke appoynted to preach at tâ—e burning of Wolsey and Pigot â— Wolsey 〈◊〉 himselfe to be â—ound in all pointes of the scripture belonging to his 〈…〉 The MartyrdoÌ„e of W. Wolsey and Rob. Pigot at Eley Anno 1555. Octob. 16. Bookes burned with Wolsey Pigot The natures of Wolsey and Pigot described The zelous spirite of William Wolsey W. Wolsey desirous of Martirdome Wolsey calleth the day of his Martirdome his glad day Thomas Hodilo Berebruer of Cambridge witnes of this story Richard Denton first conuerter of Wolsey Money sent by Wolsey to Denton Wolsey exhorting Richard Denton to persist in the truth Denton afraydâ— of burning Richard DentoÌ„ burned in his owne house which before would not burne for Christ. Anno. 1564. Aprill 18 Doct. Nicholas Ridley Martyr Nicholas Ridley borne in Noâ—thumberland Nicholas Ridley learned at Newcastle Nicholas Ridley mayster of Pembroke hall in Cambridge Nicholas Ridley made D. of Diuinitye Nicholas Ridley king Henryes Chapleine Nicholas Ridley made Bishop of Rochester Nicholas Ridley made Byshop of LondoÌ„ The fruitefull dilligence of B. Ridley in preaching Gods word B. Ridley of great memory and reading B· Ridley comely of proportion and complexion The fayre conditions of Byshop Ridley tender to his kinred yeâ— not otherwise then truth and right