Christs victory over Satan's tyranny Wherein is contained a catalogue of all Christs faithful…Christs victorie ouer Sathans tyrannie Wherin is contained a catalogue of all Christs faithfull…

The death of Stephen Gardner.

IN November, the next month after the burning of Ridley and Latimer, in which month the Queen died: three years after, Stephen Gardner a man hated of God¹ and good men, ended his wretched life. He was borne in Berry in Suffolk, and brought up in Oxford: his wit, capacity, and memory were excellent if they had bin well applied: he was high-minded, flattering his own conceit too much towards his superiors; he was politic and pleasant, to his inferiors fierce; against his equals stout and envious if they any thing withstood him in judgment: it was constantly reported that the nails of his toes were crooked and sharp downward like the claws of a beast: his death happened so opportunely that England hath a great cause therefore to praise God, not so much for the great hurt it had done in times past, in perverting his Princes, in bringing in the six Articles, in murdering GODS Saints, and in defacing Christs most true Religion, but especially for that he had thought to have murdered our noble and religious Queen Elizabeth; for he was the cause of all her danger: and if it be certain which ⟨p. 304⟩we have heard that a Writ came down from certain of the Council to the Tower where the Lady Elizabeth was, for her execution: it is sure this vile wily Winchester was the only Daedalus and framer of that Engine; but M. Brigs Lieutenant of the Tower certified the Queen of the matter, and there by prevented Achitophels bloody devices, as Bonner, Story, Thornton, Harpsfield, Downing, with others, were occupied in putting the branches to death; so Gardner bent his devices in assaying the root, in casting such a plot to build up his Popery, as he thought it should stand for ever: whether he died with his tongue swollen out of his mouth, as Arundell Bishop of Canterbury did, or whether he stunk before he died, as Cardinal Wolsey did, who after he had used conjuration before, so after he had poisoned himself by the way; at his burial he was so heavy that they let him fall, and he gave such a savour that they could not abide him, with such a sudden tempest about him, that all the Torches went out, and could bear no light, or whether he died in despair, I refer all this unto their reports, of whom I heard it.