A16573:547
The complaint of verity, madeThe complaynt of veritie, made
The complaint of verity, made by John Bradford. An exhortation of Matthew Rogers, unto his children. The complaint of Raufe Allerton and others, being prisoners in Lollers tower, & written with their blood, how god was their comfort. A song of Cain and Abel. The saying of master Hooper, that he wrote the night before he suffered, upon a wall with a coal, in the new In, at Gloucester, and his saying at his deathThe complaynt of veritie, made by Iohn Bradford. An exhortacion of Mathewe Rogers, vnto his children. The complaynt of Raufe Allerton and others, being prisoners in Lolers tower, & wrytten with their bloud, how god was their comforte. A songe of Caine and Abell. The saieng of maister Houper, that he wrote the night before he suffered, vppon a wall with a cole, in the newe In, at Gloceter, and his saiyng at his deathe
London: printed for Owen Rogers?, 1559
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
To be short, as his life was, such was his death: His life was a practise, an example, & provocation to repentance. At his death, as the foresaid history witnesseth, when he was burned in Smithfield, and the flames of fire did fly about his ears, his last speech publicly noted & heard, was this, Repent, England. Thus was our Bradford a preacher, & an example ⟨image 22⟩of that repentance which he did preach. Jonah preached to Nineveh repentance; and all Nineveh, the King, Princes, people, old and young repented. To England Bradford did preach, and yet doeth preach repentance: and surely England hath now much more cause to repent, then it had when Bradford lived, and preached repentance: for all states and sorts of persons in England, are now more corrupt, then they were then.
To be short, as his life was, such was his death: His life was a practise, an example, & prouocation to repentance. At his death, as the foresaid history witnesseth, when he was burned in Smithfield, and the flames of fire did flye about his eares, his last speach publikely noted & heard, was this, Repent, England. Thus was our Bradford a preacher, & an example ⟨image 22⟩of that repentance which hee did preach. Ionas preached to Niniue repentance; and all Niniue, the King, Princes, people, olde and young repented. To England Bradford did preach, and yet doeth preach repentance: and surely England hath nowe much more cause to repent, then it had when Bradford liued, and preached repentance: for all states and sorts of persons in England, are now more corrupt, then they were then.
Let therefore now Bradfords Sermon, his life, his death, move thee, O England, to repent all thy peril: I wish & warn, that as in Nineveh, so in England, all from the highest to the lowest, do unfeignedly repent. They which are of the Court, they which are of the Church, they which are of the City, they which are of the Country, Princes, Prelates, and people: let all & every one repent & depart from that evil which he hath in hand, and turn wholly to the Lord. And I do humbly beseech thy Majesty (O glorious Lord Jesus) which didst come to bless Israel, turning every one of them from their sins, to work now by thy Spirit in our hearts, the same sound repentance, which thy Holiness did preach to men, when thou saidest, Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. This work in us, O gracious God our Saviour. Amen.