A67926:1070
Acts and monuments of matters most special and memorable, happening in the Church. [vol.…Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol.…
Acts and monuments of matters most special and memorable, happening in the Church. [vol. 2, part 1] with an universal history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitive age to these latter times of ours, with the bloody times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions against the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperors, as now lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realm of England and Scotland. Newly revised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time again published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the help of Christ our Lord) John Fox, which desireth thee good reader to help him with thy prayer.Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 2, part 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.
London: printed by John Daye, 1583London: printed by Iohn Daye, 1583
No title page in the transcription: set from the catalogue record.
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.
but he neither would receive the Cross, nor commend himself to the virgin Mary, saying, that God was able enough to guard him & to save him out of the Lyons mouth, & so: being drawn and stretched in the air, began to cry, Come Lord, and show thy strength that man do not prevail &c. But they cried, Tell trueth, Frances & thou shalt be let down. Nevertheless he continued still in his Invocation and prayer to the Lord, so that they could have no other word, but that. And after they had thus long tormented him, the Counsellors said, wilt thou say nothing else? I have nothing else, said he to say.1 And so they commanded him to be loosed, and be put by the fire side. Who being loosed, said to them: Do you handle thus the poor servants of God? And the like was done to Frederick Danville also, his companion, of whom they could have no other answer (who at the same time was also very sick) but as of the other. So mightily did God assist and strengthen his servants, as ever he did any else by their own letters and confession as doth appeare. Ex litteris Francis. Rebez. in Crisp. Lib. 6. These constant and true martyrs of Christ, after they had returned from the torture, unto their fellow prisoners, ceased not to thank and praise the Lord for his assistance. Frederick did sigh oftentimes, & being asked of his fellows why he so did, he said it was not for the evil that he had suffered,2 but for the evils that he knew they should suffer afterward. Notwithstanding (said he) be strong brethren, and be not afraid, assuring your selves of the aid of god which hath succoured us, and also will comfort you. Rebezies with the rack was so drawn and stretched, that one of his shoulders was higher then the other, and his neck drawn on the one side, so that he could not move himself: and therefore desiring his brethren to lay him upon his bed, there he wrote his confession which hitherto we have followed. When ⟨p. 924⟩the night came, they rejoiced together, and comforted themselves with meditation of the life to come, and contempt of this world, singing psalms together,3 till it was day. Rebezies cried twice or thrice together, away from me Satan. Frederick being in bed with him, asked why he cried, and whether Satan would stop him of his course?