N20568:1239
The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being Fox's Book of martyrs, revised and corrected, with additions and great improvements. : Containing an authentic account of the lives, persecutions and sufferings of the holy martyrs; and the many dreadful persecutions against the Church of Christ in all parts of the world, by pagans, Jews, Turks, papists, and others, from earliest ages of the church to the present period. ... The whole forming at once a general Christian martyrology, and a complete history of persecutions. / By the Rev. Mr. John Fox, M.A. late of Magdalen College, Oxford. ; Now revised, corrected and improved, with many additional articles, relating to the acts and monuments of the church. By Paul Wright, D.D. ; Embellished with forty elegant copper plate engravings. ; In two volumes. Vol. I[-II].The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being Fox's Book of marytrs, revised and corrected, with additions and great improvements. : Containing an authentic account of the lives, persecutions and sufferings of the holy martyrs; and the many dreadful persecutions against the Church of Christ in all parts of the world, by pagans, Jews, Turks, papists, and others, from earliest ages of the church to the present period. ... The whole forming at once a general Christian martyrology, and a complete history of persecutions. / By the Rev. Mr. John Fox, M.A. late of Magdalen College, Oxford. ; Now revised, corrected and improved, with many additional articles, relating to the acts and monuments of the church. By Paul Wright, D.D. ; Embellished with forty elegant copper plate engravings. ; In two volumes. Vol. I[-II].
New-York: printed by William Durell, 1794
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.
VIII. JOHN Gonsal•o was originally a priest, but having embraced the reformed religion, he was now seized by the inquisitors, as were his mother, brother, and two sisters. Being condemned, they were led to execution, where they sung part of the 106th psalm.
AT the place of execution they were ordered to say the creed, which they immediately complied with, but coming to these words, "Th• holy catholic church," they were commanded to add the monosyllables "of Rome," which absolutely refusing, one of the inquisitors said, Put an end to their lives directly; when the executioners obeyed, and strangled them immediately.
IX. FOUR protestant women being seized upon at Seville, were tortured, and in process of time ordered for execution. On the way thither they began to sing psalms; but the officers of the inquisition, thinking that the words of the psalm reflected on themselves, put gags into all their mouths, •o make them silent. They were then burnt, and the houses where they resided were ordered to be razed to the ground.
X. FERDINANDO, a protestant schoolmaster, was apprehended by order of the inquisition, for instructing his pupils in the principles of protestantism; and after being severely tortured, was burnt.
XI. A monk, who had abjured the errors of popery, was imprisoned at the same time as the above Ferdinando; but through the •ear of death, and to procure mercy, he said he was willing to embrace his former communion. Ferdinando, hearing of this, got an opportunity to speak to him, reproached him with his weakness, and threatened him with eternal perdition. The monk, sensible of his crime, returned to, promised to continue in the protestant faith, and declared to the inquisitors that he solemnly renounced his intended recantation. Sentence ⟨p. 136⟩of death was therefore passed upon him, and he was burnt at the same time as Ferdinando.
XI. A monk, who had abjured the errors of popery, was imprisoned at the same time as the above Ferdinando; but through the •ear of death, and to procure mercy, he said he was willing to embrace his former communion. Ferdinando, hearing of this, got an opportunity to speak to him, reproached him with his weakness, and threatened him with eternal pardition. The monk, sensible of his crime, returned to, promised to continue in the protestant faith, and declared to the inquisitors that he solemnly renounced his intended recantation. Sentence ⟨p. 136⟩of death was therefore passed upon him, and he was burnt at the same time as Ferdinando.
XII. JULIANO, a Spanish Roman catholic, on travelling into Germany, became a convert to the protestant religion.
BEING zealous for the faith he had embraced, Juliano undertook a very arduous task, which was to convey from Germany into his own country, a great number of bibles, concealed in casks, and packed up like Rhenish wine. This important commission he succeeded in so far as to distribute the books. A pretended protestant, however, who had purchased one of the bibles, betrayed him, and laid an account of the whole affair before the inquisition.
JULIANO was immediately seized upon, and strict inquiry being made for the respective purchasers of these bibles, eight hundred persons were apprehended upon the occasion. They were all indiscriminately tortured, and then most of them were sentenced to various punishments. Juliano was burnt, twenty were roasted upon spits, several imprisoned for life, some were publicly whipped, many sent to the galleys, and a few discharged.
JULIANO was immediately seized upon, and strict inquiry being made for the respective purchasers of these bibles, eight hundred persons were apprehended upon the occasion. They were all indiscriminately tortured, and then most of them were sentenced to various punishments. Juliano was burnt, twenty were roasted upon spits, several imprisoned for life, some were publicly whipped, many sent to the gallies, and a few discharged.
XIII. JOHN Leon, a protestant tailor of Spain, travelled to Germany, and from thence to Geneva, where hearing that a great number of English protestants were returning to their native country, he, and some more Spaniards, determined to go with them. The Spanish inquisitors being apprized of their intentions, sent a number of familiars so expeditiously in pursuit of them, that they overtook them at a sea-port in Zealand, one of the United Provinces, (which was then under the jurisdiction of Spain) just before they had embarked. Having thus succeeded in their commission, the poor prisoners were heavily fettered, handcuffed, gagged, and had their heads and necks covered with a kind of iron net work. In this miserable condition they were conveyed to Spain, thrown into a dismal dungeon, almost famished with hunger, barbarously tortured, and then cruelly burnt.
XIII. JOHN Leon, a protestant taylor of Spain, travelled to Germany, and from thence to Geneva, where hearing that a great number of English protestants were returning to their native country, he, and some more Spaniards, determined to go with them. The Spanish inquisitors being apprized of their intentions, sent a number of familiars so expeditiously in pursuit of them, that they overtook them at a sea-port in Zealand, one of the United Provinces, (which was then under the jurisdiction of Spain) just before they had embarked. Having thus succeeded in their commission, the poor prisoners were heavily fettered, handcuffed, gagged, and had their heads and necks covered with a kind of iron net work. In this miserable condition they were conveyed to Spain, thrown into a dismal dungeon, almost famished with hunger, barbarously tortured, and then cruelly burnt.
XIV. A young lady having been put into a convent, absolutely refused to take the veil, or turn nun. On leaving the cloister she embraced the protestant faith, which being known to the inquisitors, she was apprehended, every method used to draw her back again to popery. This proving ineffectual, her inexorable judges condemned her to the flames, and she was burnt according to her sentence, persisting in her faith to the last.
XV. CHRISTOPHER Losada, an eminent physician, and learned philosopher, became extremely obnoxious to the inquisitors, on account of exposing the errors of popery, and professing the tenets of pro•testantism. For these reasons he was apprehended, imprisoned, and racked; but those severities not bringing him to confess the Roman catholic church to be the only true church, he was sentenced to the fire; the flames of which he bore with exemplary patience, and resigned his soul to that Creator by whom it was bestowed.
XV. CHRISTOPHER Losada, an eminent physician, and learned philosopher, became extremely obnoxious to the inquisitors, on account of exposing the errors of popery, and professing the •enets of pro•testantism. For these reasons he was apprehended, imprisoned, and racked; but those severities not bringing him to confess the Roman catholic church to be the only true church, he was sentenced to the fire; the flames of which he bore with exemplary patience, and resigned his soul to that Creator by whom it was bestowed.
XVI. ARIAS, a monk of St. Isidore's monastery at Seville, was a man of great abilities, but of a vicious disposition. He sometimes pretended to forsake the errors of the church of Rome, and become a protestant, and soon after turned Roman catholic. Thus he continued a long time wavering between both persuasions, till God thought proper touch his heart, and show him the great danger of inconstancy in religious matters. He now became a true protestant, and bewailed his former errors with contrition. The sincerity of his conversion being known, he was seized by the officers of the inquisition, severely tortured, and afterwards burnt at an Auto de Fe.
XVI. ARIAS, a monk of St. Isidore's monastery at Seville, was a man of great abilities, but of a vicious disposition. He sometimes pretended to forsake the errors of the church of Rome, and become a protestant, and soon after turned Roman catholic. Thus he continued a long time wavering between both persuasions, till God thought proper touch his heart, and shew him the great danger of inconstancy in religious matters. He now became a true protestant, and bewailed his former errors with contrition. The sincerity of his conversion being known, he was seized by the officers of the inquisition, severely tortured, and afterwards burnt at an Auto de Fe.
XVII. MARIA de Coceicao, a young lady who resided with her brother at Lisbon, was taken up by the inquisitors, and ordered to be put to the rack. The exquisite torments she felt staggered her resolution, and she fully confessed the charges against her.
THE cords were immediately slackened, and she was re-conducted to her cell, where she remained till she had recovered the use of her limbs, and was then brought again before the tribunal, and ordered to ratify her confession, and sign it. This she absolutely refused to do, telling them, that what she had said was forced from her by the excessive⟨image ?⟩ [figure] ⟨p. 137⟩pain she underwent. Incensed at this reply, the inquisitors ordered her again to be put to the rack, when the weakness of nature once more prevailed, and she repeated her former confession. She was immediately remanded to her cell till her wounds were again healed, when being a third time brought before the inquisitors, they in a stern manner ordered her to sign her first and second confessions. She answered as before; but added, "I have twice given way to the frailty of the flesh, and perhaps may, while on the rack, be weak enough to do so again; but depend upon it, if you torture me an hundred times, as soon as I am released from the rack I shall deny what was extorted from me by pain." The inquisitors ordered her to be racked a third time; and, during this last trial, she exceeded even her own expectations; bore the torments inflicted with the utmost fortitude, and could not be persuaded to answer any of the questions put to her. As her courage and constancy increased, the inquisitors imagined that she would deem death a glorious martyrdom, and therefore, to disappoint her expectations, they condemned her to a severe whipping through the public streets, and to a ten years banishment.
XVIII. JANE Bohorquia, a lady of a noble family in Seville, was apprehended on the information of her sister, who had been tortured, and burnt for professing the protestan• religion, While on the •ack, through extremity of pain, that young lady confessed that she had frequently discoursed with her sister concerning protestantism, and upon this extorted confession was Jane Bohorquia seized and imprisoned. Being pregnant at the beginning, they let her remain tolerably quiet till she was delivered, when they immediately took away the child, and p•t it to nurse, that it might be brought up a Roman catholic.
XVIII. JANE Bohorquia, a lady of a noble family in Seville, was a•prehended on the information of her sister, who had been tortured, and burnt for professing the protestan• religion, While on the •ack, through extremity of pain, that young lady confessed that she had frequently discoursed with her sister concerning protestantism, and upon this e•torted confession was Jane Bohorquia seized and imprisoned. Being pregnant at the beginning, they let her remain tolerably quiet till she was delivered, when they immediately took away the child, and p•t it to nurse, that it might be brought up a Roman catholic.
THE lady was not perfectly recovered from the weakness caused by her labour, when she was ordered to be racked, which was done with such severity, that she expired a week after of the wou••• and bruises she received. Upon this occasion •he inquisitors affected some remorse, and, in one of the printed acts of the inquisition, which they always publish at an Auto de Fe, they thus mention this […] lady:
THE lady was not perfectly recovered from the weakness caused by her labour, when she was ordered to be racked, which was done with such seve•ity, that she expired a week after of the wou••• and bruises she received. Upon this occasion •he inquisitors affected some remorse, and, in one of the printed acts of the inquisition, which they always publish at an Auto de Fe, they thus mention this 〈…〉 lady:
