N20568:2742
The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being…
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.
CHAP. I. The ACCESSION of QUEEN MARY, and the various Alterations in RELIGION, Troubles in the STATE, and Persecutions in the CHURCH, that happened in ENGLAND, after her CORONATION, and in the First Year of her REIGN.
THE Roman Catholics assert, (and what will they not say to colour over their inhuman practices, and bloody deeds?) "That all those who suffered death, during the reign of Queen Mary, had been adjudged guilty of high treason, in consequence of their having stood up in defence of lady •ane Grey's title to the crown." To disprove this […] no difficult matter, seeing every one, conversant […] history, must know, that those who are tried on the statute of the 25th of Edward I. Chap. 26, […] to be hanged and quartered; but with what assurance can even a papist affirm, that ever a man in England was burned for high treason? We admit, ••at some few suffered death in the ordinary process at common law, for their adherence to lady Jane; but none of those were burned. Why, if they were traitors, take them before the bishops, who have no power to judge in criminal cases? Nay, allowing the bishops to have had power to judge, yet their own bloody statute did not give them power to execute; otherwise, why were they obliged to certify […] the chancellor, that the accused person was a heretic, before they could obtain a warrant for his execution? The proceedings against the martyrs are still extant, and they were carried on directly according to the forms prescribed by their own statute. We thought it necessary to promise thus much, that our British youth may not be led away by popish insinuations; for if they will but consider, they will be convinced, that the popish assertion is false. There was not one of those who were burned in England, ever accused of high treason, much less were they tried at common law. And this should teach young persons a history of transactions in their own country, particularly of their Blessed Martyrs, in order that they be able to detect the falsehoods advanced by Romish priests, and their numerous emissaries. Having said thus much, by way of caution, we shall, without farther preface, enter upon the narrative, which, as we have promised, shall be a NEW and COMPLETE HISTORY of the Acts and Monuments of our glorious Martyrs.