N20568:5235
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.
THEN the bishop sent him to the convict prison, and commanded the keeper to lay irons upon him as many as he could bear; and moreover asked him, how old he was; and William said that he was nineteen years of age.
WELL, said the bishop, you will be burned before you be twenty years old, if you will not yield yourself better than you have done yet. William answered, God strengthen me in his truth: and then he parted, the bishop allowing him a half-penny a day to live on in bread or drink.
THUS he continued in prison three quarters of a year. In which time he had been before the bishop five times, besides the time when he was condemned in the consistory in St. Paul's, the 9th day of February; at which time his brother, Robert Hunter, was present.
THEN the bishop calling William, asked him if he would recant, and so read to him his examination and confession, as is above related: and then rehearsed how that William confessed he did believe, that he received Christ's body spiritually, when he did receive the communion. Dost thou mean, said the bishop, that the bread is Christ's body spiritually?
WILLIAM answered I mean not so, but rather when I receive the holy communion rightly and worthily, I do feed upon Christ spiritually through faith in my soul▪ and am made partaker of all the benefits which Christ hath brought unto all faithful believers thro' his precious death, passion▪ and resurrection, and not that the bread is his body, either spiritually or corporally.
WILLIAM answered I mean not so, but rather when I receive the holy communion rightly and worthily, I do feed upon Christ spiritually through faith in my soul▪ and am made partaker of all the benefits which Christ hath brought unto all faithful believers thro' his precious death, passion▪ and r•surrection, and not that the bread is his body, either spiritually or corporally.
THE• […] the bishop to William, Dost […] not think (holding up his cap) that for example here of ⟨p. 501⟩my cap, thou mayst see the squareness and colour of it, and yet that not to be the substance, which thou judgest by the accident?
THE• 〈…〉 the bishop to William, Dost 〈…〉 not think (holding up his cap) that for example here of ⟨p. 501⟩my cap, thou mayst see the squareness and colour of it, and yet that not to be the substance, which thou judgest by the accident?
WILLIAM answered, If you can separate the accidents from the substance, and show me the substance without the accidents, I could believe. Then said the bishop, Thou wilt not believe that God can do any thing above man's capacity. Yes, said William, I must needs believe that; for daily experience teacheth all men that thing plainly: but our question is not what God can do, but what he will have us to learn in his holy supper.
WILLIAM answered, If you can separate the accidents from the substance, and shew me the substance without the accidents, I could believe. Then said the bishop, Thou wilt not believe that God can do any thing above man's capacity. Yes, said William, I must needs believe that; for daily experience teacheth all men that thing plainly: but our question is not what God can do, but what he will have us to learn in his holy supper.
THE bishop said, I always have found thee at this point, and I see no hope to reclaim thee unto the catholic faith, but thou wilt continue a corrupt member, and then pronounced sentence upon him, that he should go from that place to Newgate for a time, and so from thence to Burntwood, where, said he, thou shalt be burned.
THEN the bishop called for another, and so when he had condemned them all, he called for William Hunter, and reasoned with him, saying, If thou wilt yet recant, I will make thee a free man in the city, and give thee forty pounds in good money to set up thine occupation withal▪ or I will make thee steward of my house, and set thee in office; for I like thee well, thou hast wit enough, and I will prefer thee if thou recant.
BUT William answered, I thank you for your great offers▪ notwithstanding, my lord, said he, if you cannot persuade my conscience with scriptures, I cannot find in my heart to turn from God for the love of the world▪ for I count all worldly things but l•ss and •ung, in respect of the love of Christ.
THEN said the bishop▪ If thou diest in this mind, thou art condemned for ever. William answered, God judgeth righteously, and justifieth them whom man condemneth unjustly.
THUS William and the bishop parted, William and the rest being committed to Newgate, where they remained […] a mo•th, who afterwards were sent down▪ William to Burntwood, and the others unto divers places of the country. Now when William was come down to Burntwood, which was the Saturday before the annunciation of the Virgin Mary that followed on the Monday after, William remained till the next Tuesday, because they would not put him to death then, for the holiness of the day.
THUS William and the bishop parted, William and the rest being committed to Newgate, where they remained 〈…〉 a mo•th, who afterwards were sent down▪ William to Burntwood, and the others unto divers places of the country. Now when William was come down to Burntwood, which was the Saturday before the annunciation of the Virgin Mary that followed on the Monday after, William remained till the next Tuesday, because they would not put him to death then, for the holiness of the day.
IN the mean time William's father and mother came to him, and desired heartily of God that he might continue to the end in that good way which he had begun, and his mother said to him, that she was glad that ever she was so happy to bear such a child, which could find in his heart to lose his life for Christ's name's sake.
THEN William said to his mother, For the little pain I shall suffer, which will soon be at an end, Christ hath promised me, mother, a crown of joy; may you not be glad of that? With that his mother kneeled down on her knees, saying, I pray God strengthen thee, my son, to the end: yea, I think thee as well bestowed as any child that ever I bare.
AT which words Mr. Higbed took her in his arms, saying, I rejoice (and so said the others) to see you in this mind, and you have good cause to rejoice. And his father and mother both said, that they always were of that mind, and praying for him, that as he had begun to confess Christ before men, he might likewise continue so to the end. William's father said, I was afraid of nothing but that my son should have been killed in the prison by hunger and cold, the bishop was so hard to him. But William confessed, after a month that his father was charged with his board, that he lacked nothing, but had meat and clothing enough, yea even out of the court, both money, meat, clothes, wood and coals, and all things necessary.
THEY continued in the inn, being the Swan in Burntwood, whither resorted many people of the country to see those good men which were there; and many of William's acquaintance came to him, and reasoned with him, and he with them, exhorting them to come away from the abomination of popish superstition and idolatry.
