N20568:5273
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.
MR. HIGBED and Mr. CAUSTON, two gentlemen in the county of Essex, the one at Hornden on the Hill, the other of the parish of Thundurst, being zealous and religious in the true service of God; as they could not dissemble with the Lord, nor flatter with the world, so in time of blind superstition and wretched idolatry, they […] not long lie hid and obscure in such a number of malignant adversaries, accusers, and servants of this world; but at length they were perceived, and discovered to Edmund Bonner, bishop of London, by whose command they were committed to the officers of Colchester, to be safely kept, and with them also a servant of Thomas Causton, who was nothing inferior to his master in true piety.
MR. HIGBED and Mr. CAUSTON, two gentlemen in the county of Essex, the one at Hornden on the Hill, the other of the parish of Thundurst, being zealous and religious in the true service of God; as they could not dissemble with the Lord, nor flatter with the world, so in time of blind superstition and wretched idolatry, they 〈…〉 not long lie hid and obscure in such a number of malignant adversaries, accusers, and servants of this world; but at length they were perceived, and discovered to Edmund Bonner, bishop of London, by whose command they were committed to the officers of Colchester, to be safely kept, and with them also a servant of Thomas Causton, who was nothing inferior to his master in true piety.
BISHOP BONNER perceiving these two gentlemen to be of good estate, and of great estimation in that country, lest any tumult should thereby arise, came thither himself, accompanied with Mr. Fe•knam and several others, thinking to reclaim them to his religion: so that great labour and diligence was taken therein, as well by terrors and threatenings, as by large promises and flatterings, and all fair means, to reduce them again to the unity (as they termed it) of the mother church.
IN fine, when nothing could prevail to make them to assent to their doings, at length they came to this point, that they required certain respite to consult with themselves what was best to do. Which time of deliberation being expired, and they remaining still constant and immovable in their professed doctrine, and setting out also their confession in writing, the bishop seeing no good to be done in tarrying any longer there, departed thence, ⟨p. 505⟩and carried them both with him to London, and with them certain other prisoners also, who about the same time were apprehended in those parts.
IN fine, when nothing could prevail to make them to assent to their doings, at length they came to this point, that they required certain respite to consult with themselves what was best to do. Which time of deliberation being expired, and they remaining still constant and immoveable in their professed doctrine, and setting out also their confession in writing, the bishop seeing no good to be done in tarrying any longer there, departed thence, ⟨p. 505⟩and carried them both with him to London, and with them certain other prisoners also, who about the same time were apprehended in those parts.
AT length, when no persuasions would serve, they were brought forth to open examination at the consistory in St. Paul's, February 17, 1555, where they were demanded as well by the said bishop, as also by the bishop of Bath and others, whether they would recant their errors and perverse doctrine, as they termed it, and so come to the unity of the popish church. But on their refusing so to do, the bishop assigned them to appear again the next day, being the 18th of February.
ON which day, among many other things there said and passed, he read unto them several certain articles, and gave them respite until the next day to answer unto the same, and so committed them again to prison. The copy of which articles here followeth.
FIRST, That thou Thomas Causton (or Thomas Higbed) hast been and art of the diocese of London, and also of the jurisdiction now of me E•m•nd, bishop of London.
ITEM, That thou wast in time past, according to the order of the church of England, baptized and christened.
Item, That thou hast godfathers and godmother, according to the said estate.
ITEM, That the said godfathers and godmother did then promise for thee, and in thy name, the faith and religion that then was used in the realm of England.
ITEM, That that faith and religion which they did profess and make for thee, was accounted and taken to be the faith and religion of the church, and of the christian people: and so it was in very deed.
ITEM, Thou coming to the age of discretion, that is to say, to the age of 14 years, didst not dislike nor disallow that faith, that religion, or promise then used and approved, and promised by the said godfathers and godmother, but for a time didst continue in it, as others (taking themselves for christian people) did likewise.
ITEM, That at that time, and also before, it was taken for a doctrine of the church, catholic and true, and every-where in Christendom then allowed for catholic and true, and to be the profession of christian men, to believe, that in the sacrament of the altar, under the forms of bread and wine, after the consecration, there was and is by the omnipotent power and will of Almighty God, and his word, without any substance of bread and wine there remaining, the true and natural body and blood of of our Saviour Jesus Christ in substance, which was born of the virgin Mary, and suffered upon the cross, really, truly, and in very deed.
