N20568:7523
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.
UPON Innocents day, being the 28th of December, they had procured the priest of Stodmash to say mass: he had nigh made an end of matins ere I came; and when he had ended them, he said to me, Mr. Parson, your neighbours have desired me to say matins and mass; I hope you will not be against the queen's proceedings. No, (said I) I will offend none of her majesty's laws, God willing. What say you? quoth he, and made as though he had not heard. Then I spake the same words to him again with an higher voice; but he would not hear, though all the rest in the chancel heard: I spake so loud the third time, that all the church might hear, That I would not offend the queen's laws, and then he went to mass; and when he was reading the epistle, I called the clerk unto me, with the beckoning of my finger, and said unto him, I pray you desire the priest when the gospel is done to tarry a little, I have something to say to the people; and the clerk did so.
UPON Innocents day, being the 28th of December, they had procured the priest of Stodmash to say mass: he had nigh made an end of mattins ere I came; and when he had ended them, he said to me, Mr. Parson, your neighbours have desired me to say mattins and mass; I hope you will not be against the queen's proceedings. No, (said I) I will offend none of her majesty's laws, God willing. What say you? quoth he, and made as though he had not heard. Then I spake the same words to him again with an higher voice; but he would not hear, though all the rest in the chancel heard: I spake so loud the third time, that all the church might hear, That I would not offend the queen's laws, and then he went to mass; and when he was reading the epistle, I called the clerk unto me, with the beckoning of my finger, and said unto him, I pray you desire the priest when the gospel is done to tarry a little, I have something to say to the people; and the clerk did so.
AND the priest came down into the stall where he sat; and I stood up in the chancel door, and spake unto the people of the great goodness of God always showed unto his people, unto the time of Christ's coming: and in him and his coming, what benefit they past, we present, and our successors have; and among other benefits I spoke of the great and comfortable sacrament of his body and blood. And after I had briefly declared the institution, the promise of life to the good, and damnation to the wicked, I spake of the bread and wine, affirming them to be bread and wine after the consecration, as yonder mass-book, saying, Holy bread of eternal life, and the cup of perpetual salvation. So that like as our bodily mouths eat the sacramental bread and wine, so doth the mouth of our souls (which is our faith) eat Christ's flesh and blood. And when I had made an end of that, I spake of the misuse of the sacrament in the mass; so that I judged it in that use no sacrament, and showed how Christ bade us all eat and drink; and in the mass one only eateth and drinketh, and the rest kneel, knock, and worship: and after these things ended, as briefly as I could, I spake of the benefactors of the mass, and began to declare who made the mass, and recited every man's name, and the patch that he put on the mass; but before I had rehearsed them all, the church-warden and the constable his son-in-law, violently came upon me, and took my book from me, and pulled me down, and thrust me into the chancel, with an exceeding roar and cry. Some cried, Thou ⟨p. 698⟩heretic; some, Thou traitor; some, Thou rebel; and when every man had said his pleasure, and the rage was something past, Be quiet, good neighbours, said I, and let me speak to you quietly. If I have offended any law, I will make answer before •hem that are in authority to correct me. But they would not hear me, and pulled me, one on this side, and another on that, and began again. Then Richard Austen said, Peace, masters, no more till mass be done, and they ceased. Then I said to the church-warden and constable, each holding me by the arm; Masters, let me go into the church-yard till your mass be done. No, said the church-warden, thou shalt tarry here till mass be done. I will not, said I, but against my will. And they said, Thou shalt tarry, for if thou go out thou wilt run away.
AND the priest came down into the stall where he sat; and I stood up in the chancel door, and spake unto the people of the great goodness of God always shewed unto his people, unto the time of Christ's coming: and in him and his coming, what benefit they past, we present, and our successors have; and among other benefits I spoke of the great and comfortable sacrament of his body and blood. And after I had briefly declared the institution, the promise of life to the good, and damnation to the wicked, I spake of the bread and wine, affirming them to be bread and wine after the consecration, as yonder mass-book, saying, Holy bread of eternal life, and the cup of perpetual salvation. So that like as our bodily mouths eat the sacramental bread and wine, so doth the mouth of our souls (which is our faith) eat Christ's flesh and blood. And when I had made an end of that, I spake of the misuse of the sacrament in the mass; so that I judged it in that use no sacrament, and shewed how Christ bade us all eat and drink; and in the mass one only eateth and drinketh, and the rest kneel, knock, and worship: and after these things ended, as briefly as I could, I spake of the benefactors of the mass, and began to declare who made the mass, and recited every man's name, and the patch that he put on the mass; but before I had rehearsed them all, the church-warden and the constable his son-in-law, violently came upon me, and took my book from me, and pulled me down, and thrust me into the chancel, with an exceeding roar and cry. Some cried, Thou
Then I said to the constable, lay me in the stocks, and then you will be sure of me, and turned my back to the altar. By that time Richard Austen had devised what to do with me, and called the constable and the church-warden, and bade them put me into a side chapel, and shut the door on me, and there they made me tarry till mass was ended. When the mass was ended, they came into the chapel to me, and searched what I had about me; and found a dagger, and took it from me. Then said Thomas Austen, church-warden, after many babblings that they made with me, Thou keepest a wife here amongst us, against God's law and the queen's. You lye, goodman Austen, said I, it is not against God's law, nor as I suppose, against the queen's. Thus they brought me out of the church, and without the door they railed on me without pity or mercy: but anon the priest came out of the church, and Ramsey, that of late was clerk, said unto him, Sir, where dwell you? And therefore Thomas Austen took him by the arm, and said, Come on, sirrah, you are of his opinion, and took his dagger from him, and said, he should go with him. I am content, said he, and a little mocked them in their envious talk. By this time John Grey of Wingham, servant to John Smith, came in at the church style, and seeing them hold Ramsey by the arms, said to him, How now, Ramsey, have you offended the queen's laws? No, said he. Then there is no transgression. Therewith Thomas Austen took him, and said, You are one of their opinion, you shall go with them for company, and took his dagger from him, and then demanded what he did there? But after (I think) for very shame they let him go again. But they carried me and Ramsey to Canterbury, guarded by eighteen persons. A sheet of paper would not contain the talk we had that night with Mr. Hardes, justice, Mr. Oxenden. Mr. Spilman, and Mr. Tutsam.
Then I said to the constable, lay me in the stocks, and then you will be sure of me, and turned my back to the altar. By that time Richard Austen had devised what to do with me, and called the constable and the church-warden, and bade them put me into a side chapel, and shut the door on me, and there they made me tarry till mass was ended. When the mass was ended, they came into the chapel to me, and searched what I had about me; and found a dagger, and took it from me. Then said Thomas Austen, church-warden, after many babblings that they made with me, Thou keepest a wife here amongst us, against God's law and the queen's. You lye, goodman Austen, said I, it is not against God's law, nor as I suppose, against the queen's. Thus they brought me out of the church, and without the door they railed on me without pity or mercy: but anon the priest came out of the church, and Ramsey, that of late was clerk, said unto him, Sir, where dwell you? And therefore Thomas Austen took him by the arm, and said, Come on, sirrah, you are of his opinion, and took his dagger from him, and said, he should go with him. I am content, said he, and a little mocked them in their envious talk. By this time John Gray of Wingham, servant to John Smith, came in at the church style, and seeing them hold Ramsey by the arms, said to him, How now, Ramsey, have you offended the queen's laws? No, said he. Then there is no transgression. Therewith Thomas Austen took him, and said, You are one of their opinion, you shall go with them for company, and took his dagger from him, and then demanded what he did there? But after (I think) for very shame they let him go again. But they carried me and Ramsey to Canterbury, guarded by eighteen persons. A sheet of paper would not contain the talk we had that night with Mr. Hardes, justice, Mr. Oxenden. Mr. Spilman, and Mr. Tutsam.
THE next day they made a bill against me, but it served not their purpose, which was, that they would have had me to prison. But James Chapman, and Bartholomew Joys, were bound in twenty pounds each of them for my appearance at the next general sessions, or in the mean time to appear, if I were sent for, before the queen's majesty's council, or any other commissioners sent by the queen's authority. And Ramsey was bound to the peace, and to be of good behaviour till the next sessions. His […] were Thomas Hogeking, and Simon Barrat.
THE next day they made a bill against me, but it served not their purpose, which was, that they would have had me to prison. But James Chapman, and Bartholomew Joyes, were bound in twenty pounds each of them for my appearance at the next general sessions, or in the mean time to appear, if I were sent for, before the queen's majesty's council, or any other commissioners sent by the queen's authority. And Ramsey was bound to the peace, and to be of good behaviour till the next sessions. His 〈…〉 were Thomas Hogeking, and Simon Barrat.
NOW on the 23d or 24th of February Sir Thomas Finch, knight, and Mr. Hardes, sent for me and my sureties to Mr. Finch's place, and took me from my sureties, and sent me to the castle of Canterbury, by Sir Thomas Mules's order, as they said, where I lay ten weeks, and then was bai•ed and bound to appear at the next sessions holden at Canterbury; but after, they changed it to be at Ashford on Thursday in Whitsun-week, being the nineteenth of May: but in the mean time the matter was exhibited to the spiritual court.
NOW on the 23d or 24th of February Sir Thomas Finch, knight, and Mr. Hardes, sent for me and my sureties to Mr. Finch's place, and took me from my sureties, and sent me to the castle of Canterbury, by Sir Thomas Moyles's order, as they said, where I lay ten weeks, and then was bai•ed and bound to appear at the next sessions holden at Canterbury; but after, they changed it to be at Ashford on Thursday in Whitsun-week, being the nineteenth of May: but in the mean time the matter was exhibited to the spiritual court.
THE 18th day of May, Mr. Harpsfield, archdeacon of Canterbury, obliged the mayor's serjeant to bring me before him and Mr. Collins, commissary, into Christ's-church, and they took me into a chamber in the suffragan of Dover's house.
THEN the archdeacon said, Art thou a priest? And I said, I was one. And he said, Art thou a graduate of any university? and I said, Yea. What degree, said he, hast thou taken? The degree, said I, of Master of Arts. The more pity, replied he, that thou shouldst behave thyself as thou hast done. Thou hast been a common licensed preacher, hast ⟨p. 699⟩thou not? and I said, I have been so. Marry, said he, so I understand.
Harps. What hast thou preached?
Bland. God's word, to the edifying of his people.
Harps. No, no, to the destruction both of thy soul and their's too, if the mercy of God be not speedily extended towards you. I pray thee tell me what thou hast preached?
Bland. I told you already what I have preached.
Harps. Nay, but tell me what one matter hast thou preached to the edifying of the people, as thou sayest?
