or els they would according to their lawes procede to their condemnation.
When Doctour Taylour, and his felowes, maister Bradforde, & maister Saunders heard this, MarginaliaThe constācy of these men.they aunswered stoutely, and bodlye, that they woulde not depart from the truthe, whiche they hadde preached in king Edwards dayes, neither would they submit themselues to the Romishe Antichrist: but they thanked God for so great mercy, that he would cal them to bee worthye to suffer for his woorde and truthe.
[Back to Top]When the Bishops saw them so boldly, constantly, and vnmoueably fixed, in the truthe, they redde the sentence of death vppon them:MarginaliaSentence of death geuen vppon innocentes. whiche when they hadde heard, they most ioyfully gaue God thankes, and stoutely said vnto the Bishoppes.
The dialogue which ensues is not in the official account of the sentencing of Taylor. It was probably supplied by an eyewitness.
When the keper brought Doctour Tailor towarde the prison, the people flocked aboute to gase vppon hym, vnto whom he sayde: God bee praysed (good people) I am come awaye from them vndefiled, and will confirme the truthe with my bloude. So was he bestowed in the Clincke till it was towarde nighte, and then was he remoued to the Counter by the pultry.
[Back to Top]When Doctoure Tailour hadde lien in the sayde Counter in the Pultrye, a seuen nyghte, or thereaboutes prisoner, the fourth day of February. Anno. 1555. Edmond Boner Bishoppe of London, with others, came to the said Coūter to disgrade him, bringing with them suche ornamentes, as dooe apperteine to theyr Massing Mommery. Nowe being come, he called for the saide Doctour Taylour to be brought vnto him. (For he the saide Bishoppe was in the chaumber where the keper of the Counter and his wyfe lay:) so Doctour Taylor was brought downe from the chaumber aboue that, to the said Boner. And at his commyng, the Bishop saide: Master Doctour, I would you would remember your self, & turne to your mother holy Churche: so may ye do well inough, and I wil sue for your pardon. Vnto which Doctor Tailor aunswered. I would you and your felowes would turne to Christe: as for me, I wyll not turne to Antichrist. Well (quod the Bishop) I am com to disgrade you: wherfore put on these vestures. No (quod Doctoure Tailour) I wyll not. Wilt thou not, (saieth the Bishop? I shal
[Back to Top]make thee, or I go. Quod Doctour Tayloure, you shal not by the grace of god. Then he charged him vppon his obedience to dooe it: but he would not doe it for him. So he willed another to put them on his backe: and when he was thorowly furnished therwith, he set his handes by his side, walking vp and downe, and said: how say you my Lord: am I not a goodly foole? how say you my masters? if I were in Chepe, should I not haue boyes inough to laugh at these apishe toyes, and toying trumperie? So the Bishop scraped his fingers, thombes & the croune of his head, and did the rest of these Deuillishe obseruances. At the laste, when he should haue geuen Doctour Tailour a stroke on the brest, with his Crosierstaffe, the Bishops chapleine saide: my Lorde, strike him not: for he wyl sure strike againe. Yea by saictt Peter wil I, (quod Doctour Tailor. The cause is Christes: and I were no good christian, if I would not fyght in my maisters quarell. So the Bishoppe layd his curse vppon him, but stroke him not. Then Doctoure Tayloure saide: thoughe you dooe curse me, yet dooeth God blesse me. I haue the witnes of my conscience, that ye haue done me wrong, and violence: And yet I pray god (if it bee his will) forgeue you. But from the tirannye of the Bishop of Rome, and his detestable enormities, good Lorde deliuer vs. And in going vp to his chaumber, he stil said: god deliuer me from you, god deliuer me frō you. And whē he came vp, he told maister Bradford (for they bothe laye in one chaumber) that he had made the Bishop of London afearde: for (sayeth he) laughingly, his chaplein gaue him coūsel not to strike me with his Crosierstaffe, for þt I would strike agayne: and by my trouth, saide he (rubbing his handes) I made him beleue I woulde do so in dede.
[Back to Top]This letter is printed in Rerum, pp. 418-20; 1563; Letters of the Martyrs, pp. 172-75 and all subsequent editions of the Acts and Monuments. Numerous copies of this letter exist in Foxe's papers: BL, Lansdowne 389, fos. 10r-12r, 140r-142v and 294r-295r and ECL 262, 186v-189v.
WHere as you would haue me to write the talke, betwene the Kynge and Queenes moste honourable Counsell and me, on Tuesdaye, the. xxii. of Ianuarye, so farre as I remember: Fyrste my Lorde Chauncelloure sayde: You, among other are at this presente tyme sente for, to enioye the Kynges and Queenes maiesties fauoure, and mercye,MarginaliaThe pardō is profred. if you wyll nowe ryse agayne with vs from the fall, whiche we generallye haue receiued in this Realme, from the whiche (God be praised) we are nowe clerelye deliuered, miraculouslye. If you wyll not rise with vs nowe, and receyue mercye nowe offered: you shall haue iudgement accordyng to youre demerites. To this I aunswed:MarginaliaNote thys aunswer. that so to ryse, shoulde bee the greatest fall
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