1149 [180]
Actes and Monumentes of the church
The description of the burnyng of this Godly and blessed Martyr Doctour Taylour, at Hadley, in the yeare of our Lorde. 1555. the 9. of February.
[View a larger version]
Commentary on the Woodcuts
The parish of Hadleigh in Suffolk, with its history of reforming support, lauded by Foxe as this 'universitie of the learned', was severely affected by the death of its rector, Rowland Taylor. The image is concentrated on this forceful martyr with his 'reverend and ancient face, with a long white beard' and shock of perhaps also white hair, which had been lopped when Bonner clipped it to give him a fool's head. The cutters of the woodblock doing justice to this head, framed by the readied faggots, have given it an almost haloed appearance. Although the fire is shown unlit Taylor is represented at the moment he uttered his last words, holding up both hands. John Nowell, who succeeded Taylor as rector of Hadleigh, preached there the day after Taylor's burning and tried to minimise the impact of his death, saying that 'to persevere is a develishe thynge ffor it moveth many mindes to see an heretyke constante and to dye'. While, as Foxe himself admitted in his first edition, the faithful in Hadleigh were cowed and many left after this event, Nowell's words seem to indicate that Taylor's stand in the fire, watched here by an impassive crowd, was itself brave and unflinching. The blank banderole below Taylor's, empty in all four editions, appears from its placing as if it was intended to contain words of the mounted sheriff, though the last official address to Taylor reported in the text came from Sir John Shelton 'there standing by.' Taylor's last words went from gothic type 1563, to italic 1570, to Roman 1576, and (with minor spelling difference) 1583.
THey that were present and famyliarly conuersant with this Doctor Taylour, reported of hym, that they neuer did see in hym any feare of death, especially and aboue all the rest whiche besydes hym suffered at the same time, but alwayes shewed hym self mery and cherefull in tyme of his imprysonment: MarginaliaAn ex?ple of singuler courage in D. Tayloras well before his condempnation, as after, he kepte one countenaunce and like behauiour. Wherunto he was the rather confirmed, by the company and presence of maister Iohn Bradforde, who then was in pryson and chamber with hym.
Commentary
Once again Foxe is emphasizing the stoicism of one of the Marian martyrs. (On the polemical importance of this see Collinson [1983] and Freeman [1997]).
The same morning, when he was called vp, by the Sherife to gooe to his burnynge, (about three of the clocke in the morning) being sodenly awaked out of his sound sleepe, he sat vp in his bedde, and putting on his shyrt, had these wordes (speaking somwhat thycke after his accustomed maner):
Ah horson theues, ah horson theues: robbe God of his honour, robbe
[Back to Top]God of his honour? Afterwarde beyng rysen and tying his pointes, he cast his armes about a balke, whiche was in the chamber betwene maister Bradfordes bedde and his: and there hangyng by the handes, sayd to maister Bradforde. O maister Bradford (quod he) what a notable swaye should I geue if I were hanged, meanyng, for that he was a corpulent and bygge man. These thynges I thought good here to note: to sett foorth and declare to those that shall reade this history, what a notable and singuler gifte of pacience God had geuen to this godly and blessed martyr.
[Back to Top]