1563 Edition | Book 5 | Page 1235 
ly in Christ, and you sayd then, who so euer should bring in anye straunge nation to rule here, it were treason and not to be suffered. Then sayd Browne to my Lord Rich: he belyes me my Lord. What a knaue is this? hee will sone belye me behind my backe, when he doth it before my face: and my Lord Rich sayd agayne, I dare saye hee doth so. After these wordes Wattes toke occasiō to speake some what of king Philip, of hys comming in: but what it was, I could not iustly learn: but this much was heard, that after those wordes spoken, the bench emong them selues stode vp, & sayd one to another: treason, sauing one good man, called iustice Gaudy, who a litle before was about to speake: but whē he heard them cry treason, he held down his head, as one greued and troubled at theyr doinges. And so Wattes was conueyed away, and after ward sent to the byshop of London, as the sayd letter before importeth, and there handeled as ye haue heard.
[Back to Top]The daye he was burned, being at Scots in the newe Inne at Chelmsford, eating meate with Haukes, and the reast that came downe to burning, they prayed together, both afore and after theyr meate. Then Wattes wente and prayed priuatly to hym selfe: and afterward came to his wyfe, and hys. vi. children being ther, and sayd these woordes in effect. Wyfe and my good children, I must now departe from you. Therfore henceforth knowe I you no more, but as the Lord hath giuen you vnto me, so I giue you againe vnto the Lord, whom I charge you see you dooe obey, and feare hym: and beware ye turne not to this abhominable papistry, against the which, I shal anon (by Gods grace) giue my bloud: let not the murthering of Gods Sayntes cause you to relent, but take occasion thereby to be the stronger in the Lordes quarrell, and I doubt not, but he wil be a merciful father vnto you. All these and such lyke wordes spake he vnto them, and they vnto hym, MarginaliaHere ii. offered to bee burnt with him.and so in the ende he bad them farewell and kyssed them al, and was caried to the fire.
[Back to Top]At the stake after he had kissed it, he spake to my Lord Rich these or the lyke wordes. My Lord sayth he, beware, beware, for you doo agaynst your own conscience herein: and without ye repent, the Lord wyll reuenge it. For you are the cause of this my death.
CloseAs the researches of Brett Usher have revealed, Lord Rich had been the patron of a number of evangelical preachers in Essex during the reign of Edward VI, thus explaining Wats's words to Lord Rich. (See the article by Brett Usher in John Foxe at Home and Abroad, ed. by David Loades[forthcoming]).
Thys Wattes before he was apprehended
CloseThis little anecedote about Wats giving away his possessions and settling his affairs appeared at the end of the account of Wats in the 1563 edition. This indicates that this particular anecdote came to Foxe from a different source than the material on Wats's background.
CloseThe Rerum merely mentions that Nicholas Chamberlain was burnt at Colchester on 11 June 1555 (he was actually burned on 14 June) and that on 12 June (actually 15 June) William Butler was burned at Harwich and Thomas Osmund at Manningtree, Essex (Rerum, p. 462).
All the factual information Foxe would print on these martyrs appeared in the 1563 edition. Unusually there is no material on these martyrs from their families, friends and sympathisers; all of the factual material on Osmund, Bamford and Chamberlain comes from Bonner's official records, probably a court book which is now lost. Foxe always preferred, whenever possible, to rely on the writings ofprotestants for his accounts of the martyrs and not on official documents. The reason was that official accounts were inevitably hostile to the martyrs. Foxe was acutely aware of this problem and, in the 1570 edition, he added a brief set of notes to the articles presented against Osmund, Bamford and Chamberlain warning readers of the bias in the official documents.
[Back to Top]mynde, Fuller, and William Bamforde alias Butler, and Nicolas Chāberlayne: who were sent vp to Boner to be examined by the Erle of Oxforde, and syr Philyp Paris knight, and a letter wyth them, the copye of whych letter here foloweth.
CloseThe fates of these six show the persecution spreading and taking a lethal turn. These figures were not targeted for persecution until they defied the authorities, and the willingness of people to risk their lives in such a defiance must have been a rude shock to the authorities. However, once the six were arrested, they were dealt with with relentless speed; they were arrested on 1 May and three of them were burned six weeks later. Compare this with the six months it took to bring John Bradford to the stake and eleven months it took to do this to John Philpot. Obviously the six were given a chance to recant, since three of them did so, but the elaborate pains taken with more prominent people with influential friends, whose conversion would have been propaganda coups for Mary's regime, were not taken with these obscure figures.
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CloseThe letter from Oxford to Bonner, the articles objected against the martyrs and their answers were all taken from Bonner's official records, probably from a court book which is now missing.
CloseAs is usual, the glosses in this section are mainly narrative pointers and references to articles and answers (with 1563 giving only numbers, while later editions provide fuller references). There is some confusion in this section about the names of the martyrs, and this is reflected in the glosses. There is also a reference back to an earlier mention of the martyrs which is not accurate ('Tho. Osmund, W. Bamford, Tho. Osborne, Martyrs. Read before. Page. 1766' [1570]; 'Thomas Osmund, William Bamford, Thomas Osburne, Martyrs. Read before pag. 1508' [1576; 1583]).
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Your Lordshippes assuredly
Oxinford. Phillip Paris.
THus being sent vp the fyrst daye of May, they were brought before the sayd Byshop the. xvii. of the sayd moneth to be examined, vpon diuers and sundry articles ministred and obiected agaynst them, wherunto they were compelled to answere, and to put theyr hands to the same: the copy of which theyr articles and answers, being all one in forme, and effect (if the Register say true) here followeth.
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CloseThe letter from Oxford to Bonner, the articles objected against the martyrs and their answers were all taken from Bonner's official records, probably from a court book which is now missing.
Marginalia1.FIrst that thou Thomas Osmunde Fuller, wast & art of the parish of Coxhal, within the dioces of London, & thou hast not beleued nor doest beleue that there is here in the earth one catholicke and vniuersall hoale churche, which dothe hold and beleue all the faith and religion of Christ, and all the necessary articles and sacramentes of the same.
[Back to Top]Marginalia2.Item, that thou haste not beleued nor doest beleue that thou art necessarily bounden vnder the payne of damnation of thy soule to