If the king and Quene gaue him in cōmaundement to set them forth, let him shew some record therof. If not, how can he auoyde the iuste reprehension of a cruel inclination, disposed to murther? And as concerning the articles, because they are in print already, and the matter not necessary to be repeated, we referre the reader. As concerning the commissiō, for þt it hath
[Back to Top]not bene in print heretofore, to geue more euydence of his cruel disposition, we haue here notified the same as we found it in his owne recordes, to thentent that the reder perusing and consyderynge the same, maye the better iudge whether we say true or no. The copye of thys his foresayde commission in his owne wordes, thus followeth.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaA cōmissiō directed out by Boner, for inquisition.EDmundus permissione diuina London. Episcopus dilectis nobis in Christo magistris Edwardo Mowell Archidiacono nostro Exessiæ, Thomæ Moorton & Iohanni Kingston in legibus Baccalaureis præsbyteris nostris in partibus, Commissarijs generalibus salutem, gratiam, & benedictionē. Quia vt accepimus, & ad nostrum nuper peruenit auditum quod nonnulli iniquitatis filij in comitatu Essexiæ & Hartfordiæ nostrarum London. diocœs. & iurisdictionis commorantes & degentes, de & super crimine hæreticæ prauitatis apud bonos & graues non mediocriter suspecti & infamati diu extiterunt, et in præsenti existunt, nonnullosq̀ errores ac opiniones hæreticas & dānabiles sicuti informamur a diu iā (quod absq̀ graui cordis nostri dolore referre non possumus) in magnam diuinæ maiestatis offensam ac grauem sāctæ orthodoxæ fidei (saltem quantum in eis fuit) subuersionem, deniq; in plurmorū christi fideliū pernitiosū exemplū seminarūt, sparserūt ac publicarūt, dictosq̀ errores & hæreses tenuerūt ac defēderūt, ac inter cætera, ob notā et suspitiones huiusmodi cæteraq̀ præmissa, per iustitiarios & ministros serenissimæ Regiæ maiestatis in ea parte deputatos, eorū aliqui custodiæ carceris iuste cōmissi & mācipati hoc tēpore existūt: Nos igitur Edmūd. Episcopus antedictus volētes, quātū possumus, tāti facinoris labē ex diœcesi nostra Lond. extirpare, & eradicare, ac eidē morbo puigili circūspectionis industria occurrere, nec nō prauitatē & labē criminis ac suspitionis huiusmodi depellere ac exterminare volētes, sez ne oues ipsæ morbidæ totū reliquū gregē nobis diuinitus commissū suo malo exēplo inficiūt & cōtaminent, ad cognoscendū igitur & procedendū contra huiusmodi facinorosos, & alios quoscūque, cuiuscumq̀ sexus infra loca prædicta degentes et commorantes, de et super crimine hæresis irretitos & suspectos siue diffamatos, atque de ipsis hæreticis, ac eorū libris reprobatis, fautoribus quoq̀ receptatoribus, ac defensoribus inquirēdū, et inquiri faciēdū, eosque iuxta iuris exigentiam & morem in similibus hactenus vsitatum, examinandum, nec non quoscumque testes idoneos, contra eosdem et eorum quemlibet recipiendum, admittendum, iurandum, et examinandum ac ad meliorem vitæ frugem conuertendum et reducendum, ipsosque etiam hæreticos super crimine hæresis vehementer suspectos, confessos, ac conuictos ac eorum fautores, receptores, et defensores huiusmodi (si et quatenus eorum errores et opiniones damnatas respuere, abnegare, renunciare, et abiurare, atque ad vnitatem sanctæ matris catholicæ ecclesiæ redire voluerint) abiurandū et abiurari faciendū, ac ad gremiū eiusdē ecclesiæ catholicæ et cōmunionē Christifidelium recipiendū, admittendū, et restituendū, a sentētiaq̀ excōmunicationis ac alijs sētentijs, cēsuris et pœnis ecclesiasticis propter præmissa incursis absoluendum: alioquin contra eosdem delinquentes et eorū quemlibet ad vlteriora et grauiora procedēdū, ac sententias et decreta quæcumq̀ etiā relapsus, si res ita exegerit, contra eos iuxta iuris exigentiam ferendū et fulminandū, necnon auxiliū brachij secularis contra tales (si ac quotiens opus fuerit) inuocādum et requirendū, huiusmodiq̀ hæreticos, obstinatos et impœnitentes, vel in hæresim relapsos excōmunicandos, denūciandos, atq̀ brachio seculari iuxta canonicas sanctiones, pœna hæresis puniendos, relinquendos, et tradendos, atq̀ prout sacri canones volunt, ac iuxta huius incliti regni Angliæ statuta & consuetudinē laudabilē tradēdos et deliberandos, cætera quoq̀ omnia et singula in præmissis aut circa ea necessaria seu quomodolibet requisita faciendū, excercendū, exequendū et expediēdū, etiāsi maiora de se exigunt et requirunt, quā præsētibus est expressū, et prout nosmet ipsi faceremns et expediremus si præmis. personaliter interessemus, vobis cōiunctim et cuilibet vestrū per se diuisim et in solidū (de quorū sana doctrina, morū grauitate, consciētiæ puritate et circumspectionis industria in hijs et alijs plurimū cōfidimus) vices nostras cōmittimus ac plenā in domino tenore præsētium cōcedimus potestatē, vosq̀ cōiunctim vt præfertur et diuisim vicarios mostros in spiritualibus generales, et Cōmißarios speciales, quoad præmissa cum cuiuslibet cohertionis canonicæ potestate exequēdi quæ decreueritis, seu alter vestrum decreuerit in hac parte ordinamus, præficimus & deputamus per præsētes, aßumpto vobis in præmissis in actorum vestrorum scribā Iohāne Boswel, Notario publico, vel eo impedito, quocumq̀ alio idoneo Notario eiusmodi deputato, mādantes quatenus de executione præsētium atq̀ de omni eo quod in et circa præmissa vel eorū aliquod per vos aut aliquē vestrum factum, gestū, seu expeditum fuerit nos de tēpore in tēpus quā citius poteritis, ac prout negotij huiusmodi qualitas vel necessitas exegerit et postulauerit debite certificare curetis. Datum in manerio nostro de Fulhā. 10. die mensis Iunij. Anno domini. 1557. et nostræ translationis anno decimo octauo.
[Back to Top]Foxe's first account of George Eagles appeared in the Rerum on pp. 726-28. (This was the last narrative of a Marian martyr which would appear in the Rerum. Because of Foxe's having to complete the Latin martyrology in haste, the work concluded with a list of those executed from March 1556 until the end of Mary's reign).
[Back to Top]The Rerum account of Eagles was faithfully translated in the 1563 edition. This account was based entirely on information from individual informants. More material from individual informants was added in the 1570 edition. These accounts were on two themes: more detailed and graphic accounts of the physical torments which Eagles had to endure (which demonstrated his constancy and stoicism) and equally detailed and graphic accounts of the divine punishments inflicted on those responsible for Eagles' death (demonstrating that he died a martyr and not a traitor). The account of Eagles was unchanged after the 1570 edition.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaG. EaglesMarginaliaAugust. 2AMong other martyrs of a singuler vertue and constancye, one George Eagles deserueth not least admiration, but is so much the more to bee commended, for that he hauing litle learning or none, most manfullye serued and fought vnder the banner of Christes churche.