MarginaliaAn. 1555. Ianuary. with the comelynes of all vertuous conditiōs, and in the same let him waxe old and lyue, that he may see his childrens children to the 3. & 4. generation. And geue vnto our soueraigne Lord and Lady, kyng Phillip & Queene Mary, thy blessyng, & long lyfe vpon the earth. And graūt that of them may come Kynges and Queenes, which may stedfastly continue in fayth, loue, and holynes. And blessed be their sede, of our God, that all nations may know, that thou art onely God in all the earth, whiche art blessed for euer and euer. Amen.

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MarginaliaAn other prayer for the same. O Almightie father, which diddest sanctifie the blessed Virgin and mother Mary in her Conception and in the byrth of Christ our Sauiour (thy onely sonne): also by thy omnipotent power diddest safely deliuer the Prophet Ionas out of the Whales bely: Defend O Lord, we beseche thee, thy seruaunt Mary our Queene with child conceiued, and so visite her in and with thy godly gift of health, that not onely þ^e childe thy creature, within her conteined, may ioyfully come from her into this world, and receiue the blessed Sacraments of Baptisme & Confirmation, enioyng therwith dayly encrease of all Princely and gratious giftes both of body & soule, but that also she, the mother, through thy speciall grace and mercy, may in tyme of her trauaile auoyde all excessiue dolour and payne, and abyde perfite and sure from all perill and daūger of death, with long and prosperous lyfe, though Christ our Lord. Amen.

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It foloweth now further in process of the story, that vpō the MarginaliaIanuary 10.Tuesday being the. x. of Ianuary. xix. of þ^e lower house of the parlament wyth the Speaker came to the Whyte hall to the kyng, and there offered hym the gouernmēt of the Realme & of the Issue, if the Queene should fayle, which was confirmed by Act of Parlamēt wythin ten dayes after.

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MarginaliaIanuary. 16.Vpon the Wedensday following beyng the. xvj. of Ianuary, the Parlament was cleane dissolued. In this Parlament among other thinges the bishop of Rome was established,MarginaliaThe Popes supremacie established by Parlament. & all such lawes as were made against hym since the. xx. yeare of kyng Henry. VIII., were repealed, and also Cardinal Poole, bishop Pates , Lylly, and other were restored to theyr bloud. MarginaliaMatters concluded in the Parlament.Also there was an Act made for speaking of wordes: that whosoeuer should speake any thing agaynst the kyng or Queene, or that might moue any sedition or rebellion, at the fyrst tyme to haue one of hys eares cut of, or to forfayte an hundred markes, and at the second time to haue both hys eares cut of, or els to forfayte an hundred pounds: and whosoeuer should wryte, sipher, or prynt any of the premises, to haue their right hand cut of.

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Also in this Paelament MarginaliaThree statutes against heretickes reuiued.three statutes were reuiued for trial of heresse: one made in the. v. yeare of Richard the second, an other in the second yeare of Henry the. 4 and the thyrd in the second yeare of Henry the. 5. Also the doing of Maister Rose, & the other that were wyth hym, was communed of in thys Parlament, and vpon that occasion an Act was made, that certayne euil prayers should be treason agaynst the Queenes hyghnes. The praiers of these men were thus: God turne the hart of Q. Mary frō Idolatry, or els shorten her dayes. Whereof read the statute An. 1. & 2. Reg. Phil. & Mariæ cap. 9.

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As touchyng the takyng of Maister Rose and his felowes, word was brought therof to Maister Hooper being then in the Fleete. Whereupon the sayd maister Hooper sendeth aunswere agayne, wyth a letter also of consolatlō sent to the sayd prisoners: the copy wherof I thought here not to ouerpasse.

 

MarginaliaM. Hoopers aunswere to a certaine letter sent vnto him. THe grace of God be with you, Amen. I perceaue by your letter, how that vpon new yeares day at night, there were taken a Godly cōpany of Christians, whilest they were praying. I do reioyce in that men can be so well occupied in this perillous tyme, and fly vnto God

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for remedy by prayer, as well for their owne lackes and necessities, as also charitably to pray for them that persecute them. So doth the word of God commaund all mē, to pray charitably for them that hate them, & not to reuile any Magistrate with wordes, or to meane him euill by force or violence. They also may reioyce that in well doyng, they were taken to the prison. Wherfore I haue thought it good to send them this litle writyng of consolation: praying God to send them pacience, charitie, and constancie in the truth of his most holy word. Thus fare you well, and pray to God to send his true word into this Realme agayne amongest vs, which the vngodly Byshops haue now banished. Ianuary 4. an. 1555.

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MarginaliaA letter of Maister Hooper full of most heauenly consolatiō, to the brethren imprisoned, taken in Bow churchyard. THe grace, fauour, consolation, and ayde of the holy Ghost be with you now and euer. So be it.

Dearely beloued in the Lord, euer sythens your imprisonmēt, I haue bene maruelously moued with great affections and passions, as well of myrth and gladnes, as of heauines and sorrow. Of gladnes in this, that I perceaued how ye be bent and geuē to prayer and inuocation of Gods helpe in these darke and wicked procedynges of men, agaynst Gods glory. I haue bene sory to perceaue the malice & wickednes of men to be so cruell, deuilish, & tyrannicall, to persecute the people of God for seruyng of God, saying & hearing of the holy Psalmes, & the word of eternall lyfe. These cruel doyngs do declare, that the Papistes Church is more bloudy and tyrannicall, then euer was the sword of the Ethnickes & Gētils.

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When I heard of your takyng, and what ye were doyng, wherfore, and by whom ye were taken: I remembred how the Christians in the primatiue Church were vsed by the cruelty of vnchristened Heathens, in þ^e tyme of Traiane the Emperour about 77. yeares after Christes Ascension into heauen: and how the Christiās were persecuted very sore, as though they had bene traitours and mouers of sedition. Whereupon, the gentle Emperour Traiane required to know þ^e true cause of Christian mēs trouble. MarginaliaOf thys persecutiō, read before pag. 38. col. 1. A great learned man called Plinius wrote vnto him and sayd: it was because the Christians sayd certain Psalmes before day, vnto one called Christ, whom they worshipped for God. Whē Traiane the Emperour vnderstode it was for nothyng but for conscience and Religiō, he caused by his commaundementes euery where, that no man should be persecuted for seruyng of God. Loe, a gentile and heathen man would not haue such as were of a contrary Religion, punished for seruyng of God. MarginaliaThe Pope worsse thē Traianus the Heathē Emperour. But the Pope and his Church hath cast you into prison, beyng taken euen doyng the worke of God, and one of the excellentes workes that is required of Christian mē: that is to wyt, whiles ye were in prayer, and not in such wicked and superstitious prayers as the Papistes vse, but in þ^t same prayer that Christ hath taught you to pray. And in his name onely ye gaue God thankes for that ye haue receaued, and for his sake ye asked for such thyngs as ye want. O glad may ye be that euer ye were borne, to be apprehēded whilest ye were so vertuously occupied. Blessed be they that suffer for righteousnes sake. For if God had suffered them that tooke your bodyes, then to haue taken your lyfe also: now had ye bene folowyng the Lambe in perpetuall ioyes, away from the company and assembly of wicked men. But the Lord would not haue you sodaynly so to depart, but reserueth you, gloriously to speake and maintaine his truth to the world.

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Be ye not carefull what ye shall say: for God will go out and in with you, and will be present in your hartes and in your mouthes, to speake his wisedome, although it semeth foolishnes to the world. He that hath begun this good worke in you, continue you in the same vnto the ende: and pray vnto him, that ye may feare him onely, that hath power to kyll both body and soule, and to cast thē into hell fyre. Be of good comfort. MarginaliaMath. x. Luke. xij. All the heares of your head be numbred, and there is not one of them can perish, except your heauenly father suffer it to perish. Now ye be in the field, & placed in the forefront of Christes battail. Doubtles, it is a singular fauour of God, & a speciall loue of hym towardes you, to geue you thys Foreward and preeminence, MarginaliaThe first anset of this persecution geuē in Bow Churchyard. and a signe that he trusteth you before others of his people. Wherefore (deare brethren and sisters) cōtinually fight this fight of the Lord. Your cause is most iust and godly: ye stand for the true Christ (who is after the flesh in heauen) and for his true

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