1570 Edition | Book 7 | Page 1089 
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1. Henry VIII's reign2. Dissension among mendicant orders3. Persecution of Lollards4. Richard Hun5. Lollard martyrs6. Persecution in diocese of Lincoln7. Colet, Chaucer and Gower8. Prophecies preceeding Luther9. Martin Luther10. Adrian VI11. Final years of Luther12. Swiss Reformation13. German martyrs14. French martyrs15. Spanish martyrs16. Italian martyrs17. Merindol and Cabriers18. Angrogne
K. Henry. 8. A Table of the Frenche Martyrs.
| Persecuters. | Martyrs. | The Causes. |
lying in the flore of the foresayd house, diuers coutches & pal lettes, vpon which they entended to cōmit their whoredome: also much other furniture and preparation appoynted for a sumptuous feast or banket: wherewith the king was mightly inflamed agaynst them, neither was their any one person that durst contrary it. Here the enemies began hyghly to triumphe, thinking ve- rely, that the Gospell, with all the frendes therof, were ouer- throwne for euer. On the other side, no lesse perplexitie and lamentation was among the brethren, sorowyng not so much for them selues, as for the imprisonment of their felowes. Al- beit they lost not their courage so altogether, but as well as they could, they exhorted one an other, considering the great fauour & prouidence of God, in deliuering them so wonder- fully out of the daunger. Some comfort they tooke vnto them, consultyng together in this order, that first they should hum- ble them selues to God in their owne priuate families. Second ly, to stoppe the running brutes of their holy assembles, they should write Apologies, one to the king, an other to the peo- ple. Thirdly that letters of consolation should be written and sent to their brethren in prison. MarginaliaThe Apologie of the Congregation agaynst false reportes.The first Apologie was written to the king, and conueyd so secretly into his chamber, that it was found and read open ly in the hearing of the king and of all his nobles. Wherin the Christians learnedly and discretly, both cleared them selues of those reportes, and shewed the malice of their enemies, espe MarginaliaThe true church of Christ euer from the beginning, oppressed with sclaunderous tongues.cially of Satā, which euer from the beginning of the Churh, hath and still doth go about, to ouerturne the right wayes of the Lord, declaryng further by manifold examples and con- tinuall experience, euē from the primitiue time, how the na- ture of the Churche hath euer bene, to suffer vexations and sclaūderous reportes and infamatiō, by the malignant aduer- saries. &c. And lastly cōming to the king, they craued that their cause might not be condemned before it had indifferēt hearyng. &c. Neuertheles this Apologie to the king, serued to litle purpose, forsomuch as the aduersaries incontinent de- nyed all that was written to the king, making him to beleue that all were but excuses pretensed, neither was there any person, that durst replye agayne. But the other Apologie to the people, did inestimable good, in satisfying the rumours, and defending the true cause of the Gospell. Wherupon certaine Doctours of Sorbon began to write both against the Apologie, & the persons. Of whom MarginaliaDoctor Demochares persecutour.one was called Demochares, who taking for his foundatiō without any proufe, that they were all heretickes, cryed out for iustice, with bylles, glaues, fire, and sword. An other Sorboniste more bloudye then the first, not onely exclamed against them, for putting out the candles in their detestable concourses and assembles, but MarginaliaLying lippes.also accused them, as men whiche maintained, that there was no God, and denied the diuinitie and huma- nitie of Christ, the Immortalitie of the soule, the resur- rection of fleshe, and briefly, all the Articles of true religion. And thus he charged thē without any proufe, mouyng both the king and people, without any forme of law, to destroy and cut them in pieces. &c. MarginaliaCenalis Byshop of Auranches persecutour.The third that wrote agaynst him, was Cenalis, Bishop of Auranches, whiche debated the same matter, but with lesse vehemencie then the other, defendyng impudently, that their assembles were to maintayne whoredome, cōplaynyng of the Iudges, because they were not sharper with them, say- ing that their softenes was the cause, why the number of thē so much encreased. Among other pointes of his boke, this one thing he disputeth marueilous pleasaūtly, touching the signes MarginaliaNote well the true notes of the popeholy church.and markes of the true Churche: first presupposing this one thyng which is true, that the true Church hath his signes, by the which it may be knowē frō the false Church: and therup- on (making no mentiō at all, either of preaching, or ministra- tiō of Sacramēts) thus he inferreth, that their church, which was the Catholicke Churche, had belles, by the whiche their assembles bee ordinarilye called together: and the other Church, which is of the Lutherans, hath clappes of harque, |
| Persecuters. | Martyrs. | The Causes. |
bouses and pistelettes, for signes wherby they (as it is cōmon- ly bruted) are wont to congregate together. Vpon this suppo- sall, as vpō a sure foundation, he groundyng his matter, vaū- ted, & triumphed, as one hauyng gottē a great conquest, and made a long Antithesis or comparison, by the whiche he MarginaliaBelles to bee the marke of the true church.would proue that belles were the markes of the true Church. The belles (sayd he) do sounde, the harquebouses do cracke or thunder. The belles do geue a swete tune and melodious, the signes of the Lutherans make a foule noyse and terrible. The belles do open heauen, the other do open hell. Belles chase MarginaliaThe cōmoditie of Belles in the popes church.away the cloudes and thunder, the other do gender cloudes, and counterfete thunder: with many other properties moe, whiche he brought out, to proue that the Churche of Rome is the true Church, because it hath those belles. Marke, good reader, the profound reasons and argumentes, whiche these great Doctours had, either to defende their owne Churche, or to impugne the Apologies of the Christians. Briefly, to finishe the residue of this story: as the faithfull Christians were thus occupied in writyng their Apologies, and in comfortyng their brethren in prison with their let- ters, the aduersaries againe with their faction, were not idle, but sought all meanes poßible, to hasten forward the execu- tion, geuing diligent attendaunce about the prison and other open places, to satisfie their vncharitable desire, with the death of them, whose religion they hated. Finally, the xvij. day of September, commißion was dire- cted out by the king, and certeine Presidentes and counsail- lers appointed to ouersee the expedition of the matter. Wher upon diuers of the poore afflicted Gospellers were brought forth to their iudgement and martyrdome, as a none (Christ willyng) you shall heare. Henricus Pantal. lib. xi. partly touchyng this perse- cutiō of the Parisians, referreth the tyme therof to the yeare of our Sauiour. 1557. Whiche the Frenche Chronicles do aßigne to the yeare. 1558. and addeth moreouer, that the Germaines beyng, the same tyme, in a certeine Colloquie at VVormes, diuers learned men resorted thether from Geneua, and other quarters, desiryng of the princes and protestantes there, that they by their Ambassadours sent to the Frenche king, would become suters vnto him for the innocent priso- ners, which for the cause aboue sayd, were deteined in bādes at Paris: by the meanes of whose interceßion (sayth he) and MarginaliaGods help in tyme of neede.especially for that the French king was then in warre (as God prouided) with Philippe king of Spayne, a great parte of the captiues were rescued, and deliuered: albeit certeine of the sayd nūber, were executed before the cōmyng of the Ger- maine Ambassadours: the names and martyrdome of whom here vnder do ensue. 
CloseFoxe does not elaborate, naturally enough, on the fact that a good number of those imprisoned in the wake of the Affaire de la rue St-Iacques submitted ambiguous testimonies of their protestant loyalties, or were sufficiently ambiguous under cross-examination for them to be sentenced merely to witness the burning of others who had been sentenced. Crespin had, by contrast, followed La Roche-Chandieu in deploring their cowardice. [Back to Top] |
MarginaliaNicolas Clinet, Seniour of the church, & Martyr.Priestes of the col- ledge of Plessis. Doctour Mail- lard, Sor bonist. | Nicolas Clinet. At Paris. an. 1558. | Of this godly company thus brought to iudgement and to Martyrdome, the first was Ni- colas Clinet, of the age of lx. yeares, who first beyng a schole- master to youth at Saintonge (where he was borne) was there pursued, and had his Image bur- ned. From thence he came to Pa ris, where for his godly conuersa tion, he was made one of the El- ders, or gouernors of the church. For his age he was suspected of the Iudges to be a minister, and therefore was set to dispute a- gainst the chiefest of the Sorbo- MarginaliaDoc. Maillard confuted.nistes, & namely Maillard, whō he did so cōfute both in the Scrip tures, and also in their owne Sor- bonical diuinitie (wherin he had |
bene well exercised & expert) in the presence of the Lieute- naunt ciuile, that the sayd Lieutenaunt confessed, that hee neuer heard a man better learned, and of more intelligence. |
Taurin