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1413 [1413]

K. Henry. 8. Doct. Barnes, Garret, and Hierome, Martyrs.

In much lyke sort Garret also protestyng and exhorting the people, after his cōfession made, ended his protestation in maner as foloweth.

MarginaliaTho. Garret cleareth hym self of heresie.I also detest, abhorre, and refuse all heresies and errours, and if either by negligēce or ignoraunce I haue taught or maynteyned any, I am sory for it, and aske God mercy. Or if I haue bene to vehement or rashe in preachyng, whereby any person hath taken any offence, errour, or euill opinion, I desire hym, and all other persons whiche I haue any way offended, of forgiuenes. Notwithstanding to my remembraunce I neuer preached wittyngly or willyngly any thing against Gods holy woorde or contrary to the true fayth, to the mayntenaunce of errours, heresies, or vicious lyuyng, but haue alway for my litle learnyng and wyt, set foorth the honor of God and the right obediēce to hys lawes,and also to the kyngs accordyngly. And if I could haue done better, I would. Wherfore Lord if I haue taken in hand to do that thyng, whiche I could not perfectly performe, I desire thee of pardon for my bold presumption. MarginaliaGarret prayeth for the kyng.And I praye God send the kynges grace good and godly counsayle, to his glory, to the kynges honor and to the encrease of vertue in this hys Realme. And thus now I yeld vp my soule vnto almighty God, trustyng and beleuyng that he of his infinite mercy for hys promise made in the bloud of hys sonne our most merciful Sauiour Iesu Christ, will take it, and pardon me of all my sinnes whereby I haue most greuously from my youth offended hys maiestie: wherfore I aske hym mercy, desiryng you all to praye with me and for me that I may paciently suffer this payne and die stedfastly in true fayth, perfite hope and charitie.

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The death and burnyng of the most constant Martyrs in Christ D. Rob. Barnes, Tho. Garret, and W. Hierome, in Smithfield. an. 1541.

The death and burnyng of the most constant Martyrs in Christ D. Rob. Barnes, Tho. Garret, and W. Hierome, in Smithfield. an. 1541.
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In the first edition these martyrs merited a full-sized woodcut, spreading across the whole page, that showed the three men tied to their stakes above the faggots, with a mounted horseman on one side and a crowd of onlookers, including some watching from windows. The replacement of this narrative woodcut by one of the standardised sequence of small iconic burnings, may seem suggestive of how the change in illustrative technique introduced in 1570 reflected as well as bore on the standing of the martyrs. Given the problematical questions surrounding the deaths of these men and the possible charges against them (hard to substantiate in view of their summary condemnation by attainder), and Foxe's acknowledged concern to reply fully to the charges of 'Alan Cope' (Nicholas Harpsfield), such diminished pictorial emphasis might well have seemed advisable in 1570. The small cut used from 1570 on showed two, not all three of those burned in Smithfield, a mismatch that was far from unique and may not have bothered contemporary readers and users of Foxe's work. CUL copy: note that the features of the people in this illustration are painted with a richer white.

MarginaliaAn. 1541  

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1540.

MarginaliaThe pacient suffering of these iij. Martyrs.And so after their prayer made, wherein most effectually they desired the Lord Iesus to be their comfort and consolation in this their affliction, and to stablishe thē with perfect faith, constancie, and pacience through the holy Ghost, they taking them selues by the handes and kissyng one an other, quietly & hūbly offered them selues to the hādes of the tormentors, and so tooke their death both Christianly and cōstantly, with such paciēce as might well testifie the goodnes of their cause & quiet of their conscience.

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Wherin is to bee noted how mightely the Lorde worketh with hys grace and fortitude in the hartes of his seruauntes, especially in such, which causeles suffer with a giltles conscience for his religions sake, aboue other whiche suffer otherwise for their desertes. MarginaliaDifference betwene thē that suffer for gods truth, & other that die for their desertes.For whereas they whiche suffer as malefactours, cōmonly are wont to go heauy & pensiue to their death, so the other, with heauenly alacritie and cherefulnes doe abyde what so euer it pleaseth the Lorde to lay vpon them? Exāple wherof we haue right well to note, not onely in these three godly Martyrs aboue mēcioned, but also in the Lord Cromwell, who sufferedMarginaliaThe chearfull paciēce in the Lord Cromwell at hys death.but ij. dayes before, the same no lesse may appeare. Who, although he was brought to his death atteynted and condemned by the Parlament, yet what a giltlesse conscience hee bare to hys death, his Christian pacience well declared. Who first calling for his breakfast: and cherefully eatyng the same, and after that passyng out of hys prison downe the hill within the Tower, and meeting there by the way the Lord Hungerford going lykewise to his execution (who for other matter  

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Lord Hungerford was attainted for, amongst other things, conjuring and sodomy, both of which Foxe would regard as unspeakable offences.

here not to be spoken of, was there also imprisoned) and perceyuing him to be all heauy and doulfull, with cherefull countenaunce and comfortable wordes, asking why he was so heauy, he wylled hym to plucke vp his hart, and to be of good comfort: MarginaliaThe comfortable wordes of the Lorde Cromwell, to the L. Hungerforde, they both going to their death.For, sayd he, there is no cause for you to feare. For if you repent and be hartely sorye for that you haue done, there is for you mercy enough with the Lorde, who for Christes sake wyll forgeue you, and therefore be not dismayed. And though þe breakfast which we are going to, be sharpe, yet trusting to the mercy of the Lord, we shall haue a ioyfull dynner. And so went they together to the place of execution, and tooke their death paciently.

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¶ A note