Marginalia1555. February.and also require your continuall prayer, that he which hath begon in vs may continue it to the ende. I haue taught the truth with my toung and with my pen heretofore, and hereafter shortly will confirme the same by Gods grace, with my bloud. Forth of Newgate the 2. of February. an. 1554.

Your brother in Christ, Iohn Hoper.

Vppon Monday mornyng the Byshop of London came to Newgate, and there disgraded M. Hoper, the sentence of which his degradation here foloweth.  

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It may seem surprising that Foxe goes to the trouble of printing the formula for Hooper's degradation and describing the degradation in such detail; after all, they were intended to humiliate the martyr. But this enables Foxe to establish an unspoken but potent comparison between the humiliation of the martyr and the humiliation of Christ in his Passion.

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MarginaliaThe sentence of degradation agaynst Maister Hooper.JN nomine † patris, † & filij, † & spiritus sancti. Amen. Quoniam per sententiam diffinitiuam a reuerēdo in Christo patre, & Domino Stephano permissione diuina Winton. Epis. in & contra te Iohannem Hoper Præsbyterum, sua iurisdictionis ratione hæresis & delicti infra illius diœcesin Winton. notorie commissi existentem, nuper rite & legitime prolatā, constat sufficienter & legitime nobis Edmundo London. Episcopo te præfatum Iohannem Hoper hæreticum manifestum, & obstinatum, ac pertinacem fuisse & esse, ac constat similiter tanquam hæreticum huiusmodi per dictam sententiā pronunciatū, et declaratū fuisse, maiorisque excōmunicationis sententia ob id innodatū & inuolutū similiter esse, ac ab ordine tuo deponendum et degradandum, curiæque seculari ob demerita tua huiusmodi tradendum fore, prout ex tenore dictæ sententiæ, ad quam nos in hac parte nos referrimus, plenius, planius, et expressius liquet et apparet: Idcirco nos Edmundus epis. London. antedictus, quia nostra et vniuersitatis etiam interest nostras hic partes interponere, et vicariam operam mutuamq; vicissitudinem impēdere, in cuius etiam diœcesi tu Iohannes Hoper idem hæresis crimen tunc et sæpius, et ante et post commisisti, istis inquam et alijs prædictis attentis et exequendo omni meliori et efficaciori modo, quo possumus, sententiam prædictam, sic vt præmittitur, latam in te qui infra fines & limites diœcesis nostræ London. notorie consistēs, & in hac parte culpabilis & transgressor etiam notorie existens, ad actualē degradationem tui præfati Iohannis Hoper (culpa tua exigēte ac iustitia id poscente) duximus procedendum fore, ac sic etiam realiter procedimus, vt deinde iuxta iuris exigentiam & temporis retroacti morem laudabilem & normam consuetam, te in Arca ecclesiæ manere nolentem, curiæ seculari rite & legitime ac effectualiter tradere possimus. Quod ipsum sic fieri debere, nos per hanc nostrō sententiam siue decretum decernimus, pronunciamus, & declaramus in hijs scriptis.

After the sentence of degradatiō thus declared, now let vs see the forme & maner of their disgrading, which here also foloweth. But first here is to be noted that the disgradyng of this blessed Byshop did not procede agaynst hym as agaynst a Byshop, but as onely agaynst a Priest, as they termed hym: for such as he was, these Baalamites accompted for no Byshop.

MarginaliaThe forme and maner of disgrading bishop Hooper.THe fourth of February, the yeare aboue mēcioned in the chapell in Newgate, the Byshop of London there sitting with hys Notary and certayne other witnesses, came MarginaliaAlexāder Andrew Gailer of Newgate, a cruell enemy to Gods people.Alexander Andrew the Gailer, bringing with him M. Hooper and M. Rogers, being condemned before by the Chauncelor: where the sayd Bishop of London, at the request of the forsaid Winton. proceded to the degradation of the parties aboue mencioned M. Hooper, and M. Rogers, after this forme and maner. First he put vppon them all the vestures and ornaments belonging to a priest, with all other things to the same order appertaining, as though (being reuested) they should solēly execute in their office. Thus they beyng apparelled and inuested, MarginaliaMaister Hooper and M. Rogers disgraded together.the Bishop begynneth to plucke of, first the vttermost vesture, and so by degree and order cōmyng downe to the lowest vesture, which they had onely in takyng Benet and Collet:  

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A benet is a reader (the third of the four lesser orders of clergy) (OED), while a colletis an acolyte (OED).

beyng for that yeare, MarginaliaDauie Wodrofe, William Chester, Shrieffes.M. Dauy Wodrofe, and M. William Chester: who receauyng first the sayd M. Rogers at the handes of the Byshop, had him away with them, bringyng hym to the place of executiō where he suffred. The witnesses there presēt were M. Harpsfield Archdeacon of London, Robert Cosin, and Robert Willerton, Canons of Paules, Thomas Mountague, and George How Clerkes, Tristram Swadocke, and Richard Cluny Sumner. &c.  

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Foxe is transcribing an official document, now lost, recording Hooper's deprivation. Unusually, this task was allocated to Bishop Bonner of London and his officials, who, technically speaking, had no jurisdiction over Hooper at all.

The same Monday at night, beyng the fourth of February, his keeper gaue hym an ynkeling that he should be sent to Gloucester to suffer death, whereat he reioysed very much, MarginaliaM. Hooper glad that he should suffer amongest hys owne flocke.liftyng vp his eyes and handes into heauen, and praysing God that he saw it good to send hym amongest the people ouer whō he was Pastour, there to confirme with his death the truth which hee had before taught them: not doubtyng but the Lord would geue hym strength to performe the same to his glory: and immediatly he sent to his seruauntes house for his bootes, spurres, and cloke, that he might be in a readynes to ryde when he should be called.

The next day folowyng, about foure of the clocke in the mornyng before day, the keeper with others came to hym and searched him, and the bead wherein he lay, to see if he had written any thyng: and then he was lead by the Shriffes of London, & other their officers, forth of Newgate, to a place appoynted not farre from S. Dunstones Church in Fleetestreete, where vj. of the Queenes Gard were appointed to receaue hym and to cary him to Gloucester,MarginaliaM. Hooper caryed to Glocester to be burned. there to be deliuered vnto the Shriefe, who with the Lord Shandois, M. Wickes, and other Commissioners were appoynted to see execution done. The which Garde brought hym to the Aungell, where he brake his fast with them, eatyng his meate at that tyme more liberally then he had vsed to do a good while before. About the breake of the day he went to horse, & leapt cherefully on horse backe without helpe, hauyng an hode vpon his head vnder his hatte, that he should not be knowen, and so tooke his iourney ioyfully towardes Gloucester: and alwayes by the way the Gard learned of hym where hee was accustomed to bayte or lodge, and euer caryed him to an other Inne.

MarginaliaA woman of Ciceter confirmed by the constancy of M. Hooper, which rayled at him before.Vpon the Thursday folowyng, he came to a towne in his Dioces called Ciceter 15. myles from Gloucester about a leuē of the clocke, and there dyned at a womans house which had alwayes hated the truth, and spoken all euill she could of M. Hoper. This woman perceauyng the cause of his commyng, shewed hym all the frendshyp she could, and lamented his case with teares, confessyng that she before had often reported, that if he were put to the triall, he would not stand to hys doctrine.

MarginaliaM. Hooper commeth to Glocester.After dyner he rode forewardes, and came to Gloucester about v. of the clocke, and a myle without the towne was much people assembled, which cryed and lamented hys estate: in so much that one of the Garde rode post into the towne, to require ayde of the Maior and Shriffes, fearyng least he should haue bene taken from them.

The Officers and their retinue repayred to the gate wyth weapons, and commaunded the people to keepe their houses. &c. but there was no man that once gaue any signification of any such rescue or violence. So was he lodged at one Ingrams house in Glocester, and that night (as he had done all the way) MarginaliaThe quiet minde of M. Hooper in hys troubles.he did eate his meate quietly, and slept hys first sleepe soundly, as it was reported by them of the Garde and others. After hys first sleepe he continued all that night in prayer vntyll the morning, and then he desired that he myght go into the next chamber (for the Garde were also in the chamber where hee lay) that there being solitary, hee might quietly pray and talke with God: So that al that day, sauing a litle at meate, and when hee talked at any tyme with such as the Garde licensed to speake wyth