MarginaliaAn. 1555. February.to his Pastorall office: and comming to the Church, he found the Church doores shut and fast barred, sauyng the Chauncell doore, which was onely latched: Where he entryng in, and commyng into the Chauncell, saw a Popishe Sacrificer in his robes, with a broad new shauen crowne, ready to begyn his Popish Sacrifice, MarginaliaMasse brought into Hadley with swordes and bucklers.beset ro?d about with drawen swordes and buckelers, lest any man should approch to disturbe hym. Th? sayd D. Taylour: MarginaliaD. Taylour rebuked the Deuill.Thou Deuill, who made thee so bold to enter into this Church of Christ, to prophane and defile it with this abominable Idolatrie? With that start vp Foster, and with an irefull & furious countenance, sayd to Doct. Taylour: thou traitour, what doest thou here, to let and disturbe the MarginaliaThe papistes call all their trumpery the Queenes procedinges. For you must remember that Antichrist rayneth by an others arme, & not by his own power. Reade Daniell, of the king of faces the 8. chapter.Queenes procedinges? D. Taylour aunswered: I am no traitour, but I am the Shepheard that God & my Lord Christ hath appoynted to feede this his flocke: wherfore I haue good authoritie to be here: and I commaund thee, thou Popish Wolfe, in the name of God to auoyd hence, and not to presume here with such Popishe Idolatry, to poyson Christes flocke.

Then sayd Foster: wilt thou traytourly hereticke make a commotion, and resist violently the Queeens procedynges?

MarginaliaD. Taylour here playeth a ryght Elias. 3. Reg. 18.D. Taylour aunswered: I make no commotion, but it is you Papistes that maketh commotions and tumultes. I resist onely with Gods word, agaynst your Popish Idolatries, which are agaynst Gods word, the Queenes honour, and tend to the vtter subuersion of this Realme of Engl?d. And further thou doest against the Canon law, which commaundeth that no Masse be sayd, but at a consecrate Aultar.

MarginaliaThe Papist is afraid to breake a popishe lawe.When the person of Aldam heard that, he began to shrincke backe, & would haue left his saying of Masse. Then start vp Iohn Clerke, and sayd: M. Auerth, be not afrayd, ye haue a *Marginalia* Superaltare is a stone c?secrated by the Bishops, commonly of a foote long, which the Papistes cary in stead of an aulter, when they masse for mony in gentlemens houses. Superaltare.  

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A consecrated stone in a wooden frame which was used as a portable altar.

Then Foster with his armed men, tooke D. Taylour, and led him with strong hand out of the Church, and the Popish Prelate proceded in his Romish Idolatry. D. Taylours wife, who folowed her husband into the Church, wh? she saw her husband thus violently thrust out of his Church: she kneeled downe, and held vp her handes, and with loude voyce sayd: I besech God the righteous Iudge to auenge this iniury, that this Popish Idolatour this day doth to the bloud of Christ. Th? they thrust her out of the Church also, and shut to the doores: for they feared that the people would haue rent their Sacrificer in peeces. Notwithstandyng, one or two threw in great stones at the wyndowes, and missed very litle the Popish Masser.

Thus you see how without consent of the people, the Popish Masse was agayne set vp, MarginaliaThe Papistes argumentes wherewith they maintaine their doctrine.with battayle aray, with swordes and bucklers, with violence and tyranny: which practise the Papistes haue euer yet vsed. As for reason, law, or Scripture, they haue none on their part. Therfore they are the same that sayth: MarginaliaSap. 2.The law of vnrighteousnes is our strength: Come let vs oppresse the righteous without any feare. &c.

MarginaliaD. Taylour complayned of to the Bishop of Winchester.Within a day or two after, with all hast possible, this Foster & Clerke made a complyant of D. Taylour, by a letter written to Steuen Gardiner Byshop of Winchester, and Lord Chauncellour.

When the Bishop heard this, he sent a letter missiue to D. Taylour, MarginaliaD. Taylour cited by a letter missiue.commaunding him wythin certayn dayes, to come and to appeare before hym vpon hys allegiaunce, to aunswere such complayntes as were made agaynst him.

When D. Taylours friends heard of this, they were excedyng sory and agreeued in mind: which then foreseing to what end the same matter would come, seeyng also all truth and iustice were troden vnder foote, and falsehoode wyth cruell Tyranny were set aloft and ruled all the whole rout: MarginaliaD. Taylours frendes would haue him flye.hys friendes I say came to him, and earnestly counselled hym to depart and flye, allead-

gyng and declaryng vnto hym, that he could neyther be indifferently heard to speake his c?science and mind, nor yet looke for iustice or fauour at the sayd Chauncellours handes, who as it was well knowen, was most fierce and cruel: but must needes (if he went vp to him) waite for imprisonment and cruell death at hys hands.

Then sayd D. Taylour to hys friendes: Deare friendes, I most hartely thanke you, for that ye haue so t?der a care ouer me. MarginaliaThe valiant courage of Doctour Taylour in Christes cause.And although I know, that there is neither iustice nor truth to be looked for at my aduersaries handes, but rather imprisonment and cruell death: yet know I my cause to bee so good and ryghteous, and the truth so strong vpon my syde, that I will by Gods grace go and apeare before them and to their beardes resist their false doinges.

Th? sayd his frendes: M. Doctour, we thinke it not best so to do. You haue sufficiently done your duty, and testified the truth, both by your godly Sermons, and also in resisting the Person of Aldam, wyth other that came hyther to bryng in agayne the popysh Masse. And for as much as our Sauiour Christ wylleth & biddeth vs, MarginaliaMath. 10.that when they persecute vs in one City, we should flie into an other: we thinke in flying at this tyme yee should do best, keeping your selfe agaynst an other time when the Church shal haue great neede of such diligent teachers, and godly Pastours.

MarginaliaDoctour Taylour refuseth to flye.Oh (quoth Doct. Taylour) what will ye haue me to do? I am now old, and haue already liued to long to see these terrible and most wicked dayes. Flye you, and do as your conscience leadeth you. I am fully determined (with Gods grace) to goe to the Bishop, and to hys beard to tell hym that hee doth nought. God shall well hereafter rayse vp teachers of hys people, which shall with much more diligence and fruit teach them, then I haue done. For God wyll not forsake hys church, though now for a time he tryeth and correcteth vs, and not without a iust cause.

As for me, I beleue before God, I shall neuer bee able to doe God so good seruice, as I may do now: nor I shall neuer haue so glorious a calling as I now haue, nor so great mercy of God profered me, as is now at thys present. For what Christen man would not gladly dye against the Pope and hys adherentes? I know that the Papacy is the kingdome of Antichrist, MarginaliaThe Papacy a kingdome of lyes.altogether full of lyes, altogether full of falsehood: so that all their doctrine, euen from Christes Crosse be my speede and S. Nicholas,  

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This was the phrase commonly found at the beginning of primers (St Nicholas was invoked because he was the patron saint of children).

Wherefore I besech you, and all other my friendes, to pray for me, and I doubt not, but God wyll geue me strength and his holy spirite, that all myne aduersaries shall haue shame of their doinges.

When his friendes saw him so constant, and fully determined to goe, they with weeping eyes comm?ded hym vnto God: and he within a day or two prepared him selfe to his iourney, leauing his cure with a godly old Priest, named MarginaliaSyr Rich. Yeoman Doctour Taylours Curate, & Martyr of Christ.Syr Rychard Yeoman, who afterward for Gods truth was burnt at Norwich.

MarginaliaIohn Alcocke of Hadley troubled for Gods truth, and dyed in prison.There was also in Hadley one Alcocke, a very godly man, well learned in the holy Scriptures, who (after Syr Richard Yeoman was driuen away) vsed dayly to reade a chapter, and to say the English Letany in Hadley Church. But hym they fet vp to London, and cast hym in prison in Newgate: where after a yeare imprysonment, he dyed.

But let vs returne to Doctor Taylour agayne, who being accompanied with a seruaunt of his own, named Iohn Hull, MarginaliaDoctour Taylours iourney.tooke hys iourney towardes London. By the way this MarginaliaIohn Hull a faithfull seruaunt to Doctour Taylour.Iohn Hull  

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Hull, who is mentioned prominently and sympathetically by Foxe in his descriptions of both Taylor's journey to London and his return to Hadleigh to be executed, was probably Foxe's source for his detailed accounts of both trips. Hull is described as being with Taylor on both occasions.

But in no wyse would D. Taylour consent or agree