Marginalia1555. Iune.To the tenth he aunswered, and sayd, that he will submit hymselfe herein to the order of the law: and farther sayd, that he trusteth that with God he shalbe blessed, although with men he be accursed.

To the eleuenth he sayd, that he beleued that MarginaliaThe Bish. of Rome an enemy to Christ.the bishop of Rome is a mortall enemye to Christ and hys church. And as for Tooly he sayd hee dyd neuer see or know him: but in case the sayd Tooly did wish & pray, as is contained in the Article, then hee dyd lykewyse wish and consent with hym therein.

To the xij. he aunswered, that all which before he confessed to be true, is also true: and all that hee hath denyed to be true, he denyeth againe to be true, and beleueth the same to be according to such thinges as hee hath confessed

By me Tho. Wattes.

¶ An other appearance of Thomas Wats in the Consistory.  

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The accounts of Wats's appearance in Consistory court, along with the letter from the Essex justices, and the articles objected against him with his answers, are taken from official documents, probably a court book, which is now lost.

MarginaliaThomas Wattes agayne appeareth in the consistory.THese Articles thus propounded and aunswered, the bishop commaunded him to appeare agayne in the same place at three of the clocke in the after noone vpon the same day. At which houre, being brought thither by his keeper, the bishop began with him in thys wise: MarginaliaThe Bishops wordes to Thomas Wattes.Wattes, you know what I said vnto you to day, and what I appointed vnto you at this time. The time is now come: waygh and consider with your self, that you are but a man: and albeit that ye will wilfully cast away your body, yet cast not so away your soule, but while ye haue tyme, returne and confesse the truth.

Whereunto Thomas Wattes aunswered and said: MarginaliaThe answere of Wattes.I am wery to lyue in such Idolatry as ye would haue me to lyue in. Vpon which aunswer the bishop caused hys articles againe to be read. He thereto aunswered as before, and farther subscribed the same wyth hys own hand.

¶ An other appearance before D. Harpsfield.  

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The accounts of Wats's appearance in Consistory court, along with the letter from the Essex justices, and the articles objected against him with his answers, are taken from official documents, probably a court book, which is now lost.

MarginaliaAn other appearance before D. Harpsfield.THe Bishop, after many perswasions to cause hym to recant, willed him to depart as then, and to come agayne on Saterday at eight of the clocke in the morning. Where (the bishop being absent) Doctor Nicholas Harpsfield, as then being his deputy,  

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Nicholas Harpsfield was the archdeacon of Canterbury, but he was also the vicar-general of the diocese of London. In Wats's case, he is acting in the latter capacity.

MarginaliaWattes submitteth him to the law, but not to the Popes law.Well, ye haue a law to condemne me, and I submit my selfe to the law: but not to the lawes of the Church (as you cal it). And farther I doe affirme, and wyll stand to mine aunswers that I haue made.

Whereupon D. Harpsfield wylled hym to appeare there againe vpon Friday being the tenth day of the same moneth of May. MarginaliaThomas Wattes priuately appeareth agayne before the Bishop.Vpon which day the bishop priuately sent for the said Thomas Wattes into his chamber, and there with many fayre promises tempted and tryed hym, whether he would reuoke his errours (as he then termed them). But Wattes aunswered hym in this sort: MarginaliaWattes anwere to the Byshop.I wyll not beleue your church, neither the Romish church, & therefore you do but labour in vaine thus to trauaile with me. He was here vpon agayne dismyssed for that time, vntill Friday the. xvij. day of May, and then commaunded to appeare in the Consistory: which commaundement he obeyed, and hauyng the accustomed former articles ministred vnto hym, made then such aunsweres as before.

¶ Thomas Wats brought againe to the Consistory.  

Commentary     Close

The accounts of Wats's appearance in Consistory court, along with the letter from the Essex justices, and the articles objected against him with his answers, are taken from official documents, probably a court book, which is now lost.

THus being tost to and fro, from day to day, & houre to houre: he was at the last, the. xviij. daye of the moneth of May, brought into the Consistorye, where fyrst was made a briefe recitall of all þ^e former processe: and there the said Wats being (by the bishop & others) willed to deny his profession, made this final aunswer: MarginaliaThe finall answere of Thomas Wattes.God kepe me from the doctrine that ye would haue me come vnto, which ye haue now declared. And I besech God that I may perseuer in that that I haue done, for I wyll stand to myne aunswers.

The bishop perceauing his fayre flattering promyses nothing to preuaile (and hauing no great store of other reasons to perswade with) put forth his last and strongest argument of MarginaliaSentence of condemnation agaynst Tho. Wattes.condemnation. Which being ended, he was deliuered to the Shieriffes of London, and by them was sent to Newgate, where he remayned vntyll the ninth day of Iune (or as some record) to the. xxij. of May: at what tyme hee was caryed vnto Chelmesforde, and there was brought to Scots house keeping then an Inne at Chelmesford, where, as they were eating meate with Haukes & the rest that came downe to their burning, they prayed together both afore and after their meate.

Then Wats went and prayed priuately to him self: and afterward came to hys wyfe and his. vj. chyldren being there, and sayd these words in effect: MarginaliaThe farwel of Tho. Wattes to his wife and six childrē.Wife, and my good children, I must now depart from you. Therfore hence forth know I you no more, but as the Lord hath geuen you vnto me, so I geue you againe vnto the Lord, whom I charge you, see you doe obey, and feare him: and beware ye turne not to this abominable Papistry, against the which I shall anone (by Gods grace) geue my bloud. Let not þ^e murthering of Gods Saints cause you to relent, but take occasion thereby to be the stronger in the Lordes quarell, and I doubt not, but he wyll be a mercyfull father vnto you. All these and such lyke wordes spake he vnto them, and they vnto hym, of whom two (as it is sayd) offered to bee burnt wyth him. In the end he bad them farewell, and kissed them all, and was caryed to the fier.

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Commentary on the Woodcuts     Close

This is one of the small cuts introduced in 1570, which saw repeated use. It was reused four more times after this appearance in, 1583, at pages 1683, 1704, 2021, 2045, and is one of the two small woodcuts (see also small cut [i]) that, unlike the majority, show martyrs in an unlit pyre with pikemen in the background. The curious lack of the top framing line in this instance, indicating that the block was shortened, also suggests this was some kind of exception in the series.

At the stake, after he had kissed it, he spake to my lord Rich, these or the like wordes: MarginaliaThe words of Tho. Wattes to the Lord Rich.My Lord sayth hee, beware, beware for you do against your own conscience herein, and without you repent, the Lord wyl reuenge it: For you are the cause of this my death.  

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As the researches of Brett Usher have revealed, Lord Rich had been the patron of a number of evangelical preachers in Essex during the reign of Edward VI, thus explaining Wats's words to Lord Rich. (See the article by Brett Usher in John Foxe at Home and Abroad, ed. by David Loades[forthcoming]).

¶ Concerning the childebed of Queene Mary, as it was rumoured among the people.  

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Queen Mary's False Pregnancy

All of the material Foxe ever printed on Mary's false pregnancy first appeared in the 1563 edition. In the 1570 edition Foxe deleted some material, most notably William Forest's poems. The account was printed without alteration in the 1576 and 1583 editions. The chief source for this material was London gossip; interestingly, gossip centred on the Aldersgate neighbourhood of John Day's printshop, where all four of the first editions of the Acts and Monuments were printed.

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MarginaliaThe childbirth of Q. Mary.LOng persuasion had bene in England with great expectation, for the space of halfe a yeare or more, that the Queene was conceiued with childe. This report was made by the Queenes Phisicians, and other nye about the court: so that diuers were punished for saying the contrary. And commaundement was geuen that in all churches supplication and prayers should be made for the Queenes good deliuery: the certificate