MarginaliaAn. 1555. December.way any thyng in this cause, we haue in the Scripture that maketh as wel for vs. For in *Marginalia* Marke. 1. S. Marke we read, that Iohn did Baptise in þ^e desert preaching Baptisme of repētaunce. In the which place we see Baptisyng go before and preachyng to folow. And also I will declare this place of Mathew exactly considered, to make for the vse of Baptisme in children, for S. Mathew hath it writtē in this wise: MarginaliaMath. 28.All power is geuen me (sayth the Lord) in heauen and in earth, therfore goyng forth, μαθητεύσατε, that is, MarginaliaThe place of Mathew. 28. [he that beleueth and is Baptised] opened.Disciple ye (as I may expresse the signification of the word): that is, make or gather to me Disciples of all nations. And followyng hee declareth the way how they should gather to him Disciples out of all nations, baptysing them and teachyng: by Baptising and teachyng, ye shall procure a church to me. And both these aptely and briefly seuerally he setteth forth, saying: Baptising them in the name of the father and the sonne and the holy Ghost, teachyng them to obserue all thynges what soeuer I haue commaunded you. Now then Baptisme goeth before doctrine.

But hereby I do not gather that the Gentiles which neuer heard any thing before of God, and of the sonne of God, & of the holy Ghost, ought to be Baptised, neither they woulde permitte them selues to bee Baptised before they knew to what end. But this I haue declared to shew you, vppon how feble foundation the Anabaptistes bee grounded. And plainely it is not true which they imagine of this text, that the Lord did onely commaunde such to be Baptised whom the Apostles had first of all taught. Neither here verely is signified who onely be to be Baptised, but he speaketh of such as be of perfite age, and of the first fundations of faith, and of the Church to be planted among the Gentiles which were as yet rude and ignorant of Religion.

Such as be of age may heare, beleue, & confesse that is preached and taught, but so can not infantes: therefore we may iustly collect that hee speaketh here nothyng of infantes or children. But for all this they be not to be excluded from Baptisme.

It is a generall rule: He that doth not labour must not eate. But who is so barbarous that might thinke hereby that children should be famished?

MarginaliaIn the first conuerting of infidels, beleuing ought to go before baptising. But where fayth is receiued: gods grace and Sacramentes go not by age, but as well be children of the faythfull receaued as the fathers.The Lord sent his Apostles at þ^e begynnyng of þ^e settyng vp his true Religion vnto all nations, vnto such as were both ignorant of God and were out of þ^e coue-uenaunt of God, & truly such persōs it behoued not first to bee Baptised and afterward taught, but first to bee taught and after Baptised. If at this day we should go to the Turkes to conuert them to the fayth of CHRIST, verely first we ought to teach them, and afterward Baptise such as would yeld to be þ^e seruants of CHRIST. Likewise the Lord him selfe in tymes past did when first hee renewed the couenaunt with Abraham and ordained circumcision to be a seale of the couenaunt after that Abraham was circumcised. But he when he perceiued the infantes also to pertaine to the couenaūt and that circumcision was the sealyng vppe of the couenaunt, did not onely circumcise Ismael his sonne that was xiij. yeares of age, but all other infātes that were borne in his house, among whom we recken Isaac.

Euen so faithfull people which were conuerted from heathen idolatrie by the preachyng of the Gospell, and confessyng the fayth, were Baptised, MarginaliaWhy children of christen parentes be receaued to baptisme.when they vnderstode their children to be counted amōg the people of God, & that Baptisme was the tokē of þ^e people of God, they procured also their childrē to be Baptised. Therfore as it is writtē: Abrahā circūcised al the male childrē of his house. Semblably we read in the Actes & writynges of the Apostles that after the master of the house was turned to the faith, all the whole house was Baptised. And as concernyng those which of old tyme were cōpelled to cōfesse their faith before they receiued Baptisme, which were called MarginaliaCathecumeni is as much to say as young Nouecies and beginners in Christes faith.Cathecumeni, they were such as with our forefathers came frō the Gētiles to the Church, whom beyng yet rude of fayth they did instruct in þ^e principles of theyr belefe, & afterward they dyd Baptise them: but the same auncient fathers notwithstandyng dyd Baptise the children of faithfull men, as I haue already partly declared.

And because you do require a hasty aunswere of your letter of one that is but a dul writer, I am here inforced to ceasse particularly to go through your letter in aunsweryng therto, knowyng that I haue fully aunswered euery part therof in that I haue already writtē, although not in such order as it had ben meete, & as I purposed, But for as much as I vnderstand that you will be no contentious man neither in this matter neither in any other, contrary to the iudgement of CHRISTES true primatiue church, which is the body and fulnes of CHRIST,

I desire you in the entire loue of him, or rather CHRIST desireth you be me (that your ioy may be perfite, wherto you are now called) to submit your iudgement to that Church, and to be at peace and vnity with the same, that the coate of CHRIST which ought to bee without seame, but now alas most miserably is torne in peeces by many daungerous sectes and damnable opinions, may appeare by you in no part to haue bene rented, neither that any gyddy head in these dog dayes might take an exāple by you to dissent from CHRISTES true Church. I besech thee deare brother in the Gospel, folow þ^e steps of þ^e fayth of the glorious Martyrs in the primatiue Church, and of such as at this day follow the same: decline not from them neither to the right hand neither to the left. Then shall death be it neuer so bitter, be more sweter then this life: then shall CHRIST withall the heauenly Hierusalem triūphantly embrace your spirit with vnspeakable gladnes and exaltation, who in this earth was content to ioyne your spirite with their spirites, accordyng as it is cōmaūded by þ^e word, Marginalia1. Cor. 14.that þ^e spirite of Prophets should be subiect to þ^e Prophets. One thing aske with Dauid ere you departe, and require the same, that you may dwell with a ful accord in his house, for there is glory and worshyp: & so withSymeon in the temple embrasing CHRIST, depart in peace: to the which peace CHRIST bryng both you and me and all our louyng brethren that loue God in the vnity of fayth, by such wayes as shall please hym, to hys glory. Let the bitter passion of CHRIST which hee suffred for your sake, and the horrible tormentes which the godly Martyrs of CHRIST haue endured before vs, & also þ^e inestimable reward of your life to come, which is hydden yet a litle while from you with CHRIST, strenthen comfort and encourage you to the end of that glorious race which you are in, Amen. MarginaliaConcerning the partie to whom this letter was written, note that he was conuerted and afterward died in the same fayth, as this letter did persuade him.

Your yoke felow in captiuitie for the veritie
of CHRISTES Gospell to lyue and dye with
you in the vnitie of faith, Iohn Philpot.

The story of seuen Martyrs sufferyng together at London for the lyke testimony of Christes Gospell.  

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Martyrdoms of Thomas Whittle, Bartlett Greene et al.

There is an account of Thomas Whittle's background, arrest, of his being brought before Gardiner and his being sent to Bonner in the Rerum. This is followed by a description of how Whittle, by threats and by flattery, was induced to recant and his retraction of his recantation, Bonner's fury at this and Whittle's condemnation (Rerum, pp. 632-33).

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The account of Whittle's background, arrest, and his being sent to Gardiner and Bonner was reprinted in the 1563 edition. But Foxe replaced the rest of the Rerum account with new material, almost entirely derived from Bonner's official records, although the condemnation of Whittle may well be partly based on an eyewitness account. This narrative remained unchanged in subsequent editions.

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MarginaliaAn. 1556. Ianuary.THe Catholicke Prelates of the Popes band beyng as yet not satisifed w^t this their one yeares bloudy murderyng of the reuerend, learned, and principall members of CHRISTES Church, (whereof there were now very few, which either were not consumed by most cruell fire, or els for the auoydyng of their Popish rage compelled to flye their naturall coūtrey) cōtinued still this next yeare also, which was an. 1556. in no lesse cruelty towards þ^e more simple and inferiour sorte of people (I meane in degree, though God be praised, not in stedfastnes) hauing yet sometimes amongest them such as were both learned and of good estimation, as in continuance of of this history shall appeare.

Wherfore (as the first frutes therof) to begyn this yeare withall: about the xxvij. day of Ianuary were burned in Smithfield at London, these seuen persons hereafter folowyng, to wytte.

MarginaliaSeuen godly Martyrs suffering together in Smithfield.
Thomas Wittle, Priest.
Barthelet Grene, Gentleman.
Iohn Tudson, Artificer.
Iohn Went, Artificer.
Thomas Browne.
Isabell Foster, wife.Ioane Warren, alias Lashford, Mayd.

All which vij. as they were burned together in one fire, so were they likewise all vppon one sort and forme of Articles condemned in one day.MarginaliaAn. 1556. Ianuary. 27. Howbeit, for as much as the giftes of God in them were diuerse (some more aboundyng in knowledge then others) their dealyngs withall were also diuers, as shalbe more playnly perceiued in the discoursing of their seuerall processes hereafter folowing. And therfore for þ^e better vnderstāding hereof, I will first (by þ^e leaue of þ^e Lord) passing ouer their priuate Articles & examinations had at sondry times in þ^e Bishops house, set forth their generall examinations in the publicke Cōsistory vpō the Bishops