MarginaliaAn. 1556. July.modest behauiour before that bloudy butcher in the time of all your craftie examinations., especially at your cruell condemnation in their cursed Consistorie place. Blessed be God the father of all mercy, and praised be his name, for that hee hath so graciously performed vppon you his deare darelinges, his most sweete and comfortable promises, in not only geuing you the cōtinuall aide, strēgth, and comfort of his holy aud mightie spirite, to the faithfull confession of his CHRIST, for whose cause (O most happy men) ye are condemned to die: but also in geuing you such a mouth and wisedome, as al your wicked enemies, were not able to resist, but were faine to crie: peace, peace, and not suffer you to speake. MarginaliaThe enemyes not able to withstand the wisedome of God in hys Sainctes, but compelled to bid them holde their peace.As truly as God liueth (my deare brethren) this is not onely vnto you a most euident probation that God is on our side, and a sure certaintie of your euerlasting saluation in him, but also to your cruell aduersaries (or rather Gods cursed enemies) a plaine demonstration of their iust eternal wo and damnation, which they shall be full sure shortly to feele, when ye shall full swetely possesse the place of felicitie and pleasure prepared for you from the beginning.

Therfore (my dearely beloued) cease not so long as ye be in this life, to praise the lord with a lustie courage, for that of his great mercy and infinite goodnes, he hath vouched you worthy of this great dignitie, to suffer for his sake, not onely the losse of goodes, wife, and children,, long imprisonment, cruel oppression &c: but also the very depriuation of this mortall life, with the dissolution of your bodies in the fire. The which is þ^e greatest promotion that God can bring you or any other vnto in this vale of misery, yea so great an honour, as the highest angell in heauen is not permitted to haue: and yet hath the Lord (for his deare sonne CHRISTES sake) reputed you worthy of the same, yea and that before me and many other, MarginaliaIohn Careles longeth to dye a Martyr in the Gospels cause.which haue both long looked & longed for the same.

Ah my most deare brother Timmes, whose time resteth altogether in the handes of thy Lord, in a ful happy time camest thou into this troublesome world, but in a much more blessed houre shalt thou depart forth of the same: so that the swete saying of Salomon, or rather of the holy ghost, shalbe full well verified vpon thee, yea and all thy faithfull felowes: MarginaliaEccle. 7.Better is the day of death (saith hee) then the day of birth. This saying can not be verified vpō euery mā, but vpon thee my deare brother, and such as thou art, whose death is most precious before God, and full deare shall your bloud be in his sight. Blessed be GOD for thee my deare brother MarginaliaOf þ^e Martyrdome of thys Tymmes, read before pag. 2075.Timmes, and blessed be God againe that euer I knew thee, for in a most happy time I came first into thy company. Pray for me deare brother, pray for me, that God will once vouch me worthy of that great dignitie whereunto he hath now brought you.

Ah my louing brother MarginaliaThe Martyrdome of Drake. ibid.Drake, whose soule draweth now nigh vnto God, of whom you haue receaued the same, full glad may you be that euer GOD gaue you a life to leaue for his sake: Full well will he restore it to you againe in a thousād fold more glorious wise. Praise God good brother, as you haue great cause, and pray for me, I besech you, which am so much vnworthy (so great are my sinnes) of that great dignitie whereunto the Lord hath called you and the rest of your godly brethrē: whom I besech you to comfort in the Lord, as you can full wel: praised be God for his gifts, which you haue hartely applied to the setting forth of his glory and the commoditie of his poore afflicted Church. Which thing shal surely redounde to your euerlasting ioy and comfort, as you shal most effectually feele or euer it be long, though the wicked of the world iudge farre otherwise.

Ah mine owne hartes, and most dearely beloued brethren, MarginaliaThe Martyrdome of Cauell, Ambrose, and both the Spurges, read in þ^e same page. 2075.Cauell, Ambrose, and both the Spurges: blessed bee the Lord on your behalf, and praised be his name: which hath geuen you such a glorious victory. Full valiant haue you shewed your selues in the Lordes fight, and ful faithfull in your painfull seruice. Faint not but go on forward as ye haue most godly begon, for great shall your reward be at the end of this your trauell. Ah my good faithfull brethren all, what shall I say, or what shall I write vnto you, but euen the same that good Elizabeth did say to her godly kinneswoman Mary the blessed Mother of CHRIST: MarginaliaLuke. 1.Happy art thou (quoth that good woman) which hast beleued: for all thinges which the Lord hath spoken to thee, shalbe fulfilled. So I say to you (my deare hartes in the Lord) happy are ye al, yea twise happy shall ye be for euermore, because ye haue stedfastly beleued the most swete promises which GOD the father hath made vnto you with his owne mouth, in that hee hath promised you (which are the faithfull seede of the be-

leuing Abraham) that ye shalbe blessed euer, world without end. The promises of God your swete father, as ye do beleue, so do ye beare record that God is true. The testimonie whereof ye haue full worthely borne to the world, and shortly will full surely seale the same with your bloud, yea euen to morow, I do vnderstand. MarginaliaHe encourageth Gods Martyrs vnto theyr death.Oh constant Christians: oh valiant souldiours of the high Captaine IESVS CHRIST, who for your sake hath conquered the deuill, death, sinne and hell, and hath geuen you full victory ouer them for euermore. Oh worthy witnesses and most glorious Martyrs, whose inuincible faith hath ouercome that proude, sturdie, bragging prince of the world, and all his wicked army, ouer whom ye shall shortly triumph for euermore. Ah my sweete harts, the euerlasting treasures are full surely layd vp for you in heauen. The immercessible and most glorious crowne of victorie is already made and prepared for you, to bee shortly clapt vpon all your happy heades. The holy Angels of your heauenly father are already appointed to conduct your sweete soules into Abrahams bosome. All the heauenly host reioyceth already, for that they shall shortly receaue you with ioy and felicitie into their blessed felowship. Selah.

Reioyce with double ioy, and be glad my deare brethren, for doubtles ye haue more cause then can be expressed. But (alas) I that for my sinnes am left behind, may lye and lament with the holy Prophet saying: MarginaliaPsal. 119.Wo is me that the dayes of my ioyfull rest are prolonged. Ah cursed Sathan, which hath caused me so sore to offend my most deare louing father, wherby my exile and banishment is so much prolonged. Oh CHRIST my aduocate, pacifie thy fathers wrath which I haue iustly deserued, that he may take me home to him in his sweete mercy. Oh that I might now come home vnto thee with my blessed brethren. Well, thy will (Oh Lord) be effectuously fulfilled, for it is onely good, and turneth all thinges to the best, for such as thou in thy mercies hast chosen.

And now farewel my deare hartes, most happy in the Lord. I trust in my good God, yet shortly to see you in the celestiall Citie, whereof vndoubtedly the Lord hath already made you free Citizens. Though ye be yet with vs for a litle time, your very home is in heauen, where your treasure doth remaine with your sweete Lord and redemer IESVS CHRIST, whose calling you haue heard with the eares of your hartes, and therfore ye shall neuer come into iudgement, but passe from death to life. Your sinnes shall neuer be remembred, be they neuer so many, so greuous, or so great: for your Sauiour hath cast them all into the bottome of the Sea: MarginaliaPsal. 103.hee hath remoued them from you as farre as the East is frō the West, and his mercy hath much more preuailed ouer you, then is distance betwene heauen and earth: MarginaliaThe triumph of Martyrs.and he hath geuen you for an euerlasting possession of þ^e same, all his holines righteousnes, and iustification, yea and the holy ghost into your hartes, wherewith ye are surely sealed vnto the day of redēption, to certifie you of your eternall election, and that ye are his true adopted sonnes, wherby ye may boldly crie vnto God: Abba deare father, for euermore: so that now no creature in heauen, earth, nor hell shalbe able to accuse you before the throne of the heauenly King. Sathan is now cast out from you: he him selfe is iudged and hath no part in you. MarginaliaGen. 3.He will once more bite you by the heele, and then he hath done, for at that time you shal squise his head through your owne good CHRIST, and so haue you finall victorie for euermore. In ioyful triumph wherof, ye shall swetely ascende into the place of eternall rest, whether your eldest brother CHRIST is gone before you, to take possession for you, and to prepare your place vnder the holy aultar, with Cranmer, Latymer, Ridley, Rogers, Hoper, Saunders, Farrer, Taylour, Bradford, Philpot, with many other, who wil be ful glad of your comming, to see vj. mo of their appointed number, that their bloud may so much the sooner bee reuenged vppon them that dwell on the earth.

Thus I make an end, committing you all to Gods most mercifull defence, whose quarell ye haue defended, whose cause ye haue promoted, whose glory ye haue set foorth,and whose name ye haue constantly confessed. Farewell for a while my deare hartes in the Lord: I wil make as much hast after you as I may. All our deare brethren salute you. They pray for you and praise God for you continually. MarginaliaApoc. 11.Blessed bee the dead that dye in the Lord, for they rest from their labours, saith the holy ghost, and their workes folow them.

Your owne, Iohn Careles, a most vnprofita-
ble seruant of the Lord. Pray, pray, pray.