MarginaliaAn. 1556. Iuly.rie of Gods people)  

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Mary Glover, the wife of the martyr Robert Glover and Agnes Glover, the wife of John Glover. Mary was mourning her executed husband and Agnes was mourning her husband who died of natural causes fleeing the authorities.

Right glad I am to heare (my deare and faithful brother Augustine) that God of his great mercy and infinite goodnes, hath yet so graciously deliuered and preserued you out of your enemies handes, beseching almightie God also, from the bottome of my hart, to be your continual defence vnto the end, as hetherto he hath most graciously ben, that you may both liue and die to Gods glorie, the commoditie of his Church, and to the increase of your owne euerlasting ioy and comfort in him.

Know you deare brother, that I haue receaued your letter, for the which I hartely thanke you. In deede I thinke it very short, although it semeth somthing sharply to rebuke me in the beginning, for the breach of my promise in not writing to you of this long time. Well brother, I am content to beare it with pacience, considering that you are troubled otherwise (the Lord comforte you & all heuie hartes) neither wil I spend ynke and paper for my purgation in this point. God he knoweth whether I be so mindles of my promise as it appeareth in your sight I am. Your request I will truly performe to the vttermost of my power, as gladly as any poore wretch shall do in the world, and I thanke God I haue done no lesse of long time. As as my poore prayer shalbe a handmayd to wayte vppon you which way so euer you ryde or goe, so I besech you, that my simple counsell may take some place in you, in this time of your pilgrimage, which you passe in no smal perill: God keepe and preserue you for his names sake. I do not disalow, but much praise and commende your harty boldenes in putting your selfe in preasse, when any one of Gods people needeth your helpe in any point. MarginaliaHe counselleth Augustine to be circumspect, and not rashly to thrust hym selfe in daunger.But yet I would not haue you thrust your selfe in daunger, when you can do thē no good, or at least wise whē they may well enough spare that good you would do them: For if you should then chaunce to be taken, you shall not onely be no comfort vnto them, but also a great discomfort, adding sorrow vnto their sorrow.

I do not persuade you to absent your selfe from any place where your presence of necessitie is required: for in all such places, I know, God will preserue you, as hee hath hetherto wōderfully done, praised be his name therfore: or if it shall please him to permitte you in any such place to be taken, I know he will most sweetely comfort your conscience with this consideration, that it is the very prouidence and appointment of God that you should there and then be taken vp for a witnes of his truth vnto the world: but I can not allow, nor bee contented that you should rashely or negligently thrust your selfe into that place where your wicked enemies do continually haunt, yea and lay waite for you, when no necessitie of your selfe nor of any other of Gods people doth require your companie. If they neede any of your godly counsell, you may write vnto them that thing that you thinke good: which (I dare say) will be sufficient vnto them. For (continuall thankes and praises be geuen vnto the euerlasting GOD) there is none of those that be cruelly condemned for Gods truth, that now be weakelinges: for they haue manfully passed through the pikes, and they haue boldly abidden the brunt of the battel, and therefore I recken the worst is past with them already: So that now and then a godly letter from you to them, shall do as much good as your company shall do, and perchaunce more too: for writing sticketh longer in the memorie then wordes do: yea though your letters were as short to them, as your last was to me, so that the same be something sweter and not althing so sharpe.

This (deare brother) is the simple counsell which I would gladly haue you obserue, partly for that I hartely pray for your preseruation to the commoditie of CHRISTES Church, and partly for that I vnfainedly wish the peace, comfort, and tranquilitie of your owne conscience, MarginaliaA good conscience is soone troubled.which I know will bee quickly ready to accuse you, if you do any thing wherin you haue not the word of God for your warrant. For in a glasse that is cleare, a small mote will soone appeare: euen so the good conscience of Gods chosen children being more cleare then Cristall, will quickely accuse them at the least fault they do commit, where as the wicked worldlinges haue their conscience so clogged and corrupted through the custome of sinne, that they can not once see nor perceaue their owne shamefull deedes and wicked workes, vntil God set the same before them for their vtter destruction, and then dispaire they immediatly. But seing that God hath geuen you a cleare conscience and a pure, sharpe, quicke, & liue-

ly sight in your soule. I would wishe you to beware that you do nothing vnaduisedly, but vppon a good ground. For an accusing conscience is a sore thing when death doth approch, MarginaliaConscience of sinne sometyme is taken where none is cōmitted.and then Sathan will not sticke to tell you that you haue to much tempted God, when peraduenture you haue done nothing so at all. For this cause (I say) partly I haue thought it good to admonish you (as I haue done often) to be circumspect, according to the Counsell of CHRIST, which biddeth you to MarginaliaMath. 10.beware of men. Other thinges I haue not to write, for I know this bearer can certifie you of all thinges at large, better then I can declare it by writing.

I besech you good Augustine, helpe mee forwardes with your hartie prayers, for I trust I haue but a small time to tarie in this troublesome world. MarginaliaD. Story.Doct. Story told our Marshall that we should all be dispatched so soone as he came from Orford, whether he and other bloudy butchers be gone to make slaughter of CHRISTES shepe that lye there appointed to be slaine. God for CHRISTES sake put them and such like, besides their cruell purpose, if it bee his good will and pleasure: Amen good Lord. I pray you do my most hartie commēdations to my deare sister and faithfull frend, good Mistres Mary Glouer. I besech God be hrr comfort, as I doubt not but he is. I am very glad to heare that she doth so ioyfully and so patiently beare this great crosse that God hath layd vpon her. I pray God strengthen her, and all other his deare Saintes vnto the end, Amen. Commende me vnto my deare and faithfull Sister Elizabeth B. I thanke her most hartely for my napkin, and so I do you deare brother, for my sherte. Truly that day that we were appointed to come to our answere before the Commissioners (which had sent word the same morning, that they would come to the Kinges Bench by viij. of the clocke, and the house and al thinges were trimmed and made ready for them) MarginaliaThe Chrisitan courage of Iohn Careles.I got that shert on my backe & that napkin in my hand, and me thought that they did helpe to harnesse me and weapon me well, to go fight against that bloudy beast of Babylon. And trust me truly, if they had come, I would haue strikē iij. strokes þ^e more for your two sakes, aswell as God would haue abled me to haue set them on, as by Gods grace I will not faile to do at the next skirmishe that I come to: Wherfore I pray you pray for me, that I may be strong and hardie to lay on good loade. Oh that I might so strike him downe, that he should neuer be able for to rise againe. But that stroke belongeth onely vnto the Lord, to strike at his cōming, the which I trust will be shortly. Oh hasten it good Lorde, & shorten these sorowfull and sinfull dayes, for thy great mercies sake.

Farewell my deare and faithfull louyng brother. The Lorde defend, keepe, and preserue you from the power of your enemies visible and inuisible, and send vs a most ioyfull and mery meetyng here or elswhere, as it shall please his goodnes to appoint vs. In the meane space I shall most earnestly desire you to pray for me, for I neuer had more neede in my life: and doubtles you shall neuer want my poore prayer, if it shal please God to accept the prayer of so sinnefull a wretch as I am. The Lord impute not my sinnes to me, for IESVS CHRISTES sake: vnto whose most mercifull defēce, I do most hartely commit you. The blessing of God be with you now and euer, Amen. I pray you do my most hartie commendations vnto MarginaliaOf thys Iohn Glouer, read before pag. 1885.M. Iohn Glouer. I do not forget him in my dayly prayers, and I trust he doth remember me.

Your poore brother, alwaies mindfull of you
in my prayer, Iohn Careles prisoner, aby-
dyng Gods pleasure.

¶ To my deare brother Harry Adlington  

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Adlington was one of the martyrs executed at Stratford-le-Bow on 27 June 1556. In this remarkable letter, Careless would have been coaching Adlington on what to say at his trial.

prisoner in the Lolardes Tower.  

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This letter was first printed in Letters of the Martyrs, pp. 611-16. This letter was written between 6 and 13 June 1556.

MarginaliaAn other Letter of Iohn Careles to Henry Adlingtō after a Martyr, partly cōforting, & partly coūselling him how to answere his aduersaries.THe euerlasting peace of God in IESVS CHRIST, the continuall aide, strength, ioy, and comfort of his most pure, holy, and mightie spirite, with the increase of faith and liuely feeling of his mercies: be most effectuously wrought in your hart, my deare and faithfull louing brother Adlington, & in the hartes of all your other godly prison fellowes, to the full finishing of that good worke, which the Lord hath most graciously begon in you: that the same may be to the setting forth of his glory, the commoditie of his poore afflicted Church, and to your owne eternall ioy and comfort in him, Amen.

My most deare and faithfull louing brother in our Lord, I with all the rest of my louing brethren here with me, do most humbly and hartely commēde vs vnto you,