Marginalia1556. August.I do, is onely my conscience, and if there be a further truth, then I see, except it appeare a truth to me, I can not receiue it as a truth. And seyng faith is the gift of God & cōmeth not of mā, for it is not you that cā giue me faith nor no man els, therfore I trust ye will beare the more with me, seyng it must be wrought by God, and when it shall please God to open a further truth to me, I shall receiue it with all my hart, & embrace it.
[Back to Top]¶ Thornton had many other questions, which I did not beare away: but as I do vnderstand, these are the chiefest: as for tauntes, foolish, & vnlearned, he lacked none. Prayse God for his giftes, and God increase in vs strength.
MarginaliaArg. in the 2. figure.If the body of Christ were really and bodely in the Sacramēt, then who soeuer receaued the Sacrament, receiued also the body.
The wicked, receauing the Sacrament, receaue not the body of Christ.
Ergo, the body of Christ is not really in the Sacrament.
Ca. | They which eate the flesh, and drinke the bloud of Christ, dwell in him, and he in them. |
mes. | The wicked dwell not in Christ, nor he in them. |
tres. | Ergo, the wicked eate not the fleshe, nor drinke the bloud of Christ. |
Ca. | They that haue Christ dwellyng in thē, bring forth much fruite. Ioh. 15. He that dwelleth in me, and I in him, bringeth forth much fruite. &c. |
mes- | The wicked bryng forth no fruite of goodnes. |
tres. | Ergo, they haue not Christes body dwellyng in thē. |
Da. | Where remembraunce is of a thing, there is impor- ted the absence therof. |
ti. | Remembraunce of Christes body is in the Sa- crament: Do this in remembraunce of me. &c. |
si. | Ergo,Christes body there is imported to be absent. |
Mary they wil say, we see him not with our outward eyes, but he is commended vnder the forme of bread and wyne, and that that we see, is nothing but a qualitie or an accidence. But let them shew me a qualitie or an accidēce without a substaunce & I will beleue them. And thus much concerning Newmans examinations & argumentes, whose Martyrdome is before, pag. 1864.
[Back to Top]In 1563, Foxe had an account of Joan Waste, which was based on an individual informant's account. In 1570, Foxe expanded this account with trial documents which had been sent to him (BL, Harley 421, fos. 75r-v, 76r and more material drawn from individual informants, including the curate and baliff of Derby). There were no further changes in this account in subsequent editions.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaAug. 1. MarginaliaIoane Waste a blind woman and Martyr.THe first day of August, in the yeare aboue specified, suffered likewise at the Towne of Darby, a certaine poore honest godly womā, being blind from her birth, & vnmaried, about the age of xxij. named Ioane Wast, of the parish of Al hallowes. Of them that sat vpon this innocēt womans bloud, the chiefest was Rafe Bayne B. of the Dioces, Doct. Draycot his Chauncelour, Syr Iohn Porte Knight, Henry Vernon Esquyre, Peter Finsh officiall of Darby, with þe assistance also of diuers other, Rich. Ward, and William Bembrige, the same tyme beyng Bailiffes of the townes of Darby &c.
Note that the list of Waste's persecutors is different in the 1563 edition from that in later editions; names were added to and removed from the 1563 list by Foxe's informants for his account of Waste in the 1570 edition.
First, this Ioane Waste was the daughter of one
William Waste, an honest poore man, and by his science a Barber: who sometime also vsed to make ropes. MarginaliaThe life and conuersatiō of Ioane Waste.His wife had the same Ioane, and one other at one birth, and she was borne blynd. And when she was about xij. or xiiij. yeares old, she learned to knit hosen & sleues, and other thinges, which in time she could do very well. Furthermore as time serued she would helpe her father to turne ropes, & do such other things as she was able, and in no case would be idle. Thus cōtinued she with her father & mother during their liues: After whose departure then kept she with one Roger Waste her brother, who in the time of kyng Edward the vj. of blessed memorie, gaue her selfe dayly to go to the Church to heare Diuine seruice read in the vulgare tounge. MarginaliaIoane Waste drawen by the spirite of God, to the loue of religion.And thus by hearing Homelies and Sermons, she became meruelous well affected to the religion then taught. So at length hauing by her labor gotten and saued so much monie as would buy her a new Testament, she caused one to be prouided for her, And though she was of her selfe vnlearned and by reason of her blindnes vnable to reade, yet for the great desire she had to vnderstand and haue printed in her memory and sayinges of holy scriptures conteined in the new Testament, she acquainted her selfe chiefelie with one Iohn Hurt, then prisoner in the cūmon hall of Darby, for debtes.
[Back to Top]The same Iohn Hurt being a sober graue man of the age of three score and ten yeares, MarginaliaThe earnest desire of Ioane Waste to learne the Scriptures.by her earnest intreatie, and being a prisoner, and many times idle and and without company, did for his exercise dayly reade vnto her some one Chapiter of the new Testament. And if at any time he were otherwise occupied or letted through sickenes, MarginaliaIohn Hurt and Iohn Pemerton readers to Ioane Waste.she would repaire vnto one Iohn Pemerton Clarke of the parish church of all Saintes in the same towne of Darby, or to some other person which could reade, and sometimes she would geue a pennie or two, (as she might spare) to such persons as would not freely reade vnto her, appoynting vnto them aforehand how many Chapiters of the new Testamēt they should reade, or how often they should repeate one Chapiter vpon a price.
[Back to Top]Moreouer in þe said Ioane Wast, this was notorious that she being vtterlie blinde, MarginaliaA notable gift of God in a blinde womā.could notwithstanding without a guide, go to any church within þe said towne of Darby, or to any other place or person, with whō she had any such exercise. By which exercise she so profited, MarginaliaIoane Waste both blind and vnlearned, yet was perfect in the Scriptures.that she was able not only to recite many Chapiters of the New Testament without booke, but also coulde aptly impugne, by diuers places of scriptures, as well sinne, as such abuses in religion, as then were to much in vse, in diuers and sondry persons.
[Back to Top]As this godly woman thus dayly increased in the knowledge of Gods holy word and no lesse in her life expressed the vertuous fruites and exercise of the same. Not long after, through þe fatall death of blessed King Edward followed the wofull ruine of religion, in the raigne of Q. Mary his sister. In which alteration, notwithstanding þe generall backsliding of þe greatest part & multitude of the whole realme into the old papisme agayne: yet this poore blind woman continuing in a constant conscience, proceaded still in her former exercise, both being zealous in that she had learned, and also refusing to communicate in religion with those which taught contrary doctrine to that she before had learned in King Edwardes time, as is aboue declared.
[Back to Top]For the which she was called and conuented before the foresayd Bishop and D. Draycot, with diuers others called in to beare witnes.
A copy of these articles are in Foxe's papers: BL, Harley 421, fo. 75r-v.
MarginaliaThe articles obiected to Ioane Waste.THe articles ministred to her, and wherwith she was charged, were these: First, that she did hold the sacrament of the altar, to be but onely a memorie or representation of Christes body, and materiall bread and wyne, but not his naturall body, vnlesse it were receyued. And that it ought not to be reserued from time to time ouer
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