MarginaliaAn. 1557. Nouember.And I sayd no, I haue bene in no errour: for the spirituall lawes were neuer truelyer set forth then in my maister K. Edwardes tyme, and I trust vnto God I shall neuer forsake them whiles I liue.
Thē came a Gentleman to me and sayd: are ye wiser then all men? and haue ye more knowledge then all men? wil you cast away your soule willingly? my Lord and other men also would fayne you would saue your selfe: therefore choose some man where you will, eyther spirituall or temporall, and take a day: my Lord will geue it you.
[Back to Top]Then said I: if I saue my life I shall lose it, and if I loose my life for Christes sake, I shall finde it in life euerlasting. And if I take a day, when the day commeth, I must say then euē as I do now, except I will lye, and therefore that needeth not.
Well, then haue hym away, sayd the Byshop.
This aboue named Thomas Spurdance, was one of Queene Maryes seruauntes, MarginaliaThomas Spurdance by whom he was apprehended.and was taken by two of hys fellowes, the sayd Queenes seruauntes, named Iohn Haman otherwise called Barker, and George Looson,
His name is given as George Lawson in 1563, pp. 1677-78. ElizabethLawson, wife of William Lawson, also of Coddenham, was sentenced along with Spurdance (BL, Harley MS 421, fos. 177r-178v). On Elizabeth Lawson see 1563, p. 1677; 1570, pp. 2274-75; 1576, pp. 1953-54 and 1583, pp. 2270-71.
The entire account of these three martyrs was first printed in the 1563 edition. In the 1570 edition Foxe pruned this account back, apparently to save paper rather than from religious or political motives. It was reprinted without change in subsequent editions.
MarginaliaNouēb. 18.MarginaliaThe story and Martyrdome of Iohn Hallingdale, William Sparrow, Richard Gibson.NOt long after the Martyrdome of the two good wemen at Colchester, aboue named, were three faithfull witnesses of þe Lordes Testament tormented, and put to death in Smithfield at London, the xviij. day of Nouember, in the yeare aforesayd, whose names hereafter folow.
[Back to Top]Iohn Hallyngdale.
William Sparow.Richard Gybson.
Which three were produced before Boner Byshop of London, the v. day of Nouember. 1557. and had by hym and his Officers certaine Articles ministred, the summe wherof hereafter followeth.
MarginaliaArticles Agaynst Iohn Hallingdale.Marginalia1.FIrst, that the sayd Iohn Hallingdale is of the Dioces of London, & so subiect to the iurisdiction of the Byshop of London.
Marginalia2.Secondly, that the sayd Iohn, before the tyme of the reigne of kyng Edward the vj. late kyng of Englād, was of the same fayth and Religion that was then obserued, beleued, taught, and set forth here in this Realme of England.
Marginalia3.Thirdly, that duryng the reigne of the sayd kyng Edward the vj. the sayd Iohn Hallingdale, vppon occasion of the preachyng of certeine ministers in that tyme, did not abyde in his former faith and Religion, but did departe from it, & so did & doth continue till this present day, and so determineth to do (as he sayth) till his liues end.
[Back to Top]Marginalia4.Fourthly, that the sayd Iohn Hallingdale, hath thought, beleued, and spoken diuerse tymes, that the fayth, Religion and Ecclesiasticall seruice, receiued, obserued & vsed now in this Realme of Englād, is not good and laudable, but against Gods commaundement and word, especially concernyng the Masse, & the seuen Sacramentes: and that he the sayd Iohn, will not in any wise conforme him self to the same, but speake and thinke agaynst it duryng his naturall lyfe.
[Back to Top]Marginalia5.Fiftly, that the sayd
Foxe edited non-essential details from this article in the 1570 edition.
as he sayth there are, especially the Masse, the Sacraments, and the ceremonies and seruice set forth in Latin.
Marginalia6.Sixtly, that the sayd Iohn, when his wife, called Alyce, was brought in bed of a man childe, caused the sayd child to be christened in English, after the same maner and forme in all points as it was vsed in the tyme of the reigne of Kyng Edward the vj. aforesayd, and caused it to be called Iosue, & would not haue the said child christened in Latin after þe forme and maner as it is now vsed in the Church and Realme of England, nor will haue it by his will (as he sayth) to be confirmed by the Byshop.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaHys aunsweres to the articles.Vnto all the which Articles the sayd Iohn Hallingdale made aunswere, confessing them all, and euery part of them to be true, and saying that he would not reuoke his sayd aunsweres, but stand vnto them accordyng as it was in euery Article aboue written.
Furthermore, the sayd Iohn Hallingdale, being demaūded by þe said Boner, whether he did firmely beleue that in the Sacrament cōmonly called þe sacramēt of þe altar, there is really & truly þe very body & bloud of our Sauiour Christ, or no: MarginaliaThe reall presence denyed.made answere that he neither in þe tyme of the sayd K. Edward vj. nor at that present did beleue, that in þe sayd Sacrament there is really the very body and bloud of Christ. For he sayd, that if hee had so beleued, he would (as other had done) haue receiued the same, which he did not because he had & then dyd beleue that the very body of Christ is onely in heauen, and no where els. And furthermore the sayd Iohn Hallingdale sayd that Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, Hooper, and generally all that of late haue bene burned for heretickes, were no heretickes at all, because they did preach truly the Gospell: vppon whose preachyng, hee grounded his faith and conscience, as hee sayd, accordyng to the saying of S. Iohn in the. xviij. Chap. of his Reuelation, where he saith, that the bloud of the Prophetes and of the Saintes, & of all that were slayne vppon earth, was found in the Babilonicall Church, by the which, he said, is vnderstād the Church where the Pope is the head.
[Back to Top]After which examination, the sayd Iohn was sent vnto prison agayne. MarginaliaIohn Hallingdale agayne brought before the Byshop.And the next day, being the vj. day of the sayd moneth, he was called before the Bishop agayne, who perswading him with some wrested sentences of the Scripture, the sayd Ioh. Hallingdale answered: Because I will not (saith he) come to your Babilonicall Church, therfore (speaking vnto Boner) you go about to condemne me. And being of Boner further demaunded, whether he would perseuer & stand in his opinions or no, he made answere that he would continue and persist in them vnto þe death. MarginaliaSentence red agaynst Iohn Hallingdale by Byshop Boner.Then Boner red the bloudy sentence of condēnation. At which time the sayd Iohn affirmed openly that (thanking God) he neuer came into the church since the abomination came into it: and so he was sent to prison agayne.
[Back to Top]Vppon the same vj. day also, in the forenoone, was produced before the Bishop, the forenamed William Sparrow, and had layed vnto him certayne articles, which hereafter followeth.
MarginaliaArticles agaynst William Sparrow.Marginalia1.FIrst, that thou William Sparrow wast in times past detected and presented lawfully vnto thy Ordinarye the Bishop of London, called Edmund, who also is now thine Ordinary of the sayd dioces: and thou wast presented and detected vnto him for heresy, errors, and vnlawfull opinions, which thou didest beleue, set foorth, and holde.
[Back to Top]Marginalia">2.Secondly, that thou before thy sayd Ordinary, didst openly and iudicially confesse the sayd heresies, errours, and vnlawfull opinions, as appeareth plainely in the actes of the court, had & made before thy sayd Ordinary.
Marginalia3.Thirdly, that thou after the premisses, didst make thy submission in writing, & diddest exhibite & deliuer þe same as thy deede, to thy sayd Ordinary: openly cōfessing and recognising thy heresies, errors, vnlawfull opinions, and thine offenses, and transgressions in that behalfe.
Marginalia4.Fourthly, that thou after þe premisses, diddest promise