MarginaliaAn. 1558.brother, as by the same here following for the more euidence may appeare.

MarginaliaSteuen Cottons Letter to hys brother.BRother, in the name of the Lord Iesus I commend me vnto you, and I do hartely thanke you for your godly exhortation and counsell in your last letter declared to me. And albeit I do perceiue by your letter, you are informed, that as we are diuers persons in number, so we are of contrary sectes, conditions, and opinions, contrary to that good opinion you had of vs at your last being with vs in Newgate: be you most assured good brother in þ^e Lord Iesus, we are all of one minde, one faith, one assured hope in the Lord Iesus, whom I trust we altogether with one spirite, one brotherly loue, do dayly call vpon for mercy & forgeuenes of our sinnes, with earnest repentaunce of our former liues, and by whose precious bloudsheeding we trust to be saued only, and by no other meanes. Wherefore good brother, in the name of the Lord, seing these impudent people, whose myndes are altogether bent to wickednes, enuy, vncharitablenes, euill speaking, do goe about to sclaunder vs with vntruth, beleue them not, neither let their wicked sayings once enter into your minde. And I trust one day to see you againe, although now I am in Gods prison, which is a ioyfull schole to them that loue their Lord and God, and to me being a simple scholer, most ioyfull of all.

Good brother, once agayne I do in the name of our Lord Iesus, exhort you to pray for me, that I may fight strongly in þ^e lordes battayle, to be a good souldier to my captayn Iesus Christ our Lord, & desire my sister also to do the same: and do not ye mourne or lament for me, but be ye glad and ioyfull of this my trouble: For I trust to be loosed out of this dongeon shortly, and to go to euersting ioy, which neuer shall haue end. I heard how ye were with the Commissioners for me, and how ye were suspected to be one of our company. I pray you sue no more for me, good brother. But one thing I shall desire you, to be at my departing out of this life, that you may beare witnes with me that I shall die, I trust in God, a true christian, and (I hope) all my companions in the Lord our God: and therefore beleue not these euill disposed people, who are the authors of all vntruth.

I pray you prouide me a long shirt against the day of our deliueraunce: for the shirt you gaue me last, I haue geuen to one of my companions who had more neede then I: And as for the money and meate you sent vs, the Bishops seruauntes deliuered none to vs, neither hee whom you had so great trust in. Brother, there is none of them to trust to: for qualis magister talis seruus  

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Letter from Steven Cotton to his brother.

Foxe text Latin

qualis magister talis seruus

Foxe text translation

Not translated.

Translation (Wade 2004)

As is the master so is the slave

Your Brother, Steuen Cotton.

MarginaliaIames Harris scourged.IN this societie of the scourged professors of Christ, was also one Iames Harris of Billerica in Essex, a striplyng, of the age of. xvij. yeares: who beyng apprehended and sent vp to Boner in the company of Margaret Ellis, by Syr Iohn Mordaunt Knight, and Edmund Tyrrell Iustices of peace (as appeareth by their own letters before mencioned, pag. 2091MarginaliaRead before pag. 2091.) was by Boner diuers times straitly examined. In the which examinations he was charged not to haue come to his Parish Chruch by þ^e space of one year or more. Wherunto he graunted, confessing therwithall, that once for feare he had bene at the Church, and there had receiued the Popish Sacrament of the altar, MarginaliaIames Harris repenteth hys comming to the Popishe Church.for the which he was hartely sory, detesting þ^e same with all his hart.

After this and such like aunsweres, Boner (the better to try him) perswaded him to go to shrift. The Lad somewhat to fulfill his request, cōsented to go, and did. But when he came to the Priest, he stode still and sayd nothing. Why quoth the Priest, sayest thou nothyng?

What should I say, sayd Harris? Thou must confesse thy sinnes, sayd the Priest. My sinnes (sayth he) be so many, that they can not be numbred. MarginaliaThe cause of Iames Harris scourging.With that the Priest told Boner what he had sayd, and he of his accustomed deuotion, tooke the poore Lad into his garden, and there with a rod gathered out of a Chery tree, did most cruelly whip him.

MarginaliaThe scourging of Robert Williams.OVer and besides these aboue mentioned, was one Rob. Williams, who being apprehēded in þ^e same company, was also tormēted after the like maner with roddes in his arbour: who there subscribing and yelding him selfe by promise to obey the lawes, after beyng let go, refused so to do: wherupon he was earnestly sought for, but could not be found, for that he kept him selfe close, and went not abroad but by stelth: and now in the meane time of this persecution, this Rob. Williams departed this life, and so escaped the handes of his enemies. The Lorde therefore be honored for euer, Amen.

¶ And forasmuch as I haue begō to write of Boners scourging, by the occasion therof commeth to minde to inferre by the way, his beating of other boyes and children, and drawing them naked through the nettels, in his iorney rowyng toward Fulhā. The story although it touch no matter of Religion, yet because it toucheth something the nature and disposition of that man, and may refresh the reader, weried percase with other dolefull stories, I thought here not to omitte.

MarginaliaB. Boner causeth certayne boyes to be beaten.BOner passing from London to Fulham by Barge, hauing Iohn Milles and Thomas Hinshaw aboue mentioned with him, both prisoners for Religion, by the way as he went by water, was saying Euensong with Harpsfield his Chapleine in the Barge, and beyng about the midle of their deuout Orisons, they espied a sort of young boyes swimmyng and washing them selues in the Thamis ouer agaynst Lambeth, or a litle aboue: vnto whom he went, and gaue very gētle language, and fayre speach, vntill he had set his men a land. That done, his men ran after the boyes to get them, as the Bishop commaunded them before,MarginaliaBoners pitifull hart. beating some with nettels, drawing some thorow bushes of nettels naked, and some they made leape into the Thamis to saue them selues, that it was maruell they were not drowned.

Now as the children for feare did cry, and this skirmishing was betwene them, immediately came a greater lad thether, to know what þ^e matter ment that the boyes made such a noyse. Whom when the Byshop espied, he asked him whether he would maintayne them in their doynges or no. Vnto whom the young fellow made aunswere stoutly, yea. Then the Bishop commaunded him to be taken also: but he ran away with speede, and therby auoided the Bishops blessyng. Now when the Bishop saw him to flie away, and an other man sitting vpon a rayle in the way where he ran, he willed him likewise to stop the boy: and because he would not, he commaunded his men to fet that man to him also: but he hearing that, ran away as fast as he could, & by leaping ouer the ditch, escaped the Bishop in like maner.

Then the Byshop seing the successe of his battayle to proue no better, cryed to a couple of fery boyes, to run and holde him that last ranne away. And for that they sayd they could not (as in deede it was true) therefore he caused hys men by and by to take and beat thē. The boyes hearing that, leapt into the water to saue themselues: notwithstanding, they were caught, and in the water by the Byshopes men were holden and beaten.

Now, after the end of this great skirmish, the By-