Marginalia1558.them, and say: God strengthen them: And so boldly hee said: MarginaliaMaster Bentham speaketh & prayeth for the Martyrs w^tout daunger.Almighty God for Christes sake strengthen them. With that, all the people with a whole consent and one voyce followed and said: Amen, Amē. The noyse wherof was so great, and the criers therof so many, that the Officers could not tel what to say, nor whom to accuse. And thus much concernyng the Congregation of the faithfull, assemblyng together at London in the tyme of Queene Mary.

MarginaliaAn other deliuery of Master Bentham out of great perill.The sayd M. Bentham an other tyme, as hee passed through S. Katherines, intendyng to walke and take the ayre abroad, was enforced by two or three men, approchyng vpon him, needes to go with them to a place whether they would lead him. M. Bentham astonied at the sodainnes of the matter, and maruellyng what the thyng should be, required what their purpose was, or whether they would haue him. They aunswered, that by the occasion of a man there found drowned, the Crowners quest was called and charged to sit vppon him, of the which quest he must of necessitie be one. &c. He agayne, loth to medle in the matter, excused him selfe, alleagyng that in such kind of matters he had no skill, and lesse experience: if it would please them to let him go, they should meete with other more meete for their purpose. But when with this they would not be satisifed, he alleaged further, that he was a scholer of Oxford, and therby was priuileged from beyng of any inquest. The Crowner demaunded the sight of his priuilege. He sayd, if he would geue him leaue he would fetch it. MarginaliaMaster Bentham forced against hys will to sit in þ^e Crowners quest.Then sayd the Crowner: the Queene must be serued without all delay, and so constrained him notwithstandyng to be with them in hearyng the matter.

Beyng brought to the house where the Crowner and the rest of the quest were sittyng, as the maner is, a booke was offered him to sweare vpon. M. Bentham openyng the booke, and seyng it was a Papisticall Primer, MarginaliaMaster Bentham refuseth to sweare vpō a Popish Primer.refused to sweare therupon, and declared moreouer what superstition in that booke was contained. What, sayd the Crowner? I thinke we shall haue here an hereticke among vs. And vpon that, after much reasonyng amongest them, he was committed to the custody of an officer till further examination: by occasion wherof, to all mens reason, hard it had bene and ineuitable for M. Bentham to haue escaped, had not the Lord helped where mā was not able. What followed? MarginaliaMeanes wrought wherby Master Bentham escaped.Incontinent as they were thus contendyng and debatyng about matters of heresie, sodeinly commeth the Crowner of the Admiraltie, disanullyng & repealyng the order and callyng of that inquest, for that it was (as he said) pertainyng to his office, and therfore the other Crowner and his company in that place had nothyng to do: And so the first Crowner was discharged and displaced: by reason wherof M. Bentham escaped their handes, hauyng no more sayd vnto him.  

Commentary     Close

An account of Robert Cole's near arrest by Cyriac Petit appeared here in the 1563 edition. It was dropped from the 1570 edition as were other mentions of Cole's heroic resistance in Mary's reign. The reason for this purge was Robert Cole's public support for Matthew Parker's campaign to force clergy to wear the vestments, a campaign which Foxe vigorously opposed. (Cole's actions are described in John Strype, The Life and Acts of the Most Reverend Father in God, Edmund Grindal [Oxford, 1821], pp. 144-45).

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaEnglish men at Calice preserued.THe worthy workes of the Lordes mercy toward his people be manifold and can not be comprehended, so that who is he liuyng in the earth almost, who hath not experienced the helpyng hand of the Lord at some tyme or other vpon him? Amongest many other, what a peece of Gods tender prouidence was shewed of late vpon our English brethren and countrey men, what tyme Calyce was taken by the Tirant Guise, a cruell enemy both to Gods truth and to our English nation? And yet by the gratious prouision of the Lord few or none at all, of so many that fauoured Christ and his Gospell, in that terrible spoyle miscaryed. In the number of whom there was a godly couple, one Iohn ThorpeMarginaliaIohn Thorpe & his wife. and his wife, which feared the Lord, and loued his truth, who beyng sicke the same tyme, and cast out into the wild fieldes, harboureles, desolate, and despayryng of all hope of life, hauyng their young infant more ouer taken from them in the sayd fieldes, and caryed away of the souldiours: yet the Lord so wrought, that

the poore woman beyng almost past recouery of lyfe, was fet and caried, þ^e space welnigh of a mile, by straūgers whom they neuer knew, into a village, where both she was recouered for that night, and also the next day cōming toward England, they chaūced into þ^e same Inne at the next towne, where they found their young child sittyng by the fire side.

MarginaliaA story of Edward Bent, now dwelling in S. Brides parish.ONe Edw. Benet about þ^e second yeare of the reigne of Q Mary, then dwelling at Queenehiue with one Grynocke a Baker, was desired of one Tyngle prisoner then in Newgate, to bryng him a new Testament. He procuring one of M. Couerdals trāslation, wrapt it in a handkerchiefe, saying to George the keeper, which asked him what he had, that it was a peece of poudred beefe. Let me see, said he. Perceiuing what it was, he brought hym to Syr Roger Cholmley, who examined hym why he did so, saying that booke was not lawfulll, and so committed hym to the Counter in Woodstreete, where he continued xxv. weekes. MarginaliaEdw. Benet xxv. weekes in the Coūter, for bringing a new Testament to Tyngle, which after died in prison, and was buryed on a dunghill.

D. Story comming to the prison to examine other prisoners, this Benet looking out at the grate, spake to him, desiring him to be good vnto him, and to helpe him out, for he had layne long in prison. To whom Doct. Story then aunsweryng: MarginaliaD. Stories wordes to Edw. Benet.What, sayd he, wast not thou before me in Christes Church? Yes forsooth, sayd Benet. Ah, sayd Story, thou doest not beleue in the Sacrament of the aultar. Mary I will helpe thee out: come, sayd he to the keeper, turne him out, I will helpe him: and so tooke Benet with hym & brought hym to Cluny in Pater noster Row, and bad him bring him to the Colehouse, & there he was in þ^e stockes a weeke.

MarginaliaEdw. Benet brought to Boner and examined.Then the Byshop sent for hym to talke with hym, and first asked hym if ye he were shriuen? No, sayd Benet. He asked him if he would be shriuen? No, sayd he. Then he asked him if the Priest could take away his sinnes? No, sayd Benet, I doe not so beleue. Then he and Harpsfield laughed at him and mocked hym, asking him if he did not beleue that what soeuer the priest here bound in earth, should bee bound in heauen: and what soeuer he loosed in earth, should be loosed in heauen? No, quoth Benet: But I beleue that the minister of God preaching Gods word truely, and ministring the Sacramentes according to the same, what soeuer he bindeth in earth, shall be bound in heauen, & what soeuer he looseth. &c. Then the Byshop puttyng hym aside, sayd, he should go to Fulham & be whipped.

Then came to hym M. Buswell a Priest, lying in the Colehouse in the stockes, and brought Cranmers recantation, saying that he had recanted. My fayth, sayth the other, lyeth in no mans booke but in hym which hath redemed me. The next Saterday Benet with fiue others was called for to come to masse, into þ^e Chapell. MarginaliaHow Edw. Benet escaped out of the Bishops house.The Masse beyng done and they commyng out, fiue of them went to prison and were after burned. Benet beyng behynd and commyng toward the gate, the porter openyng to a company goyng out, asked if there were no prisoners there. No, sayd they. Benet standing in open sight before him, with other seruing men which were there by reason that Boner made many Priestes that day (hauing one of his sleeues & halfe the forepart of his coate burned of in the prison, being more like a prisoner then any of the other) when the gate was opened, went out amongest them, and so escaped.

MarginaliaAn other escape of Edw. Benet.Agayne, in the last yeare of Queene Mary the same Benet beyng taken agayne with the xxiiij.MarginaliaOf these xxiiij. read before pag. 2235. beyond Islyngton, and brought to Syr Roger Cholmleys, the people cōmyng very thicke did cut of some of thē, to the number of viij. which were behind, among whom was Benet.MarginaliaViij. of the xxiiij. taken at Islington escaped, and how. Then he knockyng at the gate to come in, the Porter sayd, that he was none of the company. He sayd yes, and knocked agayne. Then there stode one by of the cōgregation, named Iohnson, dwellyng now at Hamersmith, which sayd: MarginaliaGood warning sent of God.Edward, thou hast done