MarginaliaAn. 1558. Nouember.tuned one Robert FarrerMarginaliaRob. Farrer of London a sore enemye to Lady Elizabeth. a Haberdasher of London, dwellyng nere vnto Newgate market, in a certeine mornyng to be at the Rose tauerne (from whence he was seldome absent) and fallyng to hys common drinke, as hee was euer accustomed, and hauyng in his company three other companions like to hym selfe, it chaunced the same tyme one Laurence SherifeMarginaliaLaurence Sherife sworne frend and seruaunt to Lady Elizabeth hys mistres. Grocer, dwellyng also not farre from thence, to come into the sayd tauerne, and findyng there the sayd Farrer (to whom of long tyme he had borne good will) sat downe in the seate to drinke with him, and Farrer hauyng in his full cuppes, and not hauyng consideration who were present, began to talke at large, and namely agaynst the Lady Elizabeth, and sayd: MarginaliaRob. Farrer rayleth agaynst Lady Elizabeth.that Gill hath bene one of the chiefe doers of thys rebellion of Wyat, and before all be done, she and all the heretickes her partakers shall well vnderstand of it. Some of them hope that she shall haue the crowne, but she and they (I trust) that so hope, shall hoppe hedles, or be fried with Fagots before she come to it.

MarginaliaThe part of a good trustie seruaunt.The aforesayd Laurence Sherife Grocer being then seruaunt vnto the sayd Lady Elizabeth, and sworne vnto her grace, could no longer forbeare his old acquaintance & neighbour Farrer in speaking so vnreuerently of his Mistres, but said vnto him: Farrer I haue loued thee as a neighbour, and haue had a good opinion of thee, but hearyng of thee that I now heare, I defie thee: and I tell thee, I am her graces sworne seruaunt, and she is a Princesse and þ^e daughter of a noble kyng, and it euill becommeth thee to call her a Gill, and for thy so saying, I say thou art a knaue, and I will complayne vpon thee. Do thy worst, sayd Farrer, for that I sayd I will say agayne, and so Sherife came from hys company.

Shortly after, the sayd Sherife takyng an honest neighbour with him, went before the Commissioners to complaine: the which Commissioners satte then at Boner the Byshop of Londons house beside Paules, and there were present Boner then beyng the chiefe Commissioner, the Lorde Mordant, Syr Iohn Baker, Doct. Darbyshyre Chauncellour to the Bishop, Doct. Story, Doct. Harpsfield and other. MarginaliaRob. Farrer complayned of to the Commissioners, but no redresse was had.The aforesayd Sherife commyng before them, declared the maner of the sayd Robert Ferrers talke agaynst the Lady Elizabeth. Boner aunswered: paraduenture you tooke him worse then he ment. Yea my Lorde, sayd Doct. Story, if you knew the mā as I do, you would say there is not a better Catholicke nor an honester man in the Citie of London. Well, sayd Sherife, my Lord, she is my gracious Lady and Mistres, and it is not to be suffered that such a varlet as he is, should call so honorable a Princesse by þ^e name of a Gill: And I saw yesterday in the Court that my Lord Cardinall Poole metyng her in the chamber of presence, kneeled downe on his knees and kissed her hand, and I saw also that King Philip meetyng her, made her such obeysaunce that his knee touched the ground: and then me thinketh it were to much to suffer such a varlet as this is, to call her Gill, and to wishe them to hoppe hedles that shall wish her grace to enioy the possession of the crowne when God shall send it vnto her as in the right of her inheritaunce. Yea? stay there quoth Boner. When God sendeth it vnto her, let her enioy it. MarginaliaHow Byshop Boner and D. Story beare with hym that rayled agaynst Lady Elizabeth.But truly (sayd he) the mā that spake þ^e wordes that you haue reported, ment nothyng agaynst the Lady Elizabeth your Mistres, and no more do we: but he like an honest and zelous man feared the alteration of Religion, which euery good man ought to feare: and therfore (sayd Boner) good man go your wayes home and report well of vs toward your Mistres, and we will send for Farrer and rebuke him for his rash and vndiscret wordes, and we trust he will not do the like agayne. And thus Sherife came away, and Farrer had a flap with a Foxe tayle.

Now that ye may be fully informed of the aforesayd

Farrer, whom Doct. Story praysed for so good a man, MarginaliaNote the vngodly life of these Catholickes.ye shall vnderstand that the same Farrer hauyng two daughters beyng handsome maydens, the elder of thē for a summe of money he him selfe deliuered to Syr Roger Cholmeley to be at his commaundement, the other he sold to a Knight called Syr William Gooddolphin to be at his commaūdement: whom he made his lackye and so caried her with him beyng apparelled in mans apparell to Boleyn, and the sayd Farrer followed the Campe. He also was a great and a horrible blasphemer of God, and a commō accuser of honest and quyet men, and also a commō dronkard. And now I refer the lyfe of these Catholickes to your iudgemēt, to thinke of them as you please.

But of this matter enough & to much. Now let vs returne where we left before, which was at þ^e death of Queene Mary. After whose decease succeded her foresayd sister Lady Elizabeth into the right of the crowne of England:MarginaliaLady Elizabeth proclamed Queene the same day that Q. Mary dyed. who after so long restrainement, so great daūgers escaped, such blusterous stormes ouerblowne, so many iniuries digested and wronges susteined by the mighty protection of our mercyfull God, to our no small comfort and commoditie, hath bene exalted and erected out of thrall to libertie, out of daunger to peace and quietnes, frō dread to dignitie, frō misery to Maiestie, from mournyng to rulyng: briefly, of a prisoner made a Princesse, and placed in her throne Royall, proclaimed now Queene, MarginaliaThe Lord make England thankfull to hym for hys great benefites.with as many glad hartes of her subiectes, as euer was any Kyng or Queene in this Realme before her, or euer shall be (I dare say) hereafter.

Touchyng whose florishyng state, her Princely reigne, and peaceable gouernement, with other things diuers and sondry incident to the same, and especially touchyng the great styres and alterations which haue happened in other foreine nations, and also partly among our selues here at home, for so much as the tractation hereof requireth an other Volume by it selfe, I shall therfore differre the reader to the next booke or Section insuyng: wherein (if the Lord so please to susteine me with leaue and lyfe) I may haue to discourse of all and singular such matters done and achiued in these our latter dayes and memory, more at large.

Now then after these so great afflictions fallyng vppon this Realme from the first begynnyng of Queene Maryes reigne, wherin so many mē, women, and children were burned, many imprisoned and in prisons starued, diuers exiled, some spoyled of goods and possessions, a great number driuen from house and home, so many weepyng eyes, so many sobbyng hartes, so many childrē made fatherles, so many fathers bereft of their wiues and children so many vexed in conscience, and diuers against conscience constrained to recant, and in conclusion, neuer a good man almost in all the Realme but suffered something during all the time of this bloudy persecution: after all this (I say) now we are come at length (the Lord be praysed) to the xvij. day of Nouember,MarginaliaNouēb. 17. Q. Mary endeth. which day as it brought to the persecuted members of Christ, rest from their carefull mourning, so it easeth me somwhat likewise of my laborious writyng, by the death I meane of Queene Mary. Who beyng long sicke before, vpō the sayd xvij. day of Nouember, in the yeare aboue sayd, about iij. or iiij. a clocke in the mornyng, yelded her life to nature, MarginaliaQueene Elizabeth beginneth her reigne.and her kyngdome to Queene Elizabeth her sister.

MarginaliaThe maner of Q. Maries death.As touching the maner of whose death, some say that she dyed of a Tympany, some by her much sighing before her death, supposed she dyed of thought and sorow. Wherupon her Counsell seyng her sighing, and desirous to know the cause, to the end they might minister the more ready cōsolation vnto her, feared, as they sayd, that she tooke that thought for the kynges Maiestie her husband, which was gone from her. To whom she aunswering againe: In deede (sayd she) that may be