Marginalia1558.kyng vpon his men playing at the bowles fell sodainly in a Palsey, and so had to bed, was willed to remēber God. Yea, so I do (sayd he) & my Lord Cardinall to. &c.

MarginaliaAn other Suffragan of Douer brake hys necke after he had receaued the Cardinalls blessing.After him succeded an other Byshop or Suffragane, ordained by the foresayd Cardinall. It is reported that he had bene Suffragan before to Boner, who not long after he was made Byshop or Suffragan of Douer, brake his necke falling downe a payre of stayres in the Cardinals chamber at Grenewich, as he had receiued the Cardinals blessing.

MarginaliaA terrible example of Gods seuere punishment vpon one Nightingall Parson of Crondall in Kent.To these examples also may be added the terrible iudgemēt of God vpon þ^e Parson of Crondall in Kent, who vpon Shrouesonday hauing receiued the Popes pardon frō Cardinall Poole, came to his parish, & exhorted the people to receaue the same, as he had done him selfe: saying, that he stoode now so cleare in conscience as whē he was first borne, & cared not now if he should dye þ^e same houre in that clerenes of conscience: wherupon being sodeinly stricken by the hand of God, and leaning a litle on þ^e one side, immediatly shronke downe in the Pulpit, and so was found dead, speakyng not one worde more. Read before pag. 1731.

Not long before the death of Queene Mary dyed D. Capon Byshop of Salisbury. MarginaliaDoctor Geffrey Chauncellor of Salisbury.About the which tyme also followed the vnprepared death of Doctor Geffrey Chaūcellour of Salisbury, who in the midest of his buildynges, sodainly beyng taken by the mightie hand of God, yelded his life, which had so litle pitie of other mens lyues before. Concernyng whose cruelty partly mention is made before pag. 2256. As touching moreouer this foresayd Chauncellour, here is to be noted, that he departyng vpō a Saterday, þ^e next day before þ^e same, he had appointed to call before him. 90. persons & not so few, to examine them by Inquisition, had not the goodnes of the Lord, and his tender prouidence, thus preuented him with death, prouidyng for his poore seruauntes in tyme.

And now (to come from Priestes to Lay men) we haue to finde in them also no lesse terrible demonstration of Gods heauy iudgement vpon such as haue bene vexers and persecutors of his people.

MarginaliaMaster Woodroffe a cruell Shrieffe, plagued.Before in the story of M. Bradford, mention was made of M. Woodroffe, who being then Sheriffe, vsed much to reioyce at þ^e death of þ^e poore Saintes of Christ, and so hard he was in his office, that when M. Rogers was in þ^e cart going toward Smithfield, & in the way his children were brought vnto him, þ^e people making a lane for thē to come: M. Woodroffe bad the carmans head should be broken for staying his cart. But what happened? He was not come out of his office þ^e space of a weeke, but he was stricken by þ^e sodaine hand of God, the one halfe of his body, in such sort that he lay benūbed & bedred, not able to moue him selfe but as he was lifted of other, & so continued in that infirmitie þ^e space of vij. or viij. yeares till his dying day. pag. 1805.

MarginaliaThe bewrayer of George Eagles, plagued.Likewise touching Rafe Lardin  

Commentary     Close

This account, and the background to it, are described in Thomas S. Freeman, 'Fate, Faction and Fiction in Foxe's "Book of Martyrs"', Historical Journal 43 (2000), pp. 601-23.

Among other persecutours also came to our handes the crueltie of one M. Swingfield an Aldermans Deputie about Thamis streete, who hearyng one Angelles wife, a midwife that kept her selfe from their popish Church, to be at þ^e labour of one Mistres Walter at croked Lane end, tooke. iij. other with him, and beset the house about, and tooke her and caryed her to Boners officers, byg with childe, xxviij. weekes gone, who layd her in Lollardes Tower, where as the same day she came in, through feare & a fall at her taking, she was deliuered of a man child, & could haue no woman with her in that needefull time. Lying there v. weekes, she was deliuered vnder sureties by frendshyp, and Doct. Story hearyng therof charged her with fellony, and so sent her to Newgate. The cause was for that she had a woman at her house in her labour that dyed,

and the child also,  

Commentary     Close

The syntax of this passage is confusing: Foxe is saying that it was Angel's wife who was arrested.

MarginaliaA story of Burton Bailiffe of Crowland, how he was plagued for setting vp Masse.Because some there be, and not a few, which haue such a great deuotion in setting vp þ^e Popish Masse, I shall desire thē to marke wel this story folowing. There was a certaine Balife of Crouland in Lincolneshyre named Burton, who pretēding an earnest frendshyp to the Gospell in K. Edwardes daies, in outward shew at least (although inwardly he was a Papist or Atheist, and well knowen to be a man of a wicked and adulterous lyfe) set forth the kynges procedynges lustely, till the tyme that King Edward was dead & Queene Mary placed quietly in her estate. Then perceauing by the first proclamation concernyng Religiō, how the world was like to turne, the Balife turned his Religion likewise: & so he moued the Parish to shew them selues the Queenes frendes, and to set vp the Masse spedely. Neuertheles the most substantiall of the Parish, marueilyng much at the Balifes inconstant lightnes, consideryng also his abominable life, and hauyng no great deuotion vnto his request: knowyng moreouer that their duetie and frendship to the Queene stode not in setting vp the Masse, spared to prouide for it, as long as they might: but the Balife called on thē stil in the Queenes name. At last, whē he saw his wordes were not regarded, & purposing to winne his spurres by playing þ^e mā in the Masses behalfe & the Queenes, he got hym to the Church vpon a sunday morning, and whē the Curate was begynnyng the Englishe seruice, accordyng to the Statute set forth by kyng Edward the vj. the Balife commeth in a great rage to the Curate & sayth: MarginaliaBurton earnest in setting vp the Masse.Syrra, will you not say Masse? buckle your selfe to Masse you knaue, or by Gods bloud I shall sheath my dagger in your shoulder. The poore Curate for feare fetled hym selfe to Masse.

Not long after this, the Balife rode frō home vpon certeine busines, accompanyed with one of his neighbours, and as they came ridyng together vppon the Fennebanke homeward agayne, a Crowe sittyng in a willow tree tooke her flight ouer his head, singyng after her wonted note, knaue, knaue, and withall let fall vpon his face, so that her excrementes ranne from the toppe of his nose downe to his beard. The poysoned sent and sauour wherof so noyed his stomacke, that he neuer ceassed vomityng vntill he came home: wherewith his hart was so sore and his body so distempered, that for extreme sicknes he got him to bed, & so lying, MarginaliaThe stinking death of a Popish Massemunger.he was not able for þ^e stincke in his stomacke & painfull vomityng, to receaue any reliefe of meate or drinke, but cryed out still, sorowfully cōplaining of that stinke, and with no small othes, cursing þ^e Crow that had poysoned him. To make short, he continued but a few dayes, but with extreme payne of vomiting & crying he desperatly dyed without any token of repētance of his former lyfe.

Reported and testified for a certeintie, by diuers of hys
neighbours, both honest and credible persons.

MarginaliaOf the Martyrdome of Iames Abbes, read before pag. 1864.Of Iames Abbes Martyr, ye heard before. In the the tyme of whose Martyrdome what befell vppon a wicked rayler agaynst him, now ye shall further vnderstand. Wherby all such railing persecutors may learne to feare Gods hand, & to take heede how or what they speake agaynst his seruauntes. MarginaliaA story to be noted of all rayling persecutors.As this Iames Abbes was led by the Sheriffe toward his execution, diuers poore people stode in þ^e way, and asked their almes. He then hauyng no money to giue them, and desirous yet to distribute some thyng amongest them, did pull of all his apparell sauyng his shirt, and gaue the same vnto them, to some one thyng, to some an other: in the geuyng wherof he exhorted them, to be strōg in the Lord, & as faithfull followers of Christ, to stand stedfast vnto the truth of the Gospell, which he (through Gods