MarginaliaAn. 1558.After this ensued the tyme of Queene Mary, wherin Doct. Chadsey to shew his double diligence, MarginaliaThe egernes of Doct. Chadsey in punishing the poore Martyrs.was so eger in his Commission to sit in iudgement & to bryng poore mē to their death, that in the last yeare of Queene Mary when the Lord Chauncellour, Syr Thomas Cornwalles, Lord Clinton, & diuers other of þ^e Counsell had sent for him by a speciall letter to repayre vnto Lōdon out of Essex, he writyng agayne to þ^e Bishop of London, sought meanes not to come at the Counsels byddyng, but to continue still in his persecutyng progresse. The copy of whose letter I haue also in my handes (if nede were) to bryng forth.  

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Mention was made not long before, of one William Mauldon, who in kyng Hēryes tyme suffered stripes and scourgynges for cōfessing the veritie of Gods true Religiō.  

It happened in the first yeare of Queene Elizabeth, MarginaliaW. Mauldon Prentise with M. Hew Aparry at Grenewich.that the sayd William Mauldon was bound seruaunt with one named M. Hew Aparry then a Wheate taker for þ^e Queene, dwellyng at Grenewich. Who being newly come vnto him, and hauing neuer a booke there to looke vpon, being desirous to occupy him selfe vertuously, looked about the house and founde a Primer in Englishe, whereon hee red in a winters euenyng. Whiles he was readyng, there sat one Iohn Apowel that had bene a seruing man, about xxx. yeares of age, borne toward Wales, whom the sayd M. Hew gaue meate and drinke vnto, till such time as he could get a seruice. And as the foresayd W. Mauldon read on the booke, the sayd Iohn Apowell mocked him after euery word, with cōtrary gaudes and floutyng wordes vnreuerently, in so much that he could not longer abyde him for griefe of hart, but turned vnto him, and sayd: Iohn take heede what thou doest: Then doest not mocke me, but thou mockest God. For in mockyng of his word, thou mockest him: and this is the word of God, though I be simple that read it: therfore beware what thou doest.

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Then Mauldon fell to readyng agayne, and still he proceded on in his mockyng, and when Mauldon had red certeine English prayers, in the end he red: Lord haue mercy vpon vs, Christ haue mercy vppon vs. &c. And as Mauldon was recityng those wordes, þ^e other with a start sodeinly sayd: Lord haue mercy vpon me.

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With that Mauldon turned and sayd, what ailist thou Iohn?

He sayd, I was afraide.

Whereon was thou afrayd, sayd Mauldon?

Nothyng now, sayd the other: and so he would not tell him. After this, when Mauldon and he went to bed, Mauldon asked him wherof he was afrayd?

He sayd, when you red Lord haue mercy vpon vs, Christ haue mercy vpon vs, me thought the heare of my head stode vpright, with a great feare which came vpon me.

Then sayd Mauldon: Iohn thou mayest see, the euil spirite could not abyde that Christ should haue mercy vpō vs. Wel Iohn (said Mauldon) repent & amend thy lyfe, for God will not be mocked. If we mocke and ieste at his word, he will punish vs. Also you vse rebauldry words and swearing very much: therfore for God sake Iohn amend thy lyfe. So I will (sayd he) by the grace of God: I pray God I may. Amen said the other, with other wordes, and so went to bed.

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MarginaliaA terrible example of Gods iudgement to be noted of all such as be contemners and mockers of God and hys worde.On the nexte day, about viij. of the clocke in the mornyng, the foresayd Iohn came runnyng down out of his chāber in his shirt into the hall, and wrasteled with his mistres as he would haue throwen her downe. Wherat she shriked out, & her seruantes holpe her, and tooke him by strength and caried him vp vnto his bed, and bound him downe to his bed (for they perceiued playnly that he was out of hys right mind). After that, as he lay, almost day and night his toung neuer ceased, but he cried out of the deuill of hell, and his wordes were euer still: O the deuill of hell: now

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the deuill of hell: I would see the deuill of hell: thou shalt see the deuill of hell: there he is, there he goeth, with other wordes, but most of þ^e deuill of hel. Thus he lay without amendement about sixe dayes, that his master and all his houshold was weery of that trouble and noyse. Then his master agreed with þ^e keepers of Bedlem, and gaue a peece of money, and sent him thether. It semeth that he was possessed with an euill spirite, from the which God defend vs all.

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This is a terrible example to you that be mockers of the word of God: therfore repent and amend, lest the vengeance of God fall vpon you in like maner. Witnes hereof William Mauldon of Newyngton.

MarginaliaGods punishment vppon a young damsell of xij. yeares old, blaspheming the maiestie of God.The same William Mauldon chaunced afterward to dwell at a Towne vj. myles from London called Waltamstow, where his wife taught young children to read, which was about the yeare of our Lord. 1563. and the fourth yeare of Queene Elizabethes reigne. Vnto this schole, amongest other children, came one Benfieldes daughter named Denis, about the age of twelue yeares. As these children sat talkyng together, they happened among other talke (as the nature of children is, to be busie with many thynges) to fall in communication of God, and to reason among thē selues, after their childish discretion, what he should be. Wherunto some aunswered one thyng, some an other. Among whom when one of the children had sayd, that he was a good old father: the foresayd Denis Benfield castyng out impious wordes of horrible blasphemy: what he (sayd she) is an old doting foole. What wretched and blasphemous wordes were these, ye heare. Now marke what folowed. When William Mauldon heard of these abominable wordes of the gyrle, he willed his wife to correct her for the same. Which was appointed the next day to be done. But when the next morow came, her mother would nedes send her to the market to London, the wench greatly intreatyng her mother that she might not go, beyng marueilously vnwillyng therunto. Howbeit through her mothers compulsion, she was forced to go, and went. And what happened? Her busines beyng done at London, as she was returnyng agayne homeward, and beyng a litle past Hackney, sodeinly the young gyrle was so stricken, that all the one side of her was blacke, and she speachles.MarginaliaBlasphemye punished. Whereupon immediatly she was caryed backe agayne to Hackney, and there the same night was buryed. Witnes of the same story William Mauldon and his wife, also Benfield her father, and her mother, which yet be all aliue.

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MarginaliaA lesson to children and young gyrles.A terrible example (no doubt) both to old and young, what it is for children to blaspheme the Lorde their God, and what it is for parentes to suffer their young ones to grow vp in such blasphemous blyndnes, and not to nurture them betyme in the rudimentes of the Christian Catechisme, to know first their creation, and then their redemption in Christ our Sauiour: to feare the name of God, and to reuerēce his Maiestie. For els what do they deserue but to be taken away by death, which contemptuously despise him, of whom they take the benefite of life? And therfore let all young maydes, boyes, and young men, take example by this wretched seely wench, not onely not to blaspheme the sacrate Maiestie of the omnipotent God their creator, but also not once to take his name in vayne, accordyng as they are taught in his commaundementes.

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MarginaliaA lesson to fathers and Godfathers.Secondly, let all fathers, Godfathers, and Godmothers take this for a warning, to see to the instruction and Catechising of their children, for whom they haue bound them selues in promise both to God and to his Church. Which if the father, and Godfather, the mother and Godmothers had done to this young gyrle, verely it may be thought this destruction had not fallen vpon her.

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Thirdly, all blynd Atheistes, Epicures, Mammo-