deny their doynges not to be good, whose ende is so euill? If Christ byd vs to know men by their fruites, and especially seyng by the ende all thinges are to be tryed, how can þ^e profession of that doctrine please God which endeth so vngodly? Esaias cap. 50. prophesying of the ende of Gods enemies, which would needes walke in the light of their owne settyng vp, & not in þ^e light of the Lordes kyndlyng, threatneth to them this finall malediction: MarginaliaEsay. 50.In Doloribus  

(sayth he) dormietis. i.   In sorow you shall slepe. Let vs now take a suruey of all these persecutors which of late haue so troubled the earth (and almost haue burned vp the world with Fagots and fire for maintainaunce of the Popes Religion) and see what the end hath bene of them that are now gone, & whether their Religion hath brought thē, but either to destruction, or desperation, or confusion & shame of life. So many great Doctours & Bishops haue cried out of late so mightely agaynst Priestes mariage, and haue they not, by Gods iust iudgement workyng their confusion, bene detected them selues and taken the most part of them, in sinnefull adultery, and shamefull fornication? MarginaliaPage. 256Cardinall Ioannes Cremensis the Popes Legate here in England, after he had set a law that Priestes should haue no wiues, was he not the next day after, beyng taken with his whores, driuen out of London with confusion and shame enough, so that afterward he durst not shewe his face here any more? Besides the ij. Byshops in the late Councell of Trent, most shamefully taken in adultery, mentioned before. Also besides innumerable other lyke foreine stories, which I let passe to come now to our owne domesticall examples. MarginaliaA secret note of Papistes which haue bene great cryers out of Priestes mariage, & themselues after taken in open adultery.I could well name halfe a score at lest of famous doctours, and some Byshops, with the great masters of Popery, who in standyng earnestly agaynst the Mariage of Priestes, haue afterward bene taken in such dishonest factes them selues, that not onely they haue caryed the publike shame of adulterous lecherers, but some of thē the markes also of burnyng fornication with them in their bodyes to their graues. Whose names although I suffer here to be suppressed, yet þ^e exāples of thē may suffice to admonish all men that be wise, & which will auoyd þ^e wrath of Gods terrible vengeance, to beware of Popery.

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MarginaliaComparison betwen the end of Popishe persecutors and þ^e gospellers.And thus hauyng hetherto recited so many shamefull lyues & desperate endes of so many Popish persecutours stricken by Gods hād: now let vs cōsider againe on þ^e contrary side the blessed endes giuen of almighty God vnto thē, which haue stand so māfully in þ^e defense of Christes Gospell, & þ^e reformation of his Religion, and let the Papistes them selues here be iudges. First what a peaceable and heauenly end made the worthy seruaunt and singular organe of God M. Luther? To speake likewise of the famous Iohn Duke of Saxonie and Prince Electour, of the good Palsgraue, of Phillip Melancthon, of Pomeranus, Vrbanus Rhegius, Berengarius, of Vlrichus Zuinglius, Oecolampadius, Pellicanus, Capito, Munsterus, Ioan Caluinus, Petrus Matyr, M. Bucer, Paulus Phagius, Ioan. Musculus, Bibliander, Gesnerus, Hofman, Augustinus Marloratus, Lewes of Bourbon Prince of Condy, and his godly wife before him, MarginaliaThe godly end of the Gospellers to bee noted.with many moe, which were knowen to be learned men and chief standers of the Gospell side agaynst the Pope, and yet no man able to bryng forth any one example eyther of these, or of any other true Gospeller, that either killed him self, or shewed forth any signification or appearaunce of despayre, but full of hope and constant in faith, and replenished with the frute of righteousnes in Christ Iesu, so yelded they their lyues in quiet peace vnto þ^e Lord.

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From these foreners let vs come now to the Martyrs of England, and marke likewise the end both of them, and semblably of all other of the same profession. And first to begyn with the blessed and heauenly departure of kyng Edward the vj. that first put downe the Masse in England, and also of the lyke godly end of his

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good vncle the Duke of Somerset which dyed before him,MarginaliaThe blessed end of kyng Edward vi.The pacient end of Duke of Somerset the kyngs vncle. with an infinite number of other priuate persons besides of the lyke Religion, in whose finall departyng no such blemish is to be noted lyke to the desperate examples of them aboue recited: let vs now enter the consideration of the blessed Martyrs, who although they suffered in their bodyes, yet reioysed they in their spirites, & albeit they were persecuted of men, yet were they comforted of the Lord with such inward ioy and peace of conscience, that some writyng to their frendes, professed they were neuer so mery before in all their lyues, some leapt for ioy, some for triumph would put on their scarfe, some their weding garment, going to the fire, other kissed the stake, some embraced the Fagottes, some clapt theyr handes, some song Psalmes, MarginaliaThe quyet and ioyfull end of the Martyrs.vniuersally they all forgaue and prayed for their enemies, no murmuring, no repynyng was euer heard amongest them, so that most truly might be verified in them, which their persecutours were wont to sing in their Hymnes.

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Cæduntur gladijs more bidentium,
Non murmur resonat, nec querimonia:
Sed corde tacito mens bene conscia,
Conseruat patientiam. &c.

Briefly, so great was their paciēce, or rather so great was Gods spirite in thē, that some of them in the flamyng fire moued no more then the stake whereunto they were tyed. In fine, in them most aptely agreed the speciall tokens which most certeinely folow the true children of God: that is, MarginaliaTwo speciall notes of þ^e true Church of Christ.outward persecution, and inward comfort in the holy Ghost. In the world (sayth Christ our Sauiour) ye shall haue affliction, but in me ye shall haue peace. &c.MarginaliaOutward affliction, peace of conscience.And likewise the wordes of S. Paul be playne: Who soeuer (sayth he) studieth to lyue godly in Christ shall suffer persecution. &c.Marginalia2. Timot. 3.But thē what foloweth with this persecution, the sayd Apostle agayne thus declareth, saying: As the Paßions of Christ abound in vs: so abundeth also our consolation by Christ. &c.Marginalia2. Cor. 1. accordyng as by þ^e exāples of these godly Martyrs right perfectly we may perceaue. For as their bodyes outwardly lacked no persecutions by the handes of the wicked: so amongest so many hundrethes of them that stode and dyed in this Religion, what one man can be brought forth, which either hath bene found to haue kylled him selfe, or to haue dyed other wise, then the true seruaūt of God, in quiet peace and much comfort of conscience?

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MarginaliaThe wretched end of Papists giue testimonie agaynst their owne doctrine. Admonition to persecutours which yet remaine alyue.Which beyng so, what greater proufe can we haue to iustifie their cause and doctrine agaynst the persecutyng Church of Rome, then to behold the endes of them both: first of the Protestantes, how quietly they tooke their death, and cherefully rested in þ^e Lord: and contrarywise to marke these persecutours, what a wretched end commonly they all do come vnto. Experience whereof we haue sufficient in the examples aboue declared: MarginaliaThe end and death of Edm. Boner.and also of late in Boner, who albeit he dyed in his bed vnrepentaunt: yet was it so prouided by God, that as he had bene a persecutor of þ^e light, and a child or darkenes, so his carcase was tumbled into the earth in obscure darknes at midnight, contrary to the order of all other Christians: and as he had bene a murderer, so was he layd amongs theues and murderers, a place by Gods iudgement rightly appointed for him.

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And albeit some peraduenture that haue bene notable persecutors in time past do yet remaine alyue, who beyng in the same cause as the other were, haue not yet felt the weight of Gods mighty hand, yet let not them thinke, þ^t because þ^e iudgemēt of God hath lyght sooner vpon other, therfore it will neuer light vpon thē: or because God of his mercy hath graūted them space to repent, let not them therfore of Gods lenitie buyld to them selues an opinion of indemnitie. The bloud of Abell cryed long, yet it wrought at length. The soules of the Saintes slayne vnder the altar, were not reuen-

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