Marginalia1533.
Iohn Frith Martyr. AMongest al other chaunces lamentable, there hath bene none a great tyme whiche seemed vnto me more greeuous, then the lamentable death and cruell handlyng of Iohn Frith, so learned and excellent a young man, who had so profited in al kinde of learnyng and knowledge, that scarsely there was his equal amongest al his companions, and besides withal had such a godlynes of life ioyned with his doctrine, that it was hard to iudge, in whether of them he was more commendable, being greatly prayse woorthy in them both. But as touching his doctrine, by the grace of Christ, we wyl speake hereafter. Of the great godlynes which was in him, this may serue for experiment sufficiēt, for that notwithstanding his other manyfold and singular gyftes & ornaments of & þ^e mynd in hym most pregnāt, wherwithal he might haue opened an easie way vnto honor and dignitie, notwithstanding he chose rather wholy to consecrate hym selfe vnto the Church of Christ, excellently shewing forth & practising in hymself the precept so highly cēmended of the Philosophers, touching the life of man, which life they say is geuen vnto vs in such sort, that how much better & þ^e man is, so much the lesse he should liue vnto hym self, but vnto other, seruyng for the cōmon vtilitie, and that we shoulde thinke a great part of our byrth to be due vnto our parentes, a greater part vnto our countrey, & the greatest part of al to be bestowed vpon the Churche, if we wyl be counted good men.MarginaliaIohn Fryth first student in Cambrige. First of al he began his study at Cambridge.  

In whō nature had planted being but a child, marueilous instinctions & loue vnto learning, whereunto he was addict. He had also a wonderful promptnes of wit, & a ready capacitie to receaue and vnderstand any thing, in so much that he seemed not to be sent vnto learnyng, but also borne for the same purpose:MarginaliaCommendation of Frythes learning. neither was there any diligence wanting in hym equall vnto that towardnes, or worthy of his disposition. Wherby it came to passe, that he was not only a louer of learnyng but also became an exquisite learned man. In the which exercise, when he had diligently laboured certaine yeares, not without great profite both of Latine and Greke, at the last he fel into knowledge and acquaintance with William Tyndall, through whose instructions, he first receiued into his hart the seede of the Gospell and sincere godlynes.

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MarginaliaThe College in Oxforde of Frydeswide, now called Christes Colledge. At that time Tho. Wolsey Cardinal of Yorke, prepared to build a College in Oxford, marueilous sumptuous, whiche had the name and title of Frideswide,  

but now named Christes churche, not so much (as it is thought) for þ^e loue & zeale that he bare vnto learning, as for an ambitious desire of glory & renoume, & to leaue a perpetual name vnto þ^e posteritie. But that building, he being cut of by the stroke of death (for he was sent for vnto þ^e king, accused vpō certaine crimes, and in the waye by immoderate purgations killed him selfe) leaft partly begun, partly halfe ended & vnperfect, and nothing els saue only the kitchin was fully finished. Wherupon Rodulphus Gualterus a learned man   , being then in Oxford, and beholding the College, said these words in Latine:MarginaliaThe saying of Rodulphus Gualterus touching the Cardinals Coledge.Egregium opus Cardinalis iste instituit collegū, & absoluit popinam. Howe large and ample those buildings should haue bene, what sumptuous cost shoulde haue bene bestowed vpō þ^e same, may easily be perceiued by that whiche is already builded, as þ^e kitchin, the hal, & certaine chambers, where as there is such curious grauing & workmanshp of stonecutters, that all things on euery side did glytter for the excellēcie of þ^e workmāship, for the fines of the matter, with þ^e gilt antikes, þ^e embossinges, in so much that if al the rest had ben finished to that determinate ende as it was begunne, it might wel haue excelled not onely all Colleges of studentes, but also palaces of Princes. This ambitious Cardinall gathered together into that College, what soeuer excellent thing there was in þ^e whole realme, either vestments, vessels or other ornaments, beside prouision of al kind of precious things. Besides that, he also appoynted vnto that company all such men as were found to excel in any kind of learnyng & knowledge. Whose names to recite al in order, would be too long.   The chiefe of them which were called from Cambridge were these.

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M. Clarke, Maister of art, of xxxiiij. yeares of age. M. Fryer, afterwarde Doctor of Phisicke, after that a strong papist. M. Sumner, maister of Art. M. Harman, maister of Art and after felow of Eaton College, after that a papist. M. Bettes, maister of Art, a good man and zelous, and so remayned. M. Coxe, maister of Arte, who conueyd hym selfe away toward the North, and after was Scholemai- ster of Eaton, & then Chaplaine to D. Goodrich Bishop of Ely, and by hym preferred to K. Hen- rie, and nowe Bishop of Ely. Iohn Frith, Bacheler of Art. Bayly, Bacheler of Art. Goodman, who being sicke in the prison with the other, was had out, and dyed in the towne. Drumme, who afterwardes fell away, and forsooke the truth. Thomas Lawney, Chapleine of the house, prisoner with Iohn Frith.

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To these ioyne also Tauerner of Boston, the good Musician,  

MarginaliaThis Tauerner repented hym very much that he had made songes to popishe ditties in the tyme of his blindnes. besides many other called also out of other places most piked young men of graue Iudgement and sharpe wittes, who conferring together vppon the abuses of religion, beyng at that tyme crept into the Churche   , were therfore accused of heresie vnto the Cardinal, and cast into a prison, within a deepe caue vnder the ground, of the same College, where their salt fishe was layde, so that through the filthy stinche thereof, they were al infected, and certaine of them takyng their death in the same prison, shortly vpō the same being taken out of the prison into their chambers, there deceassed.

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MarginaliaPersecuters. The troublers and examiners of these good men were these, Doct. London, Doct. Higdon, Deane of the same College, and Doct. Cottesford, Commissary.  

MarginaliaM. Clarke, M. Sūner, Syr Baily, killed through imprisonment. Maister Clarke, maister Sumner, and Syr Bayly eating nothing but salt fishe from February, to the middest of August, dyed all three together within the compasse of one weeke.  

Master Bettes a wittye man, hauyng no bookes founde in hys Chamber, throughe entreatie and suretye gote out of prison, and so remaynyng a space in the College, at last slipt away to Cambrige, and after was Chapleine to Queene Anne, and in great fauour with her.  

Tauerner, although he was accused and suspected for hyding of Clarkes bookes vnder the bordes in his schole, yet the Cardinal for his musicke excused hym, saying, that he was but a Musician and so he escaped.  

After the death of these men, Iohn Frith with other, by the Cardinalles letter, whiche sente woorde that he woulde not haue them so straightly handled, were dismissed out of prison vppon condition, not to passe aboue tenne myles out of Oxforde. Which Frith after hearing of the examination of DalaberMarginaliaOf this Dalabar, reade more in the story of Tho. Garret. and Garret, whiche bare then fagottes  

, went ouer the sea, and after two yeares   he came ouer for exhibition of the Prior of Readyng, (as is thought) and had the Prior ouer with hym.

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Being at Readyng it happened that he was there taken for a vacabond, & brought to examination:MarginaliaIohn Fryth set in the stockes at Reading. where the simple man whiche coulde not craftily enough colour hym self, was set in the stockes. Where after he had sitten a long tyme, and was almost pined with hunger, and woulde not for all that declare what he was,MarginaliaLeonard Coxe, Schole maister of Readyng. at the last he desired that the Scholemaister of the towne might be brought to hym, whiche at that tyme was one Leonard Coxe, a man verye wel learned.  

As soone as he came vnto hym, Fryth by and by began in the Latine tongue to bewaile his captiuitie.

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The Scholmaister by and by beyng ouercome with his eloquence, dyd not onley take pitie and compassion vpon hym, but also beganne to loue and embrace suche an excellent wytte and disposition vnloked for, especially in such a state & miserie. Afterward, they conferryng more together vppon many thinges as touchyng the Vniuersities, Scholes, and tongues, fell from the Latine into the Greeke, wherein Frith dyd so inflame the loue of that Scholmaister towardes hym, that he brought hym into a marueilous admiration, especially when as the Scholmaister hearde hym so promptly by hart, rehearse Homers verses out of his first booke of Iliades  

. Whereuppon the Scholemaister wente with all speede, vnto the Magistrates, greeuously complaynyng of the iniurie whiche they dyd shewe vnto so excellente and innocente a young man.MarginaliaIohn Frith through the helpe of the Scholmaister, was deliuered out of the stockes. Thus Frith, through the helpe of the scholmaister, was freely dimitted out of the stockes, & set at libertie without punishement.MarginaliaSyr Tho. More a deadly persecuter of Iohn Fryth. Albeit this his safetie continued not long, thorow the great hatred and deadly pursuit of sir Tho. More, who at that tyme being Chauncelour of Englande, persecuted hym both by land and sea, besetting al the wayes and hauens, yea & promising great rewardes, if any man could bring hym any newes or tydinges of hym.

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Thus Frith beyng on euery part beset with troubles, not knowyng whiche way to turne hym, seeketh for some place to hyde hym in. Thus fleeing from one place to an other, and often chaunging both his garmentes and place, yet coulde he be in safetie in no place, no not long amongest