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1221 [1220]

K. Hen. 8. Persecution in Calyce. Adam Damlip, with others.

permitted to haue any seruaunt. A good aunswere sayd the Byshop of Bath. Then Butler made low curtesie, & sayd, the shyrt is aūswered. Then Chichester sayd thou mockest vs. But he sayd no. This is parsell of the story.  

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The heresy charges against Butler ground to a halt, probably Henry VIII made it clear that he did not want them to proceed. (For one thing, Henry was already proceeding with his plans to marry the sister of the Duke of Cleves and the trial of a high-profile evangelical would not have facilitated it). Butler was returned to prison for nine months, but then in 1540 was sent on an embassy to Cleves. This also helps to explain why Smith and the others with recantations, and in the case of Smith, nominal recantations at that.

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¶ The story of William Smyth.

MarginaliaThe trouble and examination of Syr W. Smith. Curate. THen after Butler, was sir Williā Smith Curate of our Lady Parish in Calyce, called before them,  

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The following passages were replaced in the second edition with a terser account of the same events.

and charged in maner with the same haynous errours and pernitious opinions, that were obiected agaynst the sayd Rafe Hare, and thereto was added, that hee had spoken and preached agaynst our blessed Lady, agaynst praying to Saintes, agaynst doyng of good workes, and many other lyke thyngs: and there with all one Richard Long, a man of armes of Calyce proued agaynst the sayd sir Smith, & the foresayd Broke by an othe taken vpon a booke, that the sayd Smith & Broke did eate flesh together in Lent in the said Brokes house. For a Millers boy, sayd he, came into Brokes kitchen, and saw halfe a Lambe lye a roastyng at the fire.

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Where as the truth is, that the sayd sir William Smith duryng all the Lent, came neuer once within the sayd Brokes house, And it is as true also that the sayd Richard Long, vpō a displeasure taken with his wife, went shortly after out of his owne house, to the Iuttie end of the Hauen at Calyce, where desperately he drowned MarginaliaFalse accusation and periurye punished of God. him selfe, not one boy, but many men, women, girles and boyes seyng him miserably taken vp agayne starke dead: all whiche lamented his pityfull ruine. A terrible ensample vnto all such as are ready to forsweare them selues on a booke vppon malice, or what soeuer other cause it bee: a thyng in these dayes ouer ryfe, euery where, and almost no where regarded as it ought to be.

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¶ The trouble of Iohn Butler.

MarginaliaThe trouble of Iohn Butler Commissarye. THere was also called before them  

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By ‘them’ Foxe now means the Privy Council. These passages are out of chronological order. Butler had been summoned to appear before the Privy Council in late July of 1539.

sir Iohn Butler, then Commissary of Calyce, whom they would haue burdened with the maintenaunce, or (at the least wise) sufferaūce, of the foresayd Adam Damlip, which preached so lōg tyme there, and was not by him punished. Who for his defence aunswered, that the Lord Deputie and the whole Counsell there so highly intertayned, and so frendly vsed the sayd Damlyp, and with their owne presence and hygh commendations outwardly so allowed and commended his doctrine, that it lay not in him to do otherwise then he did: & therfore humbly besought their Lordshyps and other the Commissioners to be good vnto hym. At whose handes, after long attendaunce geuen, he was discharged, & so returned home agayne, beyng also dimissed of his Commissaryshyp.

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The recantation of certaine Calyce men.

MarginaliaThe recantation and penaunce of Syr W. Smith, Rafe Hare, Iames Cocke, and Iames Barber at Calyce. NOw to declare what order was taken with these foresayd Calyce men, it was appoynted that sir W. Smith, Rafe Hare, Iames Cocke, and Iames Barber should be sent to Calyce, there to abiure and to do penaunce. Where rir W. Smith was enioyned to make the Sermon, Rafe Hare, Iames Cocke, and Iames Barber standyng with Fagots vpō their shoulders. The Sermon was made in þe Market of Calyce. Which being done, they went with their Fagottes about the market place, the Drumme and Fife goyng before them, and then returnyng to the Commissioners with testimoniall of the same, they departed. Albeit in this recātation  

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These passages on Smith’s recantation replace more verbose passages in the 1563 edition.

, the sayd W. Smith Curate of our Ladyes Church handled his Sermon after that sort, as in effect he denyed nothyng at all that he had before preached or taught, but yet it satisfied somewhat his aduersaries malicious hartes, in that it bare the name of a recātation, accordyng to the Commissioners order, appointyng him thus openly to preach, and so to depart the towne and marches.

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MarginaliaIames Barber. As touchyng Iames Barber aforesayd, for somuch as his dwellyng was not at Calyce, but foure myles of from the Towne, it was therfore enioyned him to beare his Fagot, not at Calyce, but on the Saterday next folowyng to stand in the Market there, where he dwelled, with his Fagot vpon his shoulder, and the sayd Siy William Smith likewise there preached, as before.

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And thus much concernyng the first Commission sent ouer to Calyce to enquire vpon the heretickes there.  

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I.e., the commission sent to Calais in May 1539 to investigate heresy. The commission, although it met in Calais, sent the suspects it arrested to London to be dealt with by the Privy Council and the heresy commission established by Cromwell (there was an informal examination of Butler at Bath House, the London home of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, on charges of heresy, by a commission appointed by Cromwell).

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An other Commission sent ouer to Calice.

MarginaliaA new Commission sent downe to Calyce. AFter all these thynges done and past, the grudgyng myndes of the aduersaries yet were not satisfied, but still suggested new complayntes to the kynges eares agaynst the towne of Calyce, makyng the kyng beleue, that through new opiniōs the towne was so diuided, that it was in great MarginaliaFalse accusatin agaynst the towne of Calyce.daunger of the aduersary to be ouercome.

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MarginaliaThe Commissioners appointed Wherupon shortly after, the weeke before Easter next folowyng  

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I.e., the week before Easter 1540. (Easter was 28 March in 1540). Although this commission was composed of notable conservatives such as Sir John Baker, Sir John Gage and Sir William Paulet (newly created Lord St John), it was sent to investigate charges that Lord Lisle had conspired with Reginald Pole. Fighting for his life, and using Henry VIII’s paranoia concerning Pole, Cromwell was striking back at Lord Lisle.

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, other new Commissioners were sent ouer by the kyng to Calyce, to witte, the Earle of Sussex, Lord great Chamberlaine, the Lord S. Iohn, sir Iohn Gage Knight, Sir Iohn Barker Knight, M. Layton Clerke of the closet, and D. Currin  
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This is John Curwen, a royal chaplain and archdeacon of both Colchester and Oxford.

, with speciall instructions besides signed by the Kynges Maiesties owne hand: for his highnes had bene incensed once agayne from the Counsell at Calyce, that the towne was in perill thorough dissension and diuersitie of opinions. Vpon their arriuall, maister Doct. Currin preached a notable Sermon exhortyng all men to charitie, hauyng nothyng in hys mouth but charitie, charitie. But as it seemed afterward, such a burnyng charitie was in him and the rest of the Commissioners that, had not God pitied the innocēcie of mens causes, there had a hūdred bene burnt or hanged shortly after.

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But it happened farre otherwise  

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Lisle was arrested on 10 May 1540 and hours later the staunchly conservative bishop Richard Sampson of Chichester was sent to the Tower. But Cromwell himself was arrested on 10 June.

.MarginaliaExample of Gods punishment vpon false accusers. For of the number of those accusers, foure were by those Commissioners sent ouer into England, to witte, Clement Philpot, seruaunt to the Lord Lisle, sir Edmund, Curate of our Ladyes Church  
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Edmund Bryndeholme was the curate of Our Lady Church, Calais. He had replaced William Smith in this living.

, W. Touchet a Postmaister, Peter Bequet, of the which foure, Touchet and Bequet were sent to their places agayne: the other ij. were drawen, hanged, and quartered at London  
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Clement Philpot and Edmund Bryndeholme were executed, in London, on 4 August 1540.

. But contrary, of all thē that were accused, there was not one that lost one heare of his head.

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After the Sermon was done, on the morow to witte, on Sherethursday  

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I.e., 'Sheer Thursday' or Maundy Thursday; that is the day preceding Good Friday. In 1540, this was 25 March.

, all the Commissioners solemnly receiued the Sacrament. And at after noone, the Counsell were with the Commissioners, and after their consultation, typped staues warned, aboue the number of foure score, so peruers persons as the lyke were not in the towne or Marches, to appeare on the morrow at. viij. of the clocke before the Counsell at the Staple Inne,MarginaliaAn other inquisition at Calice against heretickes. who at their appearaunce were commaunded vpon their allegiaunce, to present all such heretickes, schismatickes, and seditious persons, as they did know: and in no wise to doubt or dread so to do, for they should haue great aduuntage thereby, yea they should haue either their liuynges, or their goodes, and besides that, they should haue great thankes at the kynges Maiesties hand, and his honorable Counsell, and what frendshyp they of the Kynges Counsell there could shew them. All that good Friday  
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I.e., 26 March 1540.

, euen till. x. of the clocke at night those wicked and malicious persons occupyed their tyme in aunsweryng to diuers and sondry questions.

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These thynges were not so secretly done, but they were bewrayed and came to honest mens knowledge.MarginaliaGreat perturbation at Calice. Whereupon such feare and distrust assaulted all men, that neighbour mistrusted neighbour, the maister the seruaunt, the seruaunt the maister, the husband the wife, the wife the husband, and almost euery one the other, that lamentable it was to see how mournyngly men and women went in the streetes, hangyng downe their heades, shewyng euident tokens of the anguish of their hartes.

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The second trouble of Thomas Broke.

MarginaliaThe second trouble of T. Broke. VPon Easter Monday  

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I.e., 29 March 1540.

, one Hugh Councell an honest man, seruaunt to the sayd Broke, was conuented before them, and by the space of. xiiij. dayes, not suffered to returne to his maisters house, but kept in custody, and many tymes examined vpon Articles & interrogatories, in hope to haue founde woorthy matter, either of heresie or treason agaynst the sayd Broke: and the same day that Broke was committed to Warde, the sayd Hugh Councell was discharged.

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The Wensday in the Easter weke sundry Questes were charged by their othes to make inquisition for all maner of heresies, erroneous opinions and seditions, as a Quest of Aldermen, an other of men at armes, and an other of Constables and Vintners, an other of common Souldiours, and an other of Commoners.

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MarginaliaXiij. Calice men imprisoned for their fayth. And shortly after their presentementes, on good Friday  

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I.e., 26 March 1540.

, there was conuented before the Commissioners, and straite were sent to close prison, Anthony Pickering gētleman, Harry Tourney Gentleman. Syr George Darby Priest, Iohn Shepheard, William Pellam, William Keuerdale, Iohn Whitwoode, Iohn Boote, Robert Clodder, Copen de Hane, & Mathew de Hound. Vpon whom ranne sundry brutes: Some sayd they should be hanged, some sayd burnt, some sayd hanged, drawen, and quartered, some sayd nayled to the Pillery: so that pitifull it was to see the lamentation that their wiues, their children, seruaunts, and frendes made secretely where they durst, for that they found euery where wordes of discomfort, and no where of comfort, but still inquisition was made.

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¶ The second trouble of William Steuens.
The
OOO.iij.