MarginaliaSyr Ioh. Berthwicke knight cited and condēned of heresie being absent, and hys picture burned in Scotland. An. 1540. was condemned for the same, being absent by the sentence of Dauid Beaton Archbishop of saint Andrewes, & other prelates of Scotland, and all his goodes confiscate and his picture at last burned in the open market place. &c. But for so muche as the storye of hym, with his articles obiected agaynst hym, & his cōfutatiō of the same, is already expressed sufficiently in the Firste edition of Actes & monumentes, & because he being happily deliuered out of their handes, had no more but onely his picture burned, referring þe reader to þe booke aboue mentioned, we wyll now (the Lord willing) prosecute suche other as folowed, begynnyng firste in order with Thom. Forret and his felowes. Their story is this.
[Back to Top]Persecuters. | Martyrs. | Their Causes. |
Dauid Be- ton, Bishop and Cardi- nal of saint Andrewes. George Treichton Bishop of Dunkelden. | MarginaliaThomas Forret, Priest. Tho. Forret, priest. Fryer Iohn Kelowe. Fryer Bena- rage. Duncane Sympson, priest. Rob. Foster, a gentlemā, with three or foure o- ther men of Striuelyng, Martyrs. | NOt lōg after the bur ning of Dauid Straton, and M. Gurlay a- boue mentioned, in the dayes of Dauid Beaton bishop and Cardinall of s. Andrewes, & George Treichton bish. of Dun kelden, a Canon of S. Colmes Inche & vicar of Dolone, called Deane Thomas Forret, prea- ched euery sonday to his parisheners the Epistle or Gospel, as it fell for þe tyme: whiche then was a great noueltie in Scot lande, to see anye man preach, except a Blacke fryer or a gray frier: and |
therefore the Fryers enuied hym and accused hym to the Bishop of Dunkelden (in whose Dioces he remayned) as an heretike and one that shewed the mysteries of the scriptures to the vulgare people in Englishe, to make the Clergie detestable in the sight of the people.MarginaliaGeorge Treichtō B. of Dunkeldē a persecuter. The bishop of Dūkelden moued by the Fryers instigation, called the sayde Deane Thomas and saide to hym: my Ioye Deane Thomas, I loue you well, and therefore I must geue you my counsaile how you shal rule and guide your selfe. To whō Thomas sayd, I thanke your Lordship hartily. Thē the bishop began his counsaile on this maner:
[Back to Top]MarginaliaTho. Forret preacheth and will take no [illegible text] Crisome of his parishioners.
Ergo, he is an hereticke against the Popes Catholicke Church. My ioy Deane Thomas, I am enfourmed that you preache the Epistle or Gospell euery sonday to your Parishners, and that you take not the kowe, nor the vpmoste cloth from your Parishners, whiche thyng is very preiudicall to the Churche men: and therefore my ioye Deane Thomas, I would you tooke your kowe and your vpmost cloth as other church men do, or els it is to much to preach euery sonday, for in so doyng you may make the people think that we shoulde preache likewise. But it is enough for you, when you finde any good Epistle, or any good Gospel, that setteth foorth the libertie of the holy church, to preache that and let the rest be.
Thomas answeared: My Lorde, I thinke that none of my parishners wyl complaine that I take not the kow nor þe vpermost cloth, but wyll gladly geue me the same together with any other thing that they haue, and I wyll geue and communicate with them any thyng that I haue, and so my Lord we agree right wel, and there is no discord among vs.MarginaliaIt is to much in the Popes Church to preach euery sonday. And where your Lordship sayth, it is too muche to preache euery sonday: in deede I thinke it to litle, and also woulde wishe that your Lordshyp dyd the like.MarginaliaThe Byshop of Dunkelden was not ordayned to preach. Nay, nay, Deane Thomas (sayth my Lord) let that bee, for we are not ordeyned to preache. Then said Thomas, when your Lordship byddeth me preach when I finde any good Epistle or a good Gospell, truely my Lorde, I haue readde the newe Testament and the olde, and all the Epistles and the Gospels, and among them all I coulde neuer finde any euyl Epistle, or any euyl Gospel: but if your Lordship wil shewe me the good Epistle and the good Gospell, and the euyll Epistle and euyll Gospel, then I shall preache the good and omyt the euyl.
[Back to Top]Then spake my Lord stoutly and said, I thanke God that I neuer knewe what the olde and newe Testament was (and of these wordes rose a Prouerbe which is common in Scotland: MarginaliaA prouerbe in Scotland. ye are like the Bishop of Dunkelden, that knewe neither newe nor olde lawe:) therefore Deane Thomas, I wyll knowe nothyng but my Portous and my Pontificall. Go your way and let be al these fantasies: for if you perseuer in these erroneous opinions, ye wyl repent it when you may not mende it.
[Back to Top]Thomas said, I trust my cause be iust in the presence of God, and therefore I passe not muche what doo folowe thereupon, and so my Lorde and he departed at that tyme. And soone after
According to different witnesses, the executions took place on 28 February or 1 March 1539.
No other witness records the execution of anyone other than the five persons Foxe names. Cf. John Knox, The Works of John Knox, ed. David Laing, 6 vols (Edinburgh, 1846-64), vol. I pp. 62-3; David Calderwood, The History of the Kirk of Scotland, ed. Thomas Thomson (Edinburgh, 1842), vol. I p. 124.
On this episode see Mary Verschuur, Politics or Religion? The Reformation in Perth 1540-1570 (Edinburgh, 2006), pp. 74-9.
Marginalia1543. Persecuters | Martyrs. | Their Causes. |
Dauid Be- ton Bishop and Cardi- nall of saint Andrewes. | Robert Lambe. William Anderson. Iames Hun- ter. Iames Ra- ueleson. Iames Foū- leson. Hellen Stirke his wyfe. | FIrst there was a cer- tayne Acte March 1543. The Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vol. II: 1424-1567 (1814), p. 415. mente made in the go- uernment of the Lorde Hamleton Earle of MarginaliaProclamation in Scotland permitting the priuate reading of scripture. Ar- ran, and Gouernour of Scotlande, geuyng pri- uilege to all men of the Realme of Scotlande, to reade the scriptures in their mother tounge, and language, secluding neuerthelesse all reaso- nyng, conference, conuo- cation of people to heare the scriptures readde or expounded. Which liber- ty of priuate reading be- ing graunted by publike proclamation, lacked not his own fruit, so that in sundry partes of Scot- lande thereby were ope- |
ned the eyes of the elect of God to see the truth, & abhorre the papisticall abominations. Amongest the which were certaine persons in saint Iohnston, as after is declared.
MarginaliaBlasphemous doctrine of a Papist. At this tyme
This sermon was preached on 1 November 1543.
At this tyme in the yeare of our Lord. 1543. the enemies of the truth procured Iohn Chartuous, who fauoured the truth, and was Prouost of the saide citie & towne of Perth, to be deposed from his office by the sayd Gouernours authoritie,MarginaliaA Papist set in office. and a Papist called Master Alexander Marbecke to be chosen in his roume, that they might bring the more easily their wicked enterprise to an ende.
[Back to Top]After the deposing of the former Prouost, and election of the other, in the moneth of Ianuary the yeare aforesaid
January 1544.