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1423 [1398]

Q. Mary. Thinges done in the second yeare of Queene Mary.

Marginalia1554.to death. And in so much as I dissented not from him in any article of the Christiā fayth necessary to saluation, I desired him for Gods sake no more to trouble me with such matters, as which to beleue is neither saluation, nor not to beleue, damnation. He aunswered, that if I dissented but in the least matter from the Catholicke Church, my soule was in great daunger, therfore much more in this great matter, alledgyng this text:MarginaliaMath. 5. Iacob. 2. Qui offenderit in minimo, factus est reus omnium. i. He that offendeth in the least of these, is gilty of them all. Yea (quoth I) Verum est, ex hisce mandatis. i. It is true, of these commaundementes of God. To this I desired him to consider, that it was not my matter, neither was I able in these matters to keepe disputation, nor mynded so to do and therfore to take these fewe wordes for a full aunswere, that I, not onely in the matter of the Sacrament, but also in all other matters of Religion, beleue as the holy Catholicke Church of Christ (grounded vppon the Prophetes and Apostles) beleueth.MarginaliaThe Church.But vppon this worde Churche we agreed not, for I tooke exception at the Antichristian Popish Church.

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MarginaliaD. Bourne and M. Mantell disagree in the Masse.Then fell we in talke of the Masse, wherein we agreed not: for I, both for the occasiō of Idolatry, and also the cleare subuersion of Christes institution, thought it nought: and he è contra vpon certaine considerations supposed it good. I founde fault that it was accounted a Sacrifice propitiatory for sinne, and at certaine other applications of it. But he said that it was not a propitiatory sacrifice for sinne (for the death of Christ onely was that Sacrifice) and this but a commemoration of the same. Then I: if ye thinke so, certaine blasphemous Collectes left out, I could be content (were it not for offendyng my poore brethren that beleue in Christ, which know not so much) to heare your Masse. See (quoth he) how vayne glory toucheth you. Not so Syr (quoth I) I am not now, I thanke God, in case to be vayn glorious.

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Then I found further fault with it, that it was not a communion. MarginaliaBourne maketh the Masse a communion.Yes (sayth he) one Priest saying Masse here, and an other there, and the thyrd in an other place. &c. is a communion. This agreeth scarcely wyth these words of Paule (said I):Marginalia1. Cor. 11. Non in melius, sed in deterius cōuenitis. i. Ye come not after a better maner, but after a worse. Yea, & it is a cōmunion to (sayd he) whē they come together. Now draweth on the tyme (quoth he) that I must depart frō you to the Court, to say Masse before the Queene, and must signifie vnto her in what case I finde you, and me thinke I finde you sore seduced. Then I sayd, I pray you report the best, for I trust you finde me not obstinate. What shall I say, are ye content to heare Masse, and to receaue the Sacrament in the Masse? I beseech you, sayd I, signifie vnto her Maiesty, MarginaliaMantell neyther obstinate nor stubborne.that I am neyther obstinate, nor stubburne, for tyme and perswasion may alter me, but as yet my conscience is such, that I can neither heare Masse, nor receaue the Sacrament after that sort. Thus after certaine requestes made to the Queenes Maiestie concernyng other matters, he departed.

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The next day he came to me agayne and brought with hym S. Cypriās workes, for so had I required hym to do the day before, because I woulde see his Sermon De mortalitate. Hee had in this booke turned in and enterlyned certaine places, both concernyng the Church and the Sacrament, which he willed me to read. I read as much as my tyme would serue, and at his next commyng I sayd that I was wholy of Cyprians mynde in the matter of the Sacrament. Doctour Weston and Doctour Mallet came after to me, whom I aunswered much after that sorte as I did the other. Doct. Weston brought in the place of Cyprian, Panis iste none effigie sed natura mutatus. &c. I asked of him how natura was taken in the Conuocation house in the disputation, vppon the place of Theodoret.

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To be short Doct. Bourne came often vnto me, and I alwayes sayd vnto him that I was not mynded nor hable to dispute in matters of Religiō, but I beleued as the holy Catholicke Church of Christ, grounded vppon the Prophetes and Apostles doth beleue, and namely in the matter of the Sacrament, as the holy fathers Cyprian and Augustine do write and beleued, and this aunswere and none other they had of me in effect, what wordes soeuer haue bene spread abroad of me that I should be conformable to al things &c. the truth is, I neither heard Masse nor receaued the Sacrament duryng the tyme of my imprisonment. MarginaliaMaister Mantell constant in his religiō.

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One tyme he willed me to be confessed. I sayd I am content. We kneeled downe to pray together in a window. I begā without Benedicite, desiring hym not to looke at my hād for any superstitious particular enumeration of my sinnes. Therwith he was called away to the Coūsell, & ego liberatus. Thus much I bare onely for my life, as God knoweth. If in this I haue offended any Christian, from the bottome of my hart I aske them forgeuenes. I trust God hath forgeuen me, who knoweth that I durst neuer deny him before

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men, lest he should deny me before his heauenly father.

Thus haue I left behynd me written with myne owne hand, the effect of all the talke, especially of the worst that euer I graunted vnto, to the vttermost that I can remember, as (God knoweth) all the whole communication I haue not written, for it were both to long and to foolishe so to do. Now I beseech the liuyng God which hath receaued me to his mercy and brought to passe that I dye stedfast and vndefiled in his truth, at vtter defiaunce and detestation of all Papisticall and Antichristian doctrine, I besech him (I say) to keepe and defend all his chosen, for his names sake, from the tyranny of the Byshoppe of Rome that Antichrist, and from the assault of al his satelites. Gods indignation is knowen: he wil try and proue who be his. Amende your lyues. Deny not Christ before men lest he deny you before his heauenly father. Feare not to lose your lyues for him, for ye shall find them agayne. God hold his mercyfull hand ouer this Realme, and auert the plagues imminent, from the same. God saue the Queene and send her knowledge in his truth. Amen, pray, pray, pray ye Christians, and comfort your selues with the Scriptures.

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Written the 2. of March. an. 1554. by me Walter Man-
tell prisoner, whom both God and the world hath
forgeuen his offences. Amen.

And thus much concernyng the purgation of Maister Walter Mantel, who if he had consented vnto the Queene, what time she sent Doctour Bourne vnto hym, to reny his fayth, it is not otherwyse to be thought, but he had had his pardon, and escaped with lyfe.

 

Commentary on the Glosses   *   Close
Between Mantell and the Preachers' Declaration

This section is a narrative passage, and the glosses are mainly dates and references to events of a political and judicial kind. Other glosses however suggest a surreptitious, irreverent strain to the response of London protestants to the new regime.

MarginaliaMarch. 3. Syr Gawen Carew and M. Gybbes, brought to the Tower.Vpon the Saterday beyng the iij. of March,  
Commentary   *   Close
Block 26: Events of spring 1554

Foxe resumed following his chronicle sources for events in the spring of 1554. One of these sources was the 'Cheapside chronicle,' which first appeared in 1563; the remaining material was added in 1570.

sir Gawen Carew, and maister Gibbes were brought through London to the Tower with a company of horsemen.

MarginaliaMarch. 7.In Lōdon the vij. day of March, euery housholder was cōmaunded to appeare before the Alderman of their ward, and there were commaunded, that they, their wiues, & seruauntes, should prepare them selues to shrift, and receiue the Sacrament at Easter, and that neither they, nor any of thē should depart out of the Citie, vntill Easter was past.

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Marginalia
March. 18.
Lady Elizabeth brought to the Tower.
Vpon the Sonday followyng, being the. xviij. day of March,  

Commentary   *   Close

Once again the introduction of material from different sources, covering the same time period, into different editions created repetition. As an example, a brief account of Elizabeth being sent to the Tower was added in the 1570 edition (1570, p. 1639; 1576, p. 1398; 1583, p. 1469); this repeated the more detailed account already printed in an earlier section of the Acts and Monuments (1563, p. 927; 1570, p. 1587; 1576, p. 1355; 1583, p. 1425) and this episode would also be described, in great detail, at the end of all four editions. (As was all too often the case, the dates in the different versions did not correspond; the first version stated that Elizabeth was sent to the Tower on 15 March; the second version (correctly)gave the date as 18 March. As always, Foxe never corrected, or apparently noticed, the discrepancy).

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the Lady Elizabeth, of whom mention was made before, the Queenes Sister, was brought to the Tower.

MarginaliaMarch. 24.Vpon Easter euen, being the. xxiiij. of March, the Lord Marques of Northāpton, the Lord Cobham, and sir William Cobham were delyuered out of the Tower.

MarginaliaMarch. 25.The. xxv. day (beyng Easter day) in the mornyng, at S. Pancrase in Cheape, the Crucifixe with the Pixe were taken out of the Sepulchre, before the Priest rose to the resurrection: MarginaliaThe Pixe risen out of the Sepulchre from all the watchmen at S. Pancrase Church.so that when after his accustomed maner hee put his hand into the Sepulchre, and said very deuoutly: Surrexit non est hic, he founde his wordes true, for he was not there in deede. Wherupon being halfe dismayd, they consulted amongest themselues whom they thought to be likeliest to do this thyng. In which debatement they remembred one Marsh,MarginaliaM. Marsh burthened wth suspition and with his mariage. whiche a litle before had bene put from that personage, because hee was maryed, to whose charge they layd it. But when they could not proue it, being brought before the Maior, they then burdened hym to haue kept cōpany with his wife since that they were by commaundement diuorsed. Whereto he aunswered, that hee thought the Queene had done him wrōg to take frō hym both his liuing and his wife: Which wordes were then noted, and taken very greuously, & he & his wyfe were both committed to seuerall Counters, notwithstandyng that he had bene very sicke.

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Marginalia
Aprill. 8.
A Cat hanged with a shauen crowne, vpon the gallowes in Chepeside.
The. viij. of Aprill, there was a Cat hanged vppon a gallowes at the Crosse in Cheape, apparelled lyke a Priest ready to say Masse, with a shauen crowne. Her two forefeete were tyed ouer her head, wyth a round paper lyke a wafer cake put betwene them: whereon arose great euill will agaynst the Citie of London. For the Queene and the Byshops were very angry withall: and therfore the same after noone, there was a Proclamation, that who soeuer could bring forth the party that did hang vp the Cat, should haue. xx. nobles, whiche reward was afterwardes increased to. xx. markes, but none could, or would earne it.

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As touchyng the first occasion of settyng vp this Gallowes in Cheapeside, here is to be vnderstand, that after the Sermon of the Byshop of Winchester (aboue mentioned) made before the Queene for the strayte execution of Wyates Soldiours, immediately vppon the same, the. xiij of February, were set vp a great number of Gallowes in diuers places of the Citie, MarginaliaThe number and occasion of gallowes set vp in the Citie of London.namely two in Chepeside, one at Leaden hall, one at Billynges gate, 1. at S. Magnes Churche, one in Smithfield, one in Fleetestreete, four in Southwarke, one at Allgate, one at Byshops gate, one at Aldersgate, one at Newgate, 1. at Ludgate, 1. at S. Iames Parcke corner, 1. at Cripplegate: all which Gibbets & Gallowes to the, number of. xx. there remayned for terrour of o-

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ther,