your selfe highly displeased with the Matrimony of Priestes, but MarginaliaThe Pope a destroyer of maryage and maynteyner of whoredome.you maintayne open whoredome: as in Wales (quoth I) where euery Priest hath hys whore openly dwelling wyth him and lying by him: euen as your holy father suffereth all the priestes in Dutchland  

and in Fraunce to do the lyke. Therto he answered not, but loked as it were, a squinte at it: and thus I departed, and saw hym last.

[Back to Top]

Marginalia1554. Febr.Other good matter  

there is besides penned by M. Rogers in the prison, which he thought and woulde haue aunswered, if he might haue bene permitted, touching whiche matter, because it is already expressed before in the first edition: pag. 1031. it may please the reader to turne to the place, and there further to be satisfied.

[Back to Top]

After that Iohn Rogers (as ye haue heard) had bene long and straitly imprisoned, lodged in newgate amongest theeues, often examined: and very vncharitably and at lēgth vniustly and most cruelly by wicked Winchester condemned, MarginaliaFebr. 4.the 4. of February, in the yeare of our Lorde. 1555. beyng Monday in the mornyng, MarginaliaM. Rogers warned to prepare himselfe to deathhee was warned sodenly by the kepers wife of Newgate, to prepare himself to the fire: who then beyng sound a slepe, scarce with much shoggyng could be a waked. At length beyng raysed & waked, and byd to make hast, then, sayde he, if it be so, I neede not to tye my poyntes: and so was had downe, MarginaliaM. Rogers disgraded.first to Boner to bee disgraded. That done, he craued of Boner but one petition. Boner askyng what that should be: nothyng sayd he: but that he might talke a fewe wordes with his wife, before hys burnyng. MarginaliaM. Rogers coulde not be suffered of Boner to speake to his wife before his burning.But that could not be obteyned of him. Then sayde he, you declare your charitie, what it is: and so he was brought into SmithfieldMarginaliaM. Rogers brought to Smithfield. by Maister Chester, and M. Woodrofe, then Shriffes of London, there to be burnt, where he shewed most constant paciencie, not vsing many wordes: for he could not be permitted, but onely exhortyng the people constantly to remayne in that faith and true doctrine which he before had taught and they had learned, and for the confirmation wherof he was not only content paciently to suffer and beare all such bitternes and crueltie as had bene shewed him, but also most gladly to resigne vp hys life, and to geue his flesh to the consumyng fire for the testimonie of the same.

[Back to Top]

Briefly and in few wordes to comprehend the whole order of his life, doynges, and Martyrdome, first this Godly M. Rogers was committed to prison (as is aboue sayd) & there continued a yeare and a halfe. In prison he was mery, and earnest in al he went about. He wrote much: his examinations he penned with his own hand, which els had neuer com to lyght. Wherin is to bee noted by the way a memorable workyng of Gods prouidence.MarginaliaThe copie of M. Rogers examinatiōs by Gods prouidence preserued. Ye heard a litle aboue how M. Rogers craued of Boner, goyng to his burnyng, that he might speake a few wordes before with hys wife, whiche could not be graunted. What these wordes were whiche he had to say to his wife, it is for no man certeinly to define. Likely it may be supposed that his purpose was, amongest other thynges, to signifie vnto her of the booke written of his examinations and aunsweres whiche he had priuily hyd in a secret corner of the prison where he lay. But where mans power lacketh, see how Gods prouidence worketh.  

For notwithstandyng that duryng the time of his imprisonment straite search there was to take awaye his letters and wrytynges: yet after his death his wife and one of her sonnes called Daniell, cōming into þ^e place where he lay, to seeke for his bookes and wrytynges, and now ready to go away, it chaunced her sonne aforenamed, casting his eye aside to spy a blacke thing (for it had a blacke couer, belyke because it shoud not be knowen) lying in a blynde corner vnder a payre of stayers. Who willyng hys mother to see what it was, found it to be the booke written with hys owne hand, conteynyng these his examinations & answeres, with other matter aboue specified. In the latter end where of this also was conteyned, whiche because it concerneth a Propheticall forwarnyng of thinges perteining to þ^e church I thought here to place the same his wordes, as they bee there written, which are these. MarginaliaM. Rogers seemeth to prophesie here of England, and that truely.If God looke not mercifully vpon England,   the seedes of vtter destruction are sowen in it already, by these hypocriticall tyrauntes, and Antichristiā Prelates, Popish Papistes, and double traitours to their naturall countrey. And yet they speak of mercy, of blessing, of the Catholicke Church, of vnitye, of power, and strengthening of the realme. This double dissimulation wil shewe it selfe one day when the plague commeth, which wil vndoubtedly light vpon these crowneshorne Captaines, and that shortly, what soeuer the godly and the poore realm suffer in the mean while by gods good sufferance and will.

[Back to Top]

Spite of Nabucodonozers bearde, and maugre hys hart, the captiue, thrall, & miserable Iewes must come home agayne, and haue their city and temple builded vp agayne by Zorobabel, Esdras, and Nehemias, &c. And the whole kingdome of Babilon must goe to ruine and be taken of straungers, the Persians and Medes. So shal the disperck-

[Back to Top]

led english flocke of Christ be brought agayne into their former estate,MarginaliaHe meaneth here of the returne of the exiles into Englād. or to a better, I trust in the Lord God, then it was in innocent king Edwards dayes, and our bloudy Babylonicall Bishops, and the whole crownshorne companye, brought to vtter shame, rebuke, ruine, decay, and destructiō: for God cannot and vndoubtedly will not suffer for euer their abominable lying, false doctrine, their hipocrysie, bloud thirste, whoredome, idlenes, their pestilent life pampered in all kinde of pleasure, their thrasonicall boasting, pride, their malicious, enuious, & poisoned stomaches which they beare towardes his poore and miserable Christians. Peter truly warneth that Marginalia1. Pet. 4.if iudgement beginneth in the house of God, what shall be the end of them that beleeue not the Gospell? If the righteous shall scant be saued, where shall the vngodly and sinfull appeare? Some shall haue their punishment here in this world and in the word to come, and they that doe escape in thys world, shall not escape euerlasting damnatiō. This shalbe your sauce O ye wicked Papistes, make ye mery here as long as ye may.

[Back to Top]

Furthermore, amongest other his wordes & sayinges, which may seeme prophetically to bee spoken of hym: this also may be added, and is notoriously to bee marked, that hee spake being then in pryson, to the Printer of thys presente booke, who then also was layd vp for lyke cause of religiō: MarginaliaM. Rogers prophesieth of the returne of the Gospell.Thou (sayd he) shalt liue to see the alteration of this religiō and the gospel freely to be preached agayne: And therefore haue me commended to my brethren, as well in exile as others, and bid thē be circumspect in displacing the papistes, and putting good Ministers into Churches, or els theire ende will be worse then ours. MarginaliaM. Rogers coūsell in placing good ministers.And for lacke of good ministers to furnish Churches, hys deuise was (M. Hoper also agreeing to the same) that for euery. x. Churches, some one good and learned superintendent should bee appointed, which should haue vnder hym faithfull Readers, suche as might well be got, so that popishe Priests should clean be put out, and the Bishop once a yeare to ouersee the profiting of the Parishes, and if the Minister dyd not his duty, as well in profiting him selfe in his booke, and his Parishioners in good instructions, so that they might be trained by litle & little to geue a reckoning how they do profite, then he to be expelled, and an other put in hys place: And the bishop to doe the lyke with the superintendent, this was his counsell and request. Shewing moreouer, & protesting in his cōmendations to his brethren by the Printer aforesayd, that if they would not so doe, their end he sayd would be worse then theirs.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaA note touching Priestes cappes.Ouer and besides diuers other thinges touchinge M. Rogers,  

this is not to be forgotten, how in the dayes of K. Edward the sixt, there was a controuersie among the Bishops and Clergy, for wearing of priestes caps and other attyre belōging to that order. M. Rogers being one of that number which neuer went otherwise then in a round cap, during all the tyme of K. Edward, affirmed that he woulde not agree to that decreement of vniformitye, but vpon thys condition, that if they would needes haue such an vniformity of wearing the cap, tippet, &c. then it should also be decreed with al, that the Papists for a difference betwixt them and other, should be constrayned to weare vpon their sleeus a Chalice with an host vpon it. Wherunto if they would consent, he would agree to the other: otherwise he would not he sayd consent to the setting forth of the same, nor euer weare the cap, as in deed he neuer dyd.

[Back to Top]

To proceede now further in descrybing the doynges of this man, during the tyme while he remayned prysoner in Newgate, he was to the prisoners beneficiall & liberall, MarginaliaProuision by M. Rogers for the prisoners.for whō he had thus deuysed, that he wyth his fellowes should haue but one meal a day, they paying notwithstandinge for the charges of the wholl: the other meall should be geuen to them that lacked on the other side of the pryson. But MarginaliaAlexander Andrewe Gayler of Newgate compared to Alexander the Copersmyth.Alexander their keeper, a strait man, and a right Alexander, a Copersmith in deed, of whose doinges more shalbe sayd god willing hereafter, would in no case suffer that. The sonday before he suffered, he dronk to M. Hooper (beinge then vnderneath hym) and bad them cōmend him vnto hym, and tell hym, there was neuer little fellow better would sticke to a man, then hee would stick to hym, presupposing they should both be burned together, although it hapned otherwise, for M. Rogers was burnt alone. And thus much briefly concerning the lyfe & such actes of M. Rogers, as I thought worthy noting.

[Back to Top]

Now when the tyme came,  

that he being deliuered to the Shiriffes, should be brought out of Newgate to Smithfield the place of his execution, first came to him M. Woodrofe one of the foresayd shirifs, & callyng M. Rogers vnto him, asked him MarginaliaThe wordes of M. Woodrofe to M. Rogers.if he would reuoke his abhominable doctrine, & hys euil opinion of the sacrament of the aulter. M. Rogers answered and said: that which I haue preached, I will seale with my bloud. Then quoth M. Woodroofe, thou

[Back to Top]