MarginaliaAn. 1555. February.but now that he hath in his deare Christ repayred vs, beyng before vtterly decayed, and redemed vs, purgyng vs vnto himselfe as a peculiar people by the bloud of his sonne hee hath put on a most tender good will, and fatherly affection toward vs, neuer to forget vs: MarginaliaGods promises firme and sure.vnto whom by such promisses hee hath plighted such fayth, that though it were possible that the mother coulde forget her infant, and not be tender harted to the childe of her wombeMarginaliaEsay. 49. yet may not it be that his faythfull beleuers shoulde be forgotten of him. He biddeth vs to cast our care on him, and sayth that assuredly hee careth for vs.Marginalia1. Pet. 5. And what though for a season hee doth suffer vs to be turmoyled in the troublous tempestes of temptation, and semeth as in much anger to haue geuen vs ouer, & forgotten vs? let not vs for all that leaue of to put our trust in him, but let vs with godly Iob conclude in our selues and say: MarginaliaIob. 3.Euen though he kill mee, yet will I put my trust in him. MarginaliaTrust vpon gods promise.Let vs with the blessed Abrahame in hope, euen contrary to hope by beliefe leane vnto that our louyng Lorde, who though for our probation hee suffereth vs to be afflicted, yet will he not bee alwayes chyding, neyther keepeth hee hys anger for euer: for hee knoweth whereof we bee made he remembreth that we are but dust. Wherfore, MarginaliaPsal. 103.looke howe high the heauen is in comparison of the earth, so great is his mercy towardes them whiche feare him. Looke how wyde the East is from the West, so farre hath hee set our sinnes from vs. Yea, lyke as a father pitieth hys owne children: euen so is the Lorde merciful vnto them that feare him. Oh what great cause of reioycing haue we in our most gracious God? we cannot but burst foorth into the praysing of such a bountifull benefactour, and say with þ^e same Psalmist: Prayse the Lord, O my soule, and all that is within me prayse hys holy name. Prayse the Lord O my soule, and forget not all his benefites.

MarginaliaSaunders godly bequest to hys wyfe.Deare wife, riches haue I none to leaue behynde me, wherwith to endow you after the worldly maner. But that treasure of tasting how swete Christ is vnto hungry consciences (wherof I thanke my Christ, I do feele part, and would feele more) that I bequeath vnto you, and to the rest of my beloued in Christ, to retaine the same in sense of harte alwayes. Pray, pray. MarginaliaExperience of the comfortes of Christ in prison.I am mery, and I trust I shalbe mery maugre the teeth of all the deuils in hell. I vtterly refuse my selfe, and resigne my selfe vnto my Christ, in whom I know I shalbe strong as he seeth needefull. Pray pray pray.

Laurence Saunders.

MarginaliaM. Saunders wyfe not suffred to speake wyth him in prison.As the sayde Maister Saunders was in prison, straite charge was geuen to the keeper, that no persō should speak with hym. His wyfe yet came to the prison gate with her yong childe in her armes, to visit her Husband. The Keeper, though for his charge, he durst not suffer her to come into the prison, yet dyd hee take the little babe out of her armes, and brought him vnto his father. Laurence Saunders seeyng him, reioysed greatly, saying þ^t he reioysed more to haue such a boy, then he shoulde if two thousand pounde were geuen him. And vnto the standers by, which praysed the goodlines of the childe, he sayd: what man fearyng God woulde not loose thys life present, rather then by prolongyng it here, he should adiudge thys boy to be a Bastard hys wyfe a whoore and himselfe a whoremonger? Yea, if there were no other cause, for whiche a man of my estate shoulde loose hys life yet who would not geue it, to aduouche thys child to be legitimate, and his mariage to be lawfull & holy?

I do (good Reader) recite thys saying, not onely to let the see what he thought of Priests mariage: but chiefly to let all maryed couples and Parentes learne to beare in their bosome true affections: naturall, but yet seasoned wyth the true salt of the spirite, vnfaynedly and throughly mortified to do the naturall workes and offices of maried couples & Parents, so long as w^t theyr doyng they may keepe Christ wyth a free confessing fayth, in a conscience vnsoyled: otherwise both they and their owne liues are so to bee forsaken, as Christ required thē to be denyed, and geuen in his cause.

MarginaliaM. Saunders brought to examination.And now to come to þ^e examination of thys good mā, after that the bishops had kept hym one whole yere & a quarter in prison, at the length they called hym, as they dyd the rest of hys fellowes, openly to be examined. Of þ^e whiche his first examination the effect and purpose thus followeth.

¶ The examination of Laurence Saunders.  

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In 1563, this is headed Laurence Saunders' first examination. Apparently, as a later comment by Foxe makes clear, Gardiner examined Saunders twice.

PRaysed be our gracious God, who preserueth hys from euill, and doth geue them grace to auoyd all such offences, as might hinder hys honour, or hurt his Church, Amen.

Being conuented before the Queenes most honorable Counsell, sundry bishops being present, the Lord Chauncelor began to speake in such forme as foloweth.

MarginaliaThe first examination of M. Saunders.L. Chan. It is not vnknowen, that you haue bene prisoner for such abominable heresies and false doctrine as hath bene sowen by you: and now it is thought good that mercy be shewed to such as seeke for it. Wherfore if now you will shew your selfe conformable, and come home agayne, mercy is ready. We must say that we haue fallen in maner all: but now we be rysen agayne, and returned to the Catholicke Church, you must ryse wyth vs, and come home vnto it. Geue vs forthwith a direct aunswere.

Saun. My Lord, and my Lords all, may it please your honors to geue me leaue to aunswere with deliberation.

Chan. Leaue of your paynting and pride of speech. For such is the fashion of you all to please your selues in your glorious wordes. Aunswere yea, or nay.

Sand. My Lord, it is no tyme for me now to paynt. And as for pryde, there is no great cause why it should be in me. My learning I confesse to be but small: and as for riches or worldly wealth I haue none at all. Notwithstandyng it stādeth me in hand to aunswere to your demaunde circumspectly, consideryng that one of these two extreme perilles are lyke to fall vpō me: the losing of a good conscience, or the losing of this my body and lyfe. MarginaliaM. Saunders standeth vpon his conscience.And I tell you truth. I loue both life and libertie, if I could enioy them wythout the hurt of my conscience.

Chan. Conscience? you haue none at all, but pride and arrogancie, *Marginalia* Of this diuiding speaketh S. Paule 2. Cor. 6. & Ierem. 50. Come out and diuide your selues from thē. &c. diuidyng your selues by singularitie from the Church.

Sand. The Lorde is the knower of all mens consciences. And where your Lordship layeth to my charge this diuiding my self from the church (as you do meane, and is now among you concluded vpon, as I do vnderstand) Marginalia
Argument.
Conscience ought neuer to stand vpon thinges vucertayne.
Tyme and authoritie be things of thē selues alwayes vncertayne:
Ergo, conscience ought neuer to stand vpon time and authoritie.I do assure you, that I lyue in the fayth wherein I haue bene brought vp sithens I was 14. yeare old: being taught that the power of the B. of Rome is but vsurped, with many other abuses springing thereof. Yea this I haue receiued, euen at your hands that are here present, as a thyng agreed vpon by the Catholicke Church and publicke authoritie.

Chan. Yea mary, but I pray you, haue you receiued by cōsent and authoritie all your heresies of the blessed Sacrament of the aultar?

Saund. My Lord, it is lesse offence to cut of an arme, hand, or ioynt of a man, then to cut of the head. For the man may liue though he do lacke an arme, hand or ioynt, and so he can not without hys head. But you, all the whole sort of you, haue agreed to cut of the supremacie of the Byshop of Rome, whom now ye will haue to be the head of your Church agayne.

MarginaliaSi non insanit satis sua sponte, instiga.Bis. of London. And if it lyke your Lordshyp, I haue hys hand agaynst the blessed sacrament. How say you to that?

Saunders. What I haue written, that I haue written, and farther I will not accuse my selfe. Nothyng haue you to burden me withall, for breakyng of your lawes since they were in force.

Chaunc. Well you will be obstinate and refuse libertie.

Saund. My Lord, I may not buy libertie at such a price: but MarginaliaA lawfull request, but it could not be heard.I beseech your honours to bee meanes to the Queenes Maiestie for such a pardon for vs, that we may lyue and keepe our consciences vnclogged, and we shall lyue as most obedient subiectes. Otherwise, I must say for my selfe, that by Gods grace I will abide the most extremitie þ^t mā may do agaynst me, rather then to doe against my conscience.

Chaun. Ah syrra, MarginaliaTo liue as the Scripture leadeth vs, is not to liue as we list.you will lyue as you list. The Donatistes did desire to lyue in a singularitie: but in deede they were not meete to lyue on the earth:MarginaliaThe papistes desire the Pope, the Protestants Christ onely to be their head: Now which of these two be most like the Donatistes. no more be you, and that shall you vnderstand within these seuen dayes: and therfore away with him.

Saund. Welcome be it, whatsoeuer the will of God shalbe, eyther life or death. And I tell you truely, I haue learned to dye. But I exhort you to beware of sheding of innocent bloud. Truly, it will cry. The spirite of God rest vpon all your honours. Amen. This is the summe and forme of my first examination. Pray. &c.

This examination beyng ended the Officers led him out of the place, and so stayed vntill þ^e rest of hys felowes were likewise handled, that they might haue them all together to prison. Laurence Saunders standyng among the Officers seeing there a great multitude of people, opened his mouth, and spake freely, warning them well of that, which by their fallyng from Christ to Antichrist they did deserue, & therfore exhorting them by repentaunce to rise agayne, MarginaliaM. Saunders freely preacheth Christ.and to embrace Christ with stronger fayth, to cōfesse him to þ^e end, in the defiance of Antichrist, sinne, death, and the deuill: so should they retayne the Lordes fauour and blessing.

MarginaliaThe 2. examination here lacketh.The copyes of his other examinations and excommunication came to the handes of such as do keepe them still in secret.  

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Foxe is prodding anyone who might have a copy of Saunders' other examination or any of his other writings to make them available to him.