MarginaliaAn. 1555. February.Vtcunque immanes Boreæ, magnæq; procellæ
Flatibus aduersis tam clarum abrumpere lumen
Nitantur frustra. Nam quæ Deus ipse secundat,
Quis prohibere queat? mortalia facta sed vltro
Et commenta ruunt, vastaq; voragine fidunt.
Hoperi exemplo, quotquot spiratis Iesu
Doctrinam Christi, discrimina temnere vitæ,
Durare, & vosmet rebus seruare secundis
Discite. Namq; dabit Deus his meliora: nec auris
Audijt vlla, oculus vel vidit, sed neque captus
Humanæ mentis potuit complectier vnquam,
Qualia, quanta Deus seruet sua bona beatis.

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Thus was he three quarters of an houre or more in the fire. Euen as a Lambe, patiently he abode the extremitie therof, neither mouyng forwardes, backwardes, or to any side: MarginaliaThe patient end of this holy Martyr.but hauing his nether partes burned, and his bowels fallen out, he dyed as quietly as a childe in his bed:  

and he now reigneth as a blessed martyr in the ioyes of heauen prepared for the faythfull in Christ before the foundations of the world: for whose constancie all Christians are bound to prayse God.

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MarginaliaA letter exhortatory of Maister Hooper to certaine of his frendes.THe grace of God be with you, Amen. I did write vnto you of late, and told you what extremitie the parlament had concluded vpon, concerning Religion, suppressing the truth, and setting forth the vntruth, intending to cause all men by extremitie to forsweare themselues, and to take againe for the head of the Churche, him that is neither head nor member of it, but a very enemie, as the worde of God & all ancient writers do record: and for lacke of lawe and authoritie, they wyl vse force and extremitie, MarginaliaThe Popes religion standeth onely vpon force and extremitye.which haue bene the argumentes to defende the Pope and poperie, sith this wicked authority began first in the world. But now is the tyme of trial, to see whether we feare more God or man. It was an easie thing to holde with Christ whiles the Prince and world held with him: but now the world hateth him, it is the true trial who be his.

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Wherfore in the name and in the vertue, strength, and power of his holy spirite, prepare your selues in any case to aduersitie and constancie. Let vs not runne away when it is most tyme to fight. Remember none shall be crowned, but such as fight manfully: and he that endureth vntil the end shalbe saued. Ye must nowe turne all your cogitations from the perill you see, and marke the felicitie that foloweth the peryl: either victorie in this world of your enimies, or els a surrender of this life to inherite the euerlasting kyngdome. MarginaliaNeither the felicity nor the misery of this world is to be looked vpon.Beware of beholding to much the felicitie or the misery of this world: for the consideration and too earnest loue or feare of either of them draweth from God.

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Wherefore thinke with your selues as touching the felicitie of the worlde, it is good: but yet none otherwyse then it standeth with the fauour of God. It is to be kept: but yet so farre foorth as by keeping of it we loose not God. It is good abidyng and tarrying styl amonges our frendes here: but yet so, þ^t we tary not therwithall in Gods displeasure, and hereafter to dwell with the diuels in fire euerlastyng. There is nothing vnder God but may be kept, so that god being aboue al thinges we haue, be not lost.

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MarginaliaAduersitye compared with aduersitie.Of aduersitie iudge the same. Imprisonment is painfull: but yet libertie vpon euell conditions is more painfull. The prisons stincke: but yet not so much as sweete houses, where as the feare and true honour of God lacketh. I must be alone & solitary. It is better so to be & haue God with me, then to be in company with the wicked. Losse of goodes is great, but losse of Gods grace and fauour is greater. I am a poore simple creature, & cā not tell how to aūswere before such a great sort of noble, learned & wise mē: MarginaliaAntithesis betwene ioyes and paynes in this worlde and in the world to come.It is better to make aunswere before the pompe and pryde of wicked men then to stand naked in the sight of all heauen and earth before the iust God at the latter daye. I shall dye then by the handes of the cruell man, hee is blessed that looseth this lyfe full of miseries, and findeth the life of eternall ioyes. It is payne and griefe to departe from goods and frendes: but yet not so much, as to depart from grace and heauen it selfe Wherfore there is neither felicity nor aduersity of this world that can appeare to be greate, if it be wayed with the ioyes, or paynes in the worlde to come.

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I can do no more, but pray for you: do the same for mee, for gods sake. For my part (I thanke the heauenly father) I haue made myne accompts and appointed my selfe vnto the will of the heauenly father: as he will, so I wyll, by hys grace. For Gods sake as soone as ye can, sende my poore

wyfe and children some letter from you,  

and my letter also which I sent of late to D. As it was tolde me, shee neuer had letter from me sythens the commyng of M. S.   vnto her: the more to blame the messengers, for I haue wrytten diuers tymes. The Lord comfort them, and prouide for thē for I am able to do nothyng in worldly thynges. MarginaliaM. Hoopers care and commendation of his wyfe.She is a godly & wise womā. If my meanyng had bene accōplished, shee should haue had necessary thinges, but þ^t I meāt, God can perfourme, to whom I commend both her and you all. I am a precious Iewell nowe and daintely kept, neuer so deintely: for neither myne owne man, nor any of the seruauntes of the house may come to me, but my keeper alone: a simple rude man (God knoweth) but I am nothing careful therof.

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Fare ye well, the. 21. of Ianuary. 1555.

Yours bounden, Iohn Hooper.

Amongest many other memorable actes and notes worthy to be remembred in the history of M. Hooper, this also is not to be forgotten, which happened betwene him and a bragging Frier a litle after the beginnyng of his imprisonment: the story wherof here followeth.

MarginaliaTalke betewene M. Hooper and a Fryer in the prison.A Frier came frō Fraunce to England with great vaunt, askyng who was the greatest heriticke in all England, thinkyng belyke to doe some great act vppon him. To whom aunswere was made that M. Hooper had then the greatest name to be the chiefest ringleader: who was thē in the Fleete. The Frier comming to him, asked why he was committed to prison. He sayd for debt.  

Nay, sayd he, it was for heresie. Which when the other had denyed, what sayest thou (quoth he) to hoc est corpus meum? M. Hooper beyng partly moued at þ^e sodaine questiō, desired that he might aske of him agayne an other question, whiche was this: What remayned after the consecration in the Sacrament: any bread or no? No bread at all sayth hee. And when ye breake it, what do ye breake: eyther the bread or the body, sayd Maister Hooper? No bread sayd the Frier, but the body onely. If you do so, sayd M. Hooper, ye do great iniury, not onely to the body of Christ, MarginaliaIf the materiall body of Christ be broken in the Sacrament, then is the commaundement of gods word broken.but also ye breake the scriptures, whiche say: ye shall not breake of him one bone. &c. With that the Frier hauing nothing belyke to aunswere, sodainly recoyled backe, and with his circles and crosses began to vse exorcisme agaynst M. Hooper, as though. &c. This & more wrote M. Hooper to Maistres Wylkinson in a letter, whiche letter was read vnto her by Iohn Kelke,   who is yet a lyue.

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MarginaliaA comparison betwene M. Hooper & Polycarpus.WHen I see and behold the great patience of these blessed Martyrs in our dayes, in their sufferinges so quietly & constantly abidyng the tormentes that are ministred vnto them of princes for Gods cause: me thinkes I may well & worthely compare them vnto the olde Martyrs of the primatiue Church. In the number of whom , if comparison be to be made betwixt Saint and Saint: Martyr and Martyr, with whom might I match this blessed Martyr M. Iohn Hooper better through the whole catalogue of the old Martyrs, then with Polycarpus the auncient Byshop of Smirna, of whom MarginaliaEseb. lib. 4. cap. 15.Eusebius maketh mencion in the Ecclesiasticall story? For as both agreed together in one kinde of punishment, beyng both put to the fire, so which of them shewed more patience and constancye in the tyme of their sufferyng, it is hard to be sayd. And though Polycarpus beyng set in the flame (as the story sayth) was kept by miracle from the torment of the fire, tyll hee was stricken downe with weapon, and so dispatched: yet Hooper by no lesse miracle armed with patience and feruent spirite of Gods comfort, so quietly despised the violence therof, as though he had felt little more then dyd Polycarpus in þ^e fire flamyng round about hym.

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Moreouer, as it is written of MarginaliaOf this Policarpus read before pag. 42.Polycarpus, when hee should haue bene tyed to the stake, he required to stād vntyed, saying these wordes: Sinite me, qui namque ignem ferre posse dedit, dabit etiam vt fine vestra clauorum cautione immotus in rogo permaneam. That is: Let me alone, I pray you, for he that gaue me strength to come to this fire wyll also geue me patience to abyde in the same, without your tying. So lykewise Hooper, with the like spirite, when hee should haue ben tyed with three chaynes, to the stake requiryng thē to haue no such mistrust of him, was tied but with one, who and if hee had not bene tyed at all, yet (no doubt) would haue no lesse aunswered to that great patience of Polycarpus.

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MarginaliaM. Hooper compared to Polycarpus in life.And as the end of them both was much agreeyng, so the lyfe of them both was such, as might seeme not farre