Marginalia1555. Februa.discrepant. In teaching, like diligent both, in zeale feruent, in life vnspotted, in maners & conuersation inculpable, Bishops & also martyrs both. Briefly, in teaching so pithy & fruitful, that as they both were ioyned together in one spirite, so might they be ioyned in one name together of Marginaliaπολύκαρποςπολύκαρπος, to wit, much frutful. To which name also Marginaliaὄπωροςὄπωρος, is not much vnlyke. In this the martyrdome of M. Hooper may seeme in suffering to goe before, though in tyme it folowed þ^e martyrdome of Polycarpus, for that he was both lōger in prison, and there also MarginaliaThe cruell handling of M. Hooper.so cruelly handled by the malice of his keepers, as I thinke none of the old martyrs euer suffered the like. To this also adde how he was disgraded by Boner, with such contumelies and reproches, as I thinke in Polycarpus tyme was not vsed to any.

And as we haue hitherto compared these two good martyrs together, so now if we should compare the enemies & authors of their death one with the other, we should finde no inequalitie betwixt thē both, but that the aduersaries of M. Hooper seemed to bee more cruel & vnmercyful. MarginaliaThe enemies of M. Hooper and of Polycarpus compared.For they that put Polycarpus to death, yet ministred to hym a quick dispatch, moued belike by some compassion not to haue hym stande in the torment: where the tormenters of M. Hooper suffered him without al cōpassiō to stand three quarters of an houre in the fire. And as touching þ^e chiefe doers & authors of his martyrdome, what Consul or Proconsull was there to be confererred with the Chauncellor here, which brought this martyr to his burnyng? Let this suffice.

This good Bishop and seruant of God being in prison, MarginaliaBookes and treatises written by M. Hooper.wrote diuers bookes and treatises, to the number of. xxiiij. wherof some he wrote to the parlament in Latin, and one to the bishop of Chichester. D. Day: besides he wrote of the Sacraments, of the Lordes prayer, and of the. x. Commaundementes, with diuers other.  

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A number of these documents were printed in the Rerum and never reprinted by Foxe: an appeal by Hooper to parliament, dated 27 August 1554 (pp. 299-305); a letter to convocation in 1554 (pp. 306-08) and a treatise by Hooper on the Lord's Supper (pp. 309-92). This material was preceded by a preface from Foxe to the reader (p. 298) and followed by a hortatory letter attacking transubstantiation, written by Foxe (pp. 392-96), and a summary of Hooper's arguments, cast by Foxe as logical formulae (pp. 396-403). All of this suggests that this material was initially intended as a separate volume and was instead incorporated in the Rerum, perhaps because Foxe had difficulty finding a publisher for Hooper's writings on the continent.

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¶ Here followe certaine of M. Hoopers Letters.  

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Hooper's Letters

All of the letters of Hooper which follow appeared first appeared in Bull's Letters of the Martyrs and were then reprinted by Foxe from 1570 onwards. This is a tribute to the zeal and scope of Bull's research and an indication of his very important contribution to the Acts and Monuments.

AS you haue heard the whole story of the life and martyrdome of this good man declared: so nowe let vs consequently adioyne some part of his letters writtē in the time of his imprisonment, most fruitful and worthy to be read,  

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Hooper's Letters

In these letters scriptural references are prominent, and the glosses are mainly concerned with indicating the recipients of the letters and with amplifying the basic points made by Hooper, without altering their focus or meaning (in contrast to Foxe's earlier marginal treatment of the disputations). Several of the glosses deal with the dangers of worldliness, underlining the other-worldly destination and values of Hooper ('Two thinges commaunded by S. Paule writing to the Collossians'; 'The first is to see and know what thinges are aboue and what thinges are beneath and and to discerne rightly betwene them'; 'The second is to set our affection vpon them that are aboue, and not vpon the other And this lesson is harder then the other'; 'How thinges of this world may be possessed, and how not'; 'Gaynes with Gods displeasure is beggary').

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The importance of suffering is also emphasised ('Afflictions be the messengers and seruauntes of God'; 'Pacience the gift onely of God'; 'To suffer for Christ, is honorable'; 'Example taken of our meate and drinke how thinges neuer come to their perfection before they be vtterly waysted'; 'Vnmortefied men, be no people to God'). This is in part related to the future (though in narrative terms, past) suffering of Hooper, but there are also glosses which allow Foxe's readers to apply Hooper's approaches to suffering to their own difficulties ('Read also M. Hoopers exposition vpon thys Psalme, most comfortable for all broken and afflicted hartes'; 'Read also the fourth chapter. of Eccle'). There are also glosses which point to the relations between the persecuted church and the actions of antichrist ('Iudgement first beginneth with the house of God'; 'Gods wrath vpon the beast and them that take his marke'; 'In this time of Antichrist is the pacience and fayth of Gods children tryed, whereby they shall ouercome all his tyranny read. Math. 24') and the inversion of values inherent in popery ('Errour taken for truth and persecution for Gods seruice').

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There are examples of glosses missing or out of place in either of the editions after 1570. A notable and rare case of an error in 1570 later corrected is 'The blacke horse in the Apocalyps chapt. 6. what it meaneth' (1570 and 'The pale horse in the Apocalips chap. 6. what it meaneth' (1576 and 1583.

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A letter of maister Hooper to certaine godly professors and louers of the truth, instructing them how to behaue them selues in that wofull alteration and change of Religion.  

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This first appears in Letters of the Martyrs, pp. 114-17.

MarginaliaA letter of M. Hooper.THe grace, mercye, and peace of God the father through our Lord Iesus Christ, be with you my deare brethrē, and with al those that vnfainedly loue and embrace his holy Gospel, Amen.

It is told me, that the wicked Idoe the Masse is stablished again by a law, & passed in þ^e parlamēt house. Learn the truth of it, I pray you, & what penaltie is appointed in the Acte, to such as speake against it: also whether there be any cōpulsion to cōstraine men to be at it. The statute throwly knowen, such as be abroad & at libertie, may prouide for them selues, & auoyde the daunger the better. Doubtles there hath not bene seene before our tyme, such a parlament as this is, MarginaliaThe fauourers of Gods worde secluded out of the parlament, both in the hye house and lower, agaynst all right and reason.that as many as were suspected to be fauourers of Gods worde, should be banished out of both houses. But we must geue God thankes for that truthe he hath opened in the tyme of his blessed seruaunt king Edward the sixt, and pray vnto hym that we deny it not, nor dishonor it with Idolatrie, but that we may haue strength and pacience rather to die ten times, then to deny him once. Blessed shall we be, if euer God make vs worthy of that honour, to shed our bloud for his names sake: And blessed then shall we thinke the parentes whiche brought vs into this worlde, that wee shoulde from this mortalitie be carryed into immortalitie. If we folowe the commaundemente of Saint Paul, that saith: MarginaliaColos. 3.If ye then be risen againe with Christe, seeke those thinges whiche are aboue, where Christ sitteth at the right hande of God. We shall neyther departe from the vayne transitorie goodes of this worlde, nor from this wretched & mortall lyfe, wyth so great paines as other doo.

Let vs pray to our heauenly father, that we may know and loue his blessed wyll, and the glorious ioy prepared for vs in tyme to come, and that we may knowe and hate all thinges contrary to his blessed wyl, and also the payne prepared for the wicked in the world to come. There is no better way to be vsed in this troublesome tyme for your con-

MarginaliaHe exhorteth the brethren to resort and conferre among thēselues together.solatiō, then many tymes to haue assemblies together of such men and women as be of your Religion in Christe, and there to talke and renewe among your selues the truth of your Religion, to see what ye be by the woorde of God, and to remēber what ye were before ye came to the knowledge thereof, to weigh and conferre the dreames and false lyes of the Preachers that nowe preache, with the word of God that retayneth all truth, and by such talke and familiar resorting together, ye shall the better finde out al their lyes, that nowe goe about to deceiue you, and also both know and loue the truth that God hath opened to vs. MarginaliaConference amongest brethren comfortable.It is much requisite, that the members of Christe comfort one an other, make prayers together, conferre one with an other, so shall ye be the stronger, and Gods spirite shall not be absent from you, but in the myddest of you, to teache you, to comfort you, to make you wise in all godly things, patient in aduersitie, and strong in persecution.

Ye see how þ^e congregatiō of the wicked by helping one an other, make their wicked Religion and them selues strong againste Gods truth and his people. If ye maye haue some learned man that can oute of the Scriptures speake vnto you of fayth and true honouring of God, also that can shewe you the descent of Christes church frō the beginnyng of it vntyl this day, that ye may perceiue by the life of your forfathers these two things: the one, that Christes woord, which said, that all his must suffer persecution and trouble in the worlde, be true: the other, that none of all his before our tyme, escaped trouble: then shall ye perceyue that it is but a folie for one that professeth Christ truely, to looke for the loue of the world.

Thus shall ye learne to beare trouble, and to exercise your Religion, and feele in deede that Christes woordes be true: MarginaliaIohn. 16.In the world ye shall suffer persecution. And when ye feele your Religion in deede, say, ye be no better then your forefathers, but be glad, that ye may be counted worthy souldiers for this warre: and pray to God when ye come together, that he wyll vse and order you and your doynges to these three endes, which ye must take heede of: MarginaliaThree thinges to be taken heede of.the first that ye glorifie God: the nexte, that yee edifie the Churche and Congregation: the thirde, that ye profite your owne soules.

In al your doinges beware ye be not deceyued. For although this tyme be not yet so bloudy and tyrannous as the tyme of our forefathers, that could not beare the name of Christ, without daunger of lyfe and goodes: yet is our tyme more perylous both for body and soule. Therefore of vs Christ said: MarginaliaLuke. 18.Thinke ye when the sonne of man cōmeth, he shall finde faith vpon the earth? He said not, Thinke ye he shal find any man or woman Christened and in name a Christian: but he spake of the faith that saueth þ^e Christian man in Christ: MarginaliaFayth more scarser now then in the olde tyme vnder Tyrantes.and doubtlesse the scarcitie of fayth is now more (and wyl, I feare, encrease) then it was in the tyme of the greatest tyrannes that euer were: and no marueile why. Reade ye the 6. chap. of s. Iohns Reuelation, & ye shall perceiue amongest other thinges, that at the opening of the fourth Seale, came out MarginaliaThe pale horse in the Apocalyps chap. 6. what it meaneth.a pale horse, and he that sate vpon hym was called death, and hel folowed hym. This horse is the tyme wherin hypocrites and dissemblers entred into the Churche vnder the pretence of true Religion, as Monkes, Fryers, Nonnes, Massing Priestes, with such other, MarginaliaMo soules slaine by Monkes & Fryers, &c. then bodyes by Tyrantes.that haue kylled moe soules with heresie and superstition, then all the tyrannes that euer were, kylled bodyes with fire, sword, or banishmēt, as it appeareth by his name that sitteth vpō the horse, who is called death: for al soules that leaue Christ and trust to these hypocrites, lyue to the diuell in euerlasting payne, as is declared by hym that foloweth the pale horse, which is hell.

These pretensed and pale hypocrites, haue stirred the earthquakes, that is to wytte, the Princes of the worlde, against Christes Church, & haue also darkened the Sunne, and made the Moone bloudy, and haue caused the Starres to fal from heauen, MarginaliaThe 6. chapt. of the Apocalips opened.that is to say, haue darkned with mistes and dayly doo darken (as ye heare by their Sermons) the cleare sunne of Gods most pure word: the Moone, which be Gods true Preachers, whiche fetche onely light at the Sunne of Gods woorde, are turned into bloud, prisons, and chaynes, that their light can not shine vnto the worlde as they woulde: whereupon it commeth to passe, that the Starres, that is to say, Christian people fal from heauen, that is to wyt, from Gods most true woorde, to hypocrisie, most deuilish superstition, and Idolatrie. Let some learned man shewe you al the articles of your beliefe & monuments of Christian fayth, from the tyme of Christ hytherto, and ye shall perceyue that there was neuer mention of such articles as these hypocrites teache. God blesse you, and pray for me, as I do for you.

Out of the Fleete, by your brother
in Christ, Iohn Hoper.