Marginalia1555. March.Wherupon he was asked whether he dyd acknowledge the same subscription to be of his owne hand. To the which he graūted, confessing it so to be. This beyng done, the Byshop went about to persuade him (with wordes, rather thē with reasons) to relinquish his opiniōs, & to returne agayne to the vnity of the Catholicke church, promising if he would so do, to remit all that was past: MarginaliaTomkins constant in hys fayth.but he constantly denyed so to do. When the Byshop saw he could not so conuince him, he brought forth and read to him an other writyng contaynyng Articles and Interrogatories whereunto hee should come the next day and aūswere: in the meane tyme he should deliberate vnto hymselfe what to do, & so the next day, beyng the ix. day of March, at viij. of the clocke in the mornyng, to be present in the same place agayne, to geue his determinate aūswere what he would do in the premisses & then either to reuoke & reclame himselfe, or els in the after noone the same day to come agayne and haue Iustice (as he called it) ministred vnto hym: the copy of which Articles here foloweth.

¶ Articles obiected and ministred the. viij. day of February agaynst Tho. Tomkins, with hys owne hand subscribyng to the same.  

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This document is reprinted from Bonner's official records, probably from a court book which is now lost.

MarginaliaArticles ministred agaynst Thomas Tomkins.THou doest beleue that in the Sacrament of the aulter vnder the formes of bread & wine there is not, by the omnipotent power of almighty God and his holy word, really, truly, and in very deede, the very true and naturall body of our Sauiour Iesus Christ, MarginaliaTransubstantiation denyed.as touchyng the substaunce therof which was conceiued in the wōbe of the virgine Mary, and hanged vppon the crosse, sufferyng Passion and death there for the life of the world.

I do so beleue.

MarginaliaSubstance of bread remayneth in the Sacrament.Thou doest beleue that after the cōsecration of the bread and wyne prepared for the vse of the Sacrament of the aultar there doth remaine the very substaūce of materiall bread and materiall wyne, not chaunged nor altered in substaunce by the power of almighty God, but remayning as it dyd before.

I do so beleue.

MarginaliaThe naturall presence of Christ in the Sacrament denyed.Thou doest beleue that it is an vntrue doctrine & a false beliefe to thinke or say that in the Sacrament of the aulter there is after the consecration of the bread and wyne, the substaunce of Christes naturall body and bloud by the omnipotent power of almighty God and his holy word.

I do so beleue.

MarginaliaThe errour of forelders touching the Sacrament.Thou doest beleue that thy parentes, kinsfolkes, frendes, and acquaintaunce, and also thy Godfathers and Godmother and all people did erre, and were deceiued, if they dyd beleue that in the Sacrament of the aultar there was, after the consecration, the body and bloud of Christ, and that there dyd not remayne the substaunce of materiall breade and wine.

I do so beleue.

By me Thomas Tomkyns.

¶ The second examination of Thomas Tomkyns.  

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This document is reprinted from Bonner's official records, probably from a court book which is now lost.

MarginaliaThe second examination.THe next day, beyng the. ix. of February, at eight of the clocke before noone, the sayd Thomas Tomkyns, (accordyng to the former commaundement) was brought agayne into the place afore named, before the Byshop and other his assistauntes, where the foresayd Articles were propounded vnto him: whereunto he aunswered as foloweth.

MarginaliaAunswere of Tomkins to the Articles.To the first he sayd, that he did so beleue, as in the same is contayned.

To the second he sayd that it was onely bread, and a participation of Christes death and passion, and so do the Scriptures teach.

To the thyrd he sayd and did beleue, it was a false doctrine to beleue and thinke as is contayned in this Article.

To the fourth, he dyd also beleue the same.

After this aunswere, hee did also subscribe his name to the sayd Articles. Whereupon the Byshop drawyng out of his bosome an other confession subscribed with Tomkyns owne hand, and also that Article that was the first day obiected agaynst hym, caused the same to be openly read, and then wylled hym to reuoke and deny his sayd opinions: the which he vtterly refused to do, and therfore was commaunded to appeare before the Byshop agayne in the same place at two of the clocke in the after noone.

I Thomas Tomkins of the Parish of Shordich, in the Dioces of London, hauing confessed and declared openly here tofore to Edmund Byshop of London myne Ordinary, that my beliefe hath bene many yeares past and is at this present: that the body of our Sauiour Iesus Christ is not truely

MarginaliaThe first confession of Tomkins offered to B. Boner, and now here agayne repeated.and in very deede in the Sacrament of the aultar, but onely in heauen, and so in heauen, that it can not now in deede be really and truely in the Sacrament of the aultar:

MarginaliaThe Masse full of superstition and Idolatry.And moreouer, hauyng likewise confessed and declared to my sayd Ordinary openly many tymes, that although the Church, called the Catholicke Church, hath allowed and doth allow the Masse and sacrifice made and done therein, as a wholesome, profitable, and a godly thyng: yet my beliefe hath bene many yeares past, and is at this present, that the sayd Masse is full of superstition, playne Idolatrie, and vnprofitable for my soule, & so haue I called it many tymes, and take it at this present:

MarginaliaBaptisme ought to be ministred in the vulgar tongue.Hauing also likewise cōfessed & declared to my sayd Ordinary, that the Sacrament of Baptisme ought to be onely in the vulgare tounge, and not otherwise ministred, and also without any such ceremonies as customably are vsed in the Latin church, and otherwise not to be allowed.

Finally, beyng many tymes and oft called openly before my sayd Ordinary, and talked withall touchyng all my sayd confessions and declarations, both by the sayd myne Ordinary and diuers other learned men, aswell his Chapleines as other, and counselled by all them to embrace the truth, and to recant myne errour in the premisses, whiche they tolde me was playne heresie and manifest errour: do testifie and declare hereby, MarginaliaTomkins constantly standeth to the truth of the Gospell.that I do and will continually stād to my sayd confession, declaration, and beliefe, in all the premisses and euery part thereof, and in no wise recant or goe from any part of the same. In witnesse wherof I haue subscribed, and passed thys writyng the. xxvj. day of September the yeare aforesayd.

By me Thomas Tomkyns aforesayd.

MarginaliaThe last appearaunce and condemnation of T. Tomkins Martyr.  

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In many cases the accounts Foxe prints of a martyr's examination are drawn from the martyr's account or from accounts by his or her supporters. Foxe could apparently find no such accounts for Tomkins, since this account, in its brevity, is clearly an official record which is now lost.

The same day and place, at. two of the clocke in the after noone, he was (the last tyme) brought forth before the Byshops of London, Bath, and Saint Dauids, with others: where he was earnestly exhorted by the sayd Byshoppe of Bath, to reuoke and leaue of his opinions. Vnto whom he aunswered: My Lord, I was borne & brought vp in ignoraūce vntill now of late yeares. And now I know the truth, wherein I will continue vnto the death.

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One of the frequently recycled single column woodcuts, this is unusual in being combined here with a large woodcut of the same martyr. This cut (Type 1) was reused three times in the last two books of 1583, pp. 2022, 2034, 2053. See also 1570, p. 2124, 2246; and 1576, p. 1940.