Marginalia1555. March.desiring the safegard of your soule, & that you should folowe and beleue the doctrine of the Catholike Church as afore, concernyng the saide sacrament of the aultar, and whether you dyd not at al tymes since your said commyng to me, vtterly refuse to folow and beleue the said doctrine, concerning the said sacrament?

Whether can you nowe finde in your hart and conscience to confourme your selfe in all poyntes to the sayde fayth and Catholique Churche concernyng the sayde Sacrament of the aultar, faithfully, truely, and plainely, without any dissimulation, beleeuing therin as our saide soueraignes, with the Nobilitie, Clergie, and Laitie, of this Realme, and other Christian Realmes, and other persons aforesaid, and also the said Catholike Church haue, and do beleue in that behalfe?

In case you so can not, what ground haue you to maintain your opinion, and who is of the same opinion with you, and what conference you haue had therein with any, what comfort also and what reliefe haue you had therein by any of them, and what are their names and surnames and their dwelling place?

Their answeares to these articles were not much discrepant from Tomkyns and other like Martyrs aboue mentioned, as here foloweth to be seene.

¶ The aunsweare of Steuen Knight, and William Pigot, to the aforesayde Articles.  

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The accounts of the appearances of Pygot, Knight and Laurence before the Consistory Court of St Paul's as well as the articles put to them, together with their answers, are all taken from Bishop Bonner's records, probably from a court book which is now lost.

MarginaliaAnsweres to the Articles aforesayd.TO the first Article, they beleue that the contentes of this article, is not agreeable to scripture.

To the second, they answeare and beleue, that their parentes and other expressed in the said article, so beleuyng, as is conteyned in the same, were deceiued.

To the thirde, they answeare, that they so beleued: but they were deceiued therin, as they now beleue.

To the fourth, they say, that they haue heretofore beleued as is conteined in the said article, but now they do not so beleue.

To the fift, they say, that if they so beleue, they are deceyued.

To the sixt, they beleue the same to be true.

To the seuēth, they answeare and beleeue the contentes of the same to be true.

To the eyght, they aunsweare, that they can no whyt confourme them selues to the fayth and doctrine contayned and specified in this article, vntyl it be proued by Scripture.

To the nynth, they saye, that they haue no grounde to mainteine their said opinions, but the truth, which (as they say) hath bene perswaded by learned men, as D. Taylor of Hadley, and such other.

These aunsweres beyng made and exhibited, they were commaunded to appeare againe the next day, at eight of the clocke in the mornyng, and in the meane while to bethinke them selues what they woulde doo.

¶ An other appearaunce of the sayde prysoners before Boner.  

Commentary     Close

The accounts of the appearances of Pygot, Knight and Laurence before the Consistory Court of St Paul's as well as the articles put to them, together with their answers, are all taken from Bishop Bonner's records, probably from a court book which is now lost.

MarginaliaAn other appearaunce.THe nexte daye in the mornyng being the nynth daye of Februarye, before their open appearaunce, the Bishop sent for William Pigot, and Steuen Knight, into his great chamber in his Pallace, where he perswaded with them to recant, and denye their former profession.

Who answeared, that they were not perswaded in their consciences to returne and abiure their opinions, whereunto they had subscribed. Within a while after, they were all three (with Thomas Tomkyns, and William Hunter afore named) brought openly into the Consistorie, the nynth day of Februarye aforesayde, and there had the same articles propounded vnto them, which were before propoūded vnto the foresayde Thomas Tomkyns (as appeareth in the discourse of his historie) and thereto also subscribed these wordes: I doo so beleue.

The Byshop also vsed certaine talke vnto Iohn Laurence onely.MarginaliaTalke betweē Boner & Iohn Laurence Priest. Wherunto he aunsweared in this manner: That he was a Priest, and was consecrated and made a Priest about eighteene yeares past, MarginaliaIohn Laurence somtymes a Fryer.and that he was sometime a Blacke Fryer professed: that also he was assured vnto a mayd, whom he entended to haue maryed.

And beyng agayne demaunded his opinion vppon the Sacramēt, he said, þ^t it was a remēbraūce of Christes bodye, and that many haue bene deceyued in the beleeuyng the true bodye of Christe to be in the Sacramente of the Aultar, and that all suche as doo not beleeue as he dooth, do erre. After this talke and other fayre words and threatnynges, they were all of them commaunded to appeare agayne at after noone.

¶ The thyrde and laste appearaunce.  

Commentary     Close

The accounts of the appearances of Pygot, Knight and Laurence before the Consistory Court of St Paul's as well as the articles put to them, together with their answers, are all taken from Bishop Bonner's records, probably from a court book which is now lost.

MarginaliaThe third and last appearaunce.AT the whiche houre they came thyther agayne, and there after the accustomed maner, were exhorted to recant and reuoke their doctrine, and receyue the fayth. To the whiche they constauntly aunsweared, they woulde not, but woulde sticke to that fayth that they had declared and subscribed vnto, for that they dyd beleue that it was no errour which they beleeued, but that the contrary therof was verye heresie.

When the Bishop saw that neyther his fayre flatterynges, nor yet his cruell threatnynges woulde preuayle: MarginaliaSteuen Knight, William Pigot, and Iohn Laurence, condēned.he gaue them seuerally their iudgementes. And because Iohn Laurence had bene one of their annoynted priestes, he was by the Bishop there (according to their order) solemnely disgraded:MarginaliaIohn Laurence disgraded. the maner whereof you may see in the historie of master Hooper afore passed, pag. 1435.

Their sentence of condemnation, and this degradation once ended, they were committed vnto the custodie of the Sheriffes of London, who sent thē vnto Newgate, where they remayned with ioy together, vntyll they were carryed downe into Essex, and there MarginaliaSteuen Knight burned at Mauldon W. Pigot at Braintrey.the. xxviij. day of March, the saide William Pigot was burned at Brayntree, & Steuen Knight at Mauldon, who at the stake kneelyng vpon the ground saide this prayer whiche here foloweth.

¶ The prayer that Steuen Knyght sayde at his death vppon his knees, beyng at the stake, at Mauldon.  

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Judging from the number of surviving manuscript copies of this prayer and the fact that it made its way overseas where Foxe first printed in the Rerum (p. 423), it enjoyed considerable popularity among Marian protestants. The manuscript copies are: BL, Harley 416, fol. 17v; BL, Lansdowne 389, fos. 185v-186r and ECL 260, fol. 250r.

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MarginaliaA Godly prayer of Steuē Knight at his Martyrdome.O Lord Iesu Christe, for whose loue I leaue willyngly this life, and desire rather the bytter death of his Crosse wyth the losse of all earthly thinges, then to abyde the blasphemie of thy most holy name, or to obey mē in breaking thy holye Commaundemente: thou seest O Lorde, that where I might liue in worldly wealth to woorship a false God, and honour thyne enemie, I chose rather the tormente of this bodye, and the losse of this my life, and haue counted all thinges but vile, duste and doung, that I might wynne thee: whiche death is dearer vnto me, then thousandes of gold and syluer. Such loue, O Lord, hast thou layde vp in my breast, that MarginaliaPsal. 42.I hunger for thee, as the Deere that is vvounded desireth the soyle. Sende thy holye comforter O Lorde, to ayde, comforte, and strengthen this weake peece of earth, whiche is emptie of all strength of it selfe. Thou remembrest, O Lorde, that I am but duste, and able to doo nothing that is good. Therfore O Lorde, as of thine accustomed goodnes and loue, thou hast bydden me to this banket, and accompted me woorthye to drinke of thine owne cup amongst thine electe: euen so geue me strength O Lorde, againste this thine element: which as to my sight it is most yrkesome and terrible: so to my mynde, it maye at thy commaundemente (as an obedient seruaunt) be sweete and pleasaunt, that through the strength of thy holye spirite, I maye passe through the rage of this fire into thy bosome, accordyng to thy promise: and for this mortall, receyue an immortall, and for this corruptible, put on incorruption: Accept this burnt sacrifice and offeryng, O Lorde, not for the sacrifice, but for thy deare sonnes sake, my Saueour, for whose testimonie I offer this free wyll offering with all my hart, and with all my soule.MarginaliaMarke the spirit of this prayer, and compare it with the prayer of the Papistes at the sacrifice of the Masse. O heauenly father forgeue me my sinnes, as I forgeue all the worlde. O sweete sonne of God my Saueour, spreade thy wynges ouer me. O blessed and holy Ghoste, through whose mercyfull inspiration I am come hyther, conduct me into euerlasting lyfe. Lorde into thy handes I commende my spirite. Amen.

MarginaliaIohn Laurence Martyr. March. 29.THe next day being the. xxix. day of this moneth, the said Iohn Laurence was brought to Colchester, and there being not able to goe (MarginaliaIohn Laurence lamed with irōs in prison.for that as wel his legges were sore worne with heauie yrons in the prison, as also his bodye