Marginalia1555. March.for the aduauncement of his glorye. Written at Agurguily this. ix, of March.

Your Lordships to commaund duryng life. R.F.

MarginaliaRawlins White Martyr, burned at Cardiffe in Wales.FOr so much as we haue here passed the history of Maister Farrar, burned at the towne of Carmarden in Wales I thought to adioyne and accompanie with the same, the historie also of one Rawlins White, a Fisherman, whiche both in the like cause, and in the same countrey of Wales, and also about the same moneth of March, and yeare aforesaid, gaue his lyfe lyke a valiant souldier of Iesus Christ, to martyrdome, and was burned at Cardiffe: the processe of whose story here foloweth expressed more at large.

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This Rawlins was by his calling or occupation a Fisherman, liuyng and continuing in the said trade by the space of. xx. yeares at the least in the towne of Cardiffe, being (as a man of his vocation might be) one of very good name, & well accompted amongest his neighbours. As touchyng his Religion at the first, it can not otherwise be knowen, but that he was a great partaker of the superstition and Idolatrie that then was vsed, I meane in the raigne of king Henry the eight. But after that God of his mercye had raysed vp the light of his Gospell, through the blessed gouernment of king Edwarde the sixt here in this Realme of Englande, this Rawlins beganne partly to mislike that which before he had embraced, and to haue some good opinion of that whiche before by the iniquitie of the tyme had bene concealed from hym: and the rather to bring this good purpose and intent of his to passe, he began to be a diligent hearer, and a great searcher out of the truth.

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MarginaliaThe desirous mynde of Rawlins to search for truth.But because the good man was altogether vnlearned, and withall very simple, he knewe no ready way howe he might satisfie his great desire: At length it came in his mynde to take a speciall remedie to supplye his necessitie, which was this: He had a litle boye which was his owne sonne, MarginaliaThe godly entent of Rawlins in setting his sonne to schole.which childe he set to schole to learne to reade English.  

Now after the litle boy could read indifferently wel, his father euery night after supper, Sommer and Winter, would haue the boy to reade a peece of the holy scripture, & now and then of some other good booke. In which kind of vertuous exercise the olde man had such delight & pleasure, that, as it seemed, he rather practised hym selfe in the study of scripture, then in the trade or science whiche before time he had vsed: so that Rawlins within fewe yeares in the saide tyme of king Edward, MarginaliaThe meanes whereby Rawlins first came to knowledge.through the helpe of his litle sonne, as a special minister appoynted by God (no doubt) for that purpose, & through much conscience besides, profited & went forward in such sort, that he was able not only to resolue hym selfe touching hys owne former blindnes & ignoraunce, but was also able to admonishe and instruct other: and therfore when occasion serued, he woulde goe from one place to an other, visityng such as he had best hope in. MarginaliaRawlins by the meanes of his yong sonne came to the knowledge of the scripture.By which his doyng hee became in that countrey both a notable and open professour of the truth, being at all tymes and in all such places not without the company of his litle boy, whom (as I haue said) he vsed as an assistance to this his good purpose. And to this his great industrie and indeuour in holy scripture, God dyd also adde in hym a singular gyft of memorie, MarginaliaThe gift of memory in Rawlins.so that by the benefite thereof he woulde and could doo that in vouchyng and rehearsing the texte, which men of riper and more profoud knowledge by their notes and other helpes of memorie, could very hardly accōplishe: In so much that he vppon the alleging of scripture very often would cite the booke, the leafe, yea and the very sentence: such was the wonderful working of God in this simple and vnlearned father.

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Now, when he had thus continued in his profession the space of fiue yeares, king Edward died, vpon whose decease Queene Marye succeeded, and with her all kinde of superstition and Papistrie crept in. Whiche thing being once perceyued, Rawlins did not altogether vse open instruction and admonition (as before he was woont) and therfore oftentymes in some priuate place or other, he would cal his trusty frendes together, and with earnest prayer and great lamentation passe away the tyme: so that by his vertuous instructions being without any blemish of errour, he conuerted a great number, whiche number (no doubt) had greatly encreased, had not the cruel storme of persecution bene.

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The extremitie and force wherof at the last so pursu-

ed this good father Rawlins, that he looked euery houre to goe to prison: wherupon many of those which had receiued comfort by his instructions, dyd resort vnto hym, and by all meanes possible beganne to perswade hym MarginaliaRawlins exhorted to shift for him selfe.to shift for hym selfe, and to dispose his goodes by some reasonable order to the vse of his wyfe & children, & by that meanes he should escape that daunger which was imminent ouer his head.

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But Rawlins nothing abashed for his owne parte, through the iniquitie of the tyme, and at all nothyng moued with these their fleshely perswasions, thanked them most hartily for their good wyll, and told them plainly, that he had learned one good lesson touchyng the confessing, and denyall of Christe, MarginaliaRawlins promiseth to be constant to the death.aduertising them that if he vppon their perswasions should presume to denye his Maister Christ, Christ in the last day woulde deny and vtterly condemne him: and therefore (quoth he) I wyll by his fauourable grace confesse and beare witnes of hym before men, that I may find hym in euerlasting lyfe.

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Notwithstāding which aunsweare, his frendes were very importunate with hym. Howbeit father Rawlins continued styll in his good purpose, so long tyll at the laste he was taken by the Officers of the Towne, as a man suspected of heresie: MarginaliaRawlins apprehended and conuented before the B. of Landaffe named Anthony Kechin.vppon whiche apprehension he was conuented before the Bishop of Landaffe that then was: the sayde Bishop lying then at his house besides Chepstow: by whom, after diuers combates & conflictes with hym and his Chaplaynes: this good father Rawlins was committed to prison in Chepstow. But this his keepyng whether it were by the Bishops meanes, because he would ryd his handes of hym, or through fauour of his keper, was not so seuere and extreme, MarginaliaRawlins might escape and would not.but that (if he had so listed) he might haue escaped oftentymes.

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But that notwithstandyng, he continued styll, in so much that at the last he by the aforenamed Bishop was remoued from Chepstow to the Castle of Cardiffe, MarginaliaRawlins a whole yeare in prison.where he continued by the space of one whole yeare. Duryng which tyme this Reporter resorted to him very often, with money and other reliefe from this Reporters motherMarginaliaA godly woman stirred vp to relieue Rawlins. (who was a great fauourer of those that were in afflictiō in those daies) and other of his frendes: whiche he receiued not without great thankes and prayses geuen to the name of God. And albeit that he was thus troubled & imprisoned, as ye haue heard, to his owne vndoyng in this world, and to the vtter decay of his poore wife and children: yet was his hart so set to the instruction and furtherance of other in the way of saluation, that he was neuer in quiet, but whē he was perswading or exhortyng such of his familiar frendes as commonly came vnto hym. MarginaliaExhortation of Raulins to his frendes.In so muche that on the sondayes and other tymes of leysure, when his frendes came to visite hym, he would passe away the tyme in prayer and exhortations, admonishing them alwayes to beware of false Prophetes which come in sheepes clothing.

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Nowe when he had continued in Cardiffe Castle by the space of one whole yeare (as I haue sayde) the tyme of his further triall was at hande. Whereupon the aforenamed Bishop of Landaffe caused hym to be brought againe frō the Castle of Cardiffe vnto his own house besides Chepstow, and whilest he continued there, the Byshop assayed many wayes howe to reduce hym to some conformitie. MarginaliaRaulins by no meanes could be reduced to returne to Popery.But when all meanes eyther by their threatnyng woordes or flatteryng promises were to no purpose: the Byshop wylled hym, to aduise and be at a full poynte with hym selfe, eyther to recante his opinions, or els to abyde the rigour of the lawe, and thereupon gaue hym a day of determination.

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Which day beyng come, the Bishop with his Chaplaynes went into his Chappell, not without a great number of other bydwellers that came to beholde the manner of their doyngs. MarginaliaRaulins brought before the B. of Landaffe in open iudgment.When the Byshop with his retinue were placed in order, poore Rawlins was brought before them. The Bishop after great deliberation in addressing hym selfe (as it seemed) and silence forewarned to the rest that were there present, vsed a long kind of talke to hym, declaryng the cause of his sendyng for, whiche was, for that he was a man well knowen to holde hereticall opinions, and that through his instruction many were led into blynde errour. In the ende he exhorted hym to consider his owne estate wherein he stoode: for (said the Bishop) MarginaliaThe wordes of the B. to Raulins.Rawlins, you haue bene oftentimes since your first trouble, both here in my house and els where bene trauailed withall touching your opiniōs, and þ^t notwithstādyng ye seeme altogether obstinate and wylfull.

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Now, hereupon we thought good to sende for you, to see if there were any conformitie in you: so that the matter is come to this poynt, that if you shall shewe your selfe repentaunt for that whiche you haue done both against God and the Princes lawe, we are ready to vse fauour towards you: but if by no meanes we can perswade with you tou-

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