1576 Edition | Book 11 | Page 1504 
CloseNightingale was not named in the 1563 edition; instead he was identified, or misidentified, as the parson of 'Arundall in Canterbury'. Nor was the sermon quoted in the 1563 edition nor was Robert Austen mentioned in this edition. Clearly, Austen read the account in the 1563 edition and sent Foxe further details, clarifying and correcting the original account.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaA Popish parson preaching to his parishioners.BY many and sundrye wayes almighty God hath admonished men of all nations in these our latter yeares to embrace and not violently to repugne againste the light of his Gospell, as first by preachyng of his woorde, secondly, by the bloud of the Martyrs, and thirdly, by terrible examples shewed from tyme to tyme vppon his aduersaryes. In the number of whom commeth here to be remembred the notable woorkyng of Gods hande vpon a certayne Priest in Kent named Nightingall, Parson of Crondall besides Canterbury: who vppon Shrouesonday, whiche was about the third daye of the sayde moneth of March, and yeare of our Lorde aforesaid, reioysing belike not a litle at this alteration of Religion, MarginaliaA terrible exāple of Gods seuere punishment vpof Nightingall Parson of Crondall in Kent.beganne to make a Sermon to his Parishioners, takyng his Theme out of the wordes of S. Iohn: He that saith, he hath no sinne, is a lyer, and the truth is not in him. &c. And so vpon the same very impertinently declared to them all suche Articles as were set foorth by the Popes authoritie, and by the commaundement of the Bishops of this realme: saying moreouer vnto the people in this wise: Nowe maisters & neighbours reioyce and be mery, for the prodigall sonne is come home. For I know that the most part of you be as I am: for I knowe your hartes wel enough. And I shal tel you what hath happened in this weeke past. I was before my Lord Cardinal Pooles grace, & MarginaliaBlasphemy to Christes Gospell punished.he hath made me as cleane frō sinne, as I was at the fontstone: and on Thursday last being before hym, he hath appoynted me to notifie (I thank hym for it) the same vnto you. And I wyl tel you what it is. And so reading the Popes Bull of pardon that was sent into Englande, he saide, he thanked God that euer he had lyued to see that daye, adding moreouer that he beleeued, that by the vertue of that Bull he was as cleane from sinne, as that night that he was borne: and immediately
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Closevpon the same fel sodaynly downe out of the pulpit, and neuer styrred hand nor foote, and so lay he. Testified by Rob. Austen of Cartham
CloseNightingale was not named in the 1563 edition; instead he was identified, or misidentified, as the parson of 'Arundall in Canterbury'. Nor was the sermon quoted in the 1563 edition nor was Robert Austen mentioned in this edition. Clearly, Austen read the account in the 1563 edition and sent Foxe further details, clarifying and correcting the original account.
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CloseThere was a brief note in the Rerum stating that John Alcock died on 2 April 1555 in Newgate prison and was buried in the fields (p. 431). This note was reprinted in all editions of the Acts and Monuments, without change, except that Newgate was only mentioned in the Rerum.
This John Alcock, or Awcock, is very probably the Hadleigh shearman whose arrest and imprisonment is described elsewhere by Foxe. There is a manuscript copy of Alcock's answer to the privy council's interogation of him in Foxe's papers (BL, Lansdowne 389, fo. 212v).
MarginaliaAprill. 2. Iohn Awcocke, Martyr.IN the moneth of Aprill, and the seconde day of the same moneth, dyed in prison Iohn Awcocke, who after was
buryed in the fieldes, as the maner of the Papistes was to deny their Christian burial to such as dyed out of their popish Antichristian Church.
CloseThe information, and lack of information, on George Marsh in the Rerum is revealing. Foxe stated that Marsh was the curate of [Church] Langton and that he received the living from Laurence Saunders, the martyr, who was the rector of Church Langton. Foxe added that Marsh was burned on 24 April 1555 (Rerum, p. 432). He then stated that nothing else had reached him about Marsh apart from two letters, which are printed in Rerum, pp. 432-41. Once again, the Rerum was strong on documents but weak on oral sources and eyewitness accounts.
[Back to Top]In the 1563 edition, Foxe added the background on Marsh's early life, Marsh's own account of examinations by Bishop Cotes of Chester and an eyewitness account of Marsh's death and Cotes's sermon denouncing the martyr. In the second edition, Foxe added Marsh's account of his treatment and examinations by the earl of Derby and members of his household. (It is quite interesting that Marsh's accounts of his imprisonment and examinations by Derby first, and then by Bishop Cotes, came to Foxe at separate times and, presumably, from separate sources. The source for the information used in 1563 appears to have been in Chester. This is an important reminder of Foxe's dependence on informants, particularly informants who were able to send eyewitness accounts or material written by the martyrs themselves). Marsh's letter summarizing his examinations was also added to 1570, while Foxe shortened and modified his earlier account of Bishop Cotes's sermon against Marsh and its aftermath.
[Back to Top]The account of Marsh's martyrdom was unchanged in the third and fourth editions of the Acts and Monuments.
CloseAs is usual, many of the glosses in this section describe the various stages of apprehension, interrogation and execution. Some of the glosses suggest Marsh's approximation to / imitation of Christ ('G. Marsh of his owne voluntary minde offereth himself to his enemies'; 'Peters counsell to Christ, to saue himselfe'; 'G. Marsh followeth Christes aunswere to Peter'). Opposed to him are the forces of Antichrist, characterised in the usual ways: Marsh is cruelly treated during his imprisonment (the favoured term is 'straitness') and is forced to do things asked of common criminals ('G. Marsh caused to hold vp his handes at Lancaster amongest other malefactours'; 'The vnmercifull straitenes of the Byshop toward G. Marsh in prison'; 'The strayt keeping of Marsh in prison'). Bishop Cotes is particularly disliked by Foxe. One gloss accuses Cotes of prejudice ('The B. iudgeth Marsh to be an hereticke, before he heareth him'), followed soon after with a series of glosses accompanying an account of bad bishops of the ancient church ('No new thing for Byshops to be persecutors', 'Examples of persecuting Bishops in the old tyme', 'Byshop Iasan', 'B. Annas and Cayphas'). There is a reference to the lustful demise of the bishop ('Gods iust reuenging hand vpō a persecuting Bishop'); the text reveals Foxe's source to have been rumour.
[Back to Top]Further attacks on the ungodly include a gloss pointing to the disloyalty of catholic nobles to Edward I ('The Earle of Darby, L. Windsor, and Lord Dacars in K. Edwards time agreed not to the Actes of Religion') and an attack on the blasphemous utterance of one of Marsh's detractors ('This blasphemous mouth of the parson of Grapnal'). There are also glosses objecting to the manner in which discussions with Marsh were conducted ('The Byshops clergy more able to examine than to dispute'; 'So sayth the Turke in his Alcaron that no man must dispute of his lawe'). These objections may have been motivated by Marsh's less than authoritative performance in the face of his interrogators. The glosses point to his reluctance to answer on the crucial question of the sacrament, and his later sense that this was due to a lack of boldness ('G. Marsh loth to aunswere to the question of transubstantiation'; 'Marsh troubled in his consciēce for being no more bolde touching the Sacrament'), a quality he eventually obtains ('G. Marsh strengthened in prison with the boldnes of Gods spirite').
[Back to Top]There is an interesting contrast between the glosses 'Neither the place nor person of the Pope spoken agaynst but onely his doctrine' and 'Gods mercy preferred before the Queenes mercy': the first reproduces Marsh's relatively sophisticated point that his dislike of the papacy is not to be taken as hatred for particular popes. The latter gloss emphasises his stark choice between the queen's authority and his faith. Unlike the earlier gloss, it omits his qualifications (in this case his loyalty to the queen in all but this), presenting the reader with the bare terms of his choice; the precedence of faith over political allegiance was too crucial a point to be obscured. Foxe occasionally sharpens or adds logical matters to Marsh's words ('Christes breaking of bread. Luke 24 proueth not the receiuing vnder one kinde'; 'Argument. Linus and Anacletus were good men. Ergo the Pope is the supreame head of all Churches'). Some glosses are out of position in the 1583 edition.
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CloseMarsh was also the curate of Laurence Saunders' other living at All Hallow's Bread Street, London. Clearer evidence that Marsh's career was being fostered by powerful Edwardian protestants could not be desired.
Whereupon at length by detection of certayne aduersaries he was apprehended, and kept in close prison by MarginaliaD. Cotes Byshop of Chester, a persecuter.George Cotes, then Bishop of Chester, in strayte Prison in Chester, within the precinct of the Bishoppes house, about the space of foure monethes,MarginaliaGeorge Marsh detected. being not permitted to haue reliefe and comfort of his frendes: but charge beyng geuen vnto the Porter, to marke who they were that asked for hym and to signifie their names vnto the Bishop, as by the particular description of his story testified and recorded with his own penne, more euidently may appeare in the processe here vnder folowyng.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaThe examination of George Marsh, written wyth his owne hand.ON the monday before Palme Sonday, which was the xij. day of March, it was told me at my mothers house that Rog. Wrinstone with other of M. Bartons seruaunts dyd make diligent search for me in Bolton,
CloseIt becomes clear, later in this account, that the earl of Derby ordered that a determined search be made for Marsh. This suggests that Marsh had been quite active preaching in the area of Bolton, Lancashire, where he clearly had friends, family and a network of supporters.
I knowyng this by relatiō of diuers of my frēdes, was diuersly affected, MarginaliaGeorge Marsh aduertised by his frendes to flye.my mother and other my frendes aduertising me to flee and to auoyd the peryll, which thing I had intended afore after a weeke then next ensuyng, if this in the meane while had not chaunced, seeyng, that if I were taken, and would not recant in matters of religion, (as they thought I would not, and as God strengthenyng and assisting me with his holy spirite I neuer wyl) it woulde not only haue put thē to great sorow, heauynes, & losses, with costes & charges, to their shame & rebuke in this worlde, but also myne owne selfe after troubles and painful prisonment, vnto shameful death.
[Back to Top]This considered, they aduised and counsayled me to depart & flee þe coūtrey, as I had entēded to haue done, if this had not happened. MarginaliaG. Marsh in a perplexitie whether to flye or to tary.To whose coūsel my weake flesh would gladly haue cōsented, but my spirit did not fully agree: thinking and saying thus to my selfe: that if I fled so away, it would be thought, reported, and saide, that I dyd not onely flee the countrey and my nearest and dearest frendes: but much rather from Christes holy woorde, according as these yeares past I had with my hart, or at least with mine outward liuyng professed, and with my mouth & word taught, according to the small talent geuen me of the Lord. I being thus with their aduise & counsel, and the cogitations & counselles of myne owne mynde drawen, as it were diuers wayes, went from my mothers house, saying, I woulde come againe at euenyng.
[Back to Top]In the meane tyme I ceased not by earnest prayer to aske and seeke counsell of GodMarginaliaG. Marsh consulteth with God. (who is the geuer of all good gyftes) and of other my frendes, whose godly iudgementes and knowledge I much trusted vnto. After this, I mette with one of my said frendes on Deane Moore, about sunne going downe: and after we had consulted together of my busines, not without harty prayer kneeling on
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