Marginalia1555. Maye.I beleue that the sacramentes, that is to say, of Baptisme and of the Lordes supperMarginaliaTwo sacramentes of the new testament. are seales of Gods moste mercyful promises towardes mankind. In Baptisme, as by the outward creature of water I am washed from the filthynes which hangeth on my flesh: so do I assuredly beleue, þ^t I am by christes bloud washed cleane frō my sinnes, through which I haue sure confidence of my certaine saluation. In the partaking of the Lordes supper, as I receiue the substāce of bread and wyne (the nature of whiche is to strengthen the body:) so doo I by faith receiue the redemption wrought in Christes body broken on the crosse, life by his death, resurrection by his resurrection, and in summe, all that euer Christ in his body suffered for my saluation, to the strengthenyng of my faith in the same. And I beleue that God hath appointed the eating and drinking of the creatures of bread and wyne in his holy supper accordyng to his word, to moue and to styrre vp my minde to beleue these articles aboue written.

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This is my fayth: this I do beleue, and I am content by Gods grace to confirme and seale the truth of the same with my bloud.

By me Iohn Warne.

The peace of God be with you.

MarginaliaA letter of M. Cardmaker to a certayne frend of his.YOu shall right wel perceiue, that I am not gone backe as some men do report me, but am as readye to geue my life, as any of my brethrē that are gone before me,  

although by a policie I haue a litle prolonged it, and that for the best, as already it appeareth vnto me and shortly shall appeare vnto all. That day that I recant any poynt of doctrine, I shall suffer twentie kindes of death, the Lord being mine assistance, as I doubt not, but he will. Commende me to my frende, and tel him no lesse. This the Lord strengthen you, me, and all his electe. My riches and pouertie is as it was wnot to be, and I haue learned to reioyce in pouertie, as well as in riches, for that count I now to be very riches. Thus fare ye well in Christ. Salute all my brethren in my name. I haue cōferred with some of my aduersaries, learned men, and I finde that they be but Sophistes & shadowes.

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MarginaliaA note concerning the talke betwene M. Cardmaker and Beard a Promoter.MAster Cardmaker being condemned, and in Newgate, one Beard a Promoter came to hym two or three daies before he was burned, and sayd vnto hym: Syr, I am sent vnto you by the Counsaile, to knowe whether ye wyll recant or no?

Cardmaker. From whiche Counsaile are ye come? I thinke ye are not come, nor yet sente from the Quenes Counsaile, but rather from the Commissioners, vnto whō (as I suppose) ye belong. And where as ye would know, whether I wyll recant or no, thus, I pray you, reporte of me, to those, whom ye said, sent you. I knowe you are a Taylor by your occupation, and haue endeuoured your selfe to be a connyng workeman, and therby to get your lyuyng: so I haue bene a Preacher these twentie yeares, and euer since that God by his great mercy hath opened myne eyes to see his eternal truth, I haue by his grace, endeuored my selfe to call vpon hym, to geue me the true vnderstanding of his holy word, & I thanke hym for his great mercy, I hope I haue discharged my conscience in the setting forth of the same, to that litle talent that I haue receiued.

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Beard. Yea sir, but what say you to the blessed sacrament of the aultar?

Card. I say, and marke it wel, that Christ the nyght before his bytter passion, ordeyned the holy and blessed Communion, and hath geuen commaundement, that his death should be preached before the receiuyng therof, in the remēbraunce of his body broken, and his precious bloud shed for the forgeuenes of our sinnes, to as many as faithfully beleue and trust in hym.

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MarginaliaThe sentence and iudgement of M. Cardmaker touching the sacrament.And furthermore, to conclude the matter briefly with hym, he asked of hym, whether the Sacrament he spake of, had a beginnyng, or no? Whereunto when he had graunted and affirmed the same to be, then maister Cardmaker againe thus inferred thereuppon: If the sacrament (saide he) as you confesse, haue a beginnyng, and an endyng, then it can not be God: for God hathe no begynnyng nor ending, and so wyllyng hym well to note the same, he departed from hym.

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WIth Maister Cardmaker and Iohn Warne, vppon the same day, & in þ^e same companye, and for the same

cause was also condemned Iohn Ardeley and Iohn Symson,  

MarginaliaThe story of Iohn Symson, and Iohn Ardeley Martyrs. whiche was the fiue and twentie daye of May. But before we come to the storye of them, first here is to be noted the copie of the King and Queenes letter, directed from the Court the same day, and sent by a Poste early in the mornyng to the Bishop, in tenor and forme as foloweth.

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MarginaliaThe king & Queenes letter to B. Boner.RIght reuerend father in God, right trusty and welbeloued, we grete you well. And where of late we addressed our letters to the Iustices of peace within euery of the Counties of this our Realme, wherby amongest other instructions geuen them for the good order and quiete gouernement of the Countrey about them, they are willed to haue a speciall regarde vnto such disordred persons, as forgetting their dueties towardes God and vs, doo leane to any erroneous and hereticall opinions, refusing to shewe them selues conformable to the Catholique Religion of Christes church: wherein if they can not by good admonitions and fayre meanes reforme them, they are willed to deliuer thē to the Ordinary, to be by him charitably trauailed withal, and remoued (if it may be) from their noughty opinions, or els if they continue obstinate, to be ordered according to the lawes prouided in that behalfe: vnderstanding now, to our no litle marueile, that diuers of the said disordred persons, being by the Iustices of the peace for their contempt & obstinanacie, brought to the Ordinaries  

to be vsed, as is aforesaide, are either refused to be receiued at their handes or if they be receiued, are neither so trauailed with, as Christian charitye requyreth, nor yet proceeded wythall accordyng to the order of Iustice, but are suffered to continue in their errors, to the dishonour of almighty God, and daungerous example of others:   like as we finde this matter very strange, so haue thought cōuenient, both to signifie this our knowledge, and therwith also to admonish you to haue in this behalfe such regarde henceforth to the office of a good pastour and Bishop, MarginaliaQ Mary stirreth Boner to shedde innocent bloud.as when any such offenders shalbe by the sayd officers or Iustices of peace brought vnto you, you to vse your good wisedome and discretion in procuring to remoue thē from their errors, if it may be, or els in proceeding against them (if they shal continue obstinate) according to the order of the lawes: so as through your good furtherance, both Gods glory may be better aduanced, and the cōmon wealth more quietly gouerned. Yeuen vnder our signet, at our honour of hampton Court, the. 24. of May, the first and second yeares of our raignes.

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This letter thus commyng from the Courte to the Bishop, made hym the more earnest and hastye to the condemnation, as wel of others, as of these men, of whom nowe we haue presently to entreate, of Iohn Symson I meane, and Iohn Ardeley. MarginaliaIohn Ardeley and Iohn Symson both husbādmen in the towne of Wigborow.Whiche both being of one countrey, and of one towne together, and of one trade, that is, being both husbandmen in the towne of Wigborowe in Essex, and also almost both of one age, saue that Symson was of the age of 24. the other of. 30. were brought vp both together, by the vnder Sheriffe of Essex, to Boner Bishop of London, vpon the accusatiō (as in that time it was called) of heresie.

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As touching the order & maner of their examinations before the bishop, as the articles ministred against thē, were much like: so their answeres againe vnto þ^e same were not much discrepant in maner and forme, as out of the bishops owne Registers here foloweth expressed.

MarginaliaArticles ministred agaynst Iohn Symson, & Iohn Ardeley.1. FIrst, that thou Ioh. Symson (or Ioh. Ardeley) husbandman, of the age of. 24. yeres, or thereabout, wast and art of the parish of great Wigborow, within the dioces of London, and thou hast not beleued, nor doest beleue that there is here in earth one Catholike and vniuersall whole Church, which doth hold & beleue all the fayth and Religiō of Christe and all the necessary articles and sacramentes of the same.

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2. Item, that thou hast not beleeued, nor doest beleeue, that thou art necessaryly bounden vnder the payne of damnation of thy soule, to geue full fayth and credence vnto the sayde Catholique and vniuersall Church, and to the Religion of the same, in al necessary pointes of the sayde fayth and Religion, without wauering or doubting in the sayde

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