Marginalia1555. Iune.to Christes Church, from your Church: so are ye all false Prophetes, that do decline from Christes Church, to your owne Churche. MarginaliaDifference betwene the true Prophets and the false. MarginaliaThe false prophets say: thus sayth the Church The true Prophets say: thus sayth the Lord.And by this shall all men know you to be false Prophetes, if ye say, this sayth the church, and will not say, this sayth our Lord. And so he went his way, as though he had a flea in his eare.

Then came an other and sayd vnto me, hee would talke with me, for he perceiued (as he sayd) that I was angry and out of pacience.

Haukes. I will see your Commission, or euer I talke with you, or with any man more. For I wist not how to be rid of them: they came so thick about me. For I sayd that I came to talke with my Lord, and not with any of them.

With that came the Byshop, bringyng a letter in his hād the whiche he had written in my name, and read it vnto me after this maner: MarginaliaThe Byshop writeth Haukes confession.I Thomas Haukes, do here confesse and declare before my sayd Ordinary Edmund Byshop of Lōdon, that the Masse is abhominable and detestable, and full of all superstition, and also as concernyng the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ (commonly called the Sacrament of the aultar) that Christ is in no part therof, but onely in heauen: this I haue beleued, and this I do beleue. &c.

Haukes. Stop there my Lord: what I haue beleued, what haue you to doe withall? But what I do beleue, to that stand I, and will.

Then he tooke his penne, and sayd that he would scrape it out for my pleasure, and so did to my thinckyng.

Then he went further with his writyng, and sayd: I Thomas Haukes haue talked with my sayd Ordinary, and with certaine good, godly, and learned men. Notwithstandyng I stand still in myne opinion.

Haukes. Shall I graunt you to be good, godly, and learned men, and yet graunt my selfe to stand in a contrary opinion? No, I will not graunt you to be good, godly, and learned men.

Boner. Ye will graunt that ye haue talked with vs: the other I will put out for your pleasure. Thē sayd all his Doctours, if your Lordshyp be ruled by him, he will cause you to put out all together: and then he read more vnto me. Here vnto this bill haue I set to my hād: and then he offered me the bill and his penne, and bad me set my hand to it.

MarginaliaTho. Haukes denyeth to set his hand to Boners writing.Haukes. Ye get not my hand to any thyng of your makyng or deuising.

Boner. Wilt not thou set to thy hand? It shalbe to thy shame for the denying of it.

And then he called all his Doctours, and sayd he would haue euery mans hand to it that was in the chamber, and so he had of their handes to it, and sayd: he that will not set his hand to it, I would hee were hanged, and so sayd all his Chaplaynes and Doctours with a great noyse.

Then the Byshop thrust me on the breast with great anger, and sayd he would be euen with me and with all such proud knaues in Essex.

Haukes. Ye shall do no more then God shall geue you leaue.

MarginaliaBoner in a fume with Thomas Haukes.Boner. This geare shall not be vnpunished, trust to it.

Haukes. As for your cursinges, raylynges, and blasphemynges, I care not for them: for I know the mothes and wormes shall eate you, as they eate cloth or wool.

Byshop. I will be euen with you, when tyme shall come.

Haukes. Ye may in your malice destroy a man: but when ye haue done, ye can not do so much as make a finger, and ye be meetly euen with some of vs already.

Boner. If I do thee any wrong, take the law of me.

Haukes. Salomon sayth: God not to law with a Iudge. For he will iudge according to hys owne honour.  

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This verse is obscure.

Boner. Salomon sayth: Geue not a foole an aunswere.  

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Proverbs 26: 4.

Haukes. What? do you count me a foole?

Boner. Yea by my trouth do I, and so doest thou me to: but God forgeue thee, *Marginalia* And euen now ye sayd, you would be euen with him. and so do I.

Haukes. Thought is free my Lord. Then tooke Boner the bill and read it againe, and when he saw that he could not haue my hand to it, then he would haue had me take it in to my hande, and to geue it hym agayne.

Haukes. What needeth that ceremony? Neither shall it come into my hand, hart, nor mynde. Then hee wrapt it vp, and put it in his bosome, and in a great anger wēt his way, and called for his horse and went to horsebacke: for the same day he rode in visitation into Essex: and so went I to prison, from whence I came, with my Keeper. And thus was the second time of my examination. Written by me Thomas Haukes, who desireth all faythful men and brethren, to pray vnto God to strengthen me in his truth vnto the end. Pray, pray, pray, gentle brethren pray.

After all these priuate conferences, persuasions, and long debatyngs had with Thomas Haukes in þ^e Byshops

house, as hetherto hath bene declared, the Byshop seyng no hope to wynne him to his wicked wayes, was fully set to proceede openly agaynst him after the ordinary course of his Popish law. MarginaliaThomas Haukes cyted to the Byshops consistory.Whereupon Tho. Haukes shortly after was cited with the rest of his other fellowes aboue specified, to witte, Thom. Tomkyns, Ste. Knight, W. Pygot, Iohn Laurence, and W. Hunter, to appeare in the Bishops Consistory, the viij. day of February, this present yeare, videl. 1555. MarginaliaEx Registro.Vpon which appearaunce was layd agaynst him, in like order, as to the other, MarginaliaThe first dayes Sessions against Thomas Haukes.first the bill of his confession, written with Boners hand, to the whiche bill ye heard before how this blessed seruaunt of God denyed to subscribe.

After whiche bill of confession beyng read, and he constantly standyng to the sayd confession, the Byshop then assigned hym with the other v. the next day folowyng, whiche was the ix. of February, to appeare before him agayne, to giue a resolute aūswere what they would sticke vnto. MarginaliaThe second dayes Sessions agaynst Thomas Haukes.Which day beyng come, and these foresayd vj. prisoners beyng seuerally called before the Byshop, at the commyng of Thomas Haukes, the Byshop willed him to remember what was sayd to him yesterday, and now while he had tyme & space, to aduise with himself, what he would aūswere: for he stode vpon life and death. MarginaliaThe aunswere of Thomas Haukes.Well, quoth M. Haukes agayne, I will willyngly receaue what soeuer shall be put vnto me.

Then were certaine other Interrogatories or Articles commensed agaynst him by the sayd Byshop (in like maner as to the other) to the number of foure: with an other bill also, whiche Boner brought out of his bosome conteinyng priuate matters agaynst the sayd Thomas Haukes, which the Byshop called heresies and errours, but we may better call them Christian verities. To the whiche matter beyng read, the sayd Haukes aūswered openly agayne saying, that it was true, and that he was glad it was so true, as it was: withe moe wordes to the lyke effect. And this was on the forenoone, the. ix. day of February.

In the afternoone againe the sayd Haukes appearyng, and hearyng the foresayd bill of his confession, with the Articles and Interrogatories read vnto him, with lyke constancie aunsweryng agayne to the Byshop: MarginaliaThe wordes of Thomas Haukes at his iudgemēt.My Lord (sayd he) as you beyng my great frend haue caused these my sayinges to be written: so do you cause them to be read: and yet I will neuer go from them.MarginaliaThe inuincible constancye of Thomas Haukes.

And then beyng exhorted by the Byshoppe with many fayre wordes, to returne agayne to the bosome of the mother Churche: No my Lord (sayd hee) that will I not: for if I had an hundred bodyes, I would suffer them all to be torne in peeces, rather then I will abiure or recant.

And so continuyng still in the same song, notwithstandyng that the Doctours and Lawyers were euer callyng vpon him to come agayne to the vnitie of the Churche, he euer kept them of with this aunswere, that hee would neuer go from the beliefe he was in, so long as he lyued. MarginaliaThomas Haukes condemned by Byshop Boner.Whereupon Boner at last read the Sentence of death vppon him, and so was hee condemned the same day with the residue of his fellowes, which was the. ix. of February.

MarginaliaThe death of Haukes differred.Neuertheles his execution was prolonged, and he remained in prison till the 10. day of Iune.  

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Most unusually Haukes was formally condemned twice; once on 9 February 1555 and once on 25 May 1555 (See PRO, C/85/127, fos. 4r and 9r). It is probable that Haukes had friends who interceded and tried to secure clemency for him. When this failed, the authorities decided to secure another writ for his execution as a precaution.

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Then was he committed to the handes & charge of the Lord Rich. MarginaliaThomas Haukes brought downe to Essex by the Lord Rich.Who beyng assisted with power sufficient of the worshipfull of the shyre, had the foresayd Thomas Haukes down into Essex, with vj. other felow prisoners (whose stories hereafter folow) there to suffer Martyrdome, Haukes at Coxehall, the other seuerally in other seuerall places.

Thomas Haukes by the way vsed much exhortation to his frendes, and when soeuer oportunitie serued to talke with them, he would familiarely admonish them.

A litle before his death certaine there were of his familiare acquaintaunce and frendes, who frequentyng his company more familiarly, whiche seemed not a litle to bee confirmed both by the example of his constancie, and by hys talke: yet notwithstandyng the same agayne beyng feared with the sharpnesse of the punishment, which hee was goyng to, MarginaliaAgreed betwene T. Haukes and his frendes, to geue them a token in the fire, whether the payne of the burning were so greeuous as it seemeth, or no.priuely desired that in the middest of the flame hee would shewe them some token if hee could, wherby they might be more certaine whether the payne of such burnyng were so greate, that a man might not therein kepe hys mynde quyet and pacient.  

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Once again Foxe is concerned to emphasize the stoicism of the protestant martyrs. On the polemical importance of the stoicism of the martyrs see Collinson (1983) and Freeman (1997).

Not long after, when the houre was come, Thomas Haukes was lead away to the place appoynted for the slaughter,MarginaliaT. Haukes caryed to the place of execution. by the Lord Rich and his assistaunce, who beyng now come vnto the stake, there mildly and paciently addressed hym selfe to the fire, hauyng a strayte chayne cast about his middle, with no small multitude of people on euery side compassing him about. Vnto whom after hee had spoken