MarginaliaAn. 1555. Iuly.Seru. Then we let you, therefore the liuyng God be with you.

Brad. And wyth you also, and blesse you.

Seru. Amen, said we, and gaue hym thankes, & departed.

THus styll in prison continued Bradford, vntyll the moneth of Iuly, in such labors & suffrings as he before alwayes had susteyned in prison. MarginaliaM. Bradford had from the Counter to Newgate by night.But when the tyme of his determined death was come, he was sodenly conueyed out of the Counter where he was prisoner, in the night season to Newgate, as afore is declared, & frō thence he was caried the next mornyng to Smithfield, where he constantly abidyng in the same truth of God, which before he had confessed, earnestly exhorting the people to repent & to returne to Christ, & sweetly comforting the godly young springal  

of xix. or xx. yeares old,   which was burned with hym, chearefully he ended his painful life, to liue with Christ.

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WIth whō also was burnt one MarginaliaIohn Leafe felow Martyr with M. Bradford.Iohn Leafe, an apprentice to Humfrey Gawdy Tallow Chaundelour, of the parish of Christs church in London, of the age of xix. yeres and aboue, borne at Kirkeby Moreside, in the Countie of Yorke: who vpō the fryday next before Palme sonday MarginaliaIohn Leafe of the parish of Christechurch by the Alderman of that warde committed to prison.was cōmitted to the Counter in Breadstreate, by an Alderman of London, who had rule and charge of that warde or part of the Citie, where the said Leafe dyd dwell. After, he cōmyng to examination before Boner, gaue a firme & Christian testimonie of his doctrine & profession, answering to such articles as were obiected to hym by the said Bishop.

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MarginaliaIohn Leafe examined before B. Boner.First,  

as touching his beliefe & fayth in the saide sacrament of the altar, he answered MarginaliaThe aunsweres of Iohn Leafe concerning his fayth in the Sacrament.that after the words of consecration spoken by the priest ouer the bread & wyne, there was not the very true & naturall body & bloud of Christ in substance: and further dyd hold and beleue, that the sayd sacramēt of the altar, as it is now called, vsed, and beleued in this realme of Englād, is idolatrous & abominable: and also said further, that he beleued, that after the words of consecration spoken by the Priest ouer the material breade and wyne, there is not the selfe same substance of Christes body & bloud there conteined, but bread & wine, as it was before: and further said, that he beleued, that when the Priest deliuereth the said material bread & wine to the cōmunicantes, he deliuereth but onely *Marginalia* Onely as touching the substance, but not as concerning the effect thereof. material bread and wyne,   and the communicants do receiue the same in remembrance of Christes death and passion, and spiritually in fayth they receyue Christes body and bloud, but not vnder the formes of bread and wyne: and also affirmed that he beleued MarginaliaAuricular confession.auricular confession not to be necessary to be made vnto a priest, for it is no poynt of soule health, neither that the Priest hath any authoritie geuen hym by the Scripture, to absolue and MarginaliaHe meaneth after the Popish maner of remitting. &c.remit any sinne.

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Vpon these his answeares and testimonie of his fayth, he at that tyme beyng dismissed, was byd the Monday next, beyng the. x. of Iune to appeare again in the said place, there and then to heare the sentence of his condemnation: who so did. At what tyme the foresaide Bishop propounding the said articles againe to hym, as before, assaying by all maner of wayes, to reuoke hym to his owne trade, that is, from truth to errour, notwithstanding al his perswasions, threates, and promises, founde hym the same man styl, so planted vpon the sure rocke of truth, that no woordes nor deedes of men could remoue hym.

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Then the Bishop after many wordes to and fro, at last asked hym, if he had bene M. Rogers scholler?  

MarginaliaIohn Leafe M. Rogers scholler.To whom the foresayd Iohn Leafe answeared againe, graunting hym so to be: and þ^t he the same Iohn dyd beleue in the doctrine of the said Rogers, and in the doctrine of Bishop Hooper, Cardmaker, and other of their opinion, which of late were burned for the testimonie of Christ, and that he woulde dye in that doctrine that they dyed for: And after other replications agayne of the Bishop, mouyng hym to returne to the vnitie of the Church, he with a great courage of spirite aunswered againe in these words: My Lord, quoth he, you call myne opiniō heresie: it is the true light of the word of God: and againe repeting the same, he professed that he woulde neuer forsake his stayed & well grounded opinion, while the breath should be in his body. Wherupon the Byshop beyng too weake, eyther to refute his sentence, or to remoue his constancy, proceeded consequently MarginaliaSentence red agaynst Iohn Leafe.to reade the Popish sentence of cruel condemnation, wherby this godly and cōstant young man being cōmitted to the secular power of the Sheriffes there present, was thē adiudged, & not long after suffered the same day with M. Bradford, cōfirming with his death that which he had spoken and professed in hys lyfe.

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MarginaliaIohn Leafe sealed the bil of his confessions with his bloud.It is reported  

of the sayd Iohn Leafe, by one that was in the Counter the same tyme, & saw the thyng, that after

his examinations before the Bishop, when two byls were sent vnto hym in the Counter in Bredstreate, þ^e one conteynyng a recantation, the other his confessions, to knowe to which of them he would put to his hand, first hearyng the Byll of recantation red vnto hym (because he coulde not reade nor write hym selfe) that he refused. And when the other was read vnto hym, which he wel lyked of, in stead of a pen he tooke a pynne, and so pricking his hande, sprinkled the bloud vpon the sayd Byl, willyng the reader thereof, to shewe the Bishop, that he had sealed the same Byll with his bloud already.

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MarginaliaBradford and Iohn Leafe at the stake how they behaued them selues.FIrst, when they came to the stake in Smythfielde to be burned, M Bradford lying prostrate on the one side of the stake, and the young man Iohn Leafe on the other side, they lay flat on their faces, praying to thē selues the space a minute of an houre. Then one of the Sheriffes sayde to M. Bradford: Arise and make an ende, for the prease of the people is great.  

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At that worde they both stoode vp vpon their feete: and then M. Bradford tooke a fagot in his hand, and kissed it, and so likewise the stake. And when he had so done, he desired of the Sheriffes that his seruant might haue his rayment. For (sayde he) I haue nothyng els to geue hym: and besides that, he is a poore man. And the Sheriffe said, he should haue it. And so forthwith M. Bradford dyd put of his raymēt, & went to the stake: and holdyng vp his hands and casting his countenance to heauen, he said thus: MarginaliaThe wordes of M. Bradford to England.O England, England, repent thee of thy sinnes, repent thee of thy sinnes. Beware of Idolatrie, beware of false Antichristes: take heede they doo not deceiue you. And as he was speakyng these wordes, the Sheriffe bade tye hys handes, if he would not be quiet. O M. Sheriffe (said M. Bradford) I am quiet: God forgeue you this, maister Sheriffe. And one of the officers which made the fire, hearing M. Bradford so speaking to the Sheriffe, said: If you haue no better learnyng then that, you are but a foole, and were best to hold your peace. To the which wordes M. Bradford gaue no answeare: but asked all the world forgeuenes, and forgaue all the worlde, and prayed the poople to pray for him, and turned his head vnto the young man that suffered with hym, and sayde: Be of good comfort brother, for we shall haue a mery supper with the Lorde this night: and so spake no more woordes that any man dyd heare, but imbracyng the Reedes, sayd thus: MarginaliaThe saying of M. Bradford at his death.Strayt is the way, and narrowe is the gate that leadeth to eternal saluation, and fewe there be that finde it.

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And thus they both ended their mortall lyues, moste likest two Lambes, without any alteration of their countenaunce, beyng voyde of all feare, hopyng to obtayne the price of the game that they had long runne at: to the which I beseeche Almightye God happyly to conducte vs, thorowe the merites of Iesus Christe our Lorde and Saueour. Amen.

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MarginaliaA notable example of Gods hand vpon M. Woodrofe.TOuching M. Wodroffe the Sheriffe, mention is made a litle before, how churlishly here he answered M. Bradford at the stake, not sufferyng hym to speake, but cōmaundyng his handes to be tyed. &c. The like extremitie or worse, he vsed also before to M. Rogers: whereof ye haue heard before, pag. 1420.  

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The sayde Wodroffe Sheriffe aboue mentioned, was ioyned in office with an other, called MarginaliaSyr Williā Chester commended.Syr William Chester, for the yeare. 1555. Betweene these two Sheriffes such difference there was of iudgement and Religion, that the one, that is, Maister Wodroffe, was woont commonly to laughe, the other to shedde teares at the death of Christes people.MarginaliaDifference betwene two Shriffes, M. Chester, and M. Woodrofe. And where as the other was woont to restrayne and to beate the people, whiche were desirous to take them by the handes that shoulde be burned:  

the other Sheriffe contrarywise agayne with muche sorow & myldenesse behaued hym selfe, which I wish here to be spoken & knowen to the commendation of hym, although I doo not greatly know the partie.

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Furthermore, here by the waye to note the seuere punishment of Gods hande agaynste the sayde Wodroffe, as agaynste all other suche cruell persecuters, so it happened, that within halfe a yeare after the burnyng of this blessed Martyr, the sayde Sheriffe was so striken on the right side  

with suche a Paulsie, or stroke of Gods hande whatsoeuer it was, that for the space of eyght yeares after, tyll his dying day, he was not able to turne hym selfe in his bed,

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