MarginaliaAn. 1555. Iuly.thee in Christes name that thou wouldest forgeue him his sinnes & vnthankefulnes, and make perfect in him that good which thou hast begon: yea Lord I pray thee make him worthy to suffer, not onely imprisonement, but euen very death for thy truth, religion, and Gospels sake. As Anna did apply and geue her first child Samuell vnto thee: so do I deare father, beseching thee for Christes sake, to accept thys my gift, and geue my sonne Iohn Bradford grace alwayes truely to serue thee and thy people, as Samuell did, Amen. Amen.

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If on this sort good Mother, from your hart you would pray, as I should bee the most meryest man that euer was: so am I certayne the lettes  

of your Prayer for my imprisonment, would be taken away. Good Mother, therefore marke what I haue written, and learne thys Prayer by hart, to say it dayly, and then I shall be mery, and you shall reioyce if that you continue, as I trust you doe, in Gods true Religion, euen the same I haue taught you, and my father Traues   (I trust) will putte you in remembraunce of: my brother Roger   also I trust doth so dayly. Go to therefore and learne apace. Although the deuill cast diuerse lettes in the way, God, in whom you trust, will cast them awaye for his Christes sake, if you will call vppon hym: and neuer will he suffer you to bee tempted aboue that he will make you able to beare. MarginaliaThis letter came not to our handes.But how you should do herein, the other Letter whiche I haue written herewith, shall teache you, which I woulde none should read till my father Traues haue read it, and hee will geue you by Gods grace, some instructions.

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Now therfore will I make an end, praying you good Mother, to looke for no moe Letters: for if it were knowen that I haue penne and inke and did write, then shoulde I wante all the foresayd commodities I haue spoken of concernyng my body, and be cast into some dungeon in fetters of yron: which thyng I know would greue you,  

and therefore for Gods sake, see that these be burned when thys litle prayer in it, is copyed out by my brother Roger: for perchaunce your house may be searched for such geare, whē you thinke litle of it, and looke for no moe, sweete Mother, till either God shall deliuer me and send me out, either you and I shall meete together in heauen, where we shall neuer part asunder, Amen.

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MarginaliaExhortation to his 2. sisters.I require you Elizabeth and Margaret my sisters,  

that you will feare God, vse Prayer, loue your husbandes be obedient vnto them, as GOD willeth you: bryng vp your children in Gods feare: and be good housewiues, GOD blesse you both, with both your husbandes my good brethren, whom to do good, because I now can not, I will pray for them and you. Commende me to my sister Anne,   Mother Pike, T. Sorrocold and his wife, R. Shalcrosse and his wife, R. Bolton, I. Wild, M. Vicare, the Parson of Mottrom,   Syr Laurence Hall, with all that loue, and (I trust) liue the Gospell: and God turne Syr Thomas his hart,   Amen. I will dayly pray for him. I neede not to set my name, you know it well enough.

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Because you should geue my letters to my father Traues to be burned, I haue written here a Prayer for you to learne to pray for me good Mother, and an other for all your house in your euenyng Prayer to pray with my brother. These Prayers are written with myne own hand: keepe them still, but the Letters geue to father Traues to burne, and geue father Traues a copy of the latter Prayer.

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MarginaliaAn other and the last letter of M. Bradford written to his mother a litle before his death.GOds mercy and peace in Christ, be more and more perceiued of vs, Amen.My most deare Mother, in the bowelles of Christ I hartely pray and beseeche you to be thankefull for me vnto God, which thus now taketh me vnto hymselfe. I dye not, my good mother, as a theefe, a murderer, an adulterer. &c. but I dye as a witnesse of Christ, his Gospell and veritie, which hetherto I haue confessed (I thanke GOD) as well by Preachyng, as by prisonement, and now euen presently I shall most willyngly confirme the same by fire. I knowledge that GOD most iustly might take me hence simply for my sinnes (which are many, great, and greuous: but the Lord for his mercy in Christ, hath pardoned them all I hope): but now deare Mother, hee taketh me hence by this death, as a Confessour and witnesses, that the Religion taught by Christ Iesu, the Prophetes, and the Apostles, is Gods truth. MarginaliaBradford persecuted of the prelates not for his sinnes, but for the truth of Christ.The Prelates doe persecute in me Christe whom they hate, and his truth whiche they may not abyde, because their woorkes are euill, and may not abyde the truth and lyght, lest men shoulde see theyr darkenesse. Therefore my good and most deare Mother,

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geue thankes for me to God, that hee hath made the fruite of your wombe to be a witnesse of his glory, and attende to the truth (which I thanke God for it) I haue truly taught out of the Pulpite of Manchester.  

Vse often and continuall prayer to God the Father through Christ. Harken, as you may, to the Scriptures: serue God after his word, and not after custome: beware of the Romish Religion in England, defile not your selfe with it: cary Christes Crosse as he shall laye it vppon your backe: forgeue them that kill me: pray for them, for they knowe not what they do: commit my cause to God our father: be myndefull of both your daughters to helpe them as you can.

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I send all my writynges to you by my brother Roger:  

do with them as you will, because I cannot as I would, he can tell you more of my mynde. I haue nothyng to geue you, or to leaue behynde me for you: onely I pray God my father for his Christes sake, to blesse you and keepe you from euil. He geue you pacience, he make you thankefull, as for me, so for your selfe, that will take the fruite of your wombe to witnes his veritie: wherein I confesse to the whole world I dye and depart this life in hope of a much better: which I looke for at the handes of God my father through the merites of his deare sonne Iesus Christ.

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Thus my deare Mother, I take my last farewell of you in this lyfe, beseechyng the almighty and eternall father by Christ, to graunt vs to meete in the lyfe to come, where we shall geue him continuall thankes and prayse for euer and euer. Amen.

¶ Out of prison the 24. of Iune, 1555.

Your sonne in the Lord.
Iohn Bradford.

MarginaliaA letter of M. Bradford ioyned with a supplication, sent to Q. Mary, her Counsell, and the Parlament.IN most humble wise complayneth vnto your Maiestie and honours, a poore subiect persecuted for the confession of Christes veritie: the which veritie deserueth at your handes to be maintained and defended, as the thyng, by the whiche you raigne and haue your honour and authorities. Although we that be professours, and thorough the grace of GOD, the constaunt confessours of the same, are (as it were) the outsweepynges of the worlde: yet (I say) the veritie it selfe is a thynge not vnwoorthy for your eares to heare, for your eyes to see, and for your handes to handle, helpe, and succour, accordyng to that the Lord hath made you able, and placed you where you are, for the same purpose. Your hyghnes and honours ought to know, that there is no innocencie in woordes or deedes, where it is enough and suffiseth onely to accuse. It behoueth  

Kinges, Queenes, and all that be in authoritie, to knowe that in the administration of their kyngdomes, they are Gods Ministers. It behoueth them to know, that MarginaliaDifference betwene kinges and Tyrantes.they are no Kynges but playne Tyrannes, which raigne not to this ende, that they may serue and set foorth Gods glory after true knowledge: and therefore it is required of them, that they would be wise, and suffer them selues to be taught, to submitte them selues to the Lordes discipline, and to kisse their Soueraigne, least they perishe: as all those Potentates with their principalities and dominions can not long prosper but perishe in deede, if they and their kyngdomes be not ruled wyth the Scepter of God, that is, with his worde: whiche, who so honoureth not, honoureth not God, MarginaliaGood warning to Q. Mary.and they that honour not the Lord, the Lord will not honour them, but bring them into contempt, and at the length take his owne cause, whiche he hath most chiefly committed vnto them to care for, into his owne handes, and so ouerthrow them, and set vp his truth gloriously: the people also perishyng with the Princes, where the worde of Prophecie is wantyng, much more is suppressed, as it is now in this Realme of England: ouer which the eyes of the Lord are set to destroy it, your highnes and all your honours, if in tyme you looke not better to your office and dutyes herein, and not suffer your selues to be MarginaliaPrinces made slaues to Antichrist.slaues and hangmē to Antichrist and his Prelates, which haue brought your highnes and honours already to let Barrabas lose, and to hang vp Christ: as by the grace and helpe of God I shall make apparaunt, if first it woulde please your excellent maiestie and all your honours, to take to hart Gods doctrine, which rather through the malice of the Pharisayes, I meane the Byshops and Prelates, then your consciences, is oppressed: and not for our contemptible and execrable state in the sight of the world, to passe the lesse of it. For it (the doctrine I meane) is hygher and of more honour and Maiestie, then all the whole world. It standeth inuincible aboue all power, beyng not our doctrine, but the doctrine of the euerliuyng God and of his Christ, MarginaliaChrist ordeyned to beare dominion ouer all.whō the father hath ordained kyng, to haue dominion frō sea to sea,

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