1576 Edition | Book 11 | Page 1633 
CloseThe reference to the condemnations of Dirick Carver, Thomas Iveson and John Lander dates this letter to shortly after 10 June 1555.
MarginaliaAn other letter of Rob. Smith to his wyfe.GRace, mercy, and peace from God the father, and from the Lord Iesus Christ be with you, deare wyfe, nowe and euer Amen: and preuent your wayes through his holy spirite, that ye may in al your woordes and woorkes please God, and eschew euyl, to his honor and your saluation, that they which see your conuersation, may in all thinges learne to do the like, euen to the vtter shame and confusion of the wicked and vngodly. Amen.
[Back to Top]I sent you by M. Alexander a purse with money. I haue certaine tokens for you, sent by my prison felowes to you: MarginaliaBehold here the Communion of saintes.that is, from M. Haukes. xij. d. frō M. Simson. xij. d. from his wife. iiij. d. from M. Wattes fiue new grotes, frō M. Ardeley. xij. d. from M. Bradford. xij. d. which men be all gone to death, except M. Bradford, he abideth styl. Ther is also gone to death Nicholas Chamberlaine, Thom. Osmund, William Bamford. There is also condemned this monday
CloseDirick Carver, Thomas Iveson and John Launder were all condemned on 10 June 1555 (PRO C/85/127, fo. 10r).
CloseWilliam Vassay was arrested along with Dirick Carver and is mentioned in Carver's confession of faith (1563, p. 1240; 1570, p. 1861; 1576, pp. 1592-93 and 1583, p. 1680).
CloseThomas Iveson, the martyr.
CloseHerault may be the 'Heralt' mentioned in Smith's examinations and he may also be the Thomas Harold who was a protestant prisoner in the Marshalsea.
CloseSweetmeats.
CloseA piece of wood tied to a key to prevent it from being lost [OED].
Your husband, Robert Smith.
CloseThis letter was written to a woman to urge her not to attend mass. In addition to appearing in all editions of the Acts and Monuments, it was printed in Letters of the Martyrs, pp. 552-53.
MarginaliaAn other letter of Robert Smith to a friend of his.THe eternal God keepe you in his feare. I haue harty cōmendations vnto you and your husbande, beseeching almighty God to preserue you in well dooing, and in perfecte knowedge of his Christe, that ye may be found faultles in the day of the Lord. I haue heard say, that my frend is geuen ouer to vanitie: it breaketh my hart, not onely to heare that he so doth, but also teacheth other, that it is vnhurtfull to goe to all abominations, whiche nowe stand in the Idols temples: neuerthelesse deare frende, be ye not moued to folowe sinners: for they haue no inheritaunce with God and Christe. But looke that by going into the Idoll temple, ye defile not the temple of God: for light hath no felowship with darkenesse. But looke what the Lorde hath commaunded, that do. For if not going to Church were without persecution, they would not learne you that lesson. But al thing that is sweet to the flesh, is allowed of the fleshly. The Lord shal reward euery man according to his workes, and he that leadeth into captiuitie, shall goe into captiuity, and he that by the fleshly man is led in the flesh, shal of the flesh reape corruption. The Lorde Iesu geue thee his holy spirite. Amen.
[Back to Top]I haue sent thee an Epistle in metre
This is very probably the set of verses exhorting Christians to be strong under persecution printed in 1563, p. 1270 and 1583, p. 1702.
Close
Seeke peace, and ensue it. Feare God, loue God with al thy hart, with al thy soule, and with al thy strength.
Thy frend and all mens in Christ Iesus, Rob. Smith.
Scribled in much hast from N. the. 12. of May.
MarginaliaTo his wyfe an other letter.THe God and father eternall, which brought againe from death our Lorde Iesus Christe, keepe thee deare wife & al thy parents and frendes, now and euer. Amen.
I prayse God for his mercy, I am in the same state that ye leaft me in, rather better then woorse, looking dayly for the liuyng God, before whom I hunger full sore to appere, and receyue the glory, of whiche I trust thou art willyng to be a partaker (I geue God most harty thankes therefore) desiring thee of all loues, to stande faste in that fayth whiche thou haste receyued, and let no man take awaye the seede that almighty God hath sowen in thee, but lay hands of euerlasting lyfe, whiche shall euer abide, when both the earth and all earthly frendes shall perish: desiring them also to receiue thankfully our trouble which is momentane & light, and as saint Paul saith, not worthy of the thinges which shalbe shewed on vs, that we paciently carying our
[Back to Top]crosse, maye attaine to the place whither our Saueour is gone before, to the whiche I beseeche God of this mercy bring vs spedily. I haue bene much troubled about your deliueraunce, fearing much the perswasions of worldlinges, and haue found a frend which wyl (I trust) finde a meane for you, if you be not already prouided, desiring you in any case to abide suche order, as those my frendes shall appoynt in God. And beare well in mynde the woordes whiche I spake at our departing, that as God hath founde vs, and also elected vs worthy to suffer with hym, we may endeuour our selues to folowe vprightly in this our vocation, desiring you to present my hartye commendations to all our frendes, and especially to your parentes, keeping your matter close in any wise. Geue most harty thanks to my frend, which only for our cause is come to Windsore. Continue in prayer. Doo well. Be fautles in all thinges. Beware abominations. Keepe you cleane from sinne. Pray for me, as I doo for you. I haue sent you a peece of gold for a token, and moste entirely desire you to sende me woorde, if ye lacke any thyng. The Lord Iesu preserue you and yours. Amen. From Newgate the. 15. of April.
[Back to Top]
By your husbande here and in heauen,
Robert Smith.
Content thy selfe with pacience,
With Christ to beare the crosse of paine:
Which can and wyll thee recompence,
A thousande folde with ioyes againe.
Let nothing cause thy hart to quaile,
Lanch out thy boate, hale vp thy saile.
Put from the shore:
And be thou sure thou shalt attaine,
Vnto the port that shall remaine.
For euermore.
CloseThere was a note in the Rerum stating that Harwood was burned at Stratford on 30 August 1555 while Thomas Fust was burned at Ware (Rerum, p. 523). Foxe's complete account of these martyrs was first printed in the 1563 edition and was drawn entirely from official records, now lost, of the diocese of London. This account was unchanged in subsequent editions.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaSteuen Harwod Thomas Fust. Martyrs.ABout this tyme dyed also (by cruel fire) these two martyrs of God, that is to say, Steuen Harwood, at Stratford, and Thomas Fust, at Ware. Which both two, as they were about one tyme burned with the fore mentioned Robert Smith and George Tankerfield, although in sundrye places: so were they also examined and openly condemned togethers with them. Their processe because it was ioyned all in one with the processe of Robert Smith and other of the saide company aboue mentioned, I thought it superfluous againe to repeate the same: saue that of Thomas Fust this is to be added, þt where as he in his last appearyng the twelfth of Iuly, was moued by the Bishop to reuoke his opinion, thus he answered: MarginaliaThe aunswere of Thomas Fust to Byshop Boner.No (said he) my lord, for there is no truth commeth out of your mouth, but all lyes. Ye condemne men, and wyll not heare þe truth. Where can ye finde any annoyntyng or greasing in Gods booke? I speake nothing but the truth, and I am certaine that it is the truth that I speake. This answere of hym onely I find noted by the Register: although how slenderly these Registers haue dealt in vttering such matters, þt is, in omitting those things which most worthy were to be knowē, by their doynges it is easie to be seene.
CloseFoxe is articulating here one of the two reasons why he preferred to use a martyr's own account, or the testimony of sympathetic witnesses, to official records: official records were often terse, formulaic and those who wrote them often uninterested in recording details of considerable interest to Foxe. (The other reason was that they often contained statements by the martyrs that were embarrassing to Foxe). While historians such as A. G. Dickens or G. R. Elton praise Foxe for his pioneering research in archival sources, it should be remembered that for Foxe they were a poor second choice, to be used only, as in the case of Harwood and Fust, when there was nothing better available.
[Back to Top]
CloseNote that during the summer of 1555, after the burning of John Bradford and John Leaf, the authorities had those who had been condemned in London burned in isolated villages instead of in the capital. This was undoubtedly from fear of the mobs drawn to the executions of heretics in London.
CloseThe Rerum contains a note that William Hale was burned at Barnet in late August 1555 (Rerum, p. 523). Foxe's entire account of William Hale was printed in the 1563 edition and was unchanged in subsequent editions. Foxe's information on Hale was drawn from official records, now lost, of the London diocese.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaWilliam Haile, Martyr.OF the same company of these ten aboue recorded, which were sent vp to Bishop Boner, by sir Nicholas Hare and other Commissioners, in the company of George Tankerfielde and Robert Smith, was also William Hayle of Thorpe in the Countie of Essex, who likewise beyng examined with the rest, the 12. day of Iuly, receyued with them also the sentence of condemnation. Geuyng this exhortation withal to the lookers on: Ah good people, said he,
[Back to Top]