Marginalia1556. Aprill.And you know what belongeth to a bastard: he shall not be his fathers heyre. And if we remember our selues well how negligent we haue bene to keepe our fathers cōmaundemēt, we shal find our selues worthy to be corrected at his hand. If we refuse his correction, he wil refuse vs to be his sonnes. I pray you looke what he promised to his disciples, & I pray you also looke how willingly they receyued it. And so must we doo, if we wyll be partakers with thē. First let vs see what Christ promised to his disciples. Looke in the. x. of s. Mat. and there shal you see these words: MarginaliaMath. 10.Behold I send you forth as sheepe among wolues. Be wise thefore as serpents, and innocent as doues. Beware of men, for they shal deliuer you vp to the Counsels, and shal scourge you in their Synagoges: ye shall be brought before the head rulers & kinges for my names sake. But when they put you vp, take ye no thought: how or what ye shal speake: for it shal be geuen you in the same houre what ye shal speake. For it is not you that speake, but the spirit of my father which speaketh in you. &c. Reade the whole chapt. for it is very cōfortable to a christen man: & marke it wel, & you shal find what we ought to doo in the tyme of persecution. Also looke in the. 2. Epistle of s. Paul to the Corinth. and the. 4. chap. he saith: Marginalia2. Cor. 4.For we whiche liue are alwayes deliuered vnto death for Iesus sake, that the life also of Iesus might appeare in our mortall flesh. Thus you heare that S. Paul doth boast of persecution: euen so should we, for it is the way to bring vs to rest.

Therfore let vs striue to enter in at the narow gate, and let vs remember the saying of S. Paul in the. 21. chapt. of the actes of the Apostles,MarginaliaActes 21. when he was going to Ierusalē. when he was in the house of Philip the Euangelist, there came in a Prophete, and tooke of his gyrdle, and bounde his handes and his feete, saying: Thus shal they doo with the man that oweth this gyrdle, when he commeth to Ierusalem. When the Disciples heard that, they would haue perswaded hym that he should not goe thyther. Here you shall see what answere this Pastor made them: he was a faithfull sheepheard: What doo ye weeping and breaking of my hart? I am not ready to be bounde onely, but also to dye at Hierusalem, for the name of the Lord Iesus.

Yet I thinke there be some that wyll say, that I needed not to haue ben takē, if I would haue kept me out of þ^e way. But I say vnto you, MarginaliaA note for them which shronke away hauing cure.that the shrinking away of so many of our sheepheards as be gon, maketh so many of the flocke to scatter: which wyl be required at their hands, of the master of the sheepe. What shal he say to them at the day of accompt, when they shal come to receiue their wages? He shal say to them: Depart frō me ye wicked hyrelings, for when ye saw the woolfe come, ye ran away, & leaft my sheepe in the wyldernes. If you had ben good sheepheards, ye would rather haue lost your lyues, then haue lost one sheepe cōmitted to your charge through your fault. And I pray you, what case be the sheepe in, when their sheepheard runneth away from them? I neede not to tell you, you knowe the daunger that foloweth so wel.

Therfore let vs pray to God to send vs faithful sheepeheards, & also obediēt sheepe, that wyl not heare a straungers voyce. I would al men would marke wel the saying of S. Paul in the. 8. to the Rom. where he saith in these words. MarginaliaRom. 8.Who shal separate vs from the loue of God? Shal tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, either nakednes, either peryll, either sword? As it is written: For thy sake are we killed al day long, & are counted as sheepe appoynted to be slaine: neuertheles we ouercome strongly through his helpe that loued vs. Yea, I am sure that neither death, neither lyfe, neither angels, neither rule, neither power, neither thyngs present, neither thinges to come, neither heigth, neither depth, neither any other creature, shal be able to separate vs from the loue of God: and so forth. Also he saith in an other place: Marginalia2. Tim. 3.All that wyll liue godly in Christ Iesus, must suffer persecution. Thus I proue it to be our heauenly fathers rod: therfore let vs thankfully receyue it like obedient chyldren, and then our father wyl loue vs.

Yet heare what S. Peter saith in his first Epistle and the. iiij. chap. Marginalia1. Peter 4.Dearly beloued (saith he) be not troubled in this heate whiche is now come among you to trye you, as though some strange thing had happened vnto you: but reioyce, in as muche as ye are partakers of Christes passions, that when his glorye appeareth, you may be meery & glad. If ye be railed on for the name of Christe, happy are ye: for the spirit of glory, & the spirit of God resteth vpon you. On their part he is euyl spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. Here S. Peter saith it is no strange thing: and that I haue partly proued before, because we haue nothing els promised vs in this world.

Therefore let vs call on God for grace. Be ye sure that they can doo nothing to vs, til God permit it. As for ensample: looke in the Marginalia1. Reg. 19.first booke of Kynges, the. xix. chapt. there

you shal see how Saul persecuted Dauid, purposing to kyl hym: but his labour was in vaine.

Also in Marginalia3. Reg. 19.the. 3. booke of Kings, the. 19. cha. Iesabel threatned & sware to slea Elias, but the Lord preserued hym. Also in the MarginaliaIob. 2.2. chap. of Iob, you see that Satan could do nothing to Iob, tyll God suffered hym, neither exercise his cruelnes any further then God had appoynted hym. The godly woman Susanna, MarginaliaDan. 8.in the. 8. of Daniel, thorowe the false accusation of the wicked Iudges, was euē at a poynt to dye, yet God wonderfully deliuered her. These haue I written to put you in remembraunce that man can doo no more then is the wyl of God: therfore let vs not resist his wyl but refer al to hym: and let vs be doing that thing that God hath commaunded vs in his holy word.

Deare brethren, for the bloud of ChristMarginaliaExhortation not to refuse Christes crosse.refuse not þ^e crosse of Christ, but remember the saying of the godly man Dauid in his. 119. Psalme, where he saith: MarginaliaPsal. 119.It is good for me that I haue bene in trouble, that I may learne thy statutes. In þ^e same place he saith: Before I was in trouble, I went wrong, but now I haue kept thy word. Euē so it is in trouble with vs: MarginaliaGods worde neuer so sweet as in trouble.for the word of God was neuer so sweet and comfortable, as it is now that we be in trouble. Also S. Paul saith in the fift chapter to the Rom: MarginaliaRom. 5.We reioyce in tribulation: for we know that tribulation bringeth pacience, patience bringeth experience, experience bringeth hope, & hope maketh not ashamed.

Also I pray you remember the saying of S. Paul in the second to Timothe and the first chapter, where he saith: Marginalia2. Tim. 1.Be not ashamed to testifie the Lord, neither be ashamed of me. Euen so say I vnto you, deare brethren: Be not ashamed of my imprisonment, neither sory, but reioyce with me, that it hath pleased God of his goodnes to cal me to such a dignitie as this shalbe vnto me, if I maye haue his grace to loose my life (which I regard as most vile) for his name sake: for then I shall be sure to find it againe with aduantage: Therfore I desire you all that you wyl pray with me vnto almighty God, that he of his mercyfull goodnes wyll send me his grace & strength, that I may continue vnto the end: as I wyll pray for you, that God wyl preserue you frō all the wicked wayes of Antichrist, & strengthen & comforte you, if it be his good pleasure that you shall suffer any thyng for his names sake: as he hath faithfully promised to do. MarginaliaExperience of Gods comfort in imprisonment to be noted.And I certifie you that if al mē knew the cōfort they should receiue at the hande of God, being in prison, I thinke there would come mo to prison then there do. For surely we find such cōfort at the hand of God since we haue bene in prison, that we had rather dye then to be abroad to see the idolatrie that is committed among them that be abrod: beside the seeking one of an others bloud, w^t other wickednes too muche. God send men more grace. But I trust amongst you there be none such: & if there be, repent & amend, lest it be verified on you, that is spoken by the Prophet Ierem. 2. cha. where he saith: MarginaliaIerem. 2.My people hath cōmitted two great euyls. They haue forsaken me the foūtaine of the liuyng waters, & digged them pyttes: pyttes (I say) that are broken, and can hold no water. Also in the. vij. he saith: MarginaliaIerem. 7.Take heede: ye trust in counsels that begyle you, and do you no good. In the. xxiij. he saith: MarginaliaIerem. 23.Heare not the words of the Prophets that preach their owne dreames. Good brethren, beware of those false Prophets that I haue geuen you warnyng of.

Dearely beloued, here I make an end at this tyme, desiring þ^e same health both of body & soule, vnto you all, that I would haue my self: and I end with the same that S. Peter saith in his first Epistle & the fift cha. Submit your selues therefore vnder the mighty hand of God, that he maye exalt you when the time is come. Cast al your care on him, for he careth for you. Be sober and watch, for your aduersary the deuil like a roring Lion walketh about, seeking whō he may deuoure, whom resist stedfast in fayth: remembring that ye doo but fulfill the same afflictions that are appoynted to your brethren that are in the worlde. The God of al grace that called you vnto his eternal glory, by Christ Iesus, shal his owne selfe, after you haue suffered a litle affliction, make you perfect, shall settle, strengthen, and stablish you. To hym be glory and dominion for euer, & while the world endureth. Amen.

Greete one an other with an holy kysse of loue. Peace be with you al which are in Christ Iesus. I pray you all, say, Amen. These be in the same prison where I am: the Bishop of S. Dauids, Doctor Taylor of Hadley,  

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Taylor was sent to the Clink on 31 January 1555; this letter was written while Taylor was confined in the King's Bench, therefore it was written before 31 January 1555.

I desire some good brother, to write this newe, for I wrote it (as I doo many tymes) with feare. For if the keepers had found me, they would haue taken it from me, & my pen and ynke also.

Good brethren, I am kept alone, and yet I thank God he comforteth me paste all the comforte of any man: for I