MarginaliaAn. 1556. Aprill.MarginaliaExperiment of Gods comfort in the prisonment of hys seruauntes.thanke hym I was neuer meeryer in Christ.

By me William Tyms prisoner
in the Kinges benche.

About this tyme or somewhat before, came downe certayne Commissioners assigned by the Queene and Counsayle, to Northfolke and Suffolke (as to other Countryes els besides) to inquire of matters of religion: vnto the which Commissioners, there was a Supplication then exhibited by some good and well disposed men (as by the same may appeare) dwellyng about those partyes. Which Supplication, as I thought it not vnworthy to be read, bearyng the date of this present yeare  

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The Norfolk Petition

While the copy of the document Foxe saw may have been dated 1556, Nicholas Tyacke has argued that this letter should be dated to 1555 (England's Long Reformation, 1500-1800, ed. Nicholas Tyacke [London: 1998], p. 21).

MarginaliaA supplication exhibited to the Commissioners in Norfolke.IN most humble and lowly wise, we beseche your honors right honourable Commissioners, to tender and pitie the humble suite of vs poore men, and true, faythfull, and obedient subiectes: who as we haue euer heretofore, so intende we with Gods grace, to continue in Christian obedience vnto the end, (and according to the holy word of God) with all reuerent feare of God to doo our bounden dutie to all those superiour powers, whom God hath appoynted ouer vs, doing as S. Paule saith: MarginaliaRom. 13.Let euery soule be subiect to the superiour powers. For there is no power but of God: but those powers that are, are ordeyned of God. VVherefore, whosoeuer resisteth the powers, the same resisteth God, & they that resist, get themselues iudgemēt. These lessons (right honorable Commissioners) we haue learned of the holy word of God in our mother tounge:

MarginaliaThe authoritie of kinges and Queenes approued.First, that the authority of a King, Queene, Lord and other their officers vnder them, is no tyrannicall vsurpation, but a iust, holy, lawful and necessary estate for man to be gouerned by, and that the same is of God, the fountaine and authour of righteousnes.

Secondly, that to obey the same in al thinges not against God, is to obey God: and to resist them, is to resist God. Therefore as to obey God in hys Ministers and Magistrates, bringeth life: so to resist God in them, bringeth punishment & death. The same lessō haue we learned of S. Peter, saying: Marginalia2. Pet. 5.Be ye subiect to all humane ordinances for the Lords sake, whether it be to the king, as to the most highest, or to the Lieutenants sent frō hym to the punishment of euil doers, but to the prayse of such as do well.MarginaliaChristian men bound to obey God in his Magistrates. For so is the wyll of God, that with well doing ye should stop the mouthes of foolish & ignorant mē, as free, and not as hauing the libertie to be a cloke to malice, but as the seruantes of God.

Wherfore, considering with our selues, both that the magistrates power is of God & that for the Lordes sake, we be bound to christian obedience vnto thē, hauing now presently a commaundement, as though it were frō the Queenes maiestie: with al humble obedience due to the regall power and authoritie ordeyned of God (which we acknowledge to stand whole & perfectly in her grace) and with due reuerēce vnto you her graces Commissioners, we humbly beseeche you with pacience and pitie to receiue this our aunswere vnto that commaundement, geuen vnto vs.

First, right honourable Cōmissioners, we haue considered our selues to be, not onely Englishe men, but also Christians, and therefore bounde by the holy vowe made to God in our Baptisme, MarginaliaThe honour of God to be preferred before all regall honour and power.to preferre Gods honour in al thinges, and that al obedience (not onely of vs mortall men, but euen of the very angels and heauenly spirites) is due vnto Gods word: in so much that no obedience can be true and perfect, eyther before God or man, that wholy & fully agreeth not with Gods worde.

Then haue we weighed the cōmaundement concerning the restitution of the late abolished Latine seruice geuē vnto vs to discent & disagree from Gods worde,MarginaliaQ. Maryes Iniunctions disagreeing from Gods word, how and wherin. and to commaund manifest impietie, & the ouerthrow of godlynes and true religion, & to import a subuersion of the regal power of this our natiue countrey & realme of England, with the bringing in of the Romish bishops supremacie, with all errours, superstitions, and idolatrie, wasting of our goodes & bodyes, destroying of our soules, bringing with it nothyng, but the seuere wrath of of God: which we alredy feele, & feare least the same shalbe more fiercely kindled vpon vs. Wherfore we humbly protest, that we can not be perswaded, that the same wicked commaundement shoulde come from the Queenes maiestie, but rather from some other, abusing the Queenes goodnes and fauour, and studying to worke some

feate against the Quene, her crowne, & the realme, to please with it the Romane bishop, at whose handes the same thinketh hereafter to be aduaunced.

MarginaliaHest. 3.As the Agagite Aman wrought maliciously against the noble king Assuerus: and as the Princes of Babell wrought againste the good king Darius:Marginalia1. Esd. 4. so thinke we the queenes most gentle hart to be abused of some, who seeking them selues & their own vaine glory, procure such cōmaundements as are against the glory of God. MarginaliaQueene Mary euill incensed.For we cānot haue so euyll an opinion in her maiestie, that she would subuerte the most godly & holy religiō (so accordingly to Gods word set forth by the most noble, vertuous, and innocent king, a very Saint of God, our late most deare king Edward, her Graces brother) except she were wonderfully abused: who as hatyng reformation, wyll rather the destruction of all others, then acknowledge their errors, & to be according to gods word, reformed. MarginaliaReligion set forth in K. Edwardes time, commended.For truely þ^e Religion lately set forth by K. Edward, is such in our cōsciences, as euery Christiā man is bound to confesse to be the truth of God: and euery member of Christes church here in Englande must needes embrace the same in hart, and confesse it with mouth, and (if neede require) loose and forsake, not onely house, lande, and possessions, riches, wyfe, chyldren, and frendes: but also (if God wyll so call them) gladly to suffer all maner of persecution, and to lose their lyues in the defence of Gods worde and truth set out amongest vs. For our Saueour Christ requireth the same of vs, saying: MarginaliaLuke. 9.VVho soeuer shall be ashamed of me and my word before this adulterous and sinfull generation,the sonne of man wyl also be ashamed of hym, when he shal come in the glory of his father with the holy angels. And againe saith he: MarginaliaMath. 10,whosoeuer wyll confeße me before men, I wil confesse hym before my father that is in heauen. And who soeuer wyl deny me before mē, I wyl also deny him before my father that is in heauen. MarginaliaMath. 12.And whosoeuer shall speake a worde against the sonne of man, it shall be forgeuen him: but whosoeuer shall rayle againste the holy Ghost, it shall not be forgeuen hym.

MarginaliaAn honest petition to Queene Mary.We humbly beseeche the Queenes Maiestie, and you her honorable Commissioners, be not offended with vs for confessing this truth of God, so straitly geuen vs in charge of Christ: neither bryng vppon vs that great sinne that shal neuer be forgeuen, & shall cause our Saueour Iesu Christ in the great day of iudgement, before his heauenly father and all his aungells, to deny vs, and to take from vs the blessed price and raunsome of his bloudshed, wherewith we are redemed.

For in that day neyther the Queenes highnes, neither you, nor any man shall be able to excuse vs, nor to purchase a pardon of Christ for this horrible sinne and blasphemie of casting aside and condemning his worde. We cannot agree nor consent vnto this so horrible a sinne: but we beseche God for his mercy to geue vs and all men grace, most earnestly to flee from it, and rather (if the wyl of God be so) to suffer all extremitie and punishment in this worlde, then to incurre such damnation before God.

MarginaliaExample of King Manasses.Manasses, who restored againe the wickednes of idolatrous religion (before put downe by Ezechias his father) brought the wrath of God vpon the people: so that the scripture sayth: Notwithstanding the reformation made by Iosias, the lord turned not frō the fiercenes of his great wrath, wherewith he was angry against Iuda, because of the prouocation with the which Manasses prouoked hym. Marginalia4. Reg. 23And the Lord saId: euen Iuda wyl I take away from my presence, as I cast away Israel: and I wyl cast away this citie of Ierusalem, and the house wherof I said: my name shall be there. MarginaliaExample of Ieroboam.Ieroboam, who at Bethel and Dan erected vp a new found seruice of God, and not onely sinned hym selfe, but also made al Israell to sinne wyth him: so that not only he was damned for commaunding, but the wrath of God came vpon al Israell, for obeying that his vngodly commaundement. Yet was it not so heynous offence to bring in an Idolatrie neuer yet heard of, as after reformation made by the godly kings and princes, by the vertuous and holy bishops, by the Prophetes and seruauntes of God, to reiecte and caste of the woorde and true Religion of God, and to receyue agayne a damned impietie.

MarginaliaFoule Idolatry set out with fayre shewes and pretenses.This most heynous offence is now offered vnto vs: although the same be paynted and coloured wyth the name of reformation, restoryng of Religion, auncient fayth, with the name of the Catholicke Churche, of vnitie, Catholicke truth, & wyth the cloke of fayned holynes. These are sheepe skinnes, vnder the which (as Christ sayth) rauening wolues couer them selues. But Christ willeth vs to looke vpon their fruites, whereby we may know them: and truely this is no good fruite, to cast a side Gods worde and to banish the English seruice out of the churches, & in the place of it, to bring in a Latin tongue vnknowen vnto the people. Which as it edifieth no man, so hath it bene occasion of all