Marginalia1556. Aprill.they were baptised in the fayth and belief of the Catholicke church, & that their Godfathers & Godmothers had professed & promised for them as is conteyned in the same article.

4. To the fourth they aunswered, that they alwayes were and yet then did continue in the fayth and profession, MarginaliaProfession of Baptisme.wherin they were baptised: Richard Nicols addyng also: that he had more playnely learned the truth of his profession by the doctrine set forth in king Edward the sixt his dayes, and thereupon he had builded his fayth, and would continue in the same to his liues end, God assistyng him.

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5. To the fift they aūswered, that they neither swarued nor went away from the Catholicke fayth of Christ. MarginaliaTo deny the beggerly vsages of the popes church is not to deny the Catholicke faith of Christ.Howbeit they confessed, that within the tyme articulate (and before) they had misliked, and earnestly spoken agaynst the sacrifice of the Masse, and agaynst the Sacrament of the aultar, affirmyng that they would not come to heare or be partakers therof because they had and then did beleue, that they were set forth and vsed contrary to Gods worde and glory. And moreouer they did graunt that they had spoken agaynst the vsurped authoritie of the Bishop of Rome, as an oppressour of Christes Church, and Gospell, MarginaliaThe Pope ought to haue no authoritie in England.and that he ought not to haue any authoritie in Englād. For all which sayings they were no whit sory, but rather reioyced and were glad.

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6. To the sixt they aunswered, that they neuer refused, nor yet then presently did refuse to be reconciled to the vnitie of Christes Catholicke Churche, but they sayd they had, and then did, and so euer would hereafter vtterly refuse to come to the Church of Rome, or to acknowledge the authoritie of the seat hereof, MarginaliaThe Church of Rome to be abhorred.but did vtterly abhorre the same, for puttyng downe the booke of God the Bible, & settyng vp the Babylonicall Masse, with all other of Antichristes marchaūdise.

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7. To the seuenth article, the effect therof they all graunted. And Symond Ioyne declared further, MarginaliaAgaynst the Popes trūpery.that the cause of his refusing to be partaker of their trumpery, was for that the commaundementes of God were there brokē, and Christes ordinaūces chaūged and put out, and the Byshop of Romes ordinaunces in steede therof put in. Moreouer, as touchyng the Sacrament of Christes body, Christopher Lister affirmed MarginaliaAgainst transubstantiation.that in the sayd Sacrament there is the substaunce of bread and wyne, as well after the wordes of consecration as before, and that there is not in the same the very body and bloud of Christ really, substauntially, and truely, but onely Sacramentally and spiritually by fayth in the faythfull receiuers, MarginaliaAgaynst the Masse.& that the Masse is not propitiatory, for the quicke or for the deade, but mere Idolatry and abhomination.

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8. To the eight they said, that they were sent to Colchester prison by the Kyng & Queenes Cōmissioners, because they would not come to their Parish Churches, and by thē sent vnto the Byshop of London, to be therof further examined.

9. To the ninth they all generally agreed, that that which they had sayd in the premisses was true, and that they were of the Dioces of London.

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These aunsweres thus made, the Byshop did dismisse them for that present, vntill the afternoone. At whiche time hauyng first their articles and aunsweres red vnto them agayne, and they standyng most firmely vnto their christian profession, they were by diuers wayes and meanes assayed and tryed if they would reuoke the same their professed fayth, and returne to the vnity of Antichristes church.

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Which thing when they refused, MarginaliaSentence geuen agaynst them by B. Boner.the byshop stoutly pronounced the sentence of condemnation agaynst them, committyng them vnto the temporall power. Who vpon the receite of the kyng and Queenes wryt,  

sent them vnto Colchester, where þ^e. xxviij. day of Aprill, most chearefully they ended theyr liues to the glory of Gods holy name, & the great incouragement of others.

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MarginaliaMay. 15.
Two burned together at one stake, Hugh Lauerocke an olde lame man and Iohn Apprice, a blynd man.IN the discourse of this parcel or part of history, I know not, whether more to maruayle at the great & vnsearchable mercyes of God (with whome there is no respect in decrees of persons, but he chooseth as well the poore, lame, and blynde, as the rich, mighty, and healthfull, to set forth his glory) or els to note the vnreasonable or rather vnnaturall doynges of these vnmercifull catholickes  

(I meane B. Boner, and his complices) in whome was so little fauour or mercy to all sortes and kyndes of men, that also they spared neyther impotent age, neyther lame, nor blynde as may well appeare by these poore creatures, whose names and stories here vnder follow.

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Hugh Lauerocke, of the parish of Barkyng
Paynter, of the age of. 68. a lame creple.
Iohn Apprice, a blynd man.

These two poore and simple creatures beyng, belyke, accused by some promoting neighbour of theirs, vnto the Byshop and other of the kyng and Queenes Commissioners, were sent for by theyr officer: and so beyng brought and deliuered into the handes of the sayd Byshop, were the first day of may examined before him in his Pallace at Lōdon: Where hee first propounded and obiected agaynst them those. ix. articles, wherof often mention is made before ministred as well vnto Bartlet Grene, as also vnto many others. To the whiche they aunswered in effect, as Christopher Lister, Iohn Mace, and other before mencioned had done.

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Wherupon they were agayne sent to prison, and beside other tymes, the. ix. day of the same moneth, in the Consistory at Paules were agayne openly producted and there after the old order, trauayled withall to recant theyr opinions agaynst the Sacrament of the aulter.

Whereunto Hugh Lauerocke first sayd: MarginaliaThe wordes of Iohn Lauerocke to Boner.I will stand to myne aunsweres, & to that that I haue confessed: and I can not finde in the scriptures, that the Priestes shoulde lift vp ouer their head a cake of bread.

The Byshop then turned him vnto Iohn Apprice & asked what he would say.

To whom he aunswered: MarginaliaThe wordes of Iohn Apprice to the Byshop.Your doctrine (sayd he) that ye set forth and teach, is so agreable with the world & embraced of the same, that it can not be agreable with þ^e scripture of God. And ye are not of the Catholicke Churche: for yee make lawes to kill men, And make the Queene your hangman.

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At whiche wordes the Byshop, belike, somewhat tickled, & therfore very loth to delay theyr condēnation any longer (such was now his hot burnyng charity) commaunded that they shoulde be brought after him vnto Fulham, whether he before dinner dyd go, and therein the after noone after his solemne maner, MarginaliaSentence of condemnation geuen agaynst Hugh Lauerocke, and Iohn Apprice.in the open Church he pronounced the definitiue sentence of condemnation agaynst them, and so deliueryng thē into the hands of þ^e tēporall officer, thought to dispatch his handes of them, but could not so dispatch his conscience before the iudgement of God, from the giltines of innocent bloud.

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The poore men beyng now in the temporall officers hāds, might not there bee suffered long to remayne, & therfore the xv. day of May, very early in the mornyng they were caried from Newgate in a cart to Stratford the Bowe,  

and most quietly in the fire praysing God, yelded vp their soules into his handes, through a lyuely fayth in Iesus Christ, whom vnto the ende they dyd most constantly confesse

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At theyr death, Hugh Lauerocke, after he was cheined castyng away his crooch,  

and comfortyng Iohn Apprice his fellow Martyr, sayd vnto him: be of good comfort my brother: for my Lorde of London is our good Phisition. Hee will heale vs both shortly, the of thy blindnes, and mee