Marginalia1556. Iuly.¶ To my most deare and faithful brethren in Newgate, condemned to die for the testimonie of Gods euerlasting truth.  

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This letter was first printed in 1563 (pp. 1449-50) where it was wronglyattributed to Philpot. It was then reprinted in Letters of the Martyrs, pp. 560-64 and then in all subsequent editions of the Acts and Monuments. The orginal letter is ECL 260, fos. 130r-131r. ECL 260, fos. 217r-218r and ECL 262, fos. 53r-v and 58v-59r are copies of this letter. It was written between 18 March 1556, when Tyms was condemned, and 24 April 1556, when Tyms was burned.

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MarginaliaAn other letter of Iohn Careles to the constant brethren in Newgate cōdemned.THe euerlasting peace of God in Iesus Christ, the continual ioy, strength and comfort of his most pure, holy, and mighty spirite, with the increase of fayth & liuely feeling of his eternal mercy, be with you, my most deare & faithful louyng brother Tyms, and with al the rest of my deare harts in the Lorde, your faithfull felow souldiers and most cōstant companions in bondes, yea of men condemned most cruelly for the sincere testimonie of Gods euerlasting truth, to the ful finishing of that good worke, which he hath so graciously begon in you all, that the same may be to his glory, the commoditie of his poore afflicted church, and to your euerlasting comfort in hym. Amen.

Ah my most sweete and louyng brethren, and dearest hartes in the Lord, what shall I say, or howe shall I write vnto you in the least point or part, to vtter the great ioy that my poore hart hath conceiued in God, MarginaliaExample of true loue and charitie among the Martyrs.through the most godly example of your Christian constancie and sincere confession of Christes veritie? Truely my tongue can not declare, nor my penne expresse the abundance of spiritual myrth and gladnes, that my mynde and inwarde man hath fealt, euer since I heard of your harty boldnes, and modest behaueour before that bloudy butcher, in the tyme of al your crafty examinations, especially at your cruell condemnation in their cursed Consistory place. Blessed be God the father of all mercy, & praysed be his name, for that he hath so graciously performed vpon you his deare darlynges, his moste sweete and comfortable promises, in not onely geuyng you the continuall ayde, strength, and comfort of his holy and mightye spirite, to the faythfull confession of his Christe, for whose cause (O most happy men) ye are condemned to dye: but also in geuyng you such a mouth & wisedome, as al your wicked enemies were not able to resist, but were fayne to crye: Peace, peace, & not suffer you to speake. MarginaliaThe enemyes not able to with stand the wisedome of God in his Sainctes, but compelled to byd them holde their peace.As truely as God lyueth (my deare brethren) this is not only vnto you a most euident probation that God is on our side, and a sure certaintie of your euerlasting saluation in him, but also to your cruel aduersaries (or rather Gods cursed enemies) a plain demōstration of their iust eternal woe & damnation which they shal be ful sure shortly to feele, when ye shal ful sweetly possesse the place of felicity and pleasure prepared for you frō the beginnyng.

Therefore (my dearly beloued) cease not so long as ye be in this lyfe, to prayse the Lorde with a lusty courage, for that of his great mercy and infinite goodnes, he hath vouched you worthy of this great dignitie, to suffer for his sake, not onely the losse of goodes, wyfe, and chyldren long imprisonment, cruel oppression &c. but also the very depriuation of this mortall lyfe, with the dissolution of your bodyes in the fire. The which is the greatest promotion that GOD can bring you or any other vnto in this vale of miserie, yea so great an honour, as the highest Aungell in heauen is not permitted to haue: & yet hath the Lord (for his dere sonne Christes sake reputed you worthy of the same, yea and that before me and many other, MarginaliaIohn Careles longeth to dye a Martyr in the Gospels cause.which haue both long looked and longed for the same.

Ah my most deare brother Tyms, whose tyme resteth altogether in the handes of the Lorde, in a full happy tyme camest thou into this troublesome worlde, but in a muche more blessed houre shalt thou departe forth of the same: so that the sweete saying of Salomon, or rather of the holy ghost, shall be full well verified vppon thee, yea and all thy faythful felowes: MarginaliaEccle. 7.Better is the day of death (saith he) then the day of byrth. This saying can not be verified vpon euery man, but vpon thee my deare brother, and suche as thou art, whose death is most precious before God, and full deare shal your bloud be in his sight. Blessed be God for thee my deare brother MarginaliaOf the Martyrdome of thys Tyms read before pag. 1788.Tymmes and blessed be God agayn that euer I knew thee, for in a most happy tyme I came first into thy company. Pray for me, deare brother, pray for me, that God wil once vouch me worthy of that great dignitie wherunto he hath now brought you.

Ah my louyng brother MarginaliaThe Martyrdome of Drake. ibid.Drake, whose soule draweth nowe nigh vnto GOD, of whom you haue receyued the same, full glad maye you be that euer GOD gaue you a lyfe to leaue for his sake: Full well wyll he restore it to you againe in a thousand folde more glorious wise. Prayse God, good brother, as you haue great cause, and pray for me, I beseeche you, which am so much vnworthy (so great are my sinnes) of that great dignitie wherunto the Lord hath called you and the rest of your godly brethren: whom I beseeche you to comfort in the Lord, as you can ful wel: praysed be God for his gyftes, whiche you haue hartily applyed to the settyng forth of his glory, and the commoditie of his poore afflicted Church. Which thyng shal surely redounde

to your euerlasting ioy & cōfort, as you shall most effectually feele or euer it be long, though the wicked of þ^e world iudge farre otherwise.

Ah myne own harts, and most dearly beloued brethren, MarginaliaThe Martyrdome of Cauell, Ambrose and both the Spurges, read in the same page. 1788.Cauell, Ambrose, and both the Spurges: blessed be the Lord on your behalf, and praysed be his name: which hath geuen you such a glorious victorie. Full valiaunt haue you shewed your selues in the Lordes fight, & full faythfully in your paynful seruice. Faint not, but goe on forward as yee haue most godly begon, for great shal your reward be at the end of this your trauaile. Ah my good faithfull brethren all, what shall I say, or what shall I write vnto you, but euen the same that good Elizabeth did say to her godly kinswoman Mary the blessed mother of Christ: MarginaliaLuke. 1.Happy art thou (quoth that good woman) whiche hast beleued: for all thinges whiche the Lord hath spoken to thee, shalbe fulfilled. So I say to you (my deare hartes in the Lord) happy are ye al, yea twise happy shal ye be for euermore, because ye haue stedfastly beleued the most sweet promises which God the father hath made vnto you with his own mouth, in that he hath promised you (which are the faithful seede of the beleuyng Abraham) that ye shall be blessed euer, world without end. The promises of God your sweete father, as ye doo beleue, so doo ye beare record that God is true. The testimonie wherof ye haue ful worthily borne to the world, & shortly wil ful surely seale the same with your bloud, yea euen to morow, I doo vnderstand. MarginaliaHe encourageth Gods Martyrs vnto their death.Oh constant Christians: oh valiant souldiers of the high captaine Iesus Christe, who for your sake hath conquered the deuyll, death, sinne, & hell, and hath geuen you ful victorie ouer thē for euermore. Oh worthy witnesses, and most glorious martyrs, whose inuincible faith hath ouercome that proude, sturdy, bragging prince of the world, & all his wicked army, ouer whom ye shall shortly triumph for euermore. Ah my sweet harts, the euerlastyng treasures are ful surely layd vp for you in heauen. The immercessible and most glorious crowne of victorie is already made & prepared for you, to be shortly clapt vpō al your happy heades. The holy angels of your heauenly father are already appoynted to conduct your sweete soules into Abrahams bosome. All the heauenly host reioyseth already, for that they shal shortly receiue you with ioy and felicitie into their blessed felowship. Selah.

Reioyce with double ioye, and be glad my deare brethren, for doubtles ye haue more cause then can be expressed But (alas) I that for my sinnes am leaft behynd, may lye and lament with the holy Prophete saying: MarginaliaPsal. 119.Woe is me that the dayes of my ioyfull rest are prolonged. Ah cursed Satan, whiche hath caused me so sore to offende my moste deare louyng father, whereby my exile and banishment is so much prolonged. Oh Christ my aduocate, pacifie thy fathers wrath, whiche I haue iustly deserued, that he maye take me home to him in his sweet mercy. Oh that I might nowe come home vnto thee with my blessed brethren. Well, thy wyll (O Lorde) be effectuously fulfilled, for it is onely good, and turneth al thinges to the best, for such as thou in thy mercyes hast chosen.

And nowe farewell my deare hartes, most happy in the Lord. I trust in my good God, yet shortly to see you in the celestiall citie, whereof vndoubtedly the Lorde hath already made you free citizens. Though ye be yet with vs for a litle tyme, your verye home is in heauen, where your treasure doth remayne with your sweete Lorde and Redeemer Iesus Christe, whose calling you haue hearde with the eares of your hartes, and therefore ye shall neuer come into iudgement, but passe from death to life. Your sinnes shall neuer be remembred, be they neuer so many, so greeuous or so great: for your Saueour hath cast them all into the bottome of the Sea: MarginaliaPsal. 103.he hath remoued them from you as farre as the East is from the West, and his mercye hath muche more preuailed ouer you, then is distance betweene heauen & earth: MarginaliaTriumph of Martyrs.and he hath geuen you for an euerlasting possession of the same, all his holynes, righteousnes, & iustification, yea & the holy ghost into your hartes, wherwith ye are surely sealed vnto the day of redemption, to certifie you of your eternal election, and that ye are his true adopted sonnes, wherby ye may boldly cry vnto God: Abba deare father, for euermore: so that nowe no creature in heauen, earth, nor hell, shal be able to accuse you before the throne of the heauēly king. Satan is nowe cast out from you: he hym selfe is iudged, and hath no part in you. MarginaliaGen. 3.He wil once more bite you by the heele, and then he hath done, for at that tyme you shall squise his head through your own good Christ, and so haue you finall victory for euermore. In ioyful triūph wherof, ye shal sweetly ascende into the place of eternall rest, whether your eldest brother Christ is gone before you, to take possession for you, and to prepare your place vnder the holy altar, with Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, Rogers, Hooper, Saunders, Farrar, Taylour, Bradford, Philpot, with many other, who