MarginaliaAnno. 1556. Iuly.you are troubled otherwise (the Lord comforte you and all heuie hartes) neither will I spend ynke and paper for my purgation in this point. God he knoweth whether I be so mindles of my promise as it appeareth in your sight I am. Your request I will truly performe to the vttermost of my power, as gladly as any poore wretch shall doe in the world, and I thanke God I haue done no lesse of long tyme. And as my poore prayer shalbe a handmayd to wayte vppon you which way so euer you ryde or goe, so I besech you that my simple counsell may take some place in you, in this time of your pilgrimage, which you passe in no small perill: God keepe and preserue you for his names sake. I doe not disalow, but much praise and commende your harty boldenes in putting your self in preasse, when any one of Gods people needeth your helpe in any point. MarginaliaHe counselleth Augustine to be circumspect, and not rashly to thrust him self in daunger.But yet I would not haue you thrust your selfe in daunger, when you can doe them no good, or at least wise when they may well enough spare that good you would doe them: For if you shoulde then chaunce to be taken, you shall not onely be no comfort vnto them, but also a great discomfort, adding sorrow vnto their sorrow.

I doe not persuade you to absent your selfe from any place where your presence of necessitie is required: for in all such places, I know, God will preserue you, as he hath hetherto wonderfully done, praised bee his name therfore: or if it shall please him to permitte you in any such place to be taken, I know he will most sweetely comfort your conscience with this consideration, that it is the very prouidence and appointment of God that you should there and then be taken vp for a witnes of his truth vnto the worlde: but I can not alow, nor bee contented that you should rashely or negligently thrust your selfe into that place where your wicked enemies doe continually haunt, yea and lay waite for you, when no necessitie of your selfe nor of any other of Gods people doth require your companie. If they neede any of your godly counsell, you may write vnto them that thing that you thinke good: which (I dare say) will be sufficient vnto them. For (continuall thankes and praises be geuen vnto the euerlasting God) there is none of those that bee cruelly condemned for Gods truth, that now be weakelinges: for they haue manfully passed through the pikes, and they haue boldly abidden the brunt of the battel, & therefore I recken the worst is past with them already: So that now and then a godly letter from you to them, shall doe as much good as your company shall doe, and perchaunce more too: for writing sticketh longer in the memorie then wordes doe: yea though your letters were as short to them, as your last was to me, so that the same be something sweter and not althing so sharpe.

This (deare brother) is the simple counsell which I would gladly haue you obserue, partly for that I hartely pray for your preseruation to the commoditie of Christes Churche, and partly for that I vnfainedly wish the peace, comfort, and tranquilitie of your owne cōscience, MarginaliaA good conscience is soone troubled.which I know will bee quickely readie to accuse you, if you do any thing wherin you haue not the word of God for your warrant. For in a glasse that is cleare, a small mote will soone appeare: euen so the good conscience of Gods chosen children being more cleare then Cristall, will quickely accuse them at the least fault they do commit, where as the wicked worldlinges haue their conscience so clogged & corrupted through the custome of sinne, that they can not once see nor perceaue their own shamefull deedes and wicked workes, vntill God set the same before them for their vtter destruction, and then despaire they immediatly. But seing that God hath geuen you a cleare conscience and a pure, sharpe, quicke, & liuely sight in your soule, I would wishe you to beware that you doe nothing vnaduisedly, but vpon a good ground. For an accusing conscience is a sore thing when death doth approch, MarginaliaConscience of sinne sometyme is taken where none is committed.and then Sathan will not sticke to tell you that you haue to much tempted God, when peraduenture you haue done nothing so at all. For this cause (I say) partly I haue thought it good to admonish you (as I haue done often) to be circumspect, according to the counsel of Christ, which biddeth you to MarginaliaMath. 10.beware of men. Other thinges I haue not to write, for I know this bearer can certifie you of all thinges at large, better then I can declare it by writing.

I besech you good Augustine, helpe mee forwardes with your hartie prayers, for I trust I haue but a small time to tarie in this troublesome world. MarginaliaD. Story.Doct. Story told our Marshall that we should all be dispatched so soone as he came from Oxforde, whether he and other bloudy

butchers bee gone to make slaughter of Christes sheepe that lye there appointed to bee slaine. God for Christes sake put them and such like, besides their cruell purpose, if it be his good will and pleasure: Amen good Lord. I pray you do my most hartie commēdations to my deare sister and faithfull frend, good Mistres Mary Glouer. I besech God be her comfort, as I doubt not but hee is. I am very glad to heare that she doth so ioyfully & so patiently beare this great crosse that God hath layd vpon her. I pray God strengthen her, and all other his deare Saintes vnto the ende, Amen. Commende me vnto my deare and faithfull Sister Elizabeth B. I thanke her most hartely for my napkin and so I do you deare brother, for my sherte. Truly that daye that wee were appointed to come to our answere before the Commissioners (which had sent word the same morning, that they would come to the Kinges Bench by viij. of the clocke, and the house and all thinges were trimmed and made ready for them) MarginaliaThe Christian courage of Iohn Careles.I got that shert on my backe & that napkin in my hand, and me thought that they did helpe to harnesse me and weapon me well, to go fight against that bloudy beast of Babylon. And trust me truly, if they had come, I would haue strikē iij. strokes the more for your two sakes, aswell as God would haue abled me to haue set them on, as by Gods grace I will not faile to doe at the next skirmishe that I come to: Wherefore I pray you pray for me, that I may be strong and hardie to lay on good loade. Oh that I might so strike him down, that he should neuer be able for to rise againe. But that stroke belongeth onely vnto the Lord, to strike at his comming, the which I trust will bee shortely. Oh hasten it good Lorde, and shorten these sorowfull and sinfull dayes, for thy great mercies sake.

Farewell my deare and faithfull louyng brother. The Lord defend, keepe, and preserue you from the power of your enemies visible and inuisible, and send vs a most ioyfull & mery metyng here or elswhere, as it shall please his goodnes to appoint vs. In the meane space I shal most earnestly desire you to pray for me, for I neuer had more neede in my life: and doubtles you shall neuer want my poore prayer, if it shall please God to accept the prayer of so sinnefull a wretch as I am. The Lorde impute not my sinnes to me, for Iesus Christes sake: vnto whose most mercifull defence, I doe most hartely commit you. The blessing of God be with you now and euer, Amen. I pray you doe my most hartie commendations vnto MarginaliaOf this Iohn Glouer, read before pag. 1620.M. Iohn Glouer. I doe not forget him in my dayly prayers, and I trust he doth remember me.

Your poore brother, alwayes mindfull of
you in my prayer, Iohn Careles prisoner,
abydyng Gods pleasure.

¶ To my deare brother Harry Adlington  

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Adlington was one of the martyrs executed at Stratford-le-Bow on 27 June 1556. In this remarkable letter, Careless would have been coaching Adlington on what to say at his trial.

prisoner in the Lolardes Tower.  

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This letter was first printed in Letters of the Martyrs, pp. 611-16. This letter was written between 6 and 13 June 1556.

MarginaliaAn other Letter of Iohn Careles to Henry Adlingtō after a Martyr , partly conforting, and partly coūselling hym how to answere his aduersaries.THe euerlasting peace of God in Iesus Christ, the continuall aide, strength, ioy, and comfort of his most pure, holy, and mightie spirite, with the increase of faith and liuely feeling of his mercies: be most effectuously wrought in your hart, my deare and faithfull louing brother Adlington, & in the hartes of all your other godly prison fellowes, to the full finishing of that good worke, which the Lorde hath most graciously begon in you: that the same may be to the setting forth of his glory, the cōmoditie of his poore afflicted Church, & to your owne eternall ioy and comfort in him, Amen.

My most deare and faithfull louing brother in our Lord, I with all the rest of my louing brethren here with me, do most humbly and hartely cōmende vs vnto you, with all faithful remembraunce of you in our daily prayers, geuing God earnest thankes on your moste happie behalfe, for that he hath geuen you such hartie boldnes and Christian constancie in the faithfull confessiō of his euerlasting veritie. Blessed be God for thee my dearely beloued brother, whiche hath vouched thee worthy of so great dignitie, as to suffer for his sake and the settyng forth of his glorie. Oh glad in hart mayest thou bee, to whom it is geuen, not onely to beleue in thy Lorde and Christ most liuely: but also to suffer for his sake, as one of his seely shepe appointed to the slaughter. Be of good comfort therfore my good brother, for your calling vnto the crosse of Christe, was after a marueilous sort. Surely, it was onely the Lordes appointment, and therefore he will well performe his owne worke in and vpon you, to the great magnifying of hys glorie, and comfort of your brethren: whose hartes are mightely refreshed, to heare how hartely you haue behaued your self hetherto.