MarginaliaAnno, 1556. Iuly.Richardus, Petrus, & Iacobus censeantur, vocentur, siue nuncupentur aut nuper censebantur, vocabātur siue nūcupabantur, aut quocūque alio nomine, seu cognomine, aut additione nominis, vel cognominis, dignitatis, officij, artis, aut loci, aliqui eorūdem Hillerij, Nicolai Carie, Iohannis Marchant, Nicolai Martin, Iohannis Blundell, Richardi, Petri, & Iacobi, censeantur, vocentur, siue nuncupentur, aut nuper censebantur, vocabantur, siue nuncupabantur, omnia & omnimoda murdra, homicidia, felonias, & felonicas interfectiones Katherinæ Cauches, & Guilleminæ, & Perotinæ, filiarum eiusdem Katherinæ, & earum cuiuslibet, ac accessarias earundem, ac omnia, & singula, felonias, insultus, verberationes, vulnerationes, combustiones, transgressiones, offensas, riotas, routas, cōuenticula illicita, assemblationes, congregationes, insidiationes, cōspirationes, accessarias, auxiliationes, compercussiones, procurationes, abbettationes, confortationes, & manutentiones, concelamenta, foresfacturas, contemptus, impetitiones, negligētias, & alia malefacta quæcūque, murdra, homicidia & felonicam interfectionem, prædictarum, Katherinæ, Guilleminæ, & Perotinæ, seu alicuius earum tangen. in aliquo, seu concernen. per præ fatos Hillerium, Nicolaum Carie, Iohannem, Nicolaum Martin, Iohannem Blundell, Richardum, Petrum, & Iacobum, seu eorum aliquem vel aliquos, ante præsentem diem, qualitercunque fact. habit. commiss. siue perpetrat. ac omnes & singulas fugam, & fugas, quascūque per præfatos Hillerium, Nicolaum Carie, Iohannem, Nicolaum Martin, Iohānem Blundell, Richardum Deuicke, Petrum Pelley, & Iacobum Amy, seu eorū aliquem, siue aliquos, ratione seu occasione murdra, homicidia, aut feloniam interfectionem præd. fact. siue habit. adeo plene & integre, ac in tam amplis. modo, & forma, prout, si quilibet prædictorum Hellerij Gosselyne, Nicolai Carie, Iohannis Marchant, Nicholai Martin, Iohannis Blundell, Richardi Deuicke, Petri Pelley, & Iacobi Amy, specialiter litteras nostras patentes de perdonatione habuisset.

Perdonauimus etiam, remisimus, & relaxauimus, ac pro nobis hæredibus & successoribus nostris, per præsentes, perdonamus, remittimus, & relaxamus, præfato Hillerio Gosselyne, Nicolao Carie, Iohanni Marchant, Nicolao Martin, Iohanni Blundell, Richardo Deuicke, Petro Pelley, & Amy, & eorum vnicuique hæredibus, executoribus, administratoribus, & assign. suis imperpet. omnes & omnimodas intrusiones, infractiones, & ingressus, per ipsos seu eorum aliquem, eiusuè aut eorum vel alicuius eorū procuratores, agentes, vel ministros, in omnia & singula maneria, terras, tenementa, possessiones, & hæreditamenta nostra, quæcunque, quaruncunque nuper Cantariarum, Gildarum, obit. fraternitat. seu collegiorum nostrorum, aut alicuius seu aliquorum progenitorum nostrorum, infra prædictam insulam de Garnesey existen. ante decimum septimum diem Nouemb. Anno regni nostra primo fact. perpetrat. siue commss. Ac omnia & singula debita, redditus, computa, arreragia, & collectiones, receptiones, detentiones, & non solutiones granorum, & aliorum reddituum, exituum, proficuorum quorumcunque nobis aut alicui progenitorum nostrorum, pro eisdē Cantarijs, Gildis, obit. fraternitatibus, seu collegijs, siue eorum aliquo vel aliquibus, quouismodo ante prædictum decimum septimum diem Nouemb. Decimo Anno regni nostri primo, debit. pertinent. siue spectant.

Perdonauimus, remisimus, & relaxauimus, ac de gratia speciali, ac ex certa sciētia, & mero motu nostris prædictis, pro nobis, hæredibus, & successoribus nostris, per præsentes perdonamus, remittimus, & relaxamus præfatis Hillerio Gosselyne, Nicolao Carie, Iohanni Marchant, Nicolao Martin, & Richardo Deuicke, & eorum cuique liberationem, euasionem, escapiam, & voluntar. ad libertatem positionem cuiusdam Nicolai Norman, nuper de Parochia sancti Saluatoris, infra prædictam insulam Yoman, de homicidio, siue murdro, nuper iudicat. attinct. & conuict. existen. pro interfectione siue murderatione, cuiusdam Iohannis Breghault, de dicta Parochia sancti Saluatoris, infra insulam prædictam, husbandmā. Ac omnia & omnimoda, felonias, crimina, offensas, pœnas, mortis, punitiones, forisfactur. contemptus negligenc. ignorantias ac alia delicta & offensas, quæcunque prædictam liberationem, euasionem, escapiam, & ad libertatem positionem prædicti Nicolai Norman tangendi seu aliquo modo concernen. per præfatos Hillerium, Nicolaum Carie, Iohānem Marchant, Nicolaum Martin, & Richardum Deuicke, seu eorum aliquem, vel aliquos, ante præsentem diem, qualitercunque habit. fact. commiss. siue illapsa.

Perdonauimus etiam, remisimus & relaxauimus, ac per præsentes, ex certa scientia & mero motu nostris, pro

nobis, hæredibus, & successoribus nostris, perdonamus, remittimus & relaxamus, præfatis Hillerio Gosselyne, Nicolao Carie, Iohanni Marchant, Nicolao Martin, Iohanni Blundell, Richardo Deuicke, Petro Pelley, & Iacobo Amy, omnia & omnimoda riotas, routas, illicitas congregationes, & conuenticula illicita, in pacis nostræ perturbationem, per præfatos Hillerium, Nicolaum Carie, Iohānem Marchant, Nicolaum Martin, Iohannem Blundell, Richardum Deuicke, Petrum Pelley, & Iacobum Amy, seu eorum aliquem, siue aliquos, ante hac qualitercunque infra insulam prædictam habit. comiss. fact. siue perpetrat. &c.

¶ Defence of this Garnesey story agaynst M. Harding.  

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This is Foxe's rebuttal of Harding's attack on his account of the Guernsey executions. Essentially Harding's arguments are that Foxe was lying and that even if he wasn't lying, Cauches, Massy and Gilbert brought their deaths upon themselves through their theft, sexual immorality and heresy. Worst of all, Massy, from shame at having an illegitimate child (Harding assumes that the child was illegitimate because Foxe did not mention Massy having a husband in his 1563 account) hid her pregnancy from the officials making her the murderer of her infant son. (Thomas Harding, The Reioindre to Mr Jewels replie against the sacrifice of the Masse [Louvain: 1567], STC 12761, fos. 184r-185v).

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MarginaliaDefence of thys Garnesey story agaynst M. Harding.ANd thus haue you the true narration of this historie, discoursed without corruptyng or falsifiyng any part or sentence therof, no lesse faithfully of my parte reported, then I receaued thē, who dwellyng in the same Isle, and beyng presente the same tyme, were beste acquainted with the matter, and haue giuen sufficient euidence, not onely to me, but also to the Queenes highnesse Commissioners, concernyng the same, as both by the letter of the Bailife, by the sentence of the Deane, by the supplication of the plaintife, and submission of the parties, and likewise by the quenes Pardon graunted vnto them, maie well appeare.

By all whiche proofes and circumstances thus debated, it remaineth manifest for all menne to perceiue, what crueltie, and wrong was wrought againste these poore women aboue specified, and no lesse matter offered, in a case so vniuste, iustly to expostulate, or rather to wōder at the hard hartes of these men, but especially of the catholicke Clergie of Garnesey, who professyng the Gospell of peace and charitie, should after the exāple of Christ, walke in the steppes of mekenesse, & mercie, MarginaliaThe cruel dealing of þ^e Garnesey men against these thre women.and yet contrary, not onely to all Christian charitie and mansuetude, but also against all order of equitie, or humanitie, were so extreme and rigorous, to condemne them to the burnyng fire, vnder the pretensed colour of heresie. Who if they had been heretickes in deede, yet mercie would haue corrected the errour and saue life, equitie would haue considered mannes weake fragilitie, at least true iustice would haue heard bothe the parties aduisedly, and also substauncially haue surueighed the cause, and not to rashe out the sentence of death so hastely, as they did: yea, and though they had been heretikes in deede, yet true christiā charitie would haue stretched farther, and at least to haue giuen thē laisure, and respite of tyme, to reclame them selues. But now what is here to bee saied, they beyng no heretickes at all, as neither it could then, nor yet can be proued? For if king Edwardes Religion (whiche was obiected to them) were heresie, yet were they then no heretickes, whē thei reuoked the same: and if Queene Maries Religion were heresie, then were they muche more heretickes thē selues whiche condemned them of heresie.

But moste of all we haue herein to wonder at Master Hardyng, who in his late reioynder,MarginaliaMaister Harding in his Reioynder against M. Iewell. pag. 184. writtē against the Bishoppe of Salisburie, notwithstandyng all these euidences, and demonstrations so certaine, and manifestly appearyng, yet goeth about, firste to deny the storie, termyng it to be a fable, afterwarde beyng forced to flie a statu inficiali, and to admitte the storie, he remoueth ad translationem criminis, and there sekyng by all meanes, to cleare the Clergie from the spot of crueltie, transferreth the whole blame onely, vpon the women that suffered, but principally vppon poore Perotine: MarginaliaTwoo crimes obiected against Perrotine Massey.whom he specially chargeth with twoo capital crimes, to witte, whoredome, and murder.

And firste, touchyng his accusation of whoredome, let vs heare, how he proueth his matter. MarginaliaMaister Harding in his Reioinder fo. 184. pag. 2.Because (saieth he) by storie it is graunted, that she was with childe: and yet the Historiographer doeth not declare (neither durst for shame) who was her husbād, or father to the child. &c. As though Historiographers beyng occupied in setting forthe the persecution of Gods people, sufferyng death for religion, and doctrine of Christ, were bound, or had nothyng els to doe, but to plaie the Sumner, and to bryng forthe, who were housbandes to the wiues, and fathers to their children: whiche newfound lawe of historie, being neuer required before, nor obserued of any storie writers, if M. H. now shall exacte of me, firste let hym begin with hymself, and shew vs (as wise as he is)