Marginalia1557. Aprill.magnifie his holy name, and so to breake the bread & drinke the wyne, in remembraunce that Christ hath geuen his body and shed his bloud for vs.

Thus ye may well perceaue, though Christ called the bread his body, and the wyne his bloud, yet it followeth not, that the substaunce of his body should bee in the bread and wine: as diuers places in Scripture are spoken by Christ and the Apostles in like phrase of speach, as in Iohn. 15. I am the true vine, also in Iohn the. 10. I am the doore, and as it is written in the 9. to the Hebrues, and in Exodus 24. how Moyses tooke the bloud of the Calues and sprinckled both the booke and all the people, saying: This is the bloud of the couenaunt or Testament. And also in the 5. Chapter of Ezechiell, how the Lord sayd vnto him cōcernyng the third part of his heare, saying: This is Hierusalem &c.

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MarginaliaHow the Scriptures ought to be examined.Thus we see the Scriptures how they are spoken in figures, and ought to be spiritually examined, and not as they would haue vs to say, that the bodily presence of Christ is in the bread, whiche is a blasphemous vnderstandyng of the godly word, and is contrary to all holy Scriptures. MarginaliaIdolatry in worshipping the Scramētall bread and wyne.Also we do see that great Idolatry is sprong out of the carnall vnderstandyng of the word of Christ: This is my body, and yet dayly springeth, to the great dishonour of God, so that men worshyp a peece of bread for God, yea and hold that to be their maker.

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After this confession of their fayth and doctrine, beyng written and exhibited, they also deuised a letter withall, in maner of a short Supplication, or rather an admonition to the Iudges and Commissioners, requiryng that Iustice and Iudgement, after the rule of Gods word might be ministred vnto thē. The copy of which their letter I thought here also to shew vnto the Reader in forme as foloweth.

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MarginaliaA letter or request of the prisoners to the Iudges.TO the right honorable audience before whom these our simple writynges and the Confession of our fayth shall come to bee read or sene, we poore prisoners beyng fast in bandes vppon the triall of our fayth, whiche we offer to be tryed by the Scriptures, pray most hartely, that for asmuch as God hath geuen you power and strength ouer vs, as concernyng our bodyes, vnder whom we submit our selues as obedient subiectes in all thynges due, ye beyng officers and rulers of the people, may execute true Iudgement, keepe the lawes of righteousnesse, gouerne the people accordyng to right, and to heare the poore and helpeles in truth, and to defend their cause.

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GOD for his sonne Iesus Christes sake, geue you the wisedome and vnderstandyng of Salomon, Dauid, Ezechias, Moyses, with diuers other most vertuous rulers, by whose wisedome and most godly vnderstandyng, the people were iustly ruled, and gouerned in the feare of God, all wickednesse was by them ouerthrowen and beaten downe, and all godlynes and vertue did florishe and spryng. O God which art the most highest, the creator and maker of all thynges, and of all men both great and small, and carest for all alike, whiche doest try all mens workes and imaginations, before whose Iudgement seate shall come both hyghe and low, rich and poore, we most humbly besech thee to put into our rulers hartes the pure loue and feare of thy name, that euen as they themselues would be iudged, and as they shall make aunswere before thee, so to heare our causes, to iudge with mercy, and to read ouer these our requestes and confessions of our fayth, with deliberation, and a godly iudgement.

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And if any thyng here seemeth to your honorable audience to be erroneous or disagreeyng to the Scripture, if it shall please your Lordshyp to heare vs patiently, which do offer our selues to the Scripture, thereby to make aunswere, and to bee tryed, in so doyng we poore subiectes beyng in much captiuitie and bondage are most bounde to pray for your noble estate and long preseruation.

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The request of these men beyng so iust, and their doctrine so sounde, yet all this could not preuayle with the Byshoppe and other Iudges, but that Sentence should haue proceeded agaynst them incontinent, had not the goodnesse of the Lorde better prouided for his seruauntes, then the Byshoppe had intended. For as they were now vnder the edge of the Axe, ready to be condemned by Sentence, it was thought otherwise by the Cardinall, and some other wiser heades fearyng belike, lest by the death of so many together, some disturbaunce might rise peraduenture among the people, and so was decreed among themselues, that rather they should make some submission or confession, such as they would them selues, and so to be sent home agayne, as they were in deede: howbeit diuers of them afterward were ap-

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prehended and put to death. But in the meane space as touchyng their submission which they made, this it was, as in forme here followeth.

MarginaliaAn easy submission of the prisoners.BEcause our Sauiour Christ at his last Supper tooke bread, and when he had geuen thankes, he brake it, and gaue it vnto his Disciples and sayd: Take, eate, this is my body whiche is geuen for you, this do in the remembraunce of me: Therfore accordyng to the wordes of our Sauiour Iesus Christ, we do beleue in the Sacramēt, to be Christs body. And likewise he tooke the cuppe, gaue thankes, and gaue it to his Disciples and sayd, This is my bloud of the new Testament, which is shed for many.

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Therefore likewise we do beleue that it is the bloud of Christ, accordyng as Christes Church doth Minister the same. Vnto the whiche Catholicke Church of Christ, we do in this, like as in al other matters submit our selues, promising therein to lyue as it becommeth good Christen men, and here in this Realme to vse our selues, as it becommeth faithfull subiectes vnto our most gracious King & Queene, and to all other superiours both spirituall and temporall, accordyng to our bounden duties.

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The names of them which subscribed to this submission were these, Iohn Atkine, Alyn Symson,  

Richard George. Thomas Firefanne, William Munt, Richard Iolye, Richard Gratwicke, Thomas Wynsley, Richard Rothe, Richard Clerke, Stephen Glouer, Robert Colman, Thomas Merse, William Bongeor, Robert Bercocke, Margeret Hide, Elyn Ewryng, Christian Pepper, Margaret Feld, Alyce Munt, Ioane Winsley, Cysly Warren, Rose Alyn, Anne Whitlocke, George Barker, Iohn Saxbye, Thomas Locker, Alyyce Locker.

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MarginaliaAprill. 12.TO proceede further in this story of persecuted Martyrs, next in order follow fiue other burned at Lōdon in Smithfield in the foresaid yeare of the Lord. 1557. Aprill 12. whose names were these.MarginaliaV. Martyrs.

Thomas Loseby. Henry Ramsey. Thomas Thyrtell.

Margaret Hyde, and Agnes Stanley.

Who beyng, some by the Lord Rich, some by other Iustices of peace, and Constables (their owne neighbours) at the first accused, and apprehended for not commyng to their Parishe Churches, were in the end sent vnto Boner Byshop of London, and by his commaundement the xxvij. day of Ianuary, were examined before Doctour Darbyshyre, then Chauncellour to the sayd Byshop, vpon the former generall Articles mentioned, pag. 1585. MarginaliaTouching these articles read before pag. 1585.

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MarginaliaTheir aunsweres to the articles.WHose aunsweres thereunto were, that as they confessed there was one true and Catholicke Church, wherof they stedfastly beleued, and thought the Church of Rome to be no part or member: so in the same Churche they beleued there were but two Sacramentes, MarginaliaTwo sacraments onely.that is to say: Baptisme, and the Supper of the Lord. Howbeit some of them attributed the title and honour of a Sacrament, to the holy estate of Matrimony, which vndoubtedly was done rather of simple ignoraunce thē of any wilfull opiniō, and are therof to be adiudged as before is admonished.

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Moreouer, they acknowledged themselues to be Baptised into the fayth of that true Church, as in the third Article is specified. And here in readyng, as well of these Articles,  

as also of the rest, marke I beseech you, the crafty subteltie of these Catholicke champions, who intermitting certaine poyntes of fayth, and of the true Church, with the Idolatrous and supersticious mametrie of their Romish Sinagoge, cause the poore and simple people, for lacke of knowledge, oftentymes to fall into their crafty nettes.

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For after they haue made them graunt a true Churche, with the Sacramentes of the same, though not in such number as they would haue them, and also that they were Christened into the fayth therof, that is, in the name of the Father, of the Sonne, and the holy Ghost, MarginaliaCrafty dealing of the Papistes.they craftely now in the other their obiections, descendyng as it were from the fayth of the Trinitie, vnto their Idolatrous Masse and other superstitious ceremonyes, would make them graunt, that now in denying thereof, they haue seuered them selues from the fayth of the true Churche, whereunto they were Baptised, whiche is most false. For though the true light of Gods Gospell and holy word, was marueilously darkened,

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