Marginalia1557. August.sentence, as they had done the rest before. This Iohn Iohnson affirmed, that in the receiuyng of the sacrament, accordyng to Christes institutiō, he receyueth the body of Christ spiritually. &c.
MarginaliaAlice Munt condemned.Alice Munt, the wife of the said William Munt, of the age of xli. yeares, being also examined as the rest, said and confirmed the same in effecte as her husband dyd, and was therefore also condemned by their bloudy Sentence in like maner.
MarginaliaRose Allen.Rose Allyn mayd, the daughter of the said Alice Munt of the age of twentie yeares, being examined of auricular confession of goyng to Churche to heare Masse, of the Popish seuen Sacramentes. &c. MarginaliaRose Allins aunsweres.aunsweared stoutly that they stanke in the face of God, & shee durst not haue to doo with them for her lyfe, neyther was shee (shee sayd) any member of theirs: for they were the members of Antichrist, and so should haue (if they repented not) the reward of Antichrist. Being asked further what shee could say of the See of the Bishop of Rome, whether shee would obey his authoritie or no: shee answeared boldly, that shee was none of his. As for his See (quoth shee) it is for Crowes, Kites, Owles, and Rauens to swimme in, such as you be: for by the grace of God I shal not swimme in that See, while I lyue, neyther wyl I haue any thing to doo therwith. MarginaliaRose Allin condemned.Then read they the sentence of condemnation against her, & so sent her vnto prison agayne vnto the rest, where shee song with great ioy, to the wonder of many.
[Back to Top]Thus these poore condemned Lambes, beyng deliuered into the hands of the secular power, were commytted agayne euery one vnto the Prison from whence they came, where they remayned with much ioy and great comfort (in continuall readyng, and inuocatyng the name of God) euer lookyng and expectyng the happy day of their dissolution. In which tyme the cruel Papistes leaft not their mischieuous attemptes against them (although they would seeme nowe to haue no more to doo with them) for bloudy Boner, whose throte neuer cryed ho, shortly after got a writ for the burnyng of the foresayd ten good creatures, and to shew the more diligence in the cause, he sent his owne trustye man downe with it, named Edward Cosin, and with hym also his Letter for the furtheraunce of the matter, the thirty day of Iuly, the next moneth after the condemnation.
[Back to Top]I.e., the writ from the lord chancellor authorizing the execution.
The second day of August. 1557. betwixt sixe & seuen of the clocke in the mornyng, was brought from Mote hall vnto a plat of ground hard by the towne wal of Colchester on the outward side, William Bongeor, William Purcas, Thomas Benold, Agnes Siluerside,aliâs Smith, Helene Euring & Elizab. Folkes aforenamed, which being there, & al thyngs prepared for their mayrrtdome at the last these sayd constant persons kneeled downe and made their humble prayers to God, but not in such sort as they would: for the cruell tyrantes would not suffer them: especially one Maister Clere among the rest (who sometyme had bene a Gospeller) shewed hym selfe very extreme vnto them: the Lord geue hym repentance (if it be his good wyl) and grace to be a better man. When they had made their prayers, they rose and made them ready to the fire. And Elizabeth Folkes when shee had pluckt of her Peticote, would haue geuen it to her mother, (which came & kyst her at the stake, and exhorted her to be strong in the Lord) but the wicked there attendyng, would not suffer her to geue it. Therfore takyng the said peticote in her hand, shee threw it away frō her, saying: Farewel al the world farewel faith farewel hope: and so taking the stake in her hand, sayd: Welcome loue. &c. Now shee being at the stake, & one of the officers nayling the chain about her, in the striking of the staple, he mist the place, and strake her with a great stroke of the hammer on the shoulder bone: wherat shee sodainly turned her head, lyftyng vp her eyes to the Lord, aud prayed smilyngly, and gaue her selfe to exhortyng the people agayne.
[Back to Top]When all sixe were also nayled likewise at their stakes, and the fire about them, they clapped their handes for ioy in the fire, that the standers by (whiche were by estimation thousandes) cryed generally all almost: The Lord strengthen them, the Lorde comfort them, the Lorde poure his mercyes vppon them, with such like wordes, as was wonderful to heare.
[Back to Top]Thus yeelded they vp their soules and bodyes into the
Lords handes, for þe true testimonie of his truth. The Lord graunt we may imitate the same in the like quarrell (if he so vouch vs worthy) for his mercyes sake, Amen.
MarginaliaW. Munt, Alice his wyfe, Rose Allin their daughter, Iohn Iohnson, burnt the same day at afternoone.In like manner, the sayde daye in the afternoone, was brought forth into the Castle yard, to a place appoynted for the same, W. Munt, Iohn Iohnson, Alice Munt, and Rose Allyn aforesayd, which godly constant persons, after they had made their prayers, & were ioyfully tyed to þe stakes, callyng vppon the name of God, and exhortyng the people earnestly to flee from Idolatrie, suffered their martyrdome with such triumph & ioy, that the people dyd no lesse showte thereat to see it, then at the other that were burnt the same day in the mornyng.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaThe age of these tenne made the summe of 406.Thus ended all these glorious ten soules that day, their happy lyues vnto the Lord, whose ages al dyd grow to the summe of. 406. yeares or theraboutes. The Lord graunt we may well spende our yeares and dayes likewise, to his glory, Amen.
John Thurston is the husband of Margaret Thurston who was burned in Colchester in September 1557 (see 1563, pp. 1631-33; 1570, pp. 2215-16; 1576, p. 1912, and 1583, pp. 2020-21). This account was printed in the 1563 edition and unchanged in subsequent editions.
MarginaliaIohn Thurston a confessor of Christ. MarginaliaAugust. 2.BEfore you haue heard of the takyng of one Iohn Thurston, at Muchbentley, in the house of one William Munt of the same Towne: whiche sayde Iohn Thurston afterwarde, about the moneth of May, in the yeare aforesaid, dyed in Colchester Castle, a constant confessour of Iesus Christ.
[Back to Top]Foxe's first account of George Eagles appeared in the Rerum on pp. 726-28. (This was the last narrative of a Marian martyr which would appear in the Rerum. Because of Foxe's having to complete the Latin martyrology in haste, the work concluded with a list of those executed from March 1556 until the end of Mary's reign).
[Back to Top]The Rerum account of Eagles was faithfully translated in the 1563 edition. This account was based entirely on information from individual informants. More material from individual informants was added in the 1570 edition. These accounts were on two themes: more detailed and graphic accounts of the physical torments which Eagles had to endure (which demonstrated his constancy and stoicism) and equally detailed and graphic accounts of the divine punishments inflicted on those responsible for Eagles' death (demonstrating that he died a martyr and not a traitor). The account of Eagles was unchanged after the 1570 edition.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaGeorge Eagles Martyred.AMong other Martyrs of singular vertue and constancie, one George Eagles deserueth not the least admiration, but is so much the more to be commēded, for that he hauyng litle learnyng or none, most manfully serued & fought vnder the banner of Christes Church. For oftentymes the wyl and pleasure of God is to beautifie & adorne his kingdome with the weake & simple instrumentes of this world: such as in the old Testament Amos was, who with many other of obscure and vnknowen names, were called from the heards and foldes to the honour of Prophetes: as like wise we reade of the Apostles that were called from fishermens craft, and put into Churches. Wherfore this Georg
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