Marginalia1557. August.Eagles is not to be neglected for his base occupatiō, whom Christ called thence to set forth and declare abroad his gospell. Rather we ought to glorifie God the more thereby in his holynes, which in so blynde a tyme inspired hym with the gift of preaching, and constancie of suffering: who after a certaine tyme he had vsed the occupation of a Taylor, being eloquent and of good vtteraunce, gaue and applyed hym selfe to the profite of Christes church.

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Which man, as before in those most bright & cleare daies of king Edward the sixt, he had not vnfruitfully shewed & preached the power and force of the Lorde: so afterward in the tempestuous tyme and fall of the church (at what tyme the confessors of Christe and his Gospell were turmoyled, diuers of them murthered, part banished, and other some constrayned for feare not to shew their heades) he expressed and vttered his manly stomacke. For he wandring abroad into diuers and farre Countreys, where he could finde any of his brethren, he dyd there most earnestly encourage and comfort them, not tarying in this towne, and sometyme abidyng in that certaine monethes together,MarginaliaThe painfull trauell of George Eagles. as occasion serued, lodging sometyme in þ^e countrey about, & sometyme for feare liuyng in fieldes & woodes, who for his immoderate & vnreasonable goyng abroade, was called Trudgeouer. Oftentymes he dyd lye abroade in the night without couert, spendyng the most part thereof in deuoute and earnest prayer. His diet was so aboue measure spare and sclender, that for the space of three yeares, he vsed for the moste parte, to drinke nothing but very water, wherunto he was compelled through necessitie of the tyme of persecution: and after when he perceiued that his body by Gods prouidence proued wel enough with this diet, he thought best to inure him selfe therwithal against al necessities.

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Nowe when he had profited Christes Church in this sort, by going about and preachyng the Gospell a yeare or two, and especially in Colchester and the quarters thereabout, that priuie enimie which enuieth alwayes the saluation and blessed estate of the good, lurketh and layeth wayte by al meanes possible for hym, so that there were diuers espies sent out, who had in commaundement, where soeuer they founde hym, to bryng hym either quicke or dead.  

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But whē this their attēpt could not preuayle, but all was in vaine (the sayde Eagles with his brethren keepyng in close, and hidyng them selues in out and darke places, as in barnes, thickets, holes, and priuie closets) his aduersaries went about another way to compasse this their enterprise of taking hym. For in the Queenes name a greeuous Edict was proclaymed throughout foure Shyres, Essex, Suffolke, Kent, and Northfolke,  

promising the party that tooke hym, twenty pound for his paines: doubtles a worthy hyre to entice any Iew to treachery. For many being inflamed with greedy desire of the money, deuised & inuented all wayes and reasons they could possible to be enriched with the hurt and destruction of this sely man.

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At length it came to passe, that this George being seene by chaunce at Colchester vppon Mary Magdalen day,  

at which tyme they kept a Fayre in the Towne, shoulde haue forthwith bene deliuered to his aduersaries, if he perceiuyng the same (as God would haue it) had not conueyed hym self away as fast as he could, a great multitude pursuyng after, and seeking diligently for hym. Who first hyd hym selfe in a Groue, and from thence he stale into a corne fielde there by, and so lay secretly couched from the violence of his enimies, in so much as they were all, sauyng one, past hope of takyng him, and therfore ready to depart their way. This one hauyng more subtilty and wicked craft in his head thē the rest, would not depart thence with his felowes, but clymed vp into a high tree, there to viewe and espie if he might see Egles any where styrre or moue. The poore mā thinking all sure enough, by reason that he heard no noyse abroade, rose vp vpon his knees, and lyftyng vp his hands, prayed vnto God. And whether it were for that his head was aboue the corne, or because his voyce was heard, the lurker perceiuyng his desired pray that he hunted after, forthwith came downe, and sodainly laying handes on hym, brought hym as prisoner to Colchester.   MarginaliaQuo non mortalia pectora cogis, auri sacra fames. Virg. Aeneid. 1.Notwithstanding the greedy and Iudas knaue which had so much promised hym, was fayne to be contented with a very small reward, and glad to take that too, least he should haue had nothyng at all.

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This George, not without great lamētation of diuers good men, and great lacke vnto the church of God (of which to his power he was a worthy instrument) was committed to prison there, and from thence within foure dayes after conueyed to Chelmsford, where he aboade all that night in deuoute prayer, and woulde not sleepe, neyther woulde eate or drinke, but bread and water. The next day he was carryed to London to the Bishop or the Counsayle, & there remayned a certayne tyme, and then was brought downe

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to Chelmsford to the Sessions, and there was indicted and accused of treason, because he had assembled companyes together, contrary to the lawes and statutes of the Realme in that case prouided. For so it was ordeyned a litle before, to auoyde sedition, that if men should flocke secretly together, aboue the number of sixe, they should be attached of treason: which strayt law was the casting away of the good Duke of Somerset before mentioned.

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And albeit it was well knowen that poore Eagles dyd neuer any thyng seditiously agaynst þ^e Queene, yet to cloke an honest matter withall, and to cause hym to be the more hated of the people, they turned Religion into a ciuile offence and crime, and though he defended his cause stoutly and boldly, making a full declaration of his religion or fayth before the Iudges: yet coulde he not bryng to passe by any meanes, but that he must needes be indicted (as is said) of treason, whose indictment dyd run much after this fashion.

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MarginaliaGeorge Eagles inditement.George Eagles, thou art indicted by þ^e name of George Eagles, otherwise Trudgeouer the worlde, for that thou didst such a day make thy prayer, that God should turne Q. Maryes hart, or els take her away.

He denyed that he prayed that God should take her away, but he confessed that he prayed that God would turne her harte in his prayer. Well, notwithstandyng he was condemned for a traytor, although the meanyng therof was for Religion.

This thyng done, he was caryed to the newe Inne, called the signe of the Crowne in Chelmsforde, by the beastly Bayliffes, whiche some of them were they that before dyd the best to take hym, and beyng in the Inne, one MarginaliaRichard Potto Inholder at the Cocke in Chelmsford.Richard Potto the elder, an Inholder, dwellyng at the signe of the Cocke in the same town, dyd much trouble hym in perswadyng hym to confesse he had offended the Queene in his prayer whiche he was condemned for, and to aske her forgeuenes. To whom he sayde, that he had not offended her grace in that behalfe. So in processe of tyme he was layde vpon a Sled with an Hnrdle on it, and drawen to the place of execution being fast bound, hauyng in his hand a Psalme booke, of the which he read very deuoutly all the way with a loude voyce tyll he came there: and beyng on the Ladder, this aforesaid Potto did much trouble him with þ^e matter aforesaid, when he would haue vttered other things, til such tymeas the Sheriffe commaunded Potto to holde his peace and trouble hym no more. So he made his confession and stood very constant styl: then he was turned of the ladder. With hym were cast certaine theeues also, and the next day when they were brought out to be executed with hym, there happened a thing that dyd much set forth and declare the innocencie and godlynes of this man. For being led betweene two theeues to the place where he should suffer, when as he exhorted both them and all other, to stand stedfastly to the truth, one of these turned the counsell he gaue into a iesting matter, and made but a flowte of it.

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Why should we doubt to obtaine heauen, saith he, for as much as this holy man shall go before vs, as captaine & leader vnto vs in the way. We shall flee thither strayt, as soone as he hath once made vs the entrie.

In this, George Eagles and that other dyd greatly reproue hym, who on the other side gaue good heede to Georges exhortation, earnestly bewailyng his owne wickednes, and callyng to Christe for mercy. But the more that the first was bydde to be styll and to leaue of his scoffing, the more peruerse dyd he continue in his foolishnesse and his wicked behaueor. At length he came to the Gallowes, where they should be hanged, but George was carryed to an other place there by to suffer. Betwene the two it was the godlyers chaunce to goe the foremost, who beyng vpon the Ladder, after he had exhorted the people to beware and take heede to thēselues, how they dyd transgresse the commaundementes of GOD, and then had committed his soule into Gods handes, he ended his life after a godly and quiet maner.

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MarginaliaAn example to be noted of a theefe, reiecting and deriding wholesome and Godly preaching.The mockers turne commeth next, which would haue sayd likewise somewhat: but his tongue dyd so fumble and and faltar in his head, that he was not able to speake a worde. Fayne would he haue vttered his mynd, but he could not bring it out. Then dyd the vnder Sheriffe bydde hym say the Lordes prayer, which he could not say neither, but stutteryngly, as a mā would say, one word to day, and an other to morowe. Then one dyd begin to say it, and so bade hym saye after.

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Such as were there and sawe it, were very much astonyed: especially those that dyd behold the iust punishment of God, against hym that had mocked so earnest a matter. George Eagles in the meane tyme, after he had hanged a smal tyme, hauyng a great checke with the haltar, immediately one of the Bayliffes cut the halter a sunder, and he fell to the ground beyng styl aliue, although much amased with

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