MarginaliaAnno. 1557. September.God) then for any weighty thyng therein contained: I woulde neither trouble you with the readyng thereof, nor yet my selfe with writing. But that ye maye iudge of them as their doynges do geue occasion, I will now pSoceede in the matter.

Marginalia10.Item thou Rafe Allerton canst not deny, but confessest, that the writyng of letters in a little peece of paper on both sides of it, with this Sentence on the one side followyng (looke at the foote of the stockes for a knife) and with this sentence following vpon the other side (looke betweene the post and the wall for two bookes and two Epistles, leaue them here when ye go) remainyng now in the Registry and Actes of this court is voluntarilie written by thee Rafe Allerton with thine owne hand.

Marginalia11.Item, thou Rafe Allerton canst not denie, but that thou art priuy to a certaine writyng, remainyng now in the Registry and actes of this Courte, the beginnyng whereof is with these woordes (I would haue menne wise. &c.) and endyng thus (from house to house.)

Marginalia12.Item, thou Rafe Allerton, canst not deny, but that thou art priuy and of consent and maintenaunce of a certain great Woodknife, a long cord, a hoke, a stone, and of a trencher written vppon with Chalke, hauyng this sentence (All is gonne and loste, because of your folly:) of twoo bordes written vppon with chalke, the one hauyng this sentence (vnder the stone looke) and the other hauyng this sentence, (whereas you byd mee take heede, I thanke you, I trust in God that I shalbe at peace with him shortly) remainyng now registred in the actes of this court.

MarginaliaAunsweres to the articles.For aunswere vnto all these Articles, he graunted that the first nine were true, as the Register recordeth. MarginaliaEx Regist.Howbeit, I finde noted in the backeside of the information, specified in the second article (although crossed out againe) that he denied such thinges as were there in the same, informed against hym. Wherfore it is not likely that he did simply graunt vnto the contentes of the seconde article, but rather that he onelie affirmed that such an information was geuen against hym, and not that the same was true.

Thus much I thought to warne the Reader of, lest that in mistaking his aunswers, it might seeme that he graunted hym selfe to bee a sedicious and a rebellious person: of which fact he was most cleare and innocent. And beyng farther demaunded vpon the contentes of the eight article, where he had the bloud he wrote that letter withall: he said that Richard Roth, sometime his prison fellow did make his nose bleede, and thereby he got the bloud wherwith he did then write. The Bishop againe asked hym to whom hee woulde haue sent the same. He answered,vnto one Agnes Smith, aliâs Siluerside of Colchester. Why (quoth the Bishop) Agnes Smith was an Hereticke, and is burned for Heresie. Nay, said Allerton, she is in better case, then either I my self, or any of vs all. Then beyng againe demaunded (vpon the ninth obiection) to whom he would haue sent the letter mentioned in the same: hee aunswered, that he ment to haue sent it vnto Richard Roth, at that present separated from hym. Whereupon the Bishop farther enquired, what he ment by these wordes (brethren, and sisterne) specified in the saide letter? he aunswered that he ment thereby, suche as were lately condemned at Colchester, & were like (at the writyng therof) shortly to bee burned. Nowe, as for the contentes of the x. and xi. articles he vtterly denied them. But to the xij. he confessed, that he write vpon the saide Trencher and other boardes, the wordes mencioned in the sayde Article, and that hee did leaue the same in the Prison house, to thentent that Richard Roth should read thē. Boner also bringyng out the woden sword, mencioned in the saied Article, asked hym who made it, and for what purpose. Whereunto he aunswered, that he was the maker thereof, howbeit for no euill purpose. But beyng idell in þ^e prison, and findyng there an old board, hee thought the tyme better spent in makyng thereof, then to sit still and do nothyng at all.

The forenoone being nowe spent, the reste of this tragedy was differred vntill the afternoone. Wherein was ministred vnto him yet certaine other obiections, the tenour wherof was.

MarginaliaOther obiectiōs ministred to Rafe Allerton.FIrst, that he had misliked the masse, callyng vpon Sainctes and cariyng the Crosse in Procession, with other their ceremonies, calling them Idolatry, and also had dissuaded them therefrom.

Marginalia1.Item, that he was much desirous to haue the people beleue as he did, and therfore beyng in prison with hys fellowes, did sing Psalmes and other songes against the Sacrament of the Altar and other ordinaunces of the church, so loud, that the people abroad might heare them and delight in them.

Marginalia2.Item, that he had diuers tymes conspired againste his keeper, and prouided thinges to kill hym, and so to breake the prison and escape awaie.

Marginalia3.Item, that he had railed against the Bishop beeyng his Ordinary, callyng hym a bloudy Butcher, tyraunt, and rauenyng Woulfe, and also against his Officers, especially Cluny his Sumner, callyng hym Butchers Cur, with other such names.

Marginalia4.Item, that hee had murmured, grudged, disdained, and misliked that the bishop had proceded against certeine of his Dioces, and had cōdemned them as Heretickes: or that he should procede now against hym and others yet remainyng in errours, notwithstandyng that he and his Chapleyns had charitably admonished and exhorted them from the same.

Marginalia5.Item, that he ought faithfully to beleeue, that there is one Catholicke Church, without the which there is no saluation: of the which Church Iesus Christ is the very priest and sacrifice, whose body and bloud is really and truely conteined in the Sacrament of the Altar vnder the formes of Bread and Wine: the Bread and wine beyng by the diuine power transubstanciated into his body and bloud.

Marginalia6.Item, that he had kept himselfe, and also distributed to others certaine hereticall and corrupt bookes, condemned and reproued by the lawes of this Realme.

Marginalia7.Item, that he had contrary to the orders and statutes of this Realme, kept company with that sedicious hereticke and traitour, George Eagles, commonly called Trudgeouer, and had heard hym reade in woddes and other places, yet not accusing, but allowyng and praising hym.

Marginalia8.Vnto which articles, because they were for the most part, so foolishe and full of lyes, he would in a maner make no answere, sauyng he graunted that he did mislike their Masse and other Ceremonies, because they were wicked and naught. And moreouer hee tolde the Bishop that he and his complices did nothing but seke how to kill innocentes.

The Bishop then asked him, whether he would beleue in al pointes touching the sacrament of the altar, as is conteined in the general Councell holden & kept vnder Innocentius. 3. and therwithall hee did read the decree of the said Counsell touchyng the Sacrament.

Whereunto Allerton againe made aunswere and said: I beleue nothing conteined in the same Councel, neither haue I any thyng to doe therewith: and it were also very necessary that no man els should haue to doe therwith.

Then (quoth Boner) thou art of the opinion that the heretikes lately burned at Colchester were of.

Yea (sayde he) I am of their opinion, and I beleue that they be sainctes in Heauen.

This doone, the Bishop perceauing that he would not recant, demaunded what hee had to saie, why hee should not pronounce the sentence of condemnation against hym. To whom hee aunswered: ye ought not to condemne me as an hereticke, for I am a good christian. But now go to, doe as you haue already determined: For I see right well, that right and truth be suppressed, and cannot appeare vpon the earth.

These wordes ended, the Bishop pronounced the Sentence of condemnation, and so deliuered hym vnto the temporall officers: Who reserued hym in their custody vntill the xvij. day of September, at which tyme, both hee and the other three before mencioned were all burned, as ye haue already heard. Of which other thre, because as yet little is sayde, I will therfore now procede to declare suche cause of their cruell deathes as in the Registry is recorded.

MarginaliaExaminatiō of Iames Austoo and Margerie his wife.TOuchyng the first apprehension of these twoo persons, I finde neither occasion why, neither tyme, nor maner how. Howbeit as the daies then serued, it was no hard or straunge matter to fall into the handes of such as with crueltie persecuted the true professours of Gods gospell, especially hauyng so many promoters, and vnneighbourly neighbours to helpe them forwardes. By whiche kind of people, it is not vnlike