MarginaliaAnno, 1557. September.rous to get promotion, without any such commaundement of the Iustices (as farre as we can learne) tooke counsel one with an other how to attach the said Iohn Noyes without any more delay.

This deuilish enterprise agreed vpō, MarginaliaCounsell taken for attaching of Iohn Noyes.chiefly through the counsell of M. Tho. Louell, Wolfren Dowsing, and Nicholas Stannard aforesaid, MarginaliaIohn Noyes house besette aboute.with expeditiō his house was beset on both sides. This done, they found the said Iohn Noyes on the backside of the said house goyng outward, and Nicolas Stannard called to the sayd Iohn and sayd, whether goest thou? And he sayd: to my neighbours. MarginaliaIohn Noyes taken by Nicolas Stannarde Persecutour.And the sayd Nicholas Stannard said: your Master hath deceiued you: you must go with vs now. But the said Iohn Noyes aunswered: no, but take you heede your Maister deceiue not you. And so they tooke him, and caried him to the Iustices the next day. After his appearance and sundry causes alleaged, MarginaliaIohn Noyes cast in Eye Dungeon.the Iustices & the Shriffe together cast him into Eye dongeon, and there he lay a certaine tyme: And then was caried from thence to Norwich, and so came before the Byshop where was ministred vnto him these positions folowyng.

MarginaliaEx Regist.MarginaliaArticles agaynst Iohn Noyes.1. Whether he beleued that the ceremonies vsed in the Church, were good and godly to stirre vp mens mindes to deuotion.

2. Item, whether he beleued the Pope to be supreme head of the Church here in earth.

3. Itē, whether he beleued the body of our Lord Iesus Christ to bee in the Sacrament of the altar vnder the formes of bread & wine, after the wordes of cōsecratiō.

MarginaliaReall presence denied.Wherunto he aunswered, that he thought the naturall body of Christ to be onely in heauen, and not in the Sacrament. &c.

MarginaliaSentence read against Iohn Noyes.For the which, Sētence at last was read by the Byshop agaynst him, in the presence of these there sittyng the same time, Doct. Dunnyng Chauncelour, Syr W. Woodhouse, Syr Thomas Woodhouse, M. George Heydon, M. Spenser, W. Ferrar Alderman of Norwich, M. Thurston, Wynesden with diuers other.

More of his examination then this, came not to our handes.

In the meane tyme, his brother in law one Nicholas Fiske of Dinnyngton goyng to comfort him at such time as he remained prisoner in the Guild Hall of Norwich, after Christian exhortation asked him if he did feare death when the Byshop gaue Iudgement agaynst him, consideryng the terrour of the same. And the sayd Noyes answered: He thanked God he feared not death no more at that tyme, then he or any other did beyng at libertie. Then the sayd Nicholas required him to shew the cause of his condemnation. Vpon whiche request the sayd Iohn Noyes writ with his owne hand as followeth.

MarginaliaThe cause of Iohn Noyes condemnation.I sayd (quod he) that I could not beleue that in the Sacrament of the altare there is the naturall body of Christ, that same body that was borne of the Virgine Mary. But I sayd that the Sacrament of the body & bloud of Christ is receiued of Christian people in the remembraunce of Christes death as a spirituall foode, if it be ministred accordyng to Christes institution.

But they said I could not tel what spiritually ment. The Byshop said that þ^e Sacramēt was God, & must be worshipped as God. So sayd the Chauncellor also.

Then aunswered I: My Lord, I can not so beleue. Then quod the Byshop, why? then say thou doost beleue. Notwithstandyng these subtle collusions could not preuayle.

Now beyng condemned hee was sent agayne from Norwich to Eye prison, and vpon the xxi. day of September in the yeare aforesayd about midnight, he was brought frō Eye to Laxfield to bee burned, MarginaliaIohn Noyes brought to the place of Martyrdome.and on the next day morning was brought to the stake where was ready agaynst his commyng the foresayd Iustice. M. Thurston, one M. Waller then beyng vnder Shriffe, and W. Thomas Louell beyng high Constable, as is before expressed, the which commaunded men to make ready all thinges meete for that sinfull purpose. MarginaliaThe fire putte out in the toune where Iohn Noyes should bee burned.Now the fire in most places of the strete was put out sauing a smoke was espied by the said Thomas Louel proceding out from the toppe of a chymney, to which house the Shriffe and Grannow his man went and brake open the doore and therby got fire and brought the same to the place of execution. When Iohn Noyes came to þ^e place where he should be burned, he kneeled down and sayd the 50. Psalme with other prayers, and then they makyng hast bound him to the stake, and beyng

bound the sayd Iohn Noyes sayd: Feare not them that can kill the body, but feare him that can kill both body and soule, and cast it into euerlasting fire.

When he saw his sister weepyng and makyng mone for him, MarginaliaThe wordes of Iohn Noyes to his sister.he bad her that she should not weepe for hym, but weepe for her sinnes.

Then one Nicholas Cademan being Hastler, a valiant champion in the Popes affaires, brought a fagot and set agaynst hym: and the sayd Iohn Noyes tooke vp the fagot and kissed it, and sayd: blessed be the time that euer I was borne to come to this.

Then he deliuered his Psalter to the vnder shrieffe, desiring hym to be good to his wife and children, and to deliuer to her that same booke: & the Sheriffe promised hym that hee would: notwithstanding hee neuer as yet performed hys promise. Then the sayd Iohn Noyes sayd to the people: they say they can make God of a peece a bread: beleue them not.

Then sayd he, MarginaliaThe woordes of Iohn Noyes to the people.good people beare witnes that I do beleue to be saued by the merites and passion of Iesus Christ, and not by my owne deedes: and so the fire was kindled and burned about hym: and then he sayd:

Lord haue mercy vpon me: Christ haue mercy vpon me: Sonne of Dauid, haue mercy vpon me.

Commentary on the Woodcuts     Close

First repeat of the woodcut that had appeared many pages earlier, serving Thomas Tomkyns.

And so he yelded vp his life: and when his body was burned they made a pit to bury the coales and ashes, and amongst the same they found one of his feete that was vnburned whole vp to the ancle with the hose on, and that they buried with the rest.

Now while he was a burning, there stode one Iohn Iaruis by, a mans seruant of the same towne, a plaine fellow, which sayd: Good Lord, how the sinnewes of hys armes shrinke vp. MarginaliaIohn Iaruis wrongfully troubled for wordes spoken at the burnyng of Noyes.And there stoode behinde hym one Grannow and Benet being the Sheriffes men, and they said to their Master, that Iohn Iaruis said, what vilayne wretches are these. And their Master bad lay hand on hym, and then they tooke hym and pinyed hym, and caryed hym before the Iustice that same day, & the iustice did examine hym of the wordes aforesayd, but he denyed them, and aunswered, that he sayd nothing but this: good Lord, how the sinnewes of his armes shrinke vp. But for all this the Iustice did binde his father & his maister in fiue poundes a peece, that he should be forth comming at all tymes. And on the Wednesday next hee was brought agayne before these Iustices, Master Thurston and Master Kene, they sittyng at Fresyngfielde in Hoxton hundred, and there they did appoint and commaund that the sayd