Thematic Divisions in Book 12
1. Exhumations of Bucer and Phagius along with Peter Martyr's Wife2. Pole's Visitation Articles for Kent3. Ten Martyrs Burnt at Canterbury4. The 'Bloody Commission'5. Twenty-two Prisoners from Colchester6. Five Burnt at Smithfield7. Stephen Gratwick and others8. Edmund Allen and other martyrs9. Alice Benden and other martyrs10. Examinations of Matthew Plaise11. Richard Woodman and nine other martyrs12. Ambrose13. Richard Lush14. Edmund Allen15. The Martyrdom of Simon Miller and Elizabeth Cooper16. Rose Allin and nine other Colchester Martyrs17. John Thurston18. George Eagles19. Richard Crashfield20. Fryer and George Eagles' sister21. Joyce Lewes22. Rafe Allerton and others23. Agnes Bongeor and Margaret Thurston24. John Kurde25. John Noyes26. Cicelye Ormes27. Persecution at Lichfield28. Persecution at Chichester29. Thomas Spurdance30. Hallingdale, Sparrow and Gibson31. John Rough and Margaret Mearing32. Cuthbert Simson33. William Nicholl34. Seaman, Carman and Hudson35. Three at Colchester36. A Royal Proclamation37. Roger Holland and other Islington martyrs38. Stephen Cotton and other martyrs39. Scourging of Thomas Hinshaw40. Scourging of John Milles41. Richard Yeoman42. John Alcocke43. Thomas Benbridge44. Four at St Edmondsbury45. Alexander Gouch and Alice Driver46. Three at Bury47. A Poor Woman of Exeter48. Priest's Wife of Exeter49. The Final Five Martyrs50. John Hunt and Richard White51. John Fetty52. Nicholas Burton53. John Fronton54. Another Martyrdom in Spain55. Baker and Burgate56. Burges and Hoker57. The Scourged: Introduction58. Richard Wilmot and Thomas Fairfax59. Thomas Greene60. Bartlett Greene and Cotton61. Steven Cotton's Letter62. James Harris63. Robert Williams64. Bonner's Beating of Boys65. A Beggar of Salisbury66. Providences: Introduction67. The Miraculously Preserved68. William Living69. Edward Grew70. William Browne71. Elizabeth Young72. Elizabeth Lawson73. Christenmas and Wattes74. John Glover75. Dabney76. Alexander Wimshurst77. Bosom's wife78. Lady Knevet79. Mistress Roberts80. Anne Lacy81. Crosman's wife82. Congregation at Stoke in Suffolk83. Congregation of London84. Edward Benet85. Jeffrey Hurst86. William Wood87. Simon Grinaeus88. The Duchess of Suffolk89. Thomas Horton 90. Thomas Sprat91. John Cornet92. Thomas Bryce93. Gertrude Crockhey94. William Mauldon95. Robert Horneby96. Mistress Sandes97. John Kempe98. Thomas Rose99. Complaint against the Ipswich Gospellers100. Tome 6 Life and Preservation of the Lady Elizabeth101. The Unprosperous Queen Mary102. Punishments of Persecutors103. Foreign Examples104. A Letter to Henry II of France105. The Death of Henry II and others106. Justice Nine-Holes107. John Whiteman108. Admonition to the Reader109. Hales' Oration110. Cautions to the Reader111. Snel112. Laremouth113. William Hunter's Letter
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1946 [1919]

Q. Mary. Iohn Hallingdale, VV. Sparrow, Richard Gibson, Martyrs.

MarginaliaAnno. 1557. Nouember.sented and detected vnto him for heresie, errors, and vnlawfull opinions, which thou didest beleue, set foorth, and holde.

Marginalia2.Secondly, that thou before the sayd Ordinarie, didst openly and iudicially confesse the sayd heresies, errours, and vnlawfull opiniōs, as appeareth plainely in the actes of the court, had and made before thy sayd Ordinarie.

Marginalia3.Thirdly, that thou after the premisses, didst make thy submission in writing, and diddest exhibite and deliuer the same as thy deede, to thy sayd Ordinarie: openly cōfessing and recognising they heresies, errours, vnlawfull opinions, and thine offenses, and transgressions in that behalfe.

Marginalia4.Fourthly, that thou after the premisses, diddest promise vnto thy sayd Ordinarie voluntarily and of thine owne minde, that alwayes after the sayd submissiō, thou wouldest in all pointes conforme thy selfe vnto the common order of the Catholicke church obserued and kept here in this Realme of England, and in no wise fall agayne to heresies, errours, or vnlawfull opinions.

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Marginalia5.Fiftly, that thou since thy sayd submission, hast willingly fallen into certayne heresies and errours, and hast holden and set foorth diuers vnlawfull opinions, to the right great hurt of thine owne soule, & also to the great hinderaunce and losse of diuers others, especially agaynst the sacrament of the altar, agaynst confession auricular, with other the Sacramentes of the Catholicke church.

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Marginalia6.Sixtly, that thou since the sayd submission, hast willingly gone about diuers places within the dioces of Lōdō, and sowen diuers hereticall, erroneous, and blasphemous ballets, and wast apprehended and takē with the sayd ballets about thee, and committed to prison.

Vnto all which articles the sayd William Sparrow aunswered in effect as hereafter followeth.

Marginalia1. 2. 3. 4.MarginaliaHis aunsweres to the articles.TO the first, second, third, and fourth articles he answered affirmatiuely, as thus: that he was presented and detected to Boner, vnto whom hee made his submission. &c. as in the articles.

Marginalia5.To the fifth article, hee aunswered, that if hee had spoken agaynst them, he had spoken but the truth: for they bee naught, meaning the contentes of the sayd article.

Marginalia6.To the sixt, he graunted to the article, adding that he did sell the sayd ballets then shewed and red before him, and that the same did conteine Gods word.

After which aunswers the sayd William Sparrow was sent vnto prison. And the same day in the afternoone, being produced before the Bishop agayne, and there charged with his said submission, made the yeare before vnto the Byshop, he aunswered thus: I am sory (sayd he) that euer I made it, and it was the worst deede that euer I did, adding further vnto thē: Holde vp your abominatiō so long as ye can. Also being layd vnto him, and charged by the Byshop that he went to church, and there was confessed and heard Masse, the sayd William Sparrow made aunswere and confessed, that he did so, but with a troubled cōscience he said, God knoweth. And speaking further to the Byshop, he sayd: that which you call truth, I doe beleue (sayd he) to bee heresie. And also the Byshop chargyng hym againe with the contentes of the fifth article aboue named, he aunswered that he had so done, as is conteined in the same article, and so will doe againe if he were at liberty. And being further demaunded of Boner, whether he would persist and continue in the same, or no: he made aunswere that he would not goe from his opiniōs: and adding therunto, he sayd: that which you call heresie (speaking to the Byshop) is good and godly, and if euery heare of my head were a man (sayd he) I would burne them all, rather then to goe frō the truth.

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Then being demaūded what ground of learning he had to cleaue to his opinions, he made aunswere and sayd, that all the lawes now vsed (meaning the ecclesiasticall lawes) are nought and abominable. And further, thereunto he sayd: that the Masse is nought and abominable &c. MarginaliaSentence red against Williā Sparrow.Which wordes being spoken, the Byshop immediatly red the sentence of condemnation vppon him, and so deliuered him to the secular power, by whom he was sent to prison agayne.

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Richard Gibson, Martyr.  
Commentary   *   Close

Richard Gibson had an unusual history, which Foxe only hints at. He was, at least by birth, a member of London's elite. His grandfather, Sir William Bayly, had been lord mayor of London in 1534-5, while his father was a royal sergeant at arms, bailiff of Southwark and a master of the Merchant Taylors. Gibson was, as Foxe relates, imprisoned for debt and while imprisoned he was denounced to Bonner as a heretic. What Foxe does not relate is that Gibson was a freewillerwho was converted to what Foxe regarded as 'orthodox' (i.e., predestinarian) convictions (On Gibson's background and religious convictions see Thomas S. Freeman, 'Dissenters from a Dissenting Church: The Challenge of the Freewillers, 1550-58' in The Beginnings of English Protestantism, ed. Peter Marshall and Alec Ryrie [Cambridge, 2002], pp. 140-41 and 149).

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MarginaliaRichard Gibson, Martyr.WIth the other two aboue named, suffred also in the same fire, Richard Gibson, who first was cast into the coūter in the Pultry (where he had

bene prisoner by the space of two yeares for suretiship in a matter of debt, & then stoode vpō his deliueraūce) then vpon suspition and euill wil was accused to Boner, for that in the prison he was neuer confessed nor receaued at the Popish aultar: by reason whereof hee was called for, and susteined diuers & sundry cōflictes and examinations in the cause of his faith and religiō. But first he semed to make a certayn submission  

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Notice Foxe's disingenuous phrasing here; Gibson did not seem to recant; he recanted. The last page of another recantation by Gibson survives among Foxe's papers (BL, Harley 425, fo. 122r). Its relation to the recantation mentioned by Foxe is unclear; but it is dated 27 October 1556, which means that it is not the same document which Foxe described.

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which also hee exhibited with the other 28. mentioned aboue Pag. 1865.  
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A copy of this confession is among Foxe's papers: BL, Harley MS 425, fo. 3r.

but because it seemed something to differ in wordes from the other, it appeareth not to be receaued: or whether it was receaued or no, it is not fully certayne. This is certayne, that although his submission was in the Bishops Register recorded,  
Commentary   *   Close

It is not in Bonner's register; it must have been recorded in a court book, which is now lost.

yet he was not deliuered out from imprisonmēt till the day of his burning. The Articles first obiected and ministred vnto him by the Bishop, were these.

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¶ Articles obiected and ministred to Richard Gibson by Boner Byshop of London.

Marginalia1.MarginaliaArticles against Richard Gibson.FIrst, that the sayd Richard Gibson prisoner in the Coūter in the Pultry in the Dioces of Londō, hath otherwise then became a faithfull Christian man and a good subiect of this Realme of England, behaued him selfe in wordes and deedes, in diuers conditions and pointes, contrary to the order, Religion, and fayth of Christes Catholicke church, and contrary to the order of this Realme, to the pernitious and euill example of the inhabitauntes of the Citie of London, and the prisoners of the prison of the sayd Counter in the Pultry, and greatly to the hurt and dammage of his owne soule, offendyng especially in the Articles followyng. By reason whereof the sayd Richard Gibson was, and is of the iurisdiction of the sayd Byshop of London, and subiect to the sayd iurisdiction, to make aunswere to his offences and transgression vnder written, accordyng to the order of the law.

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Marginalia2.Secondly, that the sayd Richard Gibson hath vnreuerently spoken agaynst the Pope, and Sea and Church of Rome, and likewise agaynst the whole Church of this Realme of England, and agaynst the vij. Sacramentes of the Catholicke and whole Church of Christendome, and agaynst the Articles of the Christian fayth here obserued in this Realme of England, and agaynst the commendable and laudable Ceremonies of the Catholicke Church.

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Marginalia3.Thirdly, that the said Richard Gibson hath commended, allowed, defended, and liked, both Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, and also all other heretickes here in this Realme of Englād, accordyng to the Ecclesiastical lawes condemned for heretickes, and also liked all their hereticall and erroneous, damnable, and wicked opinions, especially agaynst the Sacrament of the altar, and the authoritie of the Pope and Sea of Rome, with the whole Religion thereof.

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Marginalia4.Fourthly, that the said Richard Gibson hath comforted, ayded, assisted and mainteyned both by wordes and otherwise, heretickes and erroneous persons, or at the least suspected and infamed of heresies and errours condemned by the Catholicke Church, to continue in their hereticall and erroneous opinions aforesayd, fauouring and counsellyng the same vnto his power.

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Marginalia5. MarginaliaQueene Maries religion disproued.Fifthly, that the sayd Gibson hath affirmed and sayd that the Religion and fayth commonly obserued, kept, and vsed nowe here in this Realme of England, is not good and laudable nor in any wise agreable vnto Gods word and commaundement.

Marginalia6. MarginaliaThe booke of Englishe seruice.Sixtly, that the sayd Gibson hath affirmed that the English seruice, and the bookes commonly called the bookes of Communion, or Common prayer, here set forth in this realme of England in the tyme of K. Edward the sixt, were in all partes and pointes good and godly, and that the same onely and no other ought to be obserued and kept in this realme of England.

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Marginalia7. MarginaliaMattens, Masse, Euensong, refused.Seuenthly, that the sayd Gibson hath affirmed, that if he may once be out of prison and at libertie, he will not come to any parish church, or ecclesiastical place to heare Mattins, Masse, Euensong, or any diuine seruice nowe vsed in this realme of England, nor come to procession vpon times and dayes accustomed, nor beare at any time any Taper, or Candle, nor receiue at any time Ashes, nor beare at any time Palme, nor receiue Pax at Masse time, nor receaue holy water, nor holy bread, nor obserue the Ceremonies or vsages of the Catholicke church, here obserued or kept commonly in this realme of England.

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Eightly,
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