MarginaliaAnno. 1558. Iuly.in Englishe. Shortly after this beatyng, Boner sente to hym in prison a certain old Priest,MarginaliaAn olde coniuryng Prieste.lately come from Rome, to coniure out the euill Spirite from hym, who laiyng his hande vpon his heade, began with certaine woordes pronounced ouer hym, to coniure, as he had been wont before to doe. Milles marueilyng what the Priest was aboute to doe, saied he trusted no euill spirite to be within hym, and laughed hym to scorne. &c.
[Back to Top]As this Iohn Milles was diuerse tymes and ofte called before Boner, so muche cōmunication and talke passed betwene thē, whiche to recite all, it were to long. And yet it were not vnpleasaunt for the reader, that lusteth to laugh, MarginaliaThe vnsauerie reasōs or talke of Bish. Boner goyng about to perswade Iohn Milles.to se the blind and vnsauorie reasons of that bishop, whiche he vsed to perswade the ignoraunte withall. As in the proces of his other talke with this Milles, Boner goyng about to perswade hym not to meddle with matters of the scripture, but rather to beleue other mennes teachyng, whiche had more skill in the same: first asked if he did beleue the scripture? Yea saied he, that I doe. MarginaliaBoners iudgemente, that we should truste more to menne, then to the scriptures of God.Then the Bishop why (quod he) S. Paule saieth: if the man slepe, the woman is at libertie, to goe to an other man. If thou were a slepe hauyng a wife, wouldest thou bee contente thy wife to take an other man? And yet this is the scripture.
[Back to Top]Item, if thou wilte beleue Luther, Zwinglius, and suche, then thou canst not go right. But if thou wilt beleue me. &c. thou cāst not erre. And if thou shouldst erre, yet thou art in no peril, thy bloud should be required at our handes. MarginaliaThis similitude holdeth κατὰ τὴν ἐναντίωσιν. .
[This similitude holdeth]???? ??? ??????????. Not translated. [This similitude holdeth] in accordance with his opposition.
MarginaliaRashe and presumptuous iudgement of Boner.As truely as thou seest the bodies of thē in Smithfield burnte, so truely their soules doe burne in hell, because they erre from the churche.
Oft tymes speakyng to the saied Iohn Milles, he would saie: they call me bloudy Boner. A vengeance on you al. I would fain be rid of you, but ye haue a delite in burnyng. MarginaliaBish. Boners wishe in punishyng Gods Sainctes.But if I might haue my wil, I would sow your mouthes, and put you in sackes, and droune you.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaThe occasion and maner of deliuering Ihō. Milles.Now, somewhat to saie concernyng the deliuerance of the saied Iohn Milles, the same daie that he was deliuered, Boner came vnto the stockes where he laie, and asked hym how he liked his lodgyng, and his fare.
Well said Mylles, if it would please God I might haue a little strawe to lye or sit vpon.
Then saied Boner: thou wilte shewe no token of a christian man. And vpon this his wife came in, vnknowyng vnto hym, beyng very great with child, & looking euery hower for her liyng doune, MarginaliaMilles wife entreateth for her houseband.entreatyng the bishop for her houseband, & saiyng that she would not go out of the house, but there would lay her belley in the Bishops house, vnlesse she had her housebande with her. How saiest thou (quod Boner) thou hereticke? If thy wife miscarie, or thy childe, or children, if she bee with one, or twoo, should perishe, the bloud of them would be required at thy hādes. Then to this agrement he came, that he should hire a bedde in the toune of Fulham, and her housebande should goe home with her the morowe after, vpon this condition, that his kinsman there present (one Robert RousseMarginaliaRobert Rousse kinseman to Iohn Milles.) should bryng the said Milles vnto his house at Paules the next daie.
[Back to Top]Whereunto the said Milles saied, he would not agree, except he might go home by and by. At length his wife beyng importunate for her housebande, and seyng that she would go no further, but there remaine vnlesse she had her housebande with her, the bishoppe fearyng belike the rumour, whiche might come vpon his house thereby, MarginaliaThe condition putte to Iohn Milles to saie: In nomine Patris, &c.bad the saied Milles make a crosse, and saie: In nomine Patris, & Filij, & Spiritus sancti, Amen.
In nomine patris & filii, & spiritus sancti, Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Sonne, and of the holy Ghost.
Then the saied Milles began to saie: In the name of the Father, and of the Sōne, and of the holy Ghost. Amen. No, no, saieth Boner, saie it me in Latine, In nomine Patris, & Filij, & Spiritus sancti, Amē.
In nomine patris & filii, & spiritus sancti, Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Sonne, and of the holy Ghost.
The words 'makyng a crosse and knocking his breast' were eliminated here in the 1570 edition, probably because Foxe disapproved of such gestures.
to the said Bishop within a fewe daies after, where the Bishop put vnto hym a certaine writyng in Latine to subscribe vnto, conteinyng, as it semed to hym, no great matter, that he needed greatly to sticke at: albeit, what the bill was, he could no certainly tell. So subscribed he to the bill, and retourned home.
[Back to Top]And thus much cōcerning the 22. taken at Islington.
This account first appeared in the 1563 edition and remained unchanged in subsequent editions. It was based on the testimony of an individual informant, probably one close to Yeoman, since it describes his experiences in both Kent and Suffolk.
MarginaliaIuly. 10.MarginaliaThe storie and Martyrdome of Richa. Yeoman Minister.AFter the story of these. 22. taken at Islington, procedyng now (the Lorde willyng) wee will prosecute likewise the takyng and cruell handelyng of Richard Yeoman minister. Whiche Yeoman had been before Doctot Tailours Curate, a godlie deuout old man, of lxx. yeres, whiche had many yeres dwelte in Hadley, well seen in the scriptures, and giuyng godly exhortations to the people. With him D. Tailour left his Cure at his departure. But assone as M. Newal had gottē the benefice, he droue awaie good Yeoman, as is saied, pag. 1447. & set in a popishe curate to maintain and continue their Romishe religiō, which now they thought fully stablished. Then wandered he long tyme frō place to place, mouyng and exhortyng al men to stand faithfully to gods word, earnestly to giue thēselues vnto praier, with pacience to beare the crosse now laied vpon them for their triall, with boldnesse to confesse the truthe before the aduersaries, and with an vndoubted hope to waite for the croune, and reward of eternall felicitie. But when he perceiued his aduersaries to lye in waite for hym, MarginaliaRichard Yeoman flieth into Kent.he wēt into Kent, and with a little packet of laces, pinnes, and pointes, and suche like thinges, he trauailed frō village to village, sellyng suche thinges, & by that poore shift gat himself somwhat to the susteinyng of himsef, his poore wife, & children.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaRichard Yeoman set in the stockes by M. Moile of Kent.At the last, a iustice of Kent called M. Moile, tooke poore Yeoman, and set hym in the stockes a daie and a night, but hauyng no euidēt matter to charge him with, he let hym go again. MarginaliaRichard Yeoman returneth againe to Hadley.So came he secretly again to Hadley, and taried with his poore wife, who kepte hym secretely in a chamber of the toune house, commonly called the Guilde halle, more then a yeare. All the whiche time, the good old father abode in a chamber locked vp all the daie, and spente his tyme in deuoute praier, and readyng the scriptures, and in cardyng of woll, whiche his wife did spinne. His wife also did goe and begge breade and meate for her self, and her children, and by suche poore meanes susteined they them selues. Thus the sainctes of God sustained hūger and miserie, while the Prophetes of Baal liued in iolitie, and were costly pampered at Iesabls table.
[Back to Top]At the last, Parson NewallMarginaliaParson Newall a wicked persecutour. (I knowe not by what meanes) perceiued that Rich. Yeoman was so kept by his poore wife, and takyng with hym the Bailiffes deputies and seruauntes, came in the night tyme, & brake vp fiue doores vpon Yeoman, whom he founde in bed with his poore wife and children. MarginaliaYeoman taken by Parson Newall.Whom when he had so founde, he irefull cried, saying: I thought I should finde an harlot, and an whore together. And he would haue plucked the clothes of from them. But Yeoman held fast the clothes, and saied vnto his wife: wife, arise and put on thy clothes. And vnto the Parson he saied: Naie Parson, no harlot, nor whore, but a maried man and his wife, accordyng vnto Gods ordinaunce, and blessed be God for lawfull Matrimonie. I thāke God for this greate grace, and I defie the Pope and all his Poperie. Then lead they Rich. Yeoman vnto the cage, & set hym in the stockes vntill it was daie. There was then also in the cage, an olde mā named Ihō Dale,MarginaliaThis Iohn Dale died in Burie Gaile, as is before mentioned. who had sitten there iij. or iiij. daies, because when the saied Parson Newal with his Curate, executed the Romish seruice in the Churche, he spake openly vnto hym, and said: MarginaliaThe wordes of Iohn Dale to Parson Newal and his curate.O miserable & blind guides, will ye euer be blind leaders of the blind? will ye neuer amēde? will ye neuer se the truth of gods worde? will neither gods threates nor promises enter into your hartes? wil not the bloud of Martyrs nothyng mollifie your stonie stomackes? Oh indurate harde harted, peruerse, & crooked generation. O damnable sort, whō nothing can doe good vnto.
[Back to Top]These and like words spake he in feruentnes of spirite against the superstitious religiō of Rome. Wherfore parson Newall caused him forthwith to bee attached, MarginaliaIohn Dale sett in the Cage by Parsō Newal.& set in the stockes in the cage. So was he there kept till Syr Henry Doyle a Iustice came to Hadley. Now whē poore Yeoman was taken, the parson called
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