MarginaliaB. Brokes leaueth the scripture, and proueth the Sacrament by other matter.MarginaliaAn. 1558. Nouember.be three opinions, the Lutherians, the Oecolampadians, and we the Catholikes. If you the Oecolampadiās haue the truth: then the Lutherians and we the Catholickes be out of the way. If the Lutherians haue the truth, then you the Oecolampadians and we the Catholickes be out of the way. But if we the Catholickes haue the truth, as we haue in deede, then the Lutherians and you the Oecolampadians are out of the way: as ye are in deede, for the Lutherians do cal you heretickes.

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White. My Lord, ye haue troubled me greatly with the Scriptures.

Brokes. Did I not tell you it was not possible to remoue him from his errour? Away with him to the Lollardes Tower, and dispatch him as soone as ye can.

This was the effect of my first examination. More examinations I had after this, whiche I haue no tyme now to write out.

Amongest many other examinations of the foresaid Richard White, at diuers and sondry tymes susteined, it happened one tyme, MarginaliaThe trembling and shaking of Blackston at the examination of Rich. White.that Doctour Blackston Chauncellour of Exetor sat vpon him, with diuers other, who alledgyng certaine Doctours, as Chrisostome, Cyprian, Tertullian, agaynst the sayd Richard, and beyng reproued by him for his false patchyng of the Doctours, fell in such a quakyng, and shakyng (his conscience belike remorsing him) that he was fayne, stowpyng downe, to lay both his handes vppon his knees, to stay his body from tremblyng.

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MarginaliaCondemnation of Ioh. Hunt and Rich. White.Then the sayd Iohn Hunt and Richard White, after many examinations and long captiuitie, at length were called for and brought before Doctour Geffrey the Byshops Chaūcellour, there to be condemned, and so they were. The high Sheriffe at that present was one named Syr Anthony Hungerford,  

who beyng then at the Sessions, was there charged with these two cōdemned persons, with other malefactours there condemned likewise the same tyme, to see the execution of death ministred vnto them.

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In the mean time MarginaliaThe Christen zeale of M. Clifford.Maister Clifford of Boscon in Wiltshyre, sonne in law to the sayd Syr Anthony Hungerford the Sheriffe, commeth to his father, exhortyng him and coūsellyng him earnestly in no case to medle with the death of these two innocent persons: and if the Chauncellour and Priestes would needes be instaunt vpon him, yet he should first require the write to be sent downe De comburendo, for his discharge.

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Syr Anthony Hungerford hearyng this, and vnderstandyng Iustice Browne to be in the Towne the same time, wēt to him to aske his aduise & coūsel in þ^e matter: who told him, that without the write sent downe from the superiour powers, he could not be discharged: and if the write were sent, then he must by the law do his charge.

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MarginaliaExample of Christian pietye in a Shrieffe to be noted.The Sheriffe vnderstandyng by Iustice Browne how farre he might go by the law, and hauyng at that tyme no writ for his warrant, let them alone, and the next day after takyng his horse departed.

The Chauncellour all this while marueilyng what the Sheriffe ment, and yet disdayning to go vnto him, but lookyng rather the other should haue come first to him, at last hearyng that he was ridden, taketh his horse and rideth after him: who at length ouertakyng the sayd Sheriffe, declareth vnto him, how he had committed certaine condemned prisoners to his hand, whose duety had bene to haue sene execution done vpon the same: which for that he had not done, the matter he sayd, was great, and therefore willed him to looke well vnto it how he would aunswere the matter. And thus began he fiercely to lay to his charge.

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MarginaliaA note to be obserued concerning the Papistes dealinges.Wherein note, gentle Reader, by the way, the close and couert hypocrisie of the Papistes in their dealyngs. Who in the forme and stile of their owne sentence condemnatory, pretende a petition vnto the secular power, In visceribus Ieus Christi, vt iuris rigor mitigetur, atque vt parcatur vitæ,  

That is, That the rigour of the law may be mitigated, and that their lyfe may be spared. MarginaliaThe Papistes charged with manifest dissimulation.And how standeth this now with their owne doynges and dealynges, when this Chaūcellour (as ye see) is not onely contented to geue Sentence agaynst them, but also hunteth here after the Officer, not sufferyng him to spare them, although he would? What dissimulation is this of men, goyng and doyng contrary to their owne wordes and profession? But let vs returne to our matter agayne.

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The Sheriffe hearyng the Chaūcellours wordes, and seyng him so vrgyng vppon him, told hym agayne that he was no babe, whiche now was to be taught of him. If he had any write to warrant and discharge him in burnyng those men, then he knew what he had to doe. Why, sayth the Chauncellour, did not I geue you a write, with my hand and viij. moe of the Close set vnto the same? Well quoth the Sheriffe, that is no sufficient discharge to me, and therefore as I told you, if ye haue a sufficient writ and warrant from

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the superiour powers, I knowe then what I haue to do in my office: otherwise, if you haue no other writ but that, I tel you, I wil neither burn thē for you nor none of you al. &c.

Where note agayne (good Reader) howe by thys it may be thought and supposed, that the other poore Saintes and Martyrs of God, suche as had bene burned at Salisbury before, MarginaliaBurning without a sufficient Writte.were burned belyke without any authorised or sufficient writ from the superiours, but onely vpon the information, of the Chauncellour and of the Close, through the vncircumspect negligence of the Sheriffes, whiche shoulde haue looked more substantially vpon the matter. But thys I leaue and referre vnto the Magistrates. Let vs returne to the story agayne.

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Doct. Geffrey the Chauncellour thus sent away from the Sheriffe, went home, and there fel sicke vpon the same (for anger belike) as they signified vnto mee, whiche were the parties them selues, both godly and graue persōs, who were then condemned, the one of them, which is MarginaliaRich. White now Vicar of Malbrough in Wilshire.Richard White beyng yet aliue.  

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The vnder Sheriffe to this Sir Antony Hungerford aboue named, was one M. Michell, likewise a right and a perfect godly man.  

So that not long after this came down the writ to burne the aboue named Richard White, & Iohn Hunt, but the vnder SheriffeMarginaliaM. Michell vnder Shrieffe burneth the writte. receauing the sayd writ, said: I will not be guilty, (quoth he) of these mens bloude, and immediatly burnt the writyng, and departed his way. With in iiij. dayes after the Chauncellour dyed. Concernyng whose death this commeth by the way to be noted, that these ij. foresayd Iohn Hunt and Richard White beyng the same tyme in a lowe and darke Dungeon, beyng Saterday, toward euening (accordyng to theyr accustomed maner) fell to euenyng prayer. MarginaliaGods workinges to be noted.Who kneelyng there together, as they should begin theyr prayer, sodenly fel both to such a strange weepyng and tendernes of hart (but how they could not tel) that they could not pray one word, but so continued a great space brustyng out in teares. After that night was past, & the mornyng come, the first word they hard, was, that the Chauncellour their great enemy was dead. Marginaliaconcerning the death of D. Geffrey Chaūcellour of Salisbury.The tyme of whose death they found to be the same houre, when as they fell in such a sodeine weepyng. The Lorde in all his holy workes be praysed, Amen. Thus much cōcernyng þ^e death of that wicked Chauncellour.

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This Richard White, and the sayd Iohn Hunt, after the death of the Chauncellour, the Byshop also beyng dead a litle before, continned still in prison til the happy commyng in of Quene Elizabeth: and so were set at libertie.

MarginaliaThe story of Iohn Fetty, and Martyrdome of hys childe.IF bloudy tormentes and cruell death of a poore innocent sufferyng for no cause of his owne, but in the truth of Christ and his Religion, do make a Martyr no lesse deserueth the child of one Iohn Fetty, to be reputed in the catalogue of holy Martyrs, who in the house of Bishop Boner vnmercifully was scourged to death, as by the sequele of this story here following may appeare.  

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Amongest those that were persecuted & miserably imprisoned for the profession of Christes Gospell, and yet mercifully deliuered by the prouidence of God, there was one Iohn Fetty, a simple and godly poore man, dwellyng in the parishe of Clerkenwell, & was by vocation a Taylor, of the age of. 42. yeares or therabout, who was accused and complayned of, vnto one Brokenbury a Priest & parson of the same parish, by his own wife, for that he woulde not come vnto the Church, & be partaker of theyr Idolatry & superstition: & therfore through þ^e sayd priestes Procuremēt, he was apprehēded by Richard Tāner & his fellow, cōstables there, and one Martin the Hedborough. MarginaliaGods dreadfull hand vpon a wyfe seeking the destruction of her husband.Howbeit immediatly vpon his apprehensiō, his wife (by the iust iudgement of god) was stricken mad, and distract of her wittes: which declared a meruelous example of the iustice of God agaynst such vnfaythfull and most vnnaturall treachery. And although this example perhaps for lacke of knowledge & instruction in such cases little moued the consciences of those simple poore mē to surcease their persecutiō: yet natural pity towards that vngrateful woman, wrought so in their harts that for the preseruation and sustentation of her and her ij. children (like otherwise to perish) they for that present let her husband alone and would not carry hym to prison, but yet suffered hym to remayne quietly in his own house. Duryng whiche tyme, he as it were forgettyng the wicked and vnkynde fact of his wife, dyd yet so cherishe and prouide for her, that within the space of three weekes (through Gods mercifull prouidence) she was well amended, and had recouered agayne some stay of her wittes and senses.

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