Marginalia1558. Nouember.His toung was forced out of his mouth with a clouen sticke fastened vppon it, that hee shoulde not vtter his conscience and fayth to the people, and so hee was set with an other Englishe man of Southampton,MarginaliaNich. Burton with an other English man of Southampton condemned. and diuers others condemned men for Religion, as well French men, as Spanyardes, vppon a Scaffolde ouer agaynst the sayd

Inquisition, where their Sentences and Iudgementes were read and pronounced agaynst them.

And immediatly after the sayd Sentences geuen, they were all caryed from thence to the place of execution without the citie, where they most cruelly burned him, for whose constant fayth God be praysed.

Commentary on the Woodcuts     Close

The case of the English merchant Nicholas Burton, arrested and condemned by the inquisition in Spain, gave Foxe and his illustrators an opportunity to portray the evils of the papal inquisition. The bipartite woodcut shows the condemned riding ignominiously backwards on a donkey or mule, in a heretic's coat and hat adorned with devils, of the kind that medieval heretics such as Jan Hus (portrayed earlier in the Acts and Monuments) had had to wear. Also conspicuous is the inevitable malign friar, scrip at side, becowled, ugly visaged and holding forth, accompanied by a large posse of armed men (one with a ball and chain). In the distance is depicted the culmination of the proceedings, after the vast procession has reached the place of execution, where the martyr is collapsing into the fire, repeating in small the image so familiar in the pages of Foxe's book.

This Nicolas Burton by the way, and in the flames of fire made so chearefull a countenaunce, embracyng death with all pacience and gladnesse, that the tormentours and enemyes which stode by, sayd that the Deuill had his soule before he came to the fire, and therefore they sayd his senses of feelyng were past him.

It happened  

Commentary     Close

The entire account of Fronton is taken from Reginaldus Gonsalvus Montanus, A discovery and playne declaration of of sundry subtill practices of the holy Inquisition of Spayne, trans. Victor Skinner (London: 1568), STC 11996, fos. 59r-60v. A copy of this account appears in Foxe's papers as BL, Lansdowne MS 389, fos. 327r-332v.

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When his Atturney was landed at Siuill, and had shewed all his Letters and writynges to the holy house, requiryng them that such goodes might bee redeliuered into his possession, aunswere was made him that he must sue by Bill, and retayne an Aduocate (but all was doubtlesse to delay him) and they, forsooth, of curtesie assigned hym one to frame his Supplicatiō for him, and other such Billes of petition, as he had to exhibite into their holy Court, demaūdyng for eche Bill viij. Rials, albeit they stoode hym in no more stead thē if he had put vp none at all. And for the space of three or iiij. monethes this fellow missed not twise a day, attendyng euery mornyng and afternoone at the Inquisitours Palace, suyng vnto them vppon his knees for his dispatch, but specially to the Byshop of Tarracon, who was at that very tyme chief in the Inquisition at Siuill, that he of

his absolute authoritie would commaunde restitution to be made thereof: but the bootie was so good and so great, that it was very hard to come by it agayne.

MarginaliaNote the rauening extortion of these Inquisitors.At the length, after he had spent whole iiij. monethes in sutes and requestes, and also to no purpose, he receaued this aunswere from them, that he must shew better euidence and bryng more sufficient certificates out of England for proofe of his matter, then those whiche he had already presented to the Court. Whereupon the partie forthwith posted to London, and withall speede returned to Siuill agayne with more ample and large letters testimonials & certificates, accordyng to their request, and exhibited them to the Court. Notwithstandyng, the Inquisitours still shifted him of, excusing themselues by lacke of leasure, and for that they were occupyed in greater and more weighty affaires, and with such aunsweres delayed him other foure monethes after.

MarginaliaThe vyle procedinges of the Inquisitors of Spayne.At the last, when the partie had wellnygh spent all his money, and therefore sued the more earnestly for his dispatch, they referred the matter wholy to the Byshoppe. Of whom, when he repayred vnto him, he had this aunswere: that for him selfe he knew what he had to do: howbeit hee was but one man, and the determination of the matter appertained vnto the other Commissioners as well as vnto him: and thus by postyng and passyng it from one to an other, the partie could obtaine no ende of his sute. Yet for his importunitie sake, they were resolued to dispatche him, but it was on this sorte: One of the Inquisitours called Gasco, a man very well experienced in these practises, willed the partie to resort vnto him after dinner.

The fellow being glad to heare these newes, and supposing that his goodes should be restored vnto him, and that he was called in for that purpose to talke with the other that was in prison, to conferre with him about their accomptes,