Marginalia1558.his disciples the night before he was betrayed, ministred according to his word, that sacrament I doo beleue.

The Deane. Howe doest thou beleue concernyng the bodye of Christe? where is his body, and howe many bodyes hath he?

Eliz. Syr, in heauen, he sitteth on the right hand of God.

The Deane. From whence came his humane body?

Eliz. He tooke it of the virgine Mary.

The Deane. That is fleshe, bloud, and bones, as myne is. But what shape hath his spirituall bodye? hath it face, handes, and feete?

Eliz. I know no other body that he hath, but that bodye wherof he ment when he said: This is my body whiche is geuen for you: and this is my bloud which shalbe shed for you. Whereby he plainly meaneth that body, and no other, whiche he tooke of the virgine Mary, hauyng the perfecte shape and proportion of a humane body.

Doct. Story. Then said Story:MarginaliaStory. Ye haue a wise bodye, for ye must goe to the stake.

The Deane. Art thou cōtent to beleue in the faith of Christes Church? But to aske of thee what Christes Churche is, or where it is, I let it passe.

Eliz. Syr, to that church I haue ioyned my fayth, & from it I purpose neuer to turne, by Gods helpe.

The Deane. Wouldest thou not be at home with thy chyldren, with a good wyl?

Eliz. Syr, if it please God to geue me leaue.

The Deane. Art thou contente to confesse thy selfe to be an ignoraunt and a foolishe woman, and to beleue as our holy Father the Pope of Rome doth,MarginaliaThe beliefe of the Papistes followeth the multitude. and as the Lorde Cardinalles grace doth, & as my Lord the Byshop of Lōdon thine Ordinary doth, and as the kynges grace and the Queenes grace, and all the Nobilitie of England doo: yea, and the Emperours grace, and all the noble Princes in Christendome?

Eliz. Syr, I was neuer wise, but in fewe wordes I shall make you a briefe aunsweare howe I doo beleue. MarginaliaTrue beliefe dependeth not vpō men, but vpon the rule of Gods word.I doo beleue all thynges that are written in the Scriptures, geuen by the holy Ghost vnto the church of Christe, set forth and taught by the church of Christ. Hereon I ground my faith, and on no man.

Then said Story: and who shalbe Iudge?

Eliz. Syr, the scripture?

D. Story. And who shal reade it?

Eliz. He vnto whom GOD haue geuen the vnderstandyng.

Bish. Woman, be reformable, for I would thou were gone, and M. Deane here hath earnestly sued for thee.

Deane. Woman, I haue sued for thee in deede, and I promise thee, if thou wylt be refourmable, my Lord wyl be good vnto thee.

Eliz. I haue bene before my Lorde Bishop, and before Maister Chauncellour three tymes, and haue declared my fayth.

Deane. And yet I know that maister Chancelor wyll say, that thou art a ranke heretike.

D. Story. Away with her.

Bish. Maister Deane, ye knowe that I may not tary, nor you neither. MarginaliaElizabeth Young committed to the Deane.Let her keeper bryng her home to your owne chamber, soone at foure a clocke at afternoone, and if that ye finde her reasonable, then let her goe, for I would that shee were gone.

Then said the Deane, with a good wyll, my Lord: and so shee was sent vnto the place from whence shee came, vntyl it was foure of the clocke at afternoone.

MarginaliaThe ninth examination of Elizabeth Young.WHen it was foure of þ^e clocke at afternoone as the houre was appoynted, and the Deane was set, he asked her: Art thou a foole now, as thou wast to day?

Eliz. Syr, I haue learned but smal wisedome since.

Deane. Doest thou thinke that I am better learned then thou?

Eliz. Yes sir, that I doo.

Deane. Thinkest thou that I can doo thee good?

Eliz. Yea sir, and if it please God that ye wyl.

Deane. Then I wyll doo thee good in deede. MarginaliaTalke betwene the Deane and Elizabeth Young about receauing the Sacrament.What doest thou receyue when thou receyuest the Sacrament whiche Christ leaft among his Disciples the nyght before he was betrayed?

Eliz. Syr, that that his Disciples dyd receyue.

Deane. What dyd they receyue

Eliz. Syr, that that Christ gaue them, they receyued.

Deane. What aunsweare is this? was Christe there present?

Eliz. Syr, he was there present, for he instituted his

owne sacrament.

Deane. He tooke bread, and he brake it, and gaue it to his disciples, and sayd: Take, eate, this is my body which shall be broken for you. When thou receiuest it, doost thou beleue that thou receyuest his body?

Eliz. Syr, when I receiue, I beleue that through faith I doo receiue Christ.

Deane. Doost thou beleue that Christ is there?

Eliz. Syr, MarginaliaChrist not absent from his Sacramentes.I beleue that he is there, to me, and by fayth I doo receiue hym.

Deane. He also tooke the cup and gaue thankes, and gaue it to his Disciples, and said: Drinke ye al hereof. This is the cup of the new Testament in my bloud, whiche is shed for many for the remission of sinnes. When thou doost receiue it after the institution that Christ ordeined among his disciples the night before he was betraied, doost thou beleue that Christ is there?

Eliz. Syr, by faith I beleue that he is there, and by fayth I doo beleue that I doo receiue hym.

Deane. Now thou hast answered me. Remēber that thou sayest, that when thou doost receiue accordyng to the institution of Christ, thou doost receiue Christ.

Eliz. Syr, I beleue Christ not to be absent from his own sacrament.

Deane. How long wylt thou continue in that beliefe?

Eliz. Syr, as long as I doo lyue, by the helpe of God: for it is, and hath bene my beliefe.

Deane. Wylt thou say this before my Lord?

Eliz. Yea sir.

Deane. Then I dare deliuer thee. Why, thou calfe, why wouldest thou not say so to day?

Eliz. Syr, ye asked me no such question.

Deane. Then ye would stand in disputatiō how many bodyes Christ had.

Eliz. Syr, in deede that question ye dyd aske me.

Deane. Who shall be thy suretyes that thou wylt appeare before my Lorde of London and me vppon Fryday next?

Eliz. Syr, I haue no sureties, nor knowe not where to haue.

MarginaliaTwo women sureties for Elizabeth Young.Then spake the Deane vnto two women that stoode there, who had earnestly sued for her, saying: women, wyll ye be her sureties þ^t shee shal appere before my lord of London and me vpon Fryday next?

The women. Yea, sir, and it please you.

Deane. Take heede that I finde you no more a brabler in the scripture.

Eliz. Syr I am no brabler in the scripture, nor yet any mā can burthern me therwith.

Deane. Yes, I haue hearde of you well enough what ye are.

Then sayde he to the two women: what if a man should touche your conscience, doo ye not smell a litle of heresie also?

The women. No sir.

Deane. Yes a litle of the frying pan, or els wherfore haue ye twayne so earnestly sued for her?

The one woman answeared: because that her chyldren were like to perish, and therfore God put me in mynd to sue for her.

Then saide the other woman: And I gate her chyld a Nourse, and I am threatned to stand to the keepyng of her chylde, and therfore it standeth me in hand for to sue to haue her out.

Deane. Woman, geue thankes vnto these honest women, who haue so earnestly sued for thee:MarginaliaElizabeth Young vpon suretyes deliuered. and I promise thee so haue I. These great heretikes wyl receyue nothyng but in spirite and fayth: and so he rose and departed.

Eliz. Syr, God be praysed, & I thanke you for your goodnes, and theirs also, and so he went away: and vpon the fryday next, because shee was acrased, her two sureties went thyther, and were discharged.

¶; Elizabeth Lawson.  

Commentary     Close

Copies of the sentence condemning Elizabeth Lawson survive in Foxe's papers as BL, Harley MS 421, fos. 164r-165r and 177r-178v.

MarginaliaElizabeth Lawson, Confessour.IN the towne of Bedfield and in the Countie of Suffolk, was dwellyng a godly ancient matrone named Elizabeth Lawson, about the age of. lx. yeares. This Elizabeth was apprehended as an heretike, by the Constables of the same towne named MarginaliaRobert Kitrich, Tho. Elas, persecutors.Robert Kitrich, and Thomas Elas, in the yere of our Lord. 1556. because shee would not go to church to heare Masse, and receyue the sacrament, and beleue in it. First they layd her in a Dungeon, and after that shee was carryed vnto Norwich, and from thence to Burye Gayle, where at last shee was condemned to be burnt. In the meane time MarginaliaSyr Iohn Sylliarde Shrieffe.sir Iohn Sylliard had her home vnto his house, he being high Sheriffe that yeare, where shee was hardly kept and wrapped in yrons, tyll at length when they by no