MarginaliaAn. 1558.to trauyale betwene Germany and England, for the behoofe and sustenaunce of the poore Englishe exiles there: so hee iourneying vppon a tyme betweene Mastricke and Collen, chaunced to be taken there by certayne Rouers, and so beyng led by them away, was in no litle daunger: and yet this daunger of his was not so great, but the present helpe of the Lord was greater to ayde and deliuer him out of the same.  

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Accounts of Robert Harrington, Lady Elizabeth Fane, Sir Nicholas Throgmorton and Thomas Musgrave were printed here on p. 1703 in the 1563 edition. The account of Elizabeth Fane was updated and appended to the account of Lady Anne Knevet. The account of Throgmorton was probablydropped because the refusal of a jury to convict him of treason provided a dangerous precedent for the Elizabethan authorities; it is unclear why the accounts Harrington and Musgrave were omitted.

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MarginaliaThe storie of Thomas Sprat and William Porrege.VNto these afore rehearsed examples of Gods blessed prouidence toward his seruauntes, may also be added the happy deliueraunce of Thomas Sprat and William Porrege his companiō, now Minister. Whose storie briefly to course ouer, is this.

This Thomas Sprat had bene seruaūt sometimes to one M. BrentMarginaliaM. Brent Iustice in Kent, a persecutor. a Iustice, & a heauy persecutor, and therefore forsaking his maister for Religion sake, he went to Calyce, frō whence he vsed often with the said W. Porrege for their necessary affaires, to haue recourse into England. It so happened about the fourth yeare of Queene Maries reigne, that they landyng vppon a tyme at Douer, and taking their iourney together toward Sandwich, sodeinly vpon the way within three miles of Douer, met with the foresayd M. Brent,MarginaliaThe two Blachendens in Kent, persecutors. the twoo Blachendens, and other Gentlemen moe, with their seruātes, to the number of x. or xij. horses. Of the which twoo Blachendeus, beyng both haters and enemies of Gods woord and people, the one had perfect knowledge of W. Porrege, the other had not seene him, but onely had heard of his name before.

Thus they beyng in the way where this Iustice with his mates should meete them directly in the face, Thomas Sprat first espying M. Brent, was sore dismayde, saying to his companion: yonder is M. Brent, W. Porrege: God haue mercy vpon vs. Well, quod the other, seyng now there is no remedy, let vs goe on our way. And so thinking to passe by them, they kept them selues a loufe, as it were a score of from thē, Thomas Sprat also shadowing his face with his cloke. MarginaliaThomas Sprat almost taken in the way by the Iustice.Notwithstādyng, one of M. Brentes seruauntes aduising him better then his Master did: yonder, sayd hee to his Master, is Thomas Sprat. At which wordes they all rayned theyr horses, and called for Thomas Sprat to come to them. They call you, sayd W. Porrege. Now here is no remedy but we are taken: and so persuaded him to goe to them beyng called, for that there was no escapyng from so many horsemen in those playnes and dowes, where was no wood neare them by a mile, nor hedge neither, but onely one, which was a byrdbolt shot of.

MarginaliaThomas Sprat called of the Iustice, but would not come.All this notwithstanding, Sprat stayd and would not go. Then they called agayne, sittyng still on horsebacke. Ah sirrha, quod the Iustice? why come ye not hether? And stil his companion moued him to go, seyng there was no other shift to flie away. Nay, said Sprat, I wil not goe to them, & therwithall tooke his legges, running to the hedge that was next to him. They seing that, set spurres to their horse, thinking by & by to haue him, and that it was vnpossible for him to escape their handes, as it was in deede, they beyng on horsebacke and he on foote, MarginaliaGod alwayes stronger then the deuill.had not the Lord miraculously deliuered his seely seruaunt from the gaping mouth of the Lion ready to deuour hym.

For as God would, so it fell out that he had got ouer the hedge, skrawlyng through the bushes, when as they were euen at his heeles, striking at him with their swordes, one of the Blachendens crying cruelly: cut of one of his legges.

MarginaliaThomas Sprat getteh ouer the hedge from his persecutours.Thus Sprat had scarsely recouered the hedge from hys enemies, when one of M. Brentes seruauntes, which had beene felow sometymes in house with him, followed him in his bootes: & certeine rade vp at one side of the hedge, & certaine at the other, to meete him at the vpper end. Now, while they were folowyng the chase after Thomas Sprat, onely one remained with W. Porrege (who was one of þ^e Blachendens, not he which knew him, but the other) who began to questiō with him: not askyng what was his name (as God would) for then he had bene knowen and taken: but from whence he came, and how he came into Sprats company, and whether he went? Vnto whom he aunswered and said: from Calyce, and that Sprat came ouer with him in the passage boate, and they twoo were goyng to Sandwich, and so without any more questions he let him depart. Anone as he kept along þ^e hedge,

one of the horsemen which rode after Sprat, returnyng backe, and meetyng with the sayd W. Porrege, demaunded the very same questions as the other had done: to whom hee made also the like aunswere as afore, and so departed, takyng an other contrary waie from the meetyng of the other horseman. MarginaliaWilliam Porrege escapeth.And thus W. Porrege escaped.

MarginaliaThe Lord disposing the way of his seruauntes.Now concerning Thomas Sprat, he beyng pursued on the one side by horsemen, on the other side by his own fellow, who followed after him in his bootes, crying: you were as good to tary, for we wil haue you, we will haue you: yet notwithstanding he still kept on his course, til at length he came to a steepe down hill at the hedge end, downe the which hill he ran from them, for they could not ryde downe the hill, but must fetch a great compasse about: MarginaliaThomas Sprat deliuered by Gods helpe frō his aduersaries.and so this Thomas Sprat ran almost a mile, & as God would got a Wood. By that time he came to the Wood, they were euen at his heeles: but the night drew on, and it beganne to rayne, and so the malice of these persecutors was at an ende, the Lord working for his seruauntes, whose name be praised for euer and euer, Amen.

Not long after this, one of the two Blachendens aforesayd, which so cruelly sought the destruction of other, was cruelly murthered by his owne seruauntes.

MarginaliaThe troubles of Iohn Cornet, & how hee was deliuered.HEre might also be recited the hard aduētures and sufferinges of Iohn Cornet, and at length his deliuerance by Gods good working, out of the same. Who beyng a prentise with a minstrell at Colchester, was sent by his master about the 2. yeare of Q. Maryes rainge, to a weddyng in a towne thereby called Roughhedge, where he beyng requested by a company there of good men, the Cōstables also of the parish beyng present thereat, to sing some songes of the scripture, chaunced to sing a song called Newes out of Lōdon, which tended agaynst the Masse, and against the Queenes misproceedinges. Whereupon the next daie he was accused by the Parson of Roughhedge, called Yackesley, MarginaliaYackesley parson of Roughhedge, persecutours.and so committed, first to the Constable, where both his master gaue hym ouer, MarginaliaThe mother agaynst her own sonne.and hys mother forsooke & cursed him From thence he was sent to the next Iustice, named M. Cānall: and then to þ^e Earle of Oxford, where he was first put in yrons and chaynes, & afeer that so manacled that þ^e bloud spurt out of his fingers endes, because he would not confesse þ^e names of thē which allured him to sing. And marueile it was that the cruell Papistes were so contended, that they sent hym not also to B. Boner, to suffer the extremitie of the fire. But Gods gracious prouidence disposed otherwise for his seruaunt. For after he was manacled, the Earle cōmaunded him to be brought againe to the towne of Roughhedge, and there to be whipped till the bloud followed, and so to be banished þ^e town for euer: MarginaliaCornet whipped out of the towne, and so banished.and so he was, during all the time of Queene Mary.

¶ Thomas Bryce.  

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Brice would write a doggerel poem on the Marian martyrs which was an important source for Foxe. (See the article on Brice in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography).

MarginaliaThomas Bryce preserued.JF our storie should proceede so wide and so large, as did the exceeding mercy of Gods prouidence in helping his seruauntes out of wretchednes and thraldome of those bloudy dayes, our treatise, I thinke, would extend to an endles processe. For what good mā or woman was there almost in all this time of Quene Mary, who either in carying a good conscience out of the land, or tarying within the Realme, could well escape the Papistes handes, but by some notable experience of the Lordes mighty power and helping hand working for him? What should I here speake of the miraculous deliuerance of Thomas Bryce, who being in the house of Iohn Seale, in the parish of Horting, & the Bailiffe wsth other neighbours cōmyng in, sent by Syr Iohn Baker to search and to apprehēd him, and knowyng perfectly both his stature and colour of hys garmentes, MarginaliaGod blinded the eyes of them which sought for Th. Bryce, that they could not see him.yet had no power to see or know him standing before their faces. So mightely the Lord dyd blynd their eyes, that they asking for him, and looking vpon him, yet notwithstanding he quietly tooke vp his bagge of bookes, and so departed out of the house, without any hand layd vpon him.

MarginaliaAn other storie of Tho. Bryce & his brother.Also an other time, about the 2. yeare of Q. Mary, the sayd Thomas Bryce, with Iohn Bryce his elder brother, comming then from Wesell, meeting together at their fathers house, as they iorneyed towardes Lōdon to geue warning there to one Springfield, which els was like to bee taken vnawares by hys enemyes