Marginalia1558.not onely may see how þ^e Lord did worke agaynst her therfore but also by her may be aduertised and learne what a perillous thyng it is for men or women in authoritie, vppon blynd zeale and opinion, to styrre vp persecution in Christes Church, to the effusion of Christian bloud, lest it proue in the end with them (as it did here) that while they thinke to persecute heretickes, they stumble at the same stone as dyd the Iewes in persecutyng Christ and his true members to death, to their owne confusion and destruction.

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MarginaliaA treatise of Gods seuere punishment agaynst persecutors and enemies to his worde.LEauyng now Queene Mary, beyng dead and gone, I come to them which vnder her were the chief ministers and doers in this persecution, the Byshops (I meane) and Priestes of the Clergy, to whō Queene Mary gaue all the execution of her power,  

as dyd Queene Alexandra to the Phariseis after the tyme of the Machabees. Of whom Iosephus thus writeth: MarginaliaIosephus De antiquit. Lib. 13.Ipsa solum nomen regium ferebat, cæterum omnem regni potestatem Pharisæi possidebant.   That is: shee onely reteyned to her selfe the name and title of the kyngdome, but all her power she gaue to the Phariseis to possess &c. Touchyng whiche Prelates and Priestes, here is to be noted in lyke sorte the wonderfull and miraculous prouidence of almighty GOD, whiche as he abridged the reigne of their Queene, so hee suffered them not to escape vnuisited: MarginaliaThe death of Ste. Gardiner.first beginnyng with Steuen Gardiner the Arch persecutour of Christes Churche, whom he tooke away about the middest of the Queenes reigne. Of whose poysoned lyfe and stinckyng ende, for so much as sufficient hath bene touched before pag. 1680. I shall not neede here to make any new rehearsall therof.

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MarginaliaGods punishment vpon D. Morgan Bishop of S. Dauies.After him dropped other awaye also, some before the death of Queene Mary, and some after, as Morgan Byshop of S. Dauides, who sittyng vpon the condemnation of the blessed Martyr Byshop Farrar, and vniustly vsurpyng his rowme, not long after was stricken by Gods hand after such a straunge sorte, that his meate would not go downe, but ryse & pycke vp agayne, sometyme at his mouth, sometyme blowen out of his nose most horribly to behold, and so he continued till his death. MarginaliaA note of wrong gotten goodes.Where note moreouer that when Maister Leyson  

beyng then Sheriffe at Byshoppe Farrars burnyng, had fet away the cattell of the sayd Byshop, from his seruauntes house call Matthew Harbottell, into his owne custody, the cattell commyng into the Sheriffes ground, diuers of them would neuer eate meate but lay bellowyng and roaryng, and so dyed.

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MarginaliaIustice Morgan stricken with madnes.This foresayd Byshop Morgan aboue mentioned, bringeth me also in remembraunce of Iustice Morgan, who sat vpon the death of the Lady Iane, & not long after the same, fell mad and was bereft of his wyttes, and so dyed, hauyng euer in his mouth, Lady Iane, Lady Iane. &c.

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MarginaliaD. Dunning a cruell Chauncellor, stricken with sodeine death.Before the death of Queene Mary, dyed Doct. Dunnyng the bloudy and wretched Chauncellour of Norwich, who, after he had most rigorously condemned and murthered so many simple and faythfull Saintes of the Lord, continued not long him selfe, but in the middle of his rage in Queene Maries dayes dyed in Lincolneshyre beyng sodenly taken (as some say) sittyng in his chayre.

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MarginaliaThe sodeine death of Berry a Cōmissary in Northfolke.The like sodeine death fell also vppon Berry Commissary in Northfolke, who (as is before shewed in the story of Thomas Hudson) foure dayes after Queene Maryes death, when he had made a great feast, and had one of his concubines there, commyng home from the Churche after Euensong, where hee had ministred Baptisme the same tyme, betwene the Churchyard and his house, sodeinly fell downe to the grounde with a heauy grone, and neuer styrred after, neither shewed any one token of repentaunce.

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MarginaliaGods stroke vpon D. Thornton Byshop or Suffragan of Douer.What a stroke of Gods hand was brought vppon the cruell persecutour of the holy and harmles Saintes of the Lord, Byshop Thornton, Suffragan of Douer, who after he had exercised his cruell tyranny vpon so many godly men at Canterbury, at length commyng vpon a Saterday from the Chapter house at Canterbury to Borne, & there vpon Sonday followyng, lookyng vpon his men playing at the bowles fell sodeinly in a Palsey, and so had to bed, was willed to remember GOD. Yea, so I do (sayd he) and my Lord Cardinall to. &c.

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MarginaliaAn other Suffragan of Douer brake his necke after he had receaued the Cardinals blessing.After him succeeded an other Byshop or Suffragan, ordained by the foresayd Cardinall. It is reported that he had bene Suffragan before to Boner, who not lōg after he was

made Byshop or Suffragan of Douer, brake his necke fallyng downe a payre of stayres in the Cardinals chamber at Grenewich, as he had receiued the Cardinals blessyng.

Amōg other plentyfull & sondry examples of the Lordes iudgement and seueritie practised vpon þ^e cruell persecutors of his people, this is not the least that foloweth, concernyng the story of one Williā fennyng,  

the effect and circumstaunce of which matter is this.

Iohn Cooper, of the age of xliiij. yeares, dwellyng at Watsam in the Coūty of Suffolke, being by science a Carpenter, a mā of very honest report and a good housekeeper, a harbourer of straungers, that trauailed for conscience, and one that fauoured Religion, and those that, were religious, he was of honest conuersation and good lyfe hatyng all Popish and Papisticall trashe.

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This man beyng at home in his house, there came vnto him one William Fennyng, a seruyng man, dwellyng in the sayd Towne of Watsam, and vnderstandyng that the sayd Cooper had a couple of fayre Bulloches, did desire to bye them of him, which Cooper told him that he was loth to sell them, for that he had brought them vp for his owne vse, and if he should sell them, he then must be compelled to bye other and that he would not do.

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When Fennyng saw he could not get them (for he had often assayed the matter) he sayd he would sit asmuch in his light, and so departed, and went and accused him of high treasō. The wordes he was charged wyth were these: how he should pray that if GOD would not take away Queene Mary, that then he should wishe the Deuill to take her away. Of these wordes did this Fennyng charge him before sir Henry Doiel Knight (vnto whom he was caryed by M. Timperley of Hinchlesam in Suffolke, & one Grimwood of Lowshaw Cōstable) which wordes Cooper flatly denyed, & sayd he neuer spake them, but that could not helpe.

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Notwithstandyng he was arrained therfore at Berry before sir Clemēt Highā, at a Lent Assise, & there this Fēnyng brought ij. noughty mē that witnessed the speaking of the foresayd wordes, whose names were Richard White of Watsā, & Grimwood of Hitchā, in the sayd Coūtie of Suffolke. Whose testimonies were receaued as truth, although this good mā Ioh. Cooper had layd what he could to declare himself innocēt therin, but to no purpose God knoweth. For his life was determined, as in the end appeared by sir Celemēt Hyghās wordes, who sayd he should not escape, for an exāple to all heretickes, as in deede hee throughly performed. For immediatly he was iudged to be hāged, drawē, & quartered, which was executed vpō him shortly after, to þ^e great grief of many a good hart. Here good Cooper is bereft of his life, & leaues behynde him alyue his wife, & ix. children with goods & cattell, to the value of iij. hūdred markes, the which substaunce was all taken away by the sayd sir Henry Doiel Sheriffe, but his wife, and poore, children left to the wide world in their clothes, and suffered not to enioy one peny of that they had sore laboured for, vnlesse they made frendes to bye it with money, of the sayd Sheriffe so cruell and greedy was he & his officers vpon such thinges as were there left.

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Well, now this innocēt man is dead, his goodes spoyled, his wife & children left desolate & comfortles, & all thyngs is husht, & nothyng feared of any part, yet the Lord who surely doth reuenge the giltles bloud, would not still so suffer it, but begā at the length to punish it himself. MarginaliaThe iudgement of God vpon Grimwood.For in the haruest after, þ^e sayd Grimwood of Hitchā one of the witnesses before specified, as he was in his labour staking vp a goffe of corne, hauing his health, & fearyng no perill: sodeinly his bowels fell out of his body, and immediatly most miserably he dyed: such was the terrible Iudgement of God, to shew his displeasure agaynst this bloudy act, and to warne the rest by these his iudgementes to repentance. The Lord graunt vs to honour the same for his mercyes sake. Amen.

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This foresayd Fennyng, who was the procurer of this tyranny agaynst him, is yet aliue, and is now a Minister, which if he be, I pray God he may so repent that fact, that he may declare himselfe hereafter, such one as may well aunswere to his vocation accordyngly.

But since we haue heard that he is no chaungelyng but continueth still in his wickednes, and therfore presented before the woorshypfull Maister Humerston Esquire and Iustice of Peace and Coram for that hee had talke with some of his frendes (as he thought) how many honest women (to their great infamy) were in the Parishe of Wensthaston wherein he is now Vicare resident, wherefore hee was commaunded the next Sonday ensuyng, to aske all the Parish forgiuenes vpon hys knees openly in seruice tyme, which he dyd in Wensthaston Church before sayd, and more ouer the aboue sayd Fennyng is reported, to bee more lyke a shifter then a Minister.

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To these examples also may be added the terrible iudgement of God vppon the Parson of Crondall in Kent, who