Marginalia1558.vppon Shrouesonday hauyng receiued the Popes pardon from Cardinall Poole, came to his Parish, and exhorted the people to receaue the same, as he had done hym selfe: saying, that he stode now so cleare in cōscience as whē he was first borne, and cared not now if he should dye the same houre in that clearenes of conscience: MarginaliaA terrible example of Gods seuere punishment vpon one Nightingall Parson of Crondall in Kent.whereupon beyng sodenly stricken by the hand of God, and leanyng a little on the one side, immediately shronke downe in the Pulpit, and so was foūd dead, speakyng not one word more. Read before pag. 1478.

Not long before the death of Queene Mary died Doctour Capon Byshoppe of Salisbury. MarginaliaD. Geffrey Chauncellor of Salisbury.About the whiche tyme also followed the vnprepared death of Doctour Geffrey Chauncellour of Salisbury, who in the middest of his buildynges, sodeinly beyng taken by the mightie hand of God, yelded his life, whiche had so litle pitie of other mens lyues before. Concernyng whose cruelty partly mention is made before pag. 1984.

As touchyng moreouer this foresayd Chauncellour, here is to be noted, that he departyng vpon a Saterday, the next day before þ^e same, he had appointed to cal before him. 90. persons and not so fewe, to examine them by Inquisition, had not the goodnesse of the Lord, and his tender prouidēce, thus preuented him with death, prouidyng for his poore seruauntes in tyme.

And now (to come from Priestes to Lay men) we haue to finde in thē also no lesse terrible demonstrations of Gods heauy iudgement vpon such as haue bene vexers and persecutours of his people.

MarginaliaM. Woodroffe a cruell Shrieffe, plagued.Before in the story of Maister Bradford, mention was made of Maister Woodroffe, who beyng thē Sheriffe, vsed much to reioyce at the death of the poore Saintes of Christ, and so hard he was in his office, that when Maister Rogers was in the cart goyng toward Smithfield, and in the way his childrē were brought vnto him, the people makyng a Lane for them to come: Maister Woodroffe bad the carmans head should be broken for staying his cart. But what happened? He was not come out of his office the space of a weeke, but he was stricken by the sodeine hand of God, the one halfe of his body, in such sort that he lay benummed and bedred, not able to moue him selfe but as he was lifted of other, & so continued in that infirmitie the space of vij. or viij. yeares till his dying day. pag. 1805.

MarginaliaThe bewrayer of George Eagles, plagued.Likewise touchyng Rafe Lardin  

Commentary     Close

This account, and the background to it, are described in Thomas S. Freeman, 'Fate, Faction and Fiction in Foxe's "Book of Martyrs"', Historical Journal 43 (2000), pp. 601-23.

Among other persecutours also came to our handes the crueltie of one Maister Swingfield an Aldermans Deputie about Thamis streete, who hearyng one Angelles wife, a midwife that kept her selfe from their Popishe Churche, to be at the labour of one Mistres Walter at crooked Lane ende, tooke three other with him, and beset the house about, and tooke her and caryed her to Boners officers, bygge with child, xxviij. weekes gone, who layde her in Lollardes Tower, where as the same day she came in, thorough feare and a fall at her takyng, she was deliuered of a man child, and could haue no woman with her in that needefull tyme. Lying there v. weekes, she was deliuered vnder sureties by frendshyp, and Doctour Story hearyng thereof charged her with fellony, and so sent her to Newgate. The cause was for that she had a woman at her house in her labour that dyed, and the child also,  

Commentary     Close

The syntax of this passage is confusing: Foxe is saying that it was Angel's wife who was arrested.

But when Syr Roger Cholmley heard her tell her tale, he deliuered her: and not much more then x. weekes after, if it were so lōg, dyed the sayd Maister Swingfield,MarginaliaGods punishment vpon Master Swingfield and other which bewrayed one Angels wife.and the other three that came to take her.

MarginaliaA story of Burton Bailife of Crowland, how he was plagued for setting vp Masse.Because some there be, and not a few, which haue such a great deuotiō in setting vp the Popish Masse, I shall desire them to marke well this story folowyng. There was a certaine Bailiffe of Crowlād in Lincolnshyre named Burton, who pretendyng an earnest frendshyp to the Gospell in kyng Edwardes dayes, in outward shew at least (although inwardly he was a Papist or Atheist, and well knowen to be a man of a wicked & adulterous lyfe) set forth the kynges proceedynges lustely, till the tyme that kyng Edward was dead and Queene Mary placed quietly in her estate.

Then perceauyng by the first proclamation concernyng Religion, how the world was lyke to turne, the Bailiffe turned his Religion lykewise: and so he moued the Parish to shew them selues the Queenes frendes, and to set vp the Masse speedely. Neuertheles the most substauntiall of the Parish, marueilyng much at the Bailiffes inconstant lightnes, consideryng also his abhominable lyfe, and hauyng no great deuotion vnto his request: knowyng moreouer that their duety and frēdshyp to the Queene stode not in settyng vp the Masse, spared to prouide for it, as lōg as they might: but the Bailiffe called on them still in the Queenes name.

At last, when he saw his wordes were not regarded, & purposing to wynne his spurres by playing the man in the Masses behalfe and the Queenes, he got hym to the church vpon a sunday mornyng, and when the curate was beginnyng the Englishe seruice, accordyng to the Statute set forth by Kyng Edward the vj. the Bailiefe commeth in a great rage to the Curate and sayth: MarginaliaBurton earnest in setting vp the Masse.Syrra, will you not say Masse? buckle your selfe to Masse you knaue, or by Gods bloud I shall sheath my dagger in your shoulder. The poore Curate for feare fetled hym selfe to Masse.

Not long after this, the Balife rode from home vpon certeine busines, accompanyed with one of hys neighbours and as they came ridyng together vppon the Fennebanke homeward agayne, a crow sittyng in a willow tree tooke her flight ouer hys head, singyng after her wonted note, knaue, knaue, and withall let fall vpon hys face, so that her excrementes ranne from the topp of his nose down to his beard. The poysoned sent and sauour whereof so noyed hys stomacke, that he neuer ceased vomityng vntill he came home, wherewith hys hart was so sore & hys body so distempered: that for extreme sicknes he got hym to bed, and so lying, MarginaliaThe stinking death of a Popish Massemounger.he was not able for the stincke in hys stomacke and paynefull vomityng, to receaue any reliefe of meate or drynke, but cryed out still, sorowfully complaynyng of that stincke, and with no small othes, cursing the Crow that had poysoned hym. To make short, he cōtinued but a few dayes, but with extreme payne of vomityng and crying hee desperatly dyed without any token of repentaunce of hys former life.

Reported and testified for a certeintie, by diuers of hys
neighbours, both honest and credible persons.

MarginaliaOf the Martyrdome of Iames Abbes, read before. 1595.Of Iames Abbes Martyr, ye heard before. In þ^e time of whose Martyrdome what befell vppon a wicked rayler agaynst hym, now ye shall further vnderstand. Whereby all such railing persecutors may learne to feare Gods hande, & to take heede how or what they speake against his seruātes. MarginaliaA story to be noted of all rayling persecutors.As thys Iames Abbes was led by the Sheriffe towarde hys execution, diuers poore people stoode in the way, and asked their almes. He then hauyng no money to geue them, and desirous yet to distribute some thyng amongest them, dyd pull of all hys apparrell sauyng hys shyrt, and gaue the same vnto them, to some one thing, to some an other: in the geuyng whereof he exhorted them, to be strong in the Lord, and as faythfull followers of Christ, to stand stedfast vnto the truth of the Gospell, whiche he (through Gods helpe) would then in their sight seale and confirme with his bloud. Whiles he was thus charitably occupyed and zealously instructyng the people, a seruant of the Sheriffes goyng by and hearyng hym, cryed out aloud vnto them, and blasphemously said: beleue him not good people. He is an hereticke and a mad man, out of hys wit: MarginaliaThe Shriffes seruaunt vilye rayling agaynst Iames Abbes.beleue hym not, for it is heresy that he sayth. And as the other continued in his Godly admonitions, so dyd this wicked wretch still blow forth his blasphemous exclamations vntill they came vnto the stake where he should suffer. Vnto the which this cōstant Martyr was tyed, and in the end cruelly burned, as in hys hystory more fully is already declared.

MarginaliaA fearefull example of Gods righteous iudgement against the Sheriffes seruaunt rayling agaynst Iames Abbes.But immediatly after the fire was put vnto hym (such was the fearefull stroke of Gods iustice vpon thys blasphemous railer) that he was there presently in the sight of all the people, stricken with a frenesie, wherewith he had before most raylyngly charged that good Martyr of God, who in this furious rage and madnes, castyng of hys shoes with al the rest of hys clothes, cryed out vnto the people and sayd: Thus dyd Iames Abbes that true seruaunt of God, who is saued, but I am damned, And thus ranne he rounde about the Towne of Bury, still crying out that Iames Abbes was a good man and saued, but he was damned.

The Sheriffe then beyng amased and caused hym to be taken & tyed in a darke house, and by force compelled hym agayne to put on his clothes, thinkyng thereby within a while to bryng hym to some quietnes. But he (all that notwithstandyng) as soone as they were gone, continued hys former ragyng: & castyng of hys clothes, cryed as he dyd before: Iames Abbes is the seruant of God and is saued, but I am damned.

At length he was tyed in a carte, and brought home vnto his masters house, & within halfe a yeare or theraboutes, he beyng at the poynt of death, the Priest of the parishe was sent for: who commyng vnto hym, brought w^t him the Crucifix and their houseling host of the alter. MarginaliaExample how Popery bringeth to desperation.Which geare when the poore wretch saw, he cryed out of the Priest & defied all that baggage, saying that the Priest with such other as he was, were the cause of hys damnation, and that Iames Abbes was a good mā, and saued. And so shortly after he dyed.

MarginaliaClarke hanged him selfe.Clarke an open enemie to the Gospell and all Godly Preachers, in K. Edwardes dayes hanged hym selfe in the Tower of London.