bled conuersion from your errours, and also your vnfaithful abiuration and disobedience vnto the authoritie of our mother holy Church, in that you perfourmed not the penance. In which behalf you be voluntarily periured, & also relapsed, in that you departed the said dioces without licence.

4 Item, you be not only (as afore is said) impenitent, disobedient, voluntarily periured, and relapsed by this your foresaid heretical demeanor: but also sithens your last attachement vpon suspitiō of heresie, you haue maliciously spoken erroneous and damnable wordes, affirmyng before my Lord of London your Ordinary, and me, iudicially sittyng at Fulham, that you were sorye that euer you dyd abiure your saide opinions, and had not suffered then manfully for them: for they were and be good and true, and therfore you wyl now abide by them, to dye for it. And furthermore you haue spoken against our holy father the Pope and his authoritie, damnably saying that he is Antichrist, and not the true successor of Peter, or Christes vicar in earth: and that his pardons and indulgences which he graūteth in the Sacrament of penaunce, are nought, and that you wyl none of them: And likewise that þ^e college of Cardinals be limmes of the said Antichriste: and that all other inferiour prelates and priestes are the synagogue of Sathan. And moreouer you sayd, that the Doctours of the church haue subuerted the truth of holy Scripture, expoundyng it after their own myndes, and therefore their workes be nought, and they in hel: but that Wickliffe is a saint in heauen,MarginaliaWickliffes Wicket. & that the booke called his Wicket, is good, for therein he sheweth the truth. Also you, did wish þ^t there were. xx. thousād of your opinion against vs Scribes and Pharisees, to see what you would do for þ^e defence of your faith. All which heresies you did afterwardes erroneously affirme before the Archebishop of Canterbury, and then said that you would abide by them to dye for it: notwithstanding his earnest perswasions to the contrary: and therfore for these premisses you be euidently relapsed, & ought to be committed vnto the secular power.

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All these Articles thus propounded, and his constant perseueryng in the truth perceyued, Doctour Hed vicar gene-

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ral the. xxv. daye of Octob. by hyis sentence definitiue, did condemne hym as a relapsed heretique, and so deliuered hym the same present day, vnto the Sheriffes of London, to be openly burned in Smithfield.

[Back to Top] MarginaliaTho. Man, Martyr.

NExt to Iohn Stilman aboue mentioned, foloweth in this blessed order of martyrs, the persecution and condemnation of Thomas Man. Who the. xxix. day of March in the yeare of our Lord. 1518. was burned in Smithfield.  

This Tho. Man had likewise bene apprehended for þ^e profession of Christs gospel, about. 6. yeares before, the. 14. day of August, an. 1511.   and being at that time brought before. D. Smyth B. of Lincolne was by him examined vpō diuers and sundry articles: the effect wherof are these  

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MarginaliaThe articles of Thomas Man. 1 First, that he had spoken against auricular confession, and denied the corporal presence of Christes body in the sacrament of the altar.

2 Item. that he beleued that al holy men of his sect were onely priestes.

3 Item, that he had affirmed that the father of heauen was the altar, and the second person the Sacrament, & that vpon the Ascension day the Sacrament ascended vnto the altar, and there abydeth styl.

4 Item, that he beleued not aright in the sacrament of extreme vnction.

5 Item, that he had called certaine priestes meanely arrayed pyld knaues.

6 Item, that he had said that pulpits were priestes lying stooles.

7 Itē, that he beleued that images ought not to be worshipped: and that he neither beleued in the Crucifixe, nor yet would worship it.

8 Item, that he had affirmed that he heard say, þ^e worde of God and God to be al one, and he that worthily receiueth the word of God, receyueth God.

9 Item, that he had sayd, that the Popish church was not the church of God, but a synagogue: and that holy men of his sect, were the true church of God.

For these and suche like matters was he a long tyme emprisoned, and at last through frailtie and feare of death, was contēted to abiure and yeeld him selfe vnto the iudgement of the Romish church,MarginaliaThomas Man sent to the monastery of Osney. and therupon was enioyned, not onely to make his open recantation, but also frō thenceforth to remaine as prisoner within þ^e monasterie of Oseney besides Oxford, and so to beare a fagot before the first crosse at the next generall Procession within the Vniuersitie.  

Howbeit, not long after, the Bisp. hauing need of the poore mans helpe in his housholde busines, tooke hym out of the sayd Monasterye, and placed hym within his owne house, vntyl his busines were ended,   and then (his turne once serued) he appoynted D. Wilcockes his vicar general,MarginaliaThomas Man sent to the monastery of Frideswyde. that in his next iudicial Session within the Priorie of Frideswide at Oxforde, he shoulde assigne hym to remaine within the said Priorie, and not to depart thence without licence of the Prior ror the tyme being vpō payne of relapse: and vpon the like payne he also enioyned hym to weare the signe of a fagot vnder his vppermost garment, vntyl he were dispensed withal for the same. Al which notwithstandyng, he (beyng belike both sorye for his offence in denying the truth, & also wery of this seruile and prisonlike bondage) bethought hym selfe how he might best escape their cruel handes,MarginaliaThomas Man fledde out of the monastery. and therfore after a while, seyng good oportunitie offred hym, he fled the dioces & iurisdiction of Lincolne: and seeking abrode in other countreys for woorke (thereby to susteyne his poore lyfe) he most commonly abode, sometime in Essex, sometime in Suffolke: where also he associated and ioyned hym selfe vnto suche godly professors of Christes Gospel, as he there could heare of. But within fewe yeares after (suche is the cruel rage of Sathan and his wicked members, which neuer suffer the godly long to continue vntroubled)MarginaliaThomas Man the second tyme apprehended. he was agayne accused of relapse, by the inquest of the inquisition of London, and therupon was apprehended & brought vnto Rich. Fitziames then Bish. of Lond. and the. ix. day of February, an. 1518. he was examined by D. Hed the Bishops vicar general within his pallace at Lond. where the sayde Hed iudicially assisted with diuers of his complices, declared first vnto Man, that for as muche as he was since his first abiuryng againe detected and accused by certaine credible and honest persons,MarginaliaThe cause of hys martyrdome. of the same heresies which he had once before recanted: and further (contrary vnto the order of penaunce enioyned hym by the late Bishop of Lincolne) he had departed the Priorie of saint Frideswyde, and the Dioces of Lincolne without leaue, eyther of the Bishop or Prior: and was nowe also found within the dioces of Lōdon, and that without his badge assigned hym by the sayde bishops vicar generall:   he therefore as Chauncelour and vicar generall vnto the Bish. of Lond. deputed for that purpose, dyd then meane to proceede against hym as a relapse, by order of the Ecclesiastical lawes in that behalfe prouided: Wherfore he appoynted hym to appeare againe in the consistory of Paules, the. xij. day of February next after, there to answer vnto such articles, as thē should be propounded agaynst hym. At which day & place the Chauncelor (first recityng the causes before mentioned, why he dyd then proceede against hym) obiected vnto hym these articles folowyng.

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MarginaliaArticles agayne obiected agaynst Thomas Man. 1 First, that he was of the Dioces of London.

2 Itē, that he was a Christen man & professed Christes Fayth, and the determinations of holy church concerning