knees, shee desired the Lord to helpe her, and before shee should be throwen downe, shee desired her face might be couered with a napkin or some linnē cloth, Who beyng so couered, and the earth throwen vpon her face and her body, the hangmā stamped vpon her with his feete, till her breath was past. Ibidem.

moreouer the house beset about with harnessed mē, where he was hosted, he began to be more afeard and hid himselfe in a bushe: for he was very timorous, & a weake spirited man. But the houre beyng come, which the Lord had appointed for him, it happened that certaine standing vpon the towne walle, which might well see him go into the thicket or bushe, gaue knowledge therof to the souldiours,MarginaliaAugustine agayne takē. which folowed hym to the bushe and tooke hym. Beyng taken, he was had to Bergis, the head towne of Hennegow, where he being examined, valiantly standing to the defence of his doctrine, aunswered his aduersaries with great boldnes.

MarginaliaExample of Gods goodnes in strēgthening the weake harted. Wherin here is to be noted and marueiled to see the woorke of the Lord, how this man beyng before of nature so timorous, now was so strenghthened with Gods grace, that he nothing feared the force of all his enemies. Among other, came to him the Wardē of the Gray Friers, with a long oration, persuading hym to relent or els hee should be damned in hell fire perpetually. To whome Austen aunswering agayn, sayd: proue that which you say, by the authoritie of Gods worde, that a man may beleue you, You saye much, but you proue nothyng, rather like a Doctour of lyes, then of truth. &c. At last he beyng there condemned to be burned at Bellimont, was brought to the Inne where he should take horse: where was a certeine Gentleman a straunger, who drinking to hym in a cup of wyne, desired hym to haue pitie vpō hym selfe, and if he would not fauour his life, yet þ^t he would fauour his owne soule. To whome said Austen, after he had thanked him for his good will, what care I haue (sayd he) of my soule, you may see by this, that I had rather geue my body to be burned, then to do that thing, that were agaynst my conscience. When he was come to þ^e towne of Bellimont where he should be burned, the same day there was a great buriall of the Duke Ariscotus his sonne, which was slayne a litle before (as is before touched: by the occasion wherof many nobles and Gentlemen were there present, whiche hearing of this Austen came to him and talked with him. When þ^e day came of hys martyrdome, MarginaliaThe death & martirdome of Austen. the people beyng offended at his constancie, cried out to haue him drawen at an horse tayle, to the place of burnyng: but the Lord woulde not suffer that. In fine, beyng tyed to the stake and fire set vnto him, hartely he prayed to the Lord, and so in the fire paciently departed. Ex Crisp. & aliis.

bene for the earnest sute and prayer of the women of that citie, and at the intercessiō of Mary the Emperours sister. Ex Ioan. Sled. lib. 22.

No doubt but the Lord will render to vs agayne better then crownes of gold. some sayd, þ^t they were Anabaptistes. And it myght be (sayth Melanct) þ^t they had some fonde opinion admixed with all: yet they dyd hold (sayth he) the foundation of the Articles of our fayth, and they dyed blessedly, in a good conscience and knowledge of the sonne of God. Few do liue without errours. Flatter not your selues, thinking your selues so clere that you can not erre. Hæc Phillip. Melancth.

Wherfore warre was raysed agaynst them, their Citie besieged, and greate violence vsed: so that many honest and religious Citizens for þ^e Gospels cause, susteined great perilles and daunger of death. At last when they had manfully and Constantly endured such great distresse and calamitie, þ^e space of a whole yeare, through the blessed prouidence of Almyghty God, (who about the same tyme sent warr betwen the French kyng and the Emperour) honest reconciliation was made betwene them & the Emperour, whereby they were receaued into fauour, and suffered to enioye their former religion quietly Ex Ioan Sled. lib. 23.

Gaunt: where (after a certayne space that he had there continued, instructing diuers of hys frendes) he heard that there was a blacke Frier, which vsed to preach good doctrine to the people. Wherefore he beyng desirours to heare, came to hys Sermon, where the Fryer contrary to hys expectation preached in defence of transubstantiation. At the hearyng whereof hys hart was so full, that he had much a doe to refrayne, whyle the Sermon was finished.