Marginalia* Mercy here importeth no offence acknowleged, but to be saued from the rage of the people. went vp to the wyndowes, crying * mercy and shewing their innocent intent, required iustice ordinarie. Thus as they were enclosed about sixe or seuen houres, at last came Martin the kinges Attorney, with force of Commissaries and Sergeantes. Who with much ado appeasing the outrage of the people, entred into the house, where he vieuyng the women and children, and the other furniture there beyng prepared for that congregation, perceyued testimonies sufficient of their innocencie, in so much, that in considering thereof, for pitie of hart, his eyes coulde not refrayne from teares. Notwithstandyng proceeding in his office, he had them al to prison within the litle Castle. I omytte here the furious vsage of the people by the way, how despitefully they plucked & haled the women, tare their garmentes, thruste of their hoodes from their heades, and disfigured their faces with dust and durt. Neither were they better entreated in þ^e prison, thē they were in þ^e streates: for al þ^e villanes & theues there, wer let out of their holes and stinkyng caues, and the poore Christians placed in their roumes.

MarginaliaA false and malicious sclaunder raised against the Congregation. Besides these manifold wronges & oppressions done to these pore innocētes, folowed thē (which was worst of al) the cruel and sclaunderous reports of þ^e fryers and priestes, who in their railyng sermons & other talke, cryed out of the Lutherans, perswading the people most falsly, that they assembled together to make a banket in the night, and there puttyng out þ^e candles, they went together, Iacke with Iylle (as they said) after a filthy and beastly maner. Addyng moreouer (to make the lye more likely) that certaine Nunnes also & monkes were with them. Also that they shoulde conspire against the king, and other like heynous crimes, what soeuer their malice coulde inuent, for defacing of the Gospel. With such like malicious misreports & sclaunders, Satan went about to extinguish the auncient church of Christ in þ^e primitiue tyme: accusing the innocent Christians then of incest, conspiracie, killyng of infants, puttyng out of candles, & filthy whoredome. &c. MarginaliaVid. supra. pag. 37. Vid. supr. pag. 37. These sinister rumors & cursed diffamations were no sooner geuē out, but they were as soone receiued, and spread farre, not onely to thē of the vulgar sort, but also among the states of the Court, and euen to the kings eares. The Cardinal of Lorraine þ^e same time bare a great sway in the court, who then procured a certaine Iudge of the castle, to come in, declaring to the king that he found there lying in þ^e floore of the foresaid house, diuers coutches & palletts, vpon which they entended to cōmit their whoredome: also much other furniture and preparation appointed for a sumptuous feast or banket: wherewith the kyng was mightly inflamed against them, neyther was there any one person that durst contrary it.

Here the enemies began highly to triumph, thinktng veryly that the gospel, with al the frends therof, were ouerthrowen for euer. On the other side, no lesse perplexitie and lamentation was among þ^e brethren, sorowing not so muche for them selues, as for the imprisonment of their felowes. Albeit they lost not their courage so altogether, but as well as they could, they exhorted one another, cōsidering the great fauour and prouidence of God, in deliueryng them so wonderfully out of the daūger. Some comfort they tooke vnto them, consultyng together in this order, that first they should humble them selues to God in their owne priuate families. Secondly to stoppe the runnyng brutes of their holy assembles, they should write Apologies, one to the kyng, an other to the people. Thirdly, that letters of consolation should be written and sent to their brethren in prison.

MarginaliaThe Apologie of the Congregation agaynst false reportes. The first Apologie was written to the kyng, & conueyd so secretely into his chamber, that it was found, and read opēly in the hearyng of the kyng and of all his nobles. Wherin the Christians learnedly & discretly both cleared them selues of those reportes, and shewed the malice of their enemies, especially of Satan, which euer frō the beginnyng of the church, hath and styll dooth go about to ouerturne the riyht wayes of the Lord, declaryng further by manyfold examples and cōtinual experience, euen from the primitiue tyme, howe the nature of the Churche hath euer bene to suffer vexations and sclaunderous reportes and infamation by the malignant aduersaries. &c. And lastly cōming to the kyng, they craued that

MarginaliaThe true church of Christ euer from the beginning oppressed with sclaunderous tongues. their cause might not be condemned before it had indifferent hearing. &c. Neuerthelesse, this Apologie to the kyng, serued to litle purpose, for so muche as the aduersaries incōtinent denied al that was written to the king, making hym to beleue that al were but excuses pretensed, neyther was there any person that durst replie againe.

But the other Apologie to the people, dyd inestimable good, in satisfying the rumors, and defending the true cause of the Gospel. Wherupon certaine doctors of Sorbō began to write both against þ^e Apologie and the persons. Of whom MarginaliaDoctor Demochares persecutour. one was called Demochares, who taking for his foundation, without any proofe, that they were all heretiques, cryed out for iustice, with bylles, glaues, fire, and sword.

An other Sorboniste more bloudy then the first, not onely exclamed against thē, for puttyng out þ^e candles in their detestable concourses & assembles, but MarginaliaLying lippes. also accused thē, as men which mainteined that there was no God, and denied the diuinitie & humanitie of Christ, the immortalitie of the soule, the resurrectiō of flesh, and briefly al the articles of true religiō. And thus he charged them without any proofe, mouyng both the king and people, without any forme of law, to destroy and cut them in peeces. &c.

MarginaliaCenalis Byshop of Auranches persecutour. The third that wrote against thē was Cenalis, bishop of Auranches, which debated the same matter, but with lesse vehemencie then the other, defending impudently, that their assembles were to maintaeyne whoredome, cōplainyng of the Iudges, because they were not sharper with them, saying that their softenes was þ^e cause, why the nūber of thē so much encreased. Among other poyntes of his booke, this one thing he disputeth marueilous pleasauntly touching the signes MarginaliaNote well the true notes of the popeholy church. and markes of the true Churche: first presupposing this one thing which is true that þ^e true churche hath his signes, by the which it may be knowen frō the false church: & therupon (making no mention at al, eyther of preaching or ministratiōon of Sacraments) thus he inferreth, that their church which was the Catholike church, had belles, by the which their assembles be ordinarily called together: & the other church, which is of the Lutherans, hath clappes of harquebuses & pistelets for signes, wherby they (as it is cōmonly bruted) are wōt to cōgregate together. Vpon this supposal, as vppon a sure foundation, he grounding his matter, vaunted & triumphed as one hauyng gotten a great conquest, and made a long Antithesis, or comparison, by the which he MarginaliaBelles to be the marke of the true Church. would proue that belles were the markes of the true church. The belles (said he) do sound, the harquebuses do cracke or thunder. The belles do geue a sweet tune and melodious, the signes of the Lutherans make a foule noyse and terrible. The belles do open heauen, the other do open hel. Belles chase MarginaliaThe commoditie of Belles in the Popes church. away the cloudes and thunder, the other do gēder cloudes and counterfeit thūder: with many other properties moe, which he brought out, to proue that the church of Rome is the true Churche, because it hath those belles. Marke, good Reader, the profound reasons and arguments which these great doctours had, either to defende their owne church, or to impugne the Apologies of the Christians.

Briefly, to finish the residue of this storie: as the faythful Christians were thus occupiyed in writing their Apologies, and in comfortyng their brethren in prison with their letters, the aduersaries againe w^t their faction were not idle, but sought all meanes possible to hasten forward the execution, geuing diligent attendance about the prison and other open places, to satisfie their vncharitable desire with þ^e death of them, whose religion they hated.

Finally, the. xvij. day of Septemb. commission was directed out by the kyng, and certayne Presidentes and counsellers appoynted to ouersee the expedition of the matter. Wherupō diuers of the poore afflicted Gospellers were brought foorth to their iudgement and martyrdome, as anone (Christ willyng, you shall heare.

Henricus Pantal. lib. 11. partly touching this persecutiō of the Parisians, referreth the time therof to the yeare of our Saueour. 1557. whiche the Frenche Chronicles do assigne to the yeare. 1558. and addeth moreouer, that the Germaines being the same tyme in a certaine colloquie at wormes, diuers learned men resorted thyther frō Geneua, and other