wyth an other desire, he ceased to seeke for temporal trifles, seeking rather for such French or Dutch bookes, which he could get, to read: and againe, read the same so diligently, that partly by þ^e reading thereof, partly by M. Iacobus, and also by M. Machabeus (which was there the same tyme) he was able in short tyme, to iudge in the chief Articles, of our religion: In somuch, that he tooke vpon hym to write letters vnto his coūtreymē the Marchaunts of Antwerpe, in the which letters, first he gaue thankes to God for the knowledge of hisMarginaliaFrances writeth to the Marchauntes of Antwerpe. holy word, which he had receaued. Secondly he bewayled the great cruelty, and grosse blyndnes of his countreymen, desiring God to open their eyes and eares, to see and vnderstand the word of their saluation. Thirdly he promised shortly to come to them at Antwerpe, to conferre with them, touchyng the grace of God, which he had receaued. Fourthly declareth to them his purpose in goyng also to Spayne, intēdyng there likewise to imparte to his parentes, and other frendes at Burges, the holesome doctrine, which the Lord had bestowed vpon hym.

MarginaliaFrances writeth to the Emperor Beside this he addressed other letters also to Charles the Emperour, openyng to hym the calamities & miserable state of Christes Church desiryng hym to tender the quietnes therof, especially that he would reforme the miserable corruption of the Churche of Spaine, &c. Ouer and besides all this, he wrote there a Catechisme, & diuers other treatises in the Spanish toūg. And all this he dyd in one monethes space. In the meane tyme the Spanish Marchauntes of Antwerpe, vnderstandyng by his letters, both his chaunge of religion, & also his purpose of commyng to Antwerpe, sent him letters agayne, pretendyng outwardly a fayre countenaunce of much good will, MarginaliaFrances betrayed by Spanishe Marchauntes. but secretly practising his destruction. For at the day appointed of his cōming, certaine Friers were set ready to receaue him, which tooke him commyng downe from his horse, ryfled his bookes, had him into a marchaūtes house neare hād, where they examined him: with whom he agayne disputed mightely, and when they found him not agreyng to their fayth, they boūd him hand and foote, crying out vpon him, and callyng him Lutherane, & burnt his bookes before his face, threatnyng to burne hymselfe also. At this disputation within the house, diuers Spanyardes were present, which made the Friers more bold. Beyng demaunded to shew of what fayth and MarginaliaThe fayth & confession of San Romane. religiō he was: my faith (said he) is to cōfesse & preach Christ Iesus onely and him crucified, which is the true fayth of the vniuersall Churche of Christ thorough the whole world. But this fayth and doctrine you haue corrupted takyng an other abhominable kynde of lyfe, and by your impietie haue brought the most part of the world, into blyndnes most miserable: and to explane his fayth to thē more expressely, he recited all the Articles of the Creede.

Which done, thē the Friers asked whether he beleued the Byshop of Rome to be Christes vicare, & head of the Church, hauyng all the treasures of the Church in his owne power, beyng able to bynde and loose: also to make new articles, & abolish the old, at his owne will & arbitrement. Hereunto Fraunces aūswered agayne that he beleued none of all MarginaliaThe Pope Antichrist. this, but contrary did affirme, that the Pope was Antichrist, borne of the deuil, beyng the enemy of Iesus Christ, transferring to hymselfe Gods honour: & which moreouer beyng incited by the deuill, turned all thyngs vp side downe, & corrupted the sinceritie of Christes religion, partly by his false pretences beguilyng, partly by his extreme cruelty destroying the poore flocke of Christ. &c. With the like boldnes he vttered his mind likewise against the Masse & Purgatory. MarginaliaThe Popes crowne and the Fryers bellies are not to be touched. The Friers could suffer him meanely well to speake, till he came to the pope, & began to speake against his dignitie & their profite: then could they abyde no lōger, but thundred agaynst hym wordes full of crueltiy & terrour. As they were burnyng of his bookes, & began also to cast the new Testament into the fire, Fraunces seyng that, begā to thunder out agaynst them agayne. The Spanyardes then supposing him not to be in his right senses, conueyed him into a MarginaliaFrances brought in to prison. Tower six myles distant from Antwerpe, where he was deteined in a depe caue, or dungeon, with much misery, the space of viij. monethes. In which tyme of his imprisonment, many graue, and discrete persons

came to visite him, exhortyng hym, that he would chaūge his opinion, & to speake more modestly. Frāces aunswered agayne, that he mainteined no opiniō erroneous, or hereticall: & if he semed to be somwhat vehement with the Friers, that was to be ascribed not to him so much, as to their owne importunitie: hereafter he would MarginaliaSan Romane deliuered out of prison. frame himselfe more temperatly. Whereupon the Spanyardes thinkyng him better come to himselfe, discharged him out of prison. Which was about the time whē the Emperour was in his councell at Ratisbone. an. 1541.

San Romane thus beyng freed out of prison, came to Antwerpe, where he remained about twenty dayes. From thence he MarginaliaFrances Dryander. went to Louane, vnto a certaine frend of his, named Frāciscus Dryander (who also afterward dyed a Martyr) with whom he had much conference, about diuers matters of Religion: who gaue him counsaile not to alter the state of hys vocation, being called to be a marchaunt, which state he might exercise with a good conscience, & do much good. And as touchyng Religion, his counsaile was that he should say or do nothyng, for fauour of men, whereby the glory of God should be diminished: but so, that he required notwithstandyng in the same, a sounde & a right iudgement, conformed to the rule of Gods word, lest it might chaūce to hym, as it doth to many, who beyng caried with an inconsiderate zeale, leaue their vocations, & while they thinke to do good, and to edifie, they destroy, & do harme, and cast themselues needeles into daūger. It is God (sayd he) that hath the care of his Church, and will stirre vp faithfull Ministers for the same: neither doth he care for such, which rashly intrude themselues, into that function without any callyng.

This aduertisement of Dryander, Fraunces did willyngly accept, promising hereafter to moderate himselfe more consideratly. But this promise was shortly brokē, as you shall here. For passing frō Dryander, he went to Ratisbone, & there hauyng tyme & oportunitie cōuenient to speake MarginaliaThe boldnes of Sā Romane to the Emperour. to the Emperour, he stepped boldly vnto hym, besechyng hym to deliuer his countrey and subiectes of Spayne, frō false religiō, & to restore agayne the sinceritie of Christes doctrine, declaryng & protestyng that the Princes and Protestantes of Germany, were in the truer part, & that the religion of Spayne beyng drowned in ignoraunce & blyndnes, was greatly dissonant frō þ^e true & perfect word of God, with many other wordes perteyning to the same effect. The MarginaliaThe Emperours gentle aunswere. Emperour all this while, gaue hym gentle hearyng, signifying that he would consider vpon the matter, & so do therin, as he trusted should be for the best. This quyet aunswere of the Emperour, ministred to him no litle encouragement of better hope, albeit he might perceaue there in the Citie, many exāples to the contrary, yet all that discouraged not him, but he went the second, & also the third tyme, vnto the Emperour: Who quietly agayne so aunswered him as before. And yet this our Fraunces not satisfied in his mynde, sought with a greater ardēcie the fourth tyme, to speake to the Emperour, but he was repulsed by certaine of the Spanyardes about the Emperour, who incontinent with out all further hearyng or aduising the cause, would haue throwen hym headlong into the riuer of Danubius, had not the Emperour stayd them, & willed him to be iudged by the lawes of the Empire. By which cōmaundement of the Emperour, he was reserued, & deteined with other malefactors, in bandes, till the Emperour MarginaliaFrances San Romane brought into Spayne. tooke his viage into Aphrike. Thē Frāces, with other captiues folowyng the Court, after that the Emperour was come into Spayne, was there deliuered to þ^e Inquisitors: by whō he was laid in a darke prison vnder the grounde. Oft and many tymes he was called for to examinatiō, where he suffered great iniuries and contumelies, but euer remained in his conscience firme and vnmoueable. The Articles wherupon he stode, and for which he was condemned, were these.

MarginaliaThe articles of Sā Romane. That lyfe and saluation in the sight of God, commeth to no mā by his own strength, workes, or merites: but onely by the free mercy of God, in the bloud and Sacrifice of his sonne our mediatour.

That the Sacrifice of the Masse, which the Papistes do recounte auayleable, Ex opere operato, for remission of sinne, both to the quicke and dead, is horrible blasphemy.