That auricular confession, with the numberyng vp of sinnes, that Satisfactiō, Purgatory, Pardōs, Inuocation of Saintes, worshyppyng of Images, be mere blasphemy agaynst the liuyng God.

Item, that the bloud of Christ is prophaned and iniuried in the same aforesayd.

After the Inquisitours perceaued, that by no meanes he could be reclamed from his assertiōs, they proceded at last, to the sentence, condemnyng hym to be burned for an MarginaliaBarabas deliuered and Christ takē. hereticke. Many other malefactors were brought also with him to the place of executiō, but all they were pardoned & dismissed: he onely for the Gospell, beyng odious to the whole world, was taken & burned. As he was led to the place of sufferyng, they put vpon him a Miter of paper, paynted full of deuils, after the Spanish guise.

Furthermore, as he was brought out of the Citie gate to be burned, there stode a wooden Crosse by the way, wherunto Frances was required to do homage. Which he refused, MarginaliaThe maner of Christians is not to worship wood. aunsweryng, that the maner of Christians is not to worshyp woode, and he was (sayd he) a Christian. Hereupon arose great clamor among the vulgare people, for that he denyed to worship the wooden Crosse. But this was turned incōtinent into a miracle. Such was the blynd rudenes of that people, that MarginaliaA great Spanishe myracle. they did impute this to the diuine vertue, as geuen to that Crosse from heauen, for that it would not suffer it selfe to be worshypped of an hereticke: and immediatly, for the opinion of that great miracle, the multitude with their swordes, did hewe it in peeces, euery man thinkyng him selfe happy, that might cary awaye some chyppe or fragment of the sayd Crosse.

When he was come to the place, where he should suffer, the Friers were busie about hym, to haue him recant: but he MarginaliaFrances cōstant to the death. continued euer firme. As he was layd vpon the heape of woode, and the fire kyndled about him, he began a litle, at the feelyng of the fire, to lyft vp his head toward heauen: Which when the Inquisitours perceaued, hopyng that he would recant hys doctrine, they caused hym to be taken from the fire. But when they perceaued nothyng lesse in him, the aduersaries beyng MarginaliaThe death & martirdome of Frances San Romane. frustrate of their expectation, willed hym to be throwen in agayne, and so was he immediatly dispatched.

After that the Martyrdome of this blessed man was thus MarginaliaThe Inquisitours of Spaine take Christes office to iudge the quicke & the dead. consummate, the Inquisitors proclaymed opēly that he was dāned in hell, and that none should pray for him: yea and that all were heretickes, whosoeuer doubted of his damnation. Neuertheles certaine of the Emperours souldiours gathered of hys ashes. Also the English Ambassadour procured a portion of his bones to be brought vnto hym, knowyng rightwell that he dyed a Martyr. Yet this could not be so secretly done, but it came to the eares of the Inquisitors & of the Emperour. Wherfore the souldiours goyng in great daunger of life, were cōmitted to prisō. Neither did the Ambassadour himselfe escape cleare frō the daunger of the MarginaliaThe English Ambassadour banished the Spanish court. Popes scourge: For he was vpō the same sequestred frō the Court & cōmaūded to be absent for a space. And thus much cōcerning the notable Martyrdome of this blessed San Romane. Ex Franc. Encena. Hispano, teste occulato.

Inquisitour passing by in the streete, & beholding þ^e arued Image, asked of Rochus what was þ^e price thereof. Which when Rochus did set (not willing belyke to sell it) the Inquisitor bad him scarce halfe the money. The other aunswered againe þ^t he could not so lyue of that bargaine. But still the Inquisitour vrged hym to take his offer. To whom Rochus agayne, it shall be yours (sayd he) if you geue me that, which my labour and charges stand me in, but of that price I can not afforde it: yet had I rather breake it in peeces. Yea, sayth the Inquisitour? breake it, let MarginaliaA caruer burned for breaking hys owne Image. me see thee. Rochus wyth that tooke vp a Chysell, and dashed it vpon the face of his Image, wherewith the nose or some other part of the face was blemished. The Inquisitour seeing that, cryed out as he were mad, and commaūded Rochus forthwith into prison. To whom Rochus cryed agayne, that he might do in hys owne workes, what he listed. And if the workmāship of the Image were not after hys phantasie, what was that to them? But all this could not helpe Rochus, but within iij. dayes after, sentence was geuen vpon hym that he should be burned, and so was he committed to the executers. As Rochus was entring the place, there to be burned, he cryed with a loud voyce, askyng among the multitude, which there stoode by, if any man of Flaunders, were there. It was aunswered, yea: and also that there were ij. ships already fraught and appoynted to sayle to Flaūders. Thē, sayd he, I would desire some of thē to signifie to my father dwelling in Antwerpe, þ^t I was burned here in this city, & for this cause which MarginaliaThe death and Martyrdome of Rochus. you all haue heard. And thus after hys prayers made to God, this good man being wrongfully cōdemned, after his godly life, made this blessed end. an. 1545.

And least this so rare and straunge example of crueltie shall seeme to lacke credite, in the fift booke of the history of Pantaleon, there is recorded that a certayne Spanyard commyng to Antwerpe, made diligent inquisition there among the Image makers to finde out the parentes of thys Rochus, & signified to them what had happened toward their sonne, as hath bene by his said parentes and frendes, declared: In so much that it is also testified, that hys father, at the hearing of the sayde message, for sorowe thereof, dyed shortly after. Ex Pantal. lib. 5.

MarginaliaDiuers good men & martyrs of Spayne, dyed in prison. ☞ Furthermore, besides these aboue recited, and also before their time, I heare and vnderstand by faythfull relation, that diuers other haue bene in the sayd countrey of Spayne, whose hartes God had meruelously illuminate and stirred vp, both before, and also since the commyng in of the Inquisition, to stand in defense of hys Gospell, and which were also persecuted for the same, and are sayde to haue dyed in prison: Albeit their names as yet are vnknowen, for that the stories of that countrey be not yet come to lyght, but I trust shortly shal, as partly some intelligence I haue thereof. In the meane tyme we will come now to the Inquisition of Spayne, speaking somethyng of the ceremoniall pompe, and also of the barbarous abuse and crueltie of the same.

MarginaliaThe forme and maner of the Inquisition of Spayne. TH cruell and barbarous Inquisition of Spayne, first began by kyng Ferdinandus and Elisabeth hys wife, and was instituted agaynst the Iewes, which after their baptisme, mainteined againe their owne ceremonies. But now it is practised agaynst them that be neuer so litle suspected to fauour þ^e veritie of the Lord. The Spanyardes, and especially þ^e great diuines there do hold, that this MarginaliaThe Spanishe Inquisition can not erre. holy and sacrate Inquisition can not erre, and that the holy fathers the Inquisitours, can not be deceaued. MarginaliaThree sortes of men chiefly in daunger of the Inquisition. Three sortes of men most principally be in daunger of these inquisitours. They that be greatly rich, for the spoyle of their goodes. They that be learned, because they wil not haue their misdealinges and secrete abuses to be espied and detected. They that begyn to encrease in honour and dignitie, least they beyng in authoritie, should worke them some shame, or dishonor. The abuse of thys Inquisition is most execrable. If any worde shall passe out of the mouth of any, which may be taken in euill part: yea & though no word be spoken, yet if they beare any grudge or euill will agaynst the partie, incontinent they com-