neither part could agree, Ioānes was bid to returne home to his house. Who as he was came downe to the lower steppes, where the place was most straitest, so that his frendes could not come to rescue him (although by drawing their swordes they declared their good MarginaliaMollius taken and imprisoned by Card. Campeius. willes) was there taken and layd fast in prison. When the day came, such tumulte and styrre was in the whole Citie, that Cornelius was driuen to hyde himselfe. Also Campeius the Cardinall, with the byshop there, were both contēned of the students. The next day, the Byshop of Bononie sent his Chancelour to Iohn in the prisō, to signifie vnto him, that either he must recant, or els burne. But he beyng of a bold & cherefull spirite, would in no wise be brought to recant. This one thyng greued him, that he should be condemned, his cause beyng not heard.

In the meane season, Laurentius Spatha aboue mentioned, beyng generall of that order, in most spedy wise posted vp to Rome, & there so practised with the Cardinall S. Crucis, the Proctor in the Court of Rome, for the Gray Friers, that the Pope wrote downe his letters to Campeius, that he should deliuer the sayd Iohn out of prison: so that he notwithstandyng, within iij. monethes after, should personally Marginalia[illegible text] out of [illegible text] of [illegible text] the [illegible text]. appeare at Rome. Thus the xxx. day of his enprisonment he was deliuered: who but for cōmyng of þ^e Popes letters, had bene burned within iij. dayes after. Moreouer, with the sayd Mollius, Cornelius also was cited, to make his appearaunce likewise at Rome, and there was deteined in prison by the Cardinal S. Crucis, til his cause should be decided. The frendes of Mollius gaue hym counsaile not to go to Rome, & offered hym money to go to Germany: but he would not, saying that the Gospell must also be preached at MarginaliaMollius appeareth before the Pope. Rome. After he was come to Rome, and appeared before Pope Paule iij. humbly he desired, that the cause beyng so weyghty, might come in publicke hearyng, but that could not be obteined. Then was he commaūded to write his mynde in Articles, and to bryng his proufes: which he diligently performed, entreatyng of Originall sinne, Iustification by fayth, Free will, Purgatory, & other such lyke: prouyng the sayd articles by the authoritie of the Scripture, and of auncient fathers, & so exhibited the same to the Byshop of Rome. Vpon this, certaine Cardinals and Byshops were assigned to haue the cause in hearyng, who disputed with him iij. dayes, & could not refell that which he had proued. At last, aūswere was made vnto hym thus, that it was truth which he affirmed, neuerthelesse the same was not mete for this present tyme, for that it could not be taught or published, without detriment of the Apostolicke sea: wherfore he should absteine Marginalia* The popes church can not abyde S. Paules Epistles. hereafter from the * Epistles of S. Paule, and so to returne agayne safe to Bononie, and there professe * Philosophy. Thus, asMarginalia* Paules Epistles must geue place to Philosophy. he was returned to Bononie, and all men there were desirous to know of his case, how he sped at Rome, openly in the pulpit he declared all thynges in order as they were done, and gaue God thankes.

Herewith Campeius beyng more offended then before, obteined of the Pope, that the generall of the order should remoue the sayd Iohn Mollius from Bononie, and place him some MarginaliaMollius in great daunger at Neaples. other where. So Mollius from thēce was sent to Neaples, and there was appointed reader and preacher in the Monastery of S. Laurence. But Petrus the Viceroy there, not abydyng his doctrine, so nerely sought his death, that he had much a do to escape with lyfe: & so departyng from thence, he went wanderyng in Italy from place to place, preaching Christ, wheresoeuer he came. Not long after this, when Cardinal Cāpeius was dead, he was called agayn into Bononie by a good Abbot, named De Grassis. an. 1543. where he renued agayn the readyng of S. Paules Epistle, after a secret sort, as he dyd before: but that could not be long MarginaliaMollius the second tyme apprehended for reading S. Paules Epistles. vndiscouered. Wherupō by the meanes of Cardinall de Capo, and by Bonauentura the generall, he was apprehended the second tyme, and brought to Fauentia, & layd there in a filthy and stinkyng prison, where he continued foure yeares, no man hauyng leaue once to come to him. Duryng which tyme of his induraūce, he wrote a Commentary vpō the bookes of Moses, but that labour by the malignitie of the MarginaliaMollius againe delyuered. aduersaries, was suppressed. At length, through the intercession of the Earle Petilianus, & of the foresayd good Abbot De Grassis, he was agayne deliuered, and sent to

Rauēa, where he made his abode a few monethes, wyth the Abbot ad S. Vitalem, and there agayne taught the Gospell of Christ, as MarginaliaThe feruēt zeale of Mollius. before: and whēsoeuer he spake of the name of Iesu, his eyes dropt teares, for he was fraught wyth a mighty feruency of Gods holy spirit.

In proces of tyme, when this Abbot was dead, hys sureties began to be weary of their bond, and so was he agayne now the thirde tyme, reduced into prison by the Popes Legates. There were then iiij. men of great authoritie, who beyng stirred vp of God, had pitie vppon him, and bailed hym out of prison. Of whom, one of the sayd sureties tooke þ^e sayd Mollius home, to instructe hys children in the doctrine of religion, and good letters. Furthermore, at the fame of this man, such a concourse of people came to see him, that the aduersaries began to cōsult with themselues, to kill hym, least hys doctrine should disparse farther abroad, to the detriment of the Church of Rome. Whereupon commaundement was sent to the Popes Legate, to lay handes vpon hym, and to send him vp fast bound to Rome. Where againe, MarginaliaMollius the fourth tyme imprisoned. nowe the fourth tyme, he was imprisoned in the Castle of Nome, and there continued 18. monethes, beyng greatly assaulted, sometimes with flattering promises, sometymes with terrible threates, to geue ouer hys opinion, but hys buildyng coulde not be shaken, for it was grounded vpon a sure rocke. Thus Doct. Mollius beyng constant in the defence of Christes Gospell, was brought, w^t certaine other mē (which were also apprehended for religion) into the Temple of S. Mary (called De Minerua) the 5. day of Septemb. an. 1553. eyther there to reuoke, or to be burned. There sat vpō them 6. Cardinals in high seates, beside the Iudge: before whom preached a Dominicke Frier, which cruelly inueghing agaynst the poore prisoners, incensed the Cardinals, with all the vehemēcie he myght, to their cōdēnation. The poore men stoode holdyng a burning taper in their handes: Of whom some for MarginaliaThe constancie of Doct. Mollius and of the Weauer. feare of death reuolted. But this Doctour Mollius, wyth a Weauer of Perusiū, remayned constant. Then Mollius began an earnest Sermon in the Italian tongue, wherein he confirmed the Articles of the fayth, by the sacrate Scriptures, declaring also that the pope was not the successour of Peter, but Antichrist: and that hys sectaries doe figure the whore of MarginaliaDoct. Mollius citeth the pope to the Tribunall seat of Christ. Babylon. Moreouer he cited them vp to the Tribunall seat of Christ, and threw away the burnyng taper from hym. Wherupon they beyng replinished with anger, cōdemned him wyth the Weauer, to the fire, and cōmaunded them to be had away. So were they caryed incontinent to the campe or fielde called Florianum. Where they remayned cherefull and constant. MarginaliaThe martirdome of Doct. Mollius and the Weauer. First the Weauer was hanged. Mollius then willing the hangman to execute his office likewise vpon hym, began to exhort the people to beware of Idolatry, and to haue no other Sauiours but Christ alone: for he onely is the mediatour betwene God and man. And so was he also hanged commending hys soule to God, and afterward layd in the fire and burned. The people hauing diuers iudgementes vpon hym, some sayde he dyed an hereticke, some sayd he was a good man. Ex Henr. Pantal. lib. 19. an. 1543.