MarginaliaAnno 1556. Ianuary.you M. Calthrop thinke on Iohn Groue, an honest poore man, Traiford, and Rice Aprice his accomplices. My cosin Thomas Witton (a Scriuener in Lombardstreete) hath promised to further their deliuerie: at the least hee can instruct you whiche waye to worke. I doubt not but that Maister Boyer will labour for the good wife Cooper (for she is worthy to bee holpen) and Berard the Frenchman.  

  There bee also diuers other well disposed men, whose deliueraunce if ye will not labour for: yet I humbly beseeche you to seeke their reliefe, as you shall see cause, namely of Henry Aprice, Lancelot, Hobbes, Lother, Homes, Carre, and Bockyngham, a young man of goodly giftes in witte and learnyng, and (sauyng that he is somewhat wilde) likely to doe well hereafter. There bee also two women, Conyngham and Alice Alexander that may proue honest. For these and all other poore prisoners, here I make this my humble sute, and prayer to you all my Maisters, and especiall good frendes, beseechyng you of all bondes of amitie, for the precious bloud of Iesus Christ, in the bowelles of mercie: to tender the causes of miserable captiues: helpe to clothe Christ, visite the afflicted, comfort the sorrowfull, and releue the needy. The very God of peace guide your hartes to haue mercy on the poore, and loue faythfully together, Amen. This present Monday, when I looke to dye, and liue for euer.

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Yours as euer Bartlet Greene.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Barlet Grene to Mistres Elizabeth Clarke.WOuld GOD (if it were his pleasure) that with this Letter I might send you may harte and mynde, and whatsoeuer there is in me elles, that pertayneth vnto GOD: So should I thinke it the beste message, and happyest Letter that euer I could write. But though I obtaine not my desire, yet shall I not cease with continuall prayer to labour for you,  

desiryng almighty GOD to encrease that, which he hath long sith begonne in you, of sober lyfe, and earnest zeale towardes his Religion. In fayth (as sayth Sainct Paule ) she that is a true widowe and frendlesse, putteth her trust in GOD, continuyng day and night in Supplication and prayer: but she that liueth in pleasure is dead, euen yet aliue. Marginalia1. Tsm. 5.Marginalia1. Cor. 5.And verely a true widowe is she that hath maryed Christ, forsakyng the vanities of the worlde, and luste of the fleshe. For as the maryed woman careth howe to loue, please, and serue her husband: so ought the widowe to geue all her hart and soule, thoughtes and wordes, studies and labours: faythfully to loue GOD, vertuously to bryng vp her children and houshold, and diligently to prouide for the poore and oppressed. Marginalia1. Tim. 5.

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Therefore Sainct Paule first instructeth a widow how to behaue her selfe, that is: Not to liue in pleasure, then to watche vnto prayer, as the onely meanes to obtayne all our desires, stedfastly laying vppe all our trust in GOD, as Dauid right well sayth: First eschew euill, then doe good. MarginaliaPsalm. 34.Of Anna the prayse was written, that shee neuer went out of the Temple, but serued GOD with fastyng and prayer night and day: so well had she espoused Christ. MarginaliaLuke. 2.Iudith ware a smocke of heare, continuyng in fastyng, and had good report of all men. MarginaliaIudith. 8.MarginaliaEphesian. 6.

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The next care that belongeth to a widowe, is that she bryng vppe her children and houshold godly, in the nourture and information of the Lorde.  

Whereof Saincte Paule sayeth: If any haue Children or Nephewes, lette them learne firste to rule their owne house Godly, and to recompence their elders. Marginalia1. Tim. 5.The incontinencie and couetousnesse of Phinees and Ophny, not corrected by Ely their Father, prouoked GODS vengeaunce vppon him, and all his kynred. Marginalia1. Reg. 2. 2. Reg. 15.The ouer tender loue of Absolon, expelled Dauid from his kyngdome. The vnrebuked sinnes of Ammon encouraged Absolon to slea his brother: Marginalia1. Reg 8.most manifest examples agaynste the parentes, for the offences of the Children.  

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Contrarywise, how greatly might Hannah reioyce ouer Samuell her Sonne, whome she had brought vppe in the house of the Lorde: Marginalia2. Reg. 13.What thankes might Tobias wife giue for her Sonne Toby? How happy was Salomō to be taught by the prophet Nathan? Marginalia3. Reg. 1.But aboue all widowes, thrise blessed was the happy mother of the vij. Sonnes, that so had instructed them by the feare of GOD, that by no tormentes they would shrincke from the loue of his truth? Marginalia2. Mach. 7.

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Of the last parte Saincte Paule sheweth that a widowe shoulde bee chosen, If shee haue nourished her Children, if shee haue been liberall to straungers, if shee haue washed the Sainctes feete, and if shee haue ministred to them in aduersitie. Marginalia1. Tim. 5.Herein it is euident howe earnestly Saincte Paule would haue widowes bent towardes the poore, for that (as though they onely had been therefore meete) hee appointed onely widowes to minister to the Sainctes, and to gather for the poore. MarginaliaThe office and exercise of christen widowes in the primatiue Church.Whiche vse also continued, almost throughout the primitiue Churche, that widowes had the charge, and gatheryng for the poore men and straungers.

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Of your neighboures I neede not to put you in remem-

braunce, seeynge you dayly feede them with good Hospitalitie, by whiche meanes also many foreners are of you relieued: but of the poore Almes houses, and miserable prisoners here in London many lacking their libertie wythout cause, some vnder the colour of Religion, some onely kept for fees, and some on priuate mennes displeasure. Alas that Christe so hungereth, and no man will feede hym: is so sore opprest with thyrst, and no man will geue him to drinke: destitute of all lodgyng, aud not relieued: naked, and not cloathed: sicke, and not visited: imprisoned, and not seene. In tyme past menne could bestowe large summes of money on copes, vestimentes, and ornamentes of the Churche. Why rather follow we not * Marginalia* S. Ambrose tooke from the church, & gaue to the poore: we take from the poore their tithes and improperations, & giue them to Churches and ministers where is nothing but singing, and idlenes.S. Ambroses example, whiche solde the same to the reliefe of the poore, or Chrysostomes commaundement, which willeth first to decke and garnish the liuing temple of God? But alas, suche is the wickednesse of these our last dayes, that nothing moueth vs: neyther the pure doctrine, the godlines of life, nor good examples of the auncient Fathers. If in any thing they erred, if they haue written anye thynge that serueth for sectes and dissension, that will their charitable children embrace, publishe and mayntayne with sworde, Fagot and fire. But all in vayne: they stryue agaynst the streame. For though in despite of the truth, by force of the oers of crafty perswasion, they maye bringe themselues into the hauen of hell: yet can they not make all menne bebeleue, that the bankes moue whilest the shippe sayleth, nor euer shall be able to turne the directe course of the streame of Gods truth. Our Lord Iesus Christ strengthen you in al pure doctrine and vpright liuing, and geue you grace, vertuously to bring vp your children and family, and carefully to prouide for the poore and oppressed, Amen. At Newgate the 20. of Ianuary, Ann. 1556.

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Your assured, Bartlet Greene.

MarginaliaAn other certayne writing of M. Bartlet Grene.BEtter is the day of death (sayth Salomon) then the daye of birth. Man that is borne of woman, liueth but a shorte tyme, and is replenished with many miseries: but happye are the dead that dye in the Lord. Man of woman is borne in trauell, to liue in misery: manne thorough Christe dothe dye in ioye, and lyue in felicitie. He is borne to dye, and dyeth to liue. Straight as he cōmeth into the world, with cryes he vttereth his miserable estate: straight as he departeth, with songes hee prayseth God for euer. Scarse yet in his cradle 3. deadly enemies assault him: after death no aduersary may annoy him. Whilest hee is here, he displeaseth God: when he is dead he fulfilleth his will. In this lyfe here he dyeth through sinne: in the life to come he liueth in righteousnesse. Through many tribulations in earth he is still purged: with ioye vnspeakeable in heauen is he made pure for euer. Here he dyeth euery houre: there hee liueth continuallye: Here is sinne: there is righteousnes Here is tyme: there is eternitie. Here is hatred: there is loue. Here is payne: there is pleasure. Here is miserye: there is felicity. Here is corruption: there is immortalitie. Here we see vanitie: there shall we behold the maiestie of god, with triumphant and vnspeakeable ioy in glory euerlasting. Seeke therefore the thinges that are aboue, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God the father: vnto whom with the sonne and the holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

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Yours in Christ, Bartlet Grene.

Diuers other letters and matters there were beside which this seruaunt of God did write, as namely certayn notes & extractes in Latine out of the Doct. & other authours for his memory, wherby is declared how studious he was in þ^e searching and knowledge of the law of God, although his profession was the temporall lawe. Where I would to God, he were not among the lawyers such a phenix that he had very few or no fellowes to flye w^t hym or to followe hys steppes. But God is to be praysed, that although we read of few or none among that sort that dyed as he did, MarginaliaA commendatiō of Lawyers.yet good witnesse doe spring vpp dayly of the same profession, to such towardnes and Godly zeale, that some hope already appeareth, shortly to come to passe, that this godly Phenix shall not flye alone. These foresayde notes and gatheringes of his out of the Doctoures, were taken from him by Boner, being found about hym, which was to him no little griefe. Hee among the rest was first apprehended, but last of them condemned, which was the xv. day of Ianuary, and afterward burned with the other Martyrs, the 27. of the same moneth.  

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MarginaliaEx Regist. MarginaliaTho. Browne, Martyr. MarginaliaIanuary. 27.THomas Browne, borne in the Paryshe of Hyston, wythin the Dyoces of Elye, came afterwarde to London, where hee dwelled in the Parysh of Sainct Brides in Fleetestreete, a maryed manne, of the age of 37. yeares: who because he came not to hys parish church