1583 Edition | Book 11 | Page 1922 
CloseOf Hockley, Essex. [Fines]
Agnes Glascock received a letter from William Tyms. 1570, pp. 2077-78, 1576, p. 1792, 1583, p. 1898.
She received another letter from William Tyms, dated 28 August (1555). 1570, p. 2078, 1576, 1792, 1583, p. 1898.
She received a letter from William Tyms (also addressed to Sister Colfax). 1570, p. 2079, 1576, pp. 1793-94, 1583, p. 1899.
She received a letter from John Careless. 1570, pp. 2114-15, 1576, p. 1837, 1583, pp. 1931-32.
She received a letter from John Careless [Letter to A. G.]. 1570, p. 2115, 1576, pp. 1837-38, 1583, p. 1932.
Close(1521 - 1546)
Martyr. Second daughter of Sit William Askew of Lincolnshire. [DNB]
Anne Askew was described as a faithful witness of Christ by Robert Glover in a letter to his wife.1563, pp. 1273-80, 1570, pp. 1886-89, 1576, pp. 1615-19, 1583, p. 1710.
In a letter to certain godly women, William Tyms asked them to remember the blessed Anne Askew and her example. 1570, p. 2078, 1576, p. 1792, 1583, pp. 1898-99.
Thomas Fairfax and Richard Wilmot were tormented around the same time as Anne Askew. 1563, p. 1682, 1570, p. 2260, 1576, p. 1951, 1583, p. 2058.
MarginaliaAnno 1556. Aprill.After this, the Bishop falling to entreating and perswasions, earnestly exhorted him to reuoke his heresyes, (as he termed them) and to refourme hymselfe vnto the Church of Rome, and not to sticke so much to the literall sense of the Scriptures, but to vse the interpretation of the olde Fathers.
[Back to Top]To whiche Tyms aunswered: I will not reforme my selfe therunto. And I thank God of this day: for I trust he will turne your cursinges into blessinges.
And furthermore asking this question, he sayde: And what haue you to mainteine the reall presence of Christ in the sacrament, but onely the bare letter.
We haue (quoth the bishop) the catholicke church.
MarginaliaThe Popes Church. The Sea of Rome, the Sea of Antichrist.No, sayd Tyms, you haue the popish church of Rome for you, for which you he periured and forsworne. And the See of Rome is the See of Antichrist: and therfore to that church I will not conforme my selfe, nor once consent vnto it.
MarginaliaSentence read against W. Tyms.Then the bishop seing his constant boldnesse to be vnmoueable, proceeding to his condēnation, pronounced the sentence definitiue vpon him, and gaue him ouer to the secular power.
After, calling for Robert Drakes, he vsed towardes him the like maner of exhortation that he dyd before. To whom Drakes sayd: MarginaliaThe aunswere of R. Drakes.As for your church of Rome, I vtterly defy and deny it, with all the workes thereof, euen as I deny the deuill and all his workes.
MarginaliaSentence geuen agaynst Drakes.The bishop then vsing his accustomed order of law, wt his like exhortations, at last gaue him the like blessing that Tyms had, and so charged the Shiriffe with him.
Thomas Spurge being next demaunded if he would returne to the catholicke Church, sayd as foloweth: MarginaliaThe aunswere of T. Spurge.As for your church of Rome, I doe vtterly deny it: but to the true catholick church I am content to returne, and continue in the same, whereof I beleue the Church of Rome to be no part or member. Thē in fine, calling the rest in theyr courses,and vpon the like demaundes receiuing the like aunsweres, MarginaliaSentence geuen agaynst Tho. Spurge, R. Spurge, Cauell, Ambrose.the sayd bishop gaue vnto ech of them their seueral iudgements, & so ridding his bloudy handes, cōmitted thē vnto the custody of the Shiriffes of London, who sent thē vnto Newgate, whither they went all most ioyfully, abiding there the Lordes good time, wherin they should seale this theyr fayth with the shedding of theyr bloud: which they most stoutly and willingly performed, the 14. daye of April,
CloseThe correct date is 24 April and is only found in 1563. A printing error caused it to be rendered as 14 April in the 1570 and subsequent editions.
CloseThe old editions erroneously read, "xiiij", except the first, which has "xxiiij", p. 1506. "The xxiiii day of Aprel, in the morning be-tyme, was cared to Smythffeld to be borned vi men, [and] more was cared into the contrey to be borned." (Machyn, p. 104.)
CloseOne letter of Tyms' appeared out of sequence in the 1563 edition (pp. 1512-13). This letter was never reprinted and none of Tyms' letters were printed in the Letters of the Martyrs. All other letters of Tyms first appeared in the 1570 edition and were reprintedwithout change.
CloseThis letter was written on 20 March 1556 while Tyms was held in Bonner's London palace just prior to his condemnation.
MarginaliaA letter of W. Tyms to Agnes Glascocke.THe grace, mercy, and peace of God our Father thorow Iesus Christ our Lord and Sauiour, with the sweet comfort of hys holy and mighty spirit, to the performance of his will, to your euerlasting comfort be with you my deare sister Glascocke, both now and euermore. Amen.
[Back to Top]My most deare and entirely beloued sister, yea mother I may right well call you for the motherly care which you haue alwaies had for me, I haue me most hartely commended vnto you, giuing God most harty thanks for you, that he hath geuen you so louing a hart to Christes poore Gospell, & his poore afflicted flocke for the same: and as you haue fully godly begonne, so I beseech God to geue you power, to goe forward in the same, and neuer more to looke backe fearing neither fier, neyther sworde: and then I warrant you, you haue not farre to runne.
[Back to Top]And now my deare hart, remember well what I haue taught you when I was present with you, and also written being absent, and no doubt we shall shortly meete agayne with a most ioyfull meeting. I go vpon Friday next to the Bishop of Londons Colehouse,
I.e., the coal house of Bishop Bonner's London palace which was used as an ad hoc prison for prisoners being examined by Bonner.
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the foolishe virgines. And now my sister, in witnes that I haue taught you nothing but the truth, here I write my name with my bloud,
This is not a metaphor ; because of lack of ink, Tyms wrote some of his letters using his own blood. Letters written in their blood were produced at the trials of Richard Roth and Ralph Allerton (see 1563, pp. 1627-28).
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These words following were written wt his owne bloud.
Continue in prayer. Aske in fayth. And obteyne your desyer. | By me William Tyms in the Kynges Bench for the Gos- pell of Christ. |
CloseThis letter was written before the previous letter. In the previous letter Tyms forgives Glascock for her having attended mass, which is described in this letter. This would date this letter to 28 August 1555.
MarginaliaAn other letter of Will. Tyms to Mistres Glascocke.God be mercifull vnto you, pardon & forgeue all your sinnes, & send you fayth to beleeue the same, that you may be partaker of his heauenly Kingdome, Amen.
My deare sister, I haue me most hartely commended vnto you & as I haue lamented your falling from God, by being partaker with that Idolatrous Priest, so haue I since I heard of your earnest repentance, very much reioysed, and also praysed almighty God for his mercy shewed vnto you, in that he hath not left you to your selfe, but since your denyall he hath shewed his mercy on you by looking backe on you as he did on Peter, and so caused you to repent as Peter did, & bitterly to weepe for your sinnes: where as if God had lefte you to your selfe, you had runne forward from one euill vnto an other, till at the length your harte shoulde eyther haue bene hardened, or els you shoulde haue dispayred of the mercy of God. And seeing that God hath bene so mercyfull vnto you as he hath bene, bee you not vnthankefull vnto him for the same. For I certyfie you that your sorrowfull hart that you haue had, doth declare vnto me that God hath pardoned and forgeuē all your sinnes for the bloudshedding of that immaculate lambe Iesus Christ our Lord and Sauiour.
[Back to Top]Therefore as Peter after the tyme that Christe had forgiuen him his sinne, did boldly confesse Christ before all his enemies: euen so my deare hart in the Lord, seing that god hath so mercyfully pardoned and forgiuen your sinnes, nowe cleaue vnto him and be at defiance with his enemyes the Papistes: & as they doe beare witnesse with their Father the Deuill by goinge to the Church and shedding of the innocent bloud of all those that will not goe with them, euen so do you beare witnes with Christ, by not comming there, for all those that do go thither shalbe partakers of their brethrens bloud that is shed for the testimonye of Christ except they repent & amend: which grace that they may so doe, I beseech the eternall God for his Christes sake if it be his good will, to geue them in his good tyme. And the same good God that hath bene so mercifull vnto you to call you to repentance, him I beseech to keepe you in his feare & loue, that you may haue alwayes affiance in him, and euermore seeke his honour & glory to your euerlasting comfort in Christ, Amen. Thus fare you well from the kinges bench this. 28. of August.
[Back to Top]By me William Tyms.
MarginaliaAn other letter of W. Tyms to certayne godly women of his Parish.GRace, mercy and peace from GOD the Father, through our Lord Iesus Christ be with you both now and euermore. Amen.
Deare sisters, I haue me most hartely commended vnto you, thanking you for the great kindnes shewed vnto me in this tyme of my imprisonment, and not onely vnto me, but also vnto my poore wife and children: and also for the great kindnesse that you shew vnto all the liuing saints that be dispersed abroad, and are fayne to hide their heades for feare of this cruell persecution.
[Back to Top]Deare sisters, when I do remember your constancy in christ, I call to remembraunce the constancy of diuers godly women, as Susanna, Iudith, Hester, and the good wife of Nabal, that thorow her godly conditions saued both her husbandes life, and all her housholde, when Dauid had thoughte to haue slayne him for his churlish aunswere that he sent him. Also I do remember Rahab that lodged the Lordes Spyes, howe God preserued her and her whole housholde for her faythfulnesse that she bare to Gods people. So I doe beleue, that when the Lord shall send his Aungell to destroy these Idolatrous Egyptians here in England, and shall finde the bloud of the Lambe sprinkled on the dore postes of your harts, he wil go by & not hurt you, but spare your whole housholdes for your sakes. Also I do remember Mary Magdalen, how faythfull she was: for she was the first that preached the resurrection of Christ. Remember the blessed Martir Anne Askew in our time, & folow her example of constancy. And for the loue of God take heede that in no case you doe consent to Idolatrye, but stande fast to the Lorde, as the good woman did that had her seuen sonnes put to death before her face, and she alwayes com-
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