MarginaliaAnno 1558. Nouem.can not passe ouer a certaine poore woman, and a sely creature, burned vnder the sayd queenes reigne, in the City of Exeter (whose name I haue not learned:) who dwelling sometime about Cornewall, hauing a husbande and childrē there, much addicted to the superstitious sect of popery: was many times rebuked of thē, & driuē to go to the church, to their Idols and ceremonies, to shrift, to follow the Crosse in Procession, to geue thankes to God for restoryng Antichrist agayne into this Realme. &c. Which when her spirit could not abide to do, she made her prayer vnto God, calling for helpe and mercy, and so at length lying in her bed, about midnight, she thought there came to her a certaine motion and feeling of singuler comfort. MarginaliaHer departing from her husband & returning agayne.Wherupon in short space, she beganne to grow in contempt of her husband and children, and so taking nothing from them, but euen as she went, departed from them, seeking her lyuing by labor & spinning as well as she could, here & there for a time. In which time notwithstanding she neuer ceased to vtter her minde, as well as she durst: howbeit she at that time was brought home to her husband agayn. Wher at last she was accused by her neighbours, MarginaliaThe poore woman sent vp to Excestor.and so brought vp to Exeter, to be presented to the Bishop and his Clergy. The name of the Bishop which had her in examination, was MarginaliaD. Troubleuile B. of Excestor, Blackstone persecutors.Doctour Troubleuile. His Chauncellour (as I gather) was Blackstone. The chiefest matter whereupon she was charged and condemned, was for the Sacrament (which they call of the Aultar) and for speaking against Idols, as by the declaration of those which were present, I vnderstand, which report the talk betwene her and the bishop on this wise.  

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaTalke betweene the woman & the Bishop.Bishop. Thou foolish woman (quoth the Byshop) I heare say that thou hast spoken certayne words of the most blessed Sacrament of the Aultar, the body of Christ. Fye for shame. Thou art an vnlearned person and a woman: wilt thou meddle with such highe matters, whiche all the Doctours of the worlde can not define? Wilt thou talke of so high misteryes? Keepe thy worke, & medle with that thou hast to do. It is no womans matters, at cardes and towe to be spoken of. And if it be as I am infourmed, thou art worthy to be burned.

[Back to Top]

Woman. My Lord (sayd she) I trust your Lordship will heare me speake.

Bish. Yea mary (quoth he) therfore I send for thee.

Woman. I am a poore woman & do liue by my hands, getting a peny truely & of that I get I geue part to the poore.

Bish. That is well done. Art thou not a mans wife?

And here the Bishop entred into talke of her husband.

To whom she answered againe, declaring that she had a husband and children: and had them not. So long as she was at liberty, she refused not, neyther husband, nor children. MarginaliaThe wyfe renouncing her husband for Christes sake.But now standing here as I doe (sayd she) in þ^e cause of Christ & his trueth, where I must either forsake Christ, or my husband, I am contēted to sticke onely to Christ my heauenly spouse, and renounce the other.

[Back to Top]

And here she making mention of the words of Christ: He that leaueth not father or mother, sister or brother, husband. &c. the Byshop inferred that Christ spake that of the holy martyrs, which dyed because they would not doe sacrifice to the false Gods.

Woman. Sikerly syr,  

and I will rather dye then I will do any worship to that foule Idoll, whiche with your Masse you make a God.

Bish. Yea, you callet, will you say that the sacrament of the aultar is a foule Idoll?

MarginaliaThe Sacrament of the Altar made an Idoll.Wom. Yea truly, quoth she: there was neuer such an Idoll as your sacramēt is, made of your priestes, & cōmaūded to be worshipped of al mē, with many fōd phantasies, where Christ did commaund it to be eaten & drunken in remembraunce of his most blesed passion our redemption.

[Back to Top]

Bish. See this pratling woman. Doest thou not heare, that Christ did say ouer the bread: This is my body, & ouer the cup: This is my bloud?

Wom. Yes forsooth, he sayd so, but he meant that it is hys body and bloud not carnally, but sacramentally.

Bish. Loe, she hath heard pratling among these new preachers, or heard some peeuish book. Alas poore womā, thou art deceiued.

Wom. No, my Lorde, that I haue learned, was of Godly preachers, & of godly books which I haue heard read. MarginaliaReasons shewing why the Sacrament of the Lordes body is not to be worshipped.And if you will geue me leaue, I will declare a reason why I will not worship the sacrament.

Bish. Mary say on, I am sure it will be goodly geare.

Woman. Truely such geare as I will loose this poore life of mine for.

Bish. Then you will be a martyr good wife.

Woman. In deed if the denying to worshippe that bready God be my martyrdome, I will suffer it with all my hart.

Bish. Say thy minde.

Wom. You must beare with me a poore woman, quoth she.

Bish. So I will, quoth he.

Woman. I will demaunde of you, whether you can denye your creed, which doth say, that Christ perpetually doth sit at the right hand of his father both body & soule, vntill he come againe, or whether he be there in heauē our aduocate & do make prayer for vs vnto God his father. If it be so, he is not here in the earth in a piece of bread. If he be not here, & if he do not dwel in temples made with hands, but in heauen, what shall we seeke him here? if he did offer his body once for all, why make you a new offering? if w^t once offring he made al perfect, why do you with a false offring make al vnperfect? if he be to be worshipped in spirite and truth, why doe you worship a piece of bread? if he be eaten & drunkē in faith & truth, if his flesh be not profitable to be among vs, why do you say, you make his body and fleshe, and say it is profitable for body & soule? Alas, I am a poore woman: but rather then I would do as you doe, I would liue no longer. I haue sayd syr.

[Back to Top]

Bish. I promise you, you are a iolly protestant, I pray you in what schooles haue you bene brought vp?

Wom. I haue vpon the sondayes visited the sermons, and there haue I learned suche thinges, as are so fixed in my brest that death shall not separate them.

Bish. O foolish woman, who wil wast his breath vpō thee or such as thou art? But how chaunceth it that thou wentest away from thy husbande? if thou were an honest woman, thou wouldest not haue left thyne husband and children, and runne about the country like a fugitiue.

Wom. Syr, I laboured for my liuing: And as my mayster Christ counselleth me, when I was persecuted in one city, I fled vnto another.

Bish. Who persecuted thee?

MarginaliaThe wyfe persecuted by husband and children.Wom. My husband and my children. For when I woulde haue him to leaue Idolatry, and to worship God in heauen, he would not heare me, but he with his children rebuked me, and troubled me. I fled not for whoredom, nor for theft, but because I would be no partaker with him & his, of that foule Idoll the Masse. And whersoeuer I was, as oft as I could vpon sondayes and holy dayes I made excuses not to go to the popish church.

[Back to Top]

Bish. Belike thē you are a good houswife, to flee from your husband, and also from the church.

Wom. My houswifry is but small but God geue me grace to go to the true church.

Bish. The true church: what doest thou meane?

Woman. Not your Popish Church, full of Idolles and abominations, but where three or foure are gathered together in the name of God, to that Church wil I go as long as I liue.

Bish. Belike then you haue a Church of your owne. Well, let this mad woman be put down to prison, vntil we send for her husband.

Wom. No, I haue but one husband, which is here already in this city and in prison with me, from whom I will neuer depart: and so theyr communication for that day brake of. Blackstone and others perswaded the Bishop that she was a mazed creature, and not in her perfect wit (which is no new thing, for the wisedome of God to appere foolishnes to carnall men of this world) & therfore they consulted together, that she should haue liberty and go at large. So the keper of the bishops prison had her home to his house, where shee fell to spinning and carding, and did all other worke as a seruant in the said kepers house & went about the city, when and whither she would, and diuers had delight to talke with her. And euer shee continued talking of the sacrament of the aultar. Which, of all thing they coulde least abide. Then was her husband sent for, but she refused to go home with him, with the blemish of the cause and religion, in defence wherof she there stood before the Bishop and the priestes.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaTalke betweene The woman and the Priestes about the Sacrament.Then diuers of the Priestes had her in handling, perswading her to leaue her wicked opinion about the sacrament of the aultar, the naturall body and bloud of our Sauiour Christ. But she made them aunsweare, that it was nothing but very bread and wine, and that they might be ashamed to say, that a piece of bread should be turned by a man into the naturall body of Christ, which bread doth vinow,  

and Mice oftentimes do eate it, and it doth mould & is burned: And (sayde she) Gods owne body wyll not be so handled, nor kept in prison, or boxes, or aumbries.   Let it be your God: it shall not be mine: for my Sauiour sitteth on the right hand of God, & doth pray for me. And to make that sacramētal or significatiue bread instituted for a remēbrance, the very bodye of Christ, and to worship it, it is very foolishnes and deuillish deceit.

[Back to Top]

Now truly (sayd they) the deuill hath deceiued thee.

No (sayd she) I trust the liuing God hath opened mine