an historical dissertation upon the thebean legion plainly proving it to be fabulous / by john dubourdieu ... dissertation historique et critique sur le martyre de la légion thébéenne. english dubourdieu, jean, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing d estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. 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[ ], , [ ] p. printed for r. bentley ..., london : . translation of: dissertation historique et critique sur le martyre de la légion thébéenne. advertisements: [ ] p. at end. reproduction of original in yale university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng martyrs -- legends. martyrs -- cult -- controversial literature. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - jonathan blaney sampled and proofread - jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion an historical dissertation upon the thebean legion , plainly proving it to be fabulous . by john dvbovrdiev , m. a. chaplain to his grace the duke of schomberg and leinster , and one of the ministers of the french church in the savoy . london , printed for r. bentley , in russel-street in covent-garden , . to the right honourable my lord mouthermer , eldest son to the right honourable the earl of mountague , master of the wardrobe , and one of his majesties most honourable privy council . my lord , i could not deny my self the pleasure of dedicating this little book to your lordship , having the honour of seeing you twice or three times a week , but never without being charm'd with you behaviour , and your many ▪ excellent qualities . the ill practices of this age , have so far infected the noblemen , and made them so solicitous of their private interests , that it is to be feared , we may live to see those times return again upon us , when mens worth was measured by their riches , and persons of quality were proud of their ignorance . ingenium quondam fuerat pretiosius auro , at nunc barbaria est grandis , habere nihil . one cannot without grief see so many young noblemen , the hopes of the church ; and flower of the state , spend the best of their years in pleasures and idleness . and tho' they have no noble qualities which can entitle them to the worlds respect , yet they still hope to recommend themselves to their esteem by their noble birth , their splendid living , and the flattery of sycophants . but you , my lord , are far from thinking that the advantages of nature and fortune can make amends for all other defects , or ought to incline you to despise the study of curious arts and polite learning . the constant application , by which you improve those rare talents you brought into the world with you , the great attention you give to the instructions of your masters , the pleasure you take in having your judgment informed , and the impression which right notions make upon you , do clearly discover the just opinion you have of what things are truly worthy of honour . — tu sola animos mentemque peruris gloria , te viridem videt , immunemque senectae thamisis in ripa stantem , juvenesque vocantem . as the roman noblemen used to return from athens and marseilles , laden with the spoils of greece , and perfected in the choicest studies , that they might be qualified for sitting and speaking in the senate ; doubtless , my lord , you are moved by the same spring , when you consider , that the parliament ( to which your birth will one day call you ) is the most august assembly in the world , whose greatness was never perhaps so well understood as since this present war , when we see all europe waiting upon their consultations , and that their winter resolutions govern the actions of the summer . how happy are you , my lord , in a wise and a kind father , who has added to so solid a judgment , so great experience of the world , who not thinking it sufficient to give you the ablest masters in all sciences , reserves the inspection of your studies and education to to his own fondness and care . and how happy is your father in such a son , who makes so good use of his admonitions and example ; and by the blossoms of your spring , promise him so fruitful an autumn . but that which strikes me most in you , my lord , is , the observing , as often as i have the honour of waiting on you , that the pleasure you take in sound literature and gentile studies , which would otherwise be your chief delight , do yield to your stronger love of virtue and honesty . what may we not expect from that regard you have for your preceptors , that complaisance to your equals , and courtesie to your inferiours , the acknowledgments you pay unawares to those whose duty is to serve you , your generous inclinations , your sweet nature , your modesty and affability , which charm every body that comes near you , the perfect obedience and profound respect , which you pay to your father on all occasions , and above all your religion and piety , which added to all your other rare qualities , shew you to be the care of heaven , which seldom or never bestows so many excellencies on the same person . — sparguntur in omnes . in te mixta fluunt , & quae divisa beatos efficiunt , collecta tenes ; i think , my lord , i may very well be allowed to quote latin authors to you , since you already understand their language ; and its needless to speak of the progress you have made in the french , after having seen an answer which mr. de st. euremont wrote to a letter you sent him , whereby it appears how full of admiration he was at your wit , the correctness of your style , and justness of your thoughts , and when mr. de st euremont has decided so much in your favour , it 's better than if your lordship had the approbation of the whole french academy . i beseech god , to confirm you more and more in his love and fear , and fill you with the blessings of his holy spirit . i am , my lord , your most humble and most obliged servant , john dubourdieu . an historical dissertation upon the martyrdom of the thebean legion . chap. i. the occasion of this essay . the duke of schomberg , whom i had the honour to serve as chaplain , arrived at turin the th of july , . he found the state of affairs there in a bad posture , and the people in a great consternation . the french had lately fortified carmagnole . coni was besieg'd and given over for lost . monsieur la hoguette had forced the passages of the valley of aoste , which gave him entrance into the country of verceil and the frontiers of the milanese . our army instead of making some motion to disturb the enemy , incamped upon the descent of mountcallier , being spectators of the waste and burning of the plains below . turin dreaded every hour being invested . there was an universal fear ; and the retreat of the princesses to verceil added yet more to the terrour of the inhabitants . the favourers of france gave out publickly that his royal highness would unavoidably be stripp'd , this campaigne , of all his territories , and that he had no way left , but to submit to the king's mercy . certain it is , that without that firmness and greatness of soul which his royal highness shewed on this occasion , all had then been lost ; and though the beginning of his reign seems to prognosticate a series of heroick actions , yet this part of his history will be none of the less illustrious . emmanuel philibert , oppressed during the wars between charles the v. and francis the i. sunk at last under the weight of his misfortunes . he had the weakness to take upon him the name of st. mark 's son ; and that he might be assisted by the venetians , he sacrificed to that republick the prcedency he had in all the courts of europe . the affairs of his now royal highness were almost as desperate : nevertheless a manly and undaunted air did always appear on the face , and in the meen of this young hero. neither the proposals of france , joined with italian craft , the bad condition of his troops , the exhausting of his treasury , nor the enemies army incamping in the plain of millefleurs , a league distant from turin , could ever raise in him the least degenerate thought . and it may be said that his constancy and steddiness bore up against his ill fortune , and that himself put a stop to the desperate condition of his affairs . the duke of schomberg came to him in this dangerous juncture ; and did by his example and counsels confirm his royal highnesses's resolutions . two or three days after his arrival , waiting on the prince on horse back to observe the french army , which had then pass'd the river pô , and was incamped between carmagnolle and mountcallier ; duke schomberg speaking high-german to one of the guards of that nation , his royal highness declared his desire to learn that language , adding that he had attempted it two or three times , but was always discouraged by the difficulty he found in it ; which gave occasion to duke schomberg to offer his assistance , and to be his master . the prince reply'd that others might instruct him in the german tongue , but that it was the art of war that he desired to learn of him . a visible change was soon perceived in the state of affairs . our infantry which was posted on the rising ground of mountcallier , came down to the foot of the hill. our horse stretched on the plain where the enemies were incamped , and caused the siege of coni to be raised , and forced catinat to retire , which freed the city of turin from their allarm . the wisdom and valour of his royal highness were justly praised . and publick prayers were made to bless god for having averted the storm , and removed in a great measure the sad apprehensions they had lain under . and thus far all things went right . but to speak freely , i could not see without grief , a part of that incense , the smoak whereof ought wholly to have ascended to the glory of the lord of hosts , burnt to the honour of the thebean souldiers . i was present at my return from the compaign , at a sermon preached by a jesuite in the church of the old colledge , on the holy-day kept in honour of the thebean souldiers , solutor , adventor and octavius , to whose memory this church is dedicated ; and to whom the city of turin pays veneration as to their patrons : o people of turin ( said the preacher above a hundred times ) o people of turin , bless your deliverers ! bless these sacred martyrs who watch for your safety , and whose merits and prayers have preserved your city , your families , and estates . i saw afterwards all the religious orders , and the confraternities or brotherhoods come to the feet of the altars , where the reliques of these souldiers are deposited , to receive , what the romish-church calls , the blessing . this occasioned the first desire i had to examine the martyrdom of the thebean legion , as soon as i could have both time and books necessary for that purpose . and that which further moved me to do it , was my being afterwards an eye-witness of the church-service which the magistrates of the town ordered to be performed on the th of jan. . for the discharge of a vow they had made in honour of the thebean souldiers , which , by reason of some difficulties , they had not been able sooner to perform . the reliques of the thebean souldiers were set in the church of the jesuits , upon a throne covered with a golden brocado , illuminated with an infinite number of white-wax-tapers . the archbishop accompany'd with the whole chapter , came and officiated in his pontifical habit. the court was present at this solemn service , and adored the urn in which these sacred corpses were ( for so they are styl'd by the jesuit , who printed a relation of the ceremony ) indi sopravenne la corte , e s'espose alla publica adorazione l' urna de' sacri corpi all the orders , the monks and fryers , all the confraternities , the white , blue , black , red , and gray penitents , came in procession to adore the sacred shrine , which contains the fate and hopes of their city . towards the evening it was carried about from the church on mens shoulders under a rich canopy of state , supported by four persons of the first quality . the canopy was attended by twelve knights of st. mauritius and of st. lazarus , appointed by their order for that performance . the most part of the nobility and gentry of the town followed with lighted wax-torches , and almost all the people , of what rank and condition soever , flocked thither to worship the pretended reliques of their protectors . i withdrew my self , not a little concern'd to see the devotion of all sorts of people , applied to the honour of the saints , when it should have been wholly directed to the glory of god , the only author of their deliverance , and present safety . and my grief was heightned , by a sense of gratitude to a people that had shewed so much good nature to me a stranger , and a protestant minister ; which character , though odious to all the rest of italy , yet was in nothing prejudicial to me during two years that i preached there . though i confess the kindnesses i received were owing most to the great esteem they had for the duke of schomberg , and especially to the great regard they have there for the english nation , whose valour and power are as rightly understood there at this time , as in the rest of europe . but i cannot , without , ingratitude forbear here giving to the inhabitants of turin their due , which is , that they are extreamly courteous and civil to strangers , and partake of the politeness of the court of savoy , which hath been for a long time lookt upon as one of the most polished and civilized , and where conversation is justly tempered , between the liberties of paris , and the restraint of florencc . since then it is neither out of unthankfulness , nor for want of respect for the city of turin , but out of meer love to truth , and as a duty incumbent on my function , that i do attack their patrons in this work of mine , no body i hope will take any offence at my design . morever , as this whole business depends on proofs ; if they are frivolous , the thebean souldiers will still peaceably enjoy the glory of their martyrdom ; but if they prove good , it will be some service to have undeceived the world in this matter . now i desire this justice may be done me , that my thoughts may not be misinterpreted , nor a construction put upon them , which i do not design . for i know some protestants do make use of the martyrdom of the thebean legion to back some other questions , which are not at all to my present design , nor proper for one in my circumstances to meddle with . those who are acquainted with my temper will believe me in this point . and i have always applyed to my self this wise saying , exul tace . chap. ii. that both the court and city of turin have been ancient worshippers of the thebean souldiers . great honour and reverence have been paid for a long time at turin to the thebean souldiers . and the general opinion is , that they have signaliz'd themselves there by a great number of miracles . hyacinto ferrero , a jesuit , relates , that by their means , constantine the great got that memorable victory which opened him the way both to rome and to the empire . he saith , that when he considers that the battel was fought in the neighbourhood of turin , he cannot but believe that the flying squadron which was then seen in the air , and cry'd to constantine , n'andiamo a soccorso di costantino , were those thebean souldiers slain by maximian , who were arm'd by heav'n on this occasion ; to cause the true christian religion to triumph , which that tyrant had endeavoured to destroy . if after the rise of constantine to the empire , paganism began to fall , and if the progress of the gospel in turin went so successfully on , and with so much rapidity , that in a short time several churches , and a bishop with a numerous clergy , were seen there : all this , adds the same author , was owing to the blood , miracles , and prayers of the thebean souldiers . he relates afterwards two or three adventures , in which the thebean souldiers have visibly shewed their watchful care over turin , and how intent they were to procure blessings from heaven upon this city . he saith , that the romish religion was in extream danger at turin at the time when the famous claudius bishop of that see endeavoured to abolish the adoration of the cross , and of the sacred images , and the worshipping of martyrs : and likewise several years after , when l'ediguieres entred into piedmont with an army of calvinists , but that the thebean souldiers , by the merits of their martyrdom , and the efficacy of their prayers , removed the danger , and preserved that religion there . but here is something yet more wonderful . the same jesuite relates , that a general of the emperour charles the v. besieged turin in the year . and had taken it infallibly by the secret intelligences he had there , had he caused his souldiers to scale it at any other place than that which is call'd now the bastion of st. george . but that , unluckily for him , the reliques of the thebean souldiers rested then near the same bastion ; and that when his men went to get up , they were frighted by the sparkling arms and threatning looks of these holy martyrs , who miraculously appeared for the defence of the city . and perhaps cardinal de la rovere spoke of this miracle in a sermon which he preached before emmanuel philibert , in a certain solemnity in honour of the thebean souldiers . these are the saints , great prince , said he , who have preserved to you your loyal city of turin , and have averted from it the desolations of war. these are the saints , o city of turin ! who are the towers and bulwarks which have been and shall be thy defence , to the end that thou mayst remain still a peaceable and a triumphant place to thy prince . grant us , o ye glorious saints , that we may always cry out with joy and devotion , jacta est pax in virtute vestra & abundantia in turribus vestris . charles emmanuel the first , could not possibly have given a greater testimony of his devotion to those saints , than by freely giving up to the valesians the town of st. mauricius , and other places which they had usurped from him during the wars between his grandfather and francis the first ; upon condition , that the valesians should give him leave to convey to turin the corps of st. mauricius , chief of the thebean legion , one of whose arms he had already gotten out of bohemia , whither it was transported in the year of . by king ottocarus the fifth . and 't was perhaps about that time that st. mauricius his lance , spoken of by chromer , was brought to cracovia , where it lyes yet exposed to publick veneration . i question very much , whether france would now give up pignerol to the house of savoy , though that house should proffer in exchange il santo sudario , or the holy shroud , notwithstanding the great zeal it ptetends to have for the romish religion , and though this holy shroud is look't upon as the most precious relique of that religion . but charles emmanuel , in the devotion he had for the thebean souldiers , did nothing but tread in the steps of emmanuel philibert his father . when the reliques of these saints were conveyed from the church of the blessed virgin into that of the jesuites , where they do rest to this day , emmanuel philibert honoured the ceremony with his presence , and was at a great expence towards the magnificence of it . and this wise prince , knowing well that saints without power are ordinarily neglected , and that the giving of indulgences is a means for them to gain a good reputation , obtained a considerable share of them from gregory the thirteenth , for all those who by offerings and prayers should shew their devotion to the thebean souldiers . his bull was obtained in the year . and the pope expresses in it , that he grants these indulgences upon consideration of the singular devotion , which both the duke of savoy and the people of turin do pay to the thebean souldiers . charles emmanuel had so great a zeal for the glory of the thebean souldiers , that he imparted to spain some of their reliques , to the intent they might partake of their merits and intercession . he charged charles broglia , archbishop of turin , with his orders concerning it , as appears by the copy of the certificate , which , according to the custom of the roman church , was put up with the reliques , and was signed in the month of september . this archbishop saith in the same certificate , that he himself hath taken a rib of st. mauricius's body , one of st. secundus's great toes , three bones of the fingers of solutor , adventor , and octavius , and a leg-bone of one of st. gerion's companions . charles emmanuel caused these reliques to be put in a silver-gilt shrine , all set with precious stones , and dispatch'd leonardo roncassio his first secretary of state , to present it to margaret of austria queen of spain . all these things plainly shew the great respect and devotion , that both the court and city of turin have long paid to the martyrs of the thebean legion . chap. iii. that it is worth ones labour to examine the passion of the thebean souldiers , though it passes for current amongst all sorts of christian societies . we shall now endeavour to prove , that there were never any such persons as these thebean souldiers , and that the relation of their martyrdom , said to have been writ by eucherius , bishop of lions , is altogether false and counterfeit . avia pieridum peragro loca , nullius ante trita solo. this matter is quite new , and was never handled , for ought i know , by any author before . though after so many books written , there is , one would think , hardly any thing in ecclesiastical antiquity that hath escaped the strict examination of judicious criticks ; some learned men indeed have suspected the passion of the thebean legion to have been a fiction , but none of them had the courage to oppose an opinion which they saw so universally established . if general approbation might be admitted as a proof , there would be scarce any opinion more probable than that of the martyrdom of the thebean legion , if we consider the great number of grave and learned authors who have all asserted it as an undoubted matter of fact. rome , geneva , the lutherans , the church of england , and generally all christian societies have given credit to the history of this legion ; and that , no doubt , upon account of the honour which they imagined the martyrdom of it did to the christian religion , by the wonderfulness of the action , the greatness of soul , and the glorious characters of the persons that suffered . john lewis fabritius relates the example of the thebean legion , in his learned dissertation concerning the just limits of humane obedience , in order to establish this so important a maxim in morality ; that we ought always to side with god , whenever there is more certainty and evidence in the prohibitions of god , than in the ordinances of princes . archbishop usher , a man of so vast a knowledge in ecclesiastical antiquity , fell into the same common opinion : and the martyrdom of the thebean souldiers , making for him in his book of regal power , he lays as great a stress upon it , as if it were a thing of unquestionable certainty . the famous grotius speaks twice of it in his learned book , de jure pacis & belli , and makes use of it , as that which of all things he least doubted the truth of . and though since the death of these two great men , the exactness of criticism upon the works of the fathers hath been much improved , yet the martyrdom of the thebean legion is still cryed up amongst those other popular errours the world is fallen in love with . edward fuller , bishop of glocester , hath made it one of the ornaments of a very fine treatise , composed by him upon the great design of christianity , which is the sanctification of men. and doctor cave , one of the prebends of windsor , brings in , with great great pomp , the history of this legion in that work of his , in which he gives us a very fine representation both of the religion and manners of the primitive christians . there is scarcely , i confess , any divine who hath out-done him in the study of church history , as may appear by the great volume he hath given us upon the writings of the fathers . now how great a respect soever we have for the extraordinary merit of these learned authors , we ought to reject their errours , be they never so ancient . there is no prescription against truth ; and a long prepossession gives no right at all to errour . i have seen , saith one of our old writers , the birth of many miracles in my time , and though they no sooner saw the light , but they were stifled , we do however foresee the course they would have taken , had they happened to have lived to their full age. for the main business is to find out out the end of the thread , then you may wind as much as you please ; and there is a greater distance from nothing to the least thing that may be , than there is from that least to the greatest that can be imagined . a private errour first causeth a publick one ; and then that publick errour occasions other private ones . thus the whole work goes on , patch'd up and fashioned by a succession of several hands ; so that the remotest witness knows more of the matter than the nearest , and the last inform'd is better perswaded of it than the first . this was exactly the way the passion of the thebean souldiers first crept into the world , and then insensibly got credit in the church . and they have been for these eight or nine hundred years in a quiet possession of the glory of their martyrdom , and do enjoy it peacably to this day , under the shadow and authority of the greatest names , and the most renowned doctors of all christian communions . now that we may distinguish the romance from the history , we must remove all the mists which the legendaries and martyrology-makers have spread over it . for the support of so much of it as is purely romantick ; there are alledged manuscripts and old writings ; and we must shew that those who do pretend the greatest skill in antiquities , are lyable to mistakes . chap. iv. that the most skilful men are sometimes mistaken in the judgments they make upon the works of the ancients . it will evidently appear from what shall be said hereafter , that baronius , peter francis chifflet , archbishop usher , and grotius , have been mistaken in their judgments concerning the martyrdom of the thebean legion , and the relation fathered upon eucherius . for criticks are not always in the right . though they have contributed much to the reviving of learning , yet it does not thence follow , that even the most skilful men in that science are infallible . it hath very often happened that they have taken false copies for originals , and set upon modern writings the worth and value due to those of antiquity . those who have any skill in medals , know that the most understanding men themselves are apt sometimes to be mistaken . if one examines the first edition of the praestantiora imperatorum numismata of mr. vaillant , printed at paris in the year , there one will find the medals of germanicus , of nero drusus his father , of the emperour claudius , of julia wife to severus , and of gordianus affricanus the son , the price and rarity whereof this medalist does mightily extol . but if you cast your eye upon the second edition of . there you will find the same medals very much debased . mr. vaillant , acknowleging the three first to be suspicious , and the two last absolutely false . he praiseth likewise in the same work , one of trajan's medals with a pillar and an owl on the top of it . and in his remarks upon scelecta numismata seguini , published at paris in the year . he confesseth ingenuously that the same was counterfeit . 't is no less usual to be deceived in matter of statues and basso-relievos , then in medals . we have a great many examples of this kind ; but it will suffice to give here only one single instance : vazari tells us , that michael angelo , to convince some vertuosos and antiquaries , who valued nothing but what was ancient , of the rashness of their judgment in such cases , made a cupid and buried it under the ruines of an old building , having first broken off one of its arms which he kept at home . all the lovers of the art came immediately to look upon it , and no body did so much as question the antiquity of the piece , till michael angelo shewed them the arm which he had kept by him , to convince them of their errour , and to shew them how easily they might be imposed upon , in a matter wherein they pretended to so much skill . but mistakes of this kind , have been yet more frequently made by those who have imployed their-criticks upon those heathen authors , which have been left to us either by the grecian or latin antiquity . every body knows the witty trick muret put upon scaliger ; how he composed some verses , and told him he had found them in an old manuscript : and how scaliger , who boasted that he was very well ●cqu●inted with the genius and style of every age both in prose and verse , found immediately an ancient author for those verses of muret's making : and being afterwards informed they were of his composing , he revenged himself of him by a distich upon his cheat. these feigned and counterfeit works were not unknown to ancient greece , since the learned of those times made it their study to find them out . dionysius longinus made a treatise upon the same subject ; and we should be informed now of a great many fabulous relations inserted into histories , had not the ill fate of learning deprived us of the works of that excellent critick . but seeing that men have naturally a respect for things which belong to religion , one would think that they should not suffer themselves to be mis-led by those who have made it their business to impose upon the world ; by inventing fables , and publishing supposititious ecclesiastical writings and transactions . nevertheless , by what misfortune i know not ; these frauds have been more frequent in the church , than any where else , and it is impossible to summ up the mistakes , they have occasioned amongst the learned in all christian societies . so many spurious writings , and supposititious facts were made and published even in the three first ages of christianity , that amphilochius , bishop of iconium , so much esteemed by st. basil , one of the most worthy fathers of the church , composed a whole book of them , which is cited in the acts of the seventh council . there was scarcely any thing to be seen , ( to make use of fontanel's words in his history of oracles , ) but false gospels , false epistles of the apostles , false histories of their lives , &c. the chief men of the church have been sometimes deceived , &c. they did not always narrowly examine what seemed to favour religion . the heat and fervour they felt , when they fought for so good a cause , did not always suffer them to chuse the best weapons . and the distemper was so far from lessening in the following ages , that it still more increased and t●e boldness in inventing fables , and forging false lives of martyrs and saints , went so far , and became so common , that the church thought it necessary to put a stop to it , by the authority of its canons . for in the council of constantinople , held in the year , under justinian the younger , the church condemned , in the d ▪ canon , the false passions , and fabulous lives of saints and martyrs . a great number of learned men have endeavoured in these latter times , to find out these supposititious writings , and to ascribe to every author the works belonging properly to him . and they would undoubtedly have been more succesful in it , had they not been mis led , as well as the people , by interest or partiality . for oftentimes both their minds and pens are sway'd by prejudice and passion : as if a work were good or bad , ancient or modern , as it chanced to be look'd upon by protestant or popish eyes ; false and supposititious , if contrary to their opinions , but ancient , and of the true stamp , if it proved fovourable to them . but though they should be allowed to have been free from prejudice and passion , yet it is no strange thing to see men differ in their judgments . this follows necessarily the different applications , and natural inclinations of their minds . some view things only on one side , and some on another . the greatest part fix themselves , before they have well examined all the reasons that are , and may be produced on both sides . and sometimes it happens that men concern themselves for some works , as they do for some persons , without knowing why they are more for those than for the others . hence it is that the writers of the same church do not always agree in their opinions . cardinal baronius speaks of the recognitions attributed to st. clement , as of a sink full of filthiness and lies : whereas bellarmine maintains that they are st. clement's own , or of some other author as ancient and as learned as he . the same difference in opinions is observed amongst the protestants concerning st. ignatius's letters , though these letters are generally , and with good reason look'd upon as one of the fairest monuments of the apostolick age. and mr. dupin , in his bibliotheca nova , sets aside in a hundred places the judgment and authority of his friends possevinus , sixtus of siena , rainaldus , bellarmine , labbe , and other writers of his religion , who have criticis'd upon the works of the fathers . this shews that the most learned may sometimes be mistaken in their judgments upon the works of the ancients . nor is this much to be wondered at , since the intricacy and confusedness wherewith some transactions are related , and the distance of the time wherein they happened , make it a very hard matter for us now to discern truth from falshood . criticks borrow most part of their light from the quality of the manuscripts ; and sometimes these manuscripts , the antiquity whereof sounds so high with some men , are but modern writings . and particularly we shall consider in another place , wh a judgment one ought to pass upon a relation of the martyrdom of the thebean legion , which peter francis chifflet took out of an ancient manuscript of st. claudius's monastery . but 't is now time to come to our proofs . chap. v. that st. eucherius , bishop of lions , ●s not the author who wrote that passion of the thebean souldiers , which both surius , and baronius have followed . the first proof we bring against the relation of the martyrdom of the thebean legion , is , that it is clear and plain that st. eucherius , bishop of lions , is not the author of it , and that his name hath been set to it by some cheat , to gain more credit thereto , from the esteem which the church always had for the extraordinary virtues and merits of this great prelate . to be convinced of this , 't will suffice to mention only one passage , wherein 't is said of sigismond king of burgundy , that they never cease night nor day to sing psalms and hymns in the monastery of agaunum : and that this holy praclice , first appointed there by the blessed king and martyr st. sigismond , is observed there to this very day . it visibly appears from this place , that when this relation was made , king sigismond was dead . it follows moreover from thence , that it must have been compos'd several years after the death of this prince ; since that author , after he hath spoken of the rule which king sigismond caused to be established there , adds , that this rule was strictly observed there , usque ●odie , to this very day . so that were it true , that st. eucherius was the author of this work , he must of necessity , not only have been contemporary to king sigismond , but more than that he must have out-lived him many years . but now it happens to be quit● contrary , for st. eucherius was dead , when sigismond was yet on the throne . most historians do reckon the death of this king of burgundy , to have happen'd about the year , and place that of st. eucherius in the year . 't is true , that mr. dupin refers it to the year . upon the authority of prosper's chronicle . some on the contrary carry it as far back as the year . amongst whom are gennadius and ado. but there is much reason to suspect in both these authors , the disingenuity of some transcriber , since it could not be unknown to gennadius and ado , that st. eucherius was present at the council of orange , where his name is found amongst the subscribers ; and that it is agreed on by every body , that this council was held about the year of our lord . some indeed , to save this anachronism , pretend that there have been two eucherius's , like the jews , who to mend their desperate cause , have invented two messia's , to reconcile in both the fulfilling of the oracles , which they cannot apply to one alone . but , in short 't is not possible that st. eucherius , bishop of lions , should be the author of the passion of the thebean legion ▪ unless we allow him to have had the gift of prophecy , and make him speak prophetically of those rules which were to be settled in the monastery of agaunum , several ages after his death . should some person now put out any writings , under the name of monsieur de marca , or of cardinal duperron , and mention therein the establishment and foundation of st. cyr. to shew that these writings ought not to be ascribed to these two great men , it would suffice to make it appear , that they were dead several years before lewis the th made this foundation . nevertheless , this so plain a demonstration of forgery , hath not hindered surius , in his relation of the martyrdom of the thebean legion on the . of september , from confidently asserting , that st. eucherius was the author of the acts of their passion . 't is very strange that baronius should make the same blunder , both in his annals and in his notes on the roman martyrology . and indeed this would seem yet more strange , were it not plain , that this learned cardinal undertook in his annals ▪ not so much to give us the history of the church , as to defend the prejudices and ambitious pretensions of the church of rome therefore when it s an advantage to him , to overlook some supposititious and counterfeit writing , he pretends he sees neither contradiction nor anchronism in it ; he is no longer that able critick , whose pierceing knowledge nothing can escape , and who clears and extricates the most obscure and knotty things of antiquity : in a word , he is no more baronius . cardinal bellarmine , whose zeal for the glory of the roman church did not yield to that of baronius , hath taken another way to save the ●ruth of the passion of the thebean legion , that it might not be objected to his church , that it worshipped some for saints , who never had so much as a being in the world. for since men would at the very first sight be startled , to see so long an interval of time between st. eucherius and st. sigismond , he hath endeavoured to cut it much shorter , and to render it so little , as that it might pass wholly unobserved , or however be but very little minded . he tells us , that this bishop of lions lived till the year . and he grounds his conjecture upon a place in the life of st. cesarius , bishop of arles , compos'd by cyprian the priest ; where it is said , that these two bishops , being in company together , restored a woman to her former health , who was afflicted with a very sore distemper . if there were any certainty in this conjecture of cardinal bellarmine , eucherius would have been almost contemporary with king sigismond . for messanius a priest , and stephen a deacon , two other disciples of st. cesarius , in the book they have added to the life of this holy prelate , say that he dyed forty years after he had been made a bishop , and since every body knows that he succeeded ennoius , about the year . his death should be placed in the year or . for it is certain that he was present at the council of arles in and at the second council of orange in ▪ and to prove that he was alive in . we have a letter that pope vigil wrote to him under the consulship of john and volusian . but though we should grant cardinal bellarmine's conjecture not to be groundless , yet he would be but little the better for it . 't is not enough to prolong st. eucherius's life to the year . 't is to no purpose , likewise to prove that st. eucherius might have seen st. cesarius bishop of arles . king sigismond dyed about the year . and they must make it appear that st. eucherius out-lived him a great many years , to make good the usque hodie of the place we have before quoted . now it is so far from being true , that st. eucherius did out-live st. sigismond , that on the contrary , there is no likely-hood that he liv'd till the year . according to cardinal bellarmine's conjecture . it appears by the subscriptions of the first council of orange , that he was bishop of lions in ● ; and consequently he must have been then at least thirty , or forty years old ; for at that time it was not usual to raise any person under that age to the dignity of a bishop ; bishopricks being not yet bestowed as rewards upon families , and the holiness of canons holding yet out against the vanity of the clergy , and the usurpations of kings . now since we are certain of this , can we think it probable that st. eucherius should live to see st. cesarius bishop of arles , who was not raised to that dignity , till after the death of ennoius , about the year indeed , i think a man must needs be very bold in his conjectures , who can allow st eucherius to have lived above a hundred years , if he have no other warrant for it , but that place of the life of st. cesarius : those who shall carefully examine this life of st. cesarius , will agree , that it ought not to be rely'd upon too much . 't is true , it is polite and judicious enough for that age , and seems not unworthy of him who had been one of the disciples of st. cesarius , and who for his great piety and merits was raised to the dignity of a bishop , as appears by his name found in the subscriptions of the second council of orange ▪ but what if some impostour here disguised himself under the name of a famous disciple of st. cesarius ? at least this pretended disciple seems not to be much inform'd of his masters affairs . he saith in one place , that st. cesarius sent some grave and learned men to a council assembled at valence to condemn the opinions of pelagius . which having given me occasion to examine the acts of the councils held at valence , i ●ind nothing in them concerning the heresie of pelagius , wherein st. cesarius could have any hand . so that being mistaken in a matter of fact of this importance , he might as well have been over-seen in joyning eucherius and cesarius in the cure of that diseased woman . it appears that the learned doctor cave relyed a little too much upon this life of st. cesarius . he saith in his history of ecclesiastical writers , that this holy bishop , understanding that he was suspected of pelagianism , caused a council to be assembled at valence , to clear himself of this accusation ; and being hindred by reason of the illness of his health from going to it , he maintained there publickly by his legates , that man in the state of sin , cannot work out his salvation without a preventing grace . but if , instead of following this cyprian , disciple of st. cesarius , and who was afterwards bishop of thoulon , doctor cave had given himself the trouble to look over the councils of valence , he would have observed that in the first , which was held in the year . their whole business was about bigamy ; that in the second , which met in . ( some place it in the year , and some in . ) they were wholly taken up with the great donatives which guntran king of burgundy had bestowed upon the church : and that the third , in which pelagius , hinmark , and john scot were condemned , and the acts whereof are cited by forbesius in his instructions , was not called till the year . as appears by the acts of it being presented to the emperour lothary , and to charles the bald. now st. cesarius was unborn at the time of the first council , since doctor cave brings him into the world , only in the year . and he was dead when the second met , according to the same doctor , who places his death in the year . and 't is , i think needless to add that he was not concern'd in the third , which was held in . and in which the pelagian opinions were condemned . this short digression , which we have thought necessary , to remove st. cesarius from st. eucherius's times , will not seem , i hope , unseasonable . it appears then that bellarmine , for all his conjecture , cannot bring st. eucherius near enough to st sigismond king of burgundy . the distance is too great to admit of any means of reconciling the dispute . we shall observe by the way , that usuard and aimonius have commited the like mistake : but because it is but a matter of three or four years difference , they may perhaps find friends to help them out . these two writers say , that clovis was delivered from a dangerous sickness , by the vows and prayers of st. severine , abbot of agaunum . and it is certain that clovis was dead three or four years before sigismond had founded that monastery . gregory of tours saith , that he caused the same to be built , and richly endowed it , after the death of his father gombaldus . but marius bishop of avanches marks precisely the year in his chronicle , and saith that sigismond founded the agaunian monastery , under the consulship of florentius and anthemius , viz. four years after the death of clovis . this remark is owing to monsieur de valois , in his notice of the gauls ; where he saith , that he cannot understand how severine could have been abbot of that monastery in clovis's time . nevertheless the miraculous recovery of a great king , being of great credit to the prayers and suffrages of monasteries , usuard and aimonius , who were both monks , caused prayers to be made for clovis in agaunum , even before king sigismond had it in his thoughts to build a monastery there . 't is true , that bollandus would fain perswade us , that this prince did only repair and beautifie it . but this he asserts without any ground , since both the ancient and modern writers who speak of the first foundation of the agaunian monastery , do all generally agree that 't was st. sigismond king of burgundy , who caused it to be built to the honour of the thebean legion , which suffered martyrdom in that place . chap. vi. that the acts of the council of agaunum , concerning the thebean legion , are as false as the acts of their passion ▪ but whether king sigismond only beautified the monastery of agaunum , or whether he laid the first foundations thereof , 't is all one to us . 't is enough that we can prove that the passion , which we assert to be false , is posteriour to all this . and that it is so cannot be deny'd , since mention is made there of the basilick , which was dedicated at agaunum to the memory of the thebean souldiers . if you are not pleased to rely upon the history of their passion as it is related in surius and baronius , and wherein notice is taken of the rules made by st. sigismond in the agaunian monastery ; we shall willingly pitch upon , and refer our selves to the latter acts that are mended , since in these as well as in the others , mention is made of a miracle that happen'd when the church of agaunum was a building to the honour of the thebean legion . for if king sigismond did only repair and adorn that church , the time of these works must necessarily be plac'd in the year . and consequently st eucherius could not have made mention of them , seeing all do agree that he dyed about the year . we may strengthen this argument with another taken from the acts of a council , supposed to have been assembled by order of king sigismond at agaunum , and in which sixty bishops put it into his head to gather the bones of the thebean souldiers , and to dedicate a basilick , or stately church to them . though this council is visibly false and supposititious , yet it will be of good help to discover the falsity of the passion of the souldiers of agaunum , fathered upon st. eucherius . the acts of this pretended council are set down in the fourth tome of the councils by labbe and cossart . these two learned jesuites were very sensible of the forgery of these acts , but it would have been too much against the grain to have confessed it ▪ they were therefore content to say , they wondered they did not see amongst the subscriptions the name of avitus archbishop of vienna , who both by reason of his eminent qualities , and for the dignity of his see , ought of course to have been present at that council . the oratory-priests being fairer dealers than the jesuites , le cointe , one of them , freely declares in his annals , that the acts of this council were altogether false . however , as false as they are , they have brought great incomes to the monastery of agaunum . they make st. sigismond to give to it a great number of villages , and very considerable lands in the dioceses of vienna , lions , grenoble , and of the cities of a●●te , avanches , lausanne , and besanson , &c. the cheat indeed was worth the making . but we must confess that the makers thereof were not very skilful in their contrivance of it . the truth is , that in those times people were so credulous , that they gave credit to the grossest tales . they were contriv'd and conceiv'd under the shadow of monkish holiness , and were brought forth into the world without contradiction , or any body to oppose them . the monk who forged this council , makes both king sigismond and the bishops to say very ridiculous things . the country peasants of valesia would now speak better sense . le cointe observeth , that the acts of this council are dated in the beginning of the last of april , and towards the end of the ides of may : that it is said at first , that the council was held at agaunum , and again , that it was assembled near that place . which shews the poor monk hardly knew what he did . he adds that sixty bishops met together at agaunum , and in sigismond's time there were not above seven and twenty bishops in all , throughout the whole kingdom of burgundy . he saith , that theodorus , bishop of sion in valesia , asked what should be done with the bodies of the thebean souldiers that laid yet unburied upon the ground . and in st. sigismond's time , there was no bishops-see at sion . the bishops-see was transferred thither , not till many years after , it having always been before at a place which is called martignac , or martigni , which is the ancient octodurum . so that this theodorus being contemporary with king sigismond , ought to have been call'd octodurensis episcopus , and not sedunensis , as the council-forger hath done . but the thing we ought chiefly to observe , is , that both labbe and cossart , place this council in the year . the acts do expresly mention , that when it was held , the buildings which king sigismond ordered to be made at agaunum , were finished , and wanted only to be dedicated , and appointed to their use . this prince saith , in the beginning of his deed of gift , that he makes hinnemond ▪ abbot of the monastery of agaunum , which , by the help of god , he hath built in his kingdom of burgundy . and a little before he says , that all the bishops do represent to him , that the reliques of mauricius ; exuperius , candidus , and victor , ought to be deposited in the new church , which he hath caused to be built . the bishops of this pretended council , are there chiefly taken up with regulating the singing of psalms , the offices , observances , and whatever was to be practised in that monastery . now the business is to know , whether the passion of the thebean legion , which we assert to be false , is anteriour to that council , or happen'd after its sitting . if they say it is anteriour , we ask , how could the author of it speak of a monastery which was not yet built , and of rules not yet establish'd ? if it be answered , that this passion was written after the sitting of the council , which according to labbe and cossart met in the year . it follows , that st. eucherius is not the author of this passion , since he died in the year . if the acts of this council be compared with the passion , one cannot but suspect that the impostour , who composed it , had before his eyes the acts of this council . 't is said in these acts , that the bishops consulted with king sigismond , what discipline was to be set up in the monastery of agaunum , and that the rules which should be prescrib'd to the monks , might be so framed as to last for ever . and the author of the martyrdom of the thebean souldiers , as it is related both by baronius and surius , saith , that they never cease , day nor night , to sing psalms and hymns in the agaunian monastery ; this practice having been established by the blessed king and martyr st. sigismond , and being still in force there to this very day . but that the acts of this council , are forged , father le cointe hath given infallible proofs . and whereas labbe and cossart place this council in the year . we should not fear being much mistaken , if we charged the forgery upon some impostor of the seventh or eighth century . for these and the like writings are the titles and foundations both of the worship , vast power , and immense revenues of the church of rome . 't is true , we are told that the manuscripts of these things are kept in the vatican library , or in that of florence ; and that they have all the characters of an uncontroulable antiquity . but marsham , a man very well skilled in distinguishing between old and modern manuscripts adviseth us to trust to them so much the less , by how much the older they are said to be ▪ and he is favoured in his opinion by papebrook a jesuite , who observes , that you 'l scarcely find any acts or manuscripts true and sincere from the reign of dagobert the first , upwards ; that is beyond the year of our lord . which is much about the time , in which the fables which we are now examining were invented 't is strange indeed , that father mabillon , one of the most eminent men in europe in that kind of learning , should condemn the opinion both of marsham and papebrook . he thinks that these two learned men were mistaken , and to prove it ▪ he reports some acts of the th or th age ; but this is nothing to the purpose ; for marsham and papebrook did never deny but there were true acts ancienter than ▪ the reign of dagobert the first ; but they only affirmed , that these writings are very scarce , and can hardly be found ; so that father mabillon , to have an occasion to contradict these two great men , makes them say absolutely , what they only meant with a restriction . and besides ▪ 't is one thing to go about to prove from the words of some authors , that there have been kings before dagobert the first , who made gifts in writing to several churches , and another to prove that these writings do yet continue , and have been handed down to us , and that they have not been worn out by time , lost or destroyed by the accidents and revolutions which have happened in the course of so many ages , nor falsify'd and corrupted by the covetousness , ignorance , and infidelity of men. the first of these two things , which is not in question , father mabillon takes upon him to prove , but saith not one word of the second which he ought to have proved . but here is the business . papebrook is plain and downright , because he , being a jesuite , is of an order of a very new date , and which therefore needs not go up and search very high for titles : whereas father mabillon is a benedictine monk , of the congregation of st. maur. and st. benet's order hath a great concern to maintain the antiquity of their rich foundations . papebrook confesses ingenuously , that most of the acts in the tenth and eleventh centuries have been falsify'd by monks , because this reproach could not fall on the jesuites , who were not then in the world. but by reason there were at that time almost no other monks in the west but the benedictines , 't is worth the while to see , with what zeal father mabillon stickles in their defence . but while he endeavours to make their cause too good , he betrays his own . he proves that the falsification of acts , ought not to be laid only at the church ▪ mens doors ; that every body had then a hand in the corrupting of them ; that cheats and impostours were as common at that time amongst the laity , as in the church ; and that both the watchfulness and authority of the emperours were taken up in preventing and chastising these knavish tricks . this is just what marsham and papebrook do both mean and say . we have thought fit to make this observation . for having a very great veneration for true antiquity , we should be unwilling to have any body allarm'd at our impugning the martyrdom of the thebean legion , which hath obtained the belief of so many ages in the church . chap. vii . that the passion of the agaunian martyrs , published by francis chifflet in his edition of paulinus , is as false as that which surius and baronius have followed . the relation of the passion of the thebean souldiers , which both surius and baronius have followed , is a piece so notoriously supposititious , that it is now quite laid aside even in the roman church . this does evidently appear , in the judgment which anthony pagi makes of it in his criticks upon baronius . the acts of the martyrs of agaunum , saith he , which baronius hath taken out of surius , and which he thought were written by st. eucherius , bishop of lions , are false and supposititious . there 't is said , that this martyrdom happened under the pontificate of marcelline , when maximian went into gaul , to put a stop to the bagaudian rebellion ; and it is certain that it was in the beginning of diocle●ian s reign , that maximian made this expedition during the pontificate of ●ajus therefore the doctors who had the direction of the impression of bibliotheca patrum , which was printed by the anissons at lions in the year were wiser than to give out amongst the works of st. eucherius the passion of the thebean souldiers , as it was reported both by surius and baronius . we give ( say they ) the acts of the martyrs of agaunum written by st. eucherius bishop of lions and extracted out of a very ancient manuscript ; those that are put out by surius having been spoiled and corrupted by some anonymous writer of the last ages . peter francis chifflet is the man who printed these new acts of the agaunian martyrs in his paulinus illustratus , and which , he saith , he copied out of a very ancient manuscript of st. claude's monastery . as for theodorus ruinart , he hath followed chifflet s copy , in that ●ollection of the acts of martyrs which he caused to be printed at paris in the year . there he confesses , that the former acts published by surius were counterfeit , and those likewise that were printed by mombritius , then he adds , that in the very time it was given over by the learned , to find out the true acts of the agaunian martyrs , chifflet had happily discovered them in an ancient manuscript . ●t seems then that the thebean souldiers case is not yet quite desperate , there being another door for the true acts of their martyrdom to come in at . the jesuites are very crafty men , i must confess . they find immediately a way to remove every difficulty . the world was ready to forsake the thebean souldiers and their passion , when just in the nick of time , father chifflet , hath found a manuscript in the monastery of mount jura , which gives a faithful account of the martyrdom of the thebean legion , and is free from those falsities which are so palpable both in surius and baronius . not a word there of marcelline's pontificate , of king sigismond , nor of the revolt of aelius and amandus , authors of the bagaudian insurrection in gaul . you have all in it but this . both the passions are in every thing alike . only two or three events are wanting in that of chifflet , which might serve as a sure epoche , whereby to discover exactly the time wherein it hapned . a person more mistrustful than i , might easily believe , that it is not without some good reason , that these places are not to be found in chifflet's manuscript . there would be less cause to suspect it , had other circumstances been left out of smaller consequence , and such as do not serve to mark out exactly the time and age of the piece . but 't is in vain for father chifflet to boast the antiquity of his manuscript . we have not forgot the advice which marsham and papebrook have given us , not to trust too much to manuscripts , which have on them the most ancient dress . were we admitted to compare chifflet's manuscript with that of surius , we should soon see whether of them has got the best looks of truth and antiquity . the acts of the martyrdom of the thebean souldiers were printed at ingolstadt , under the jesuites inspection , in the year . by the care of stewartius , who was sure he had examined the best manuscripts he could find peter natalis and william baldesan , who in italy , writ the history they have left us of the thebean legion , were not wanting to consult the manuscripts , extant in the best libraries of that country . though father le cointe does disown the acts of surius , nevertheless he acknowledgeth 'em to be conform to the greatest number of the manuscripts that are kept in the archives of the church . notwithstanding , father chifflet will needs have his manuscript to be the only one that is true and sincere , and those of all the other writers to be spurious and corrupted . i would fain know who told him , that his own was not mended by some monk , who understood history so well , as to perceive the anachronisms and contradictions in the acts of the martyrdom of the thebean legion . this is not without example , and we might mention several ; for the monks formerly did what they pleased with the writings of their predecessors . faustus composed the life of st. severine , abbot of agaunum , of whom mention hath been already made . an anonymous author , some ages after , added to it some things , cut off others , and dressed it up after his own fancy ; as father le cointe complains in his annals . he tells us further , that another faustus having written the life of st. maurus , it was not lik'd by odo , an abbot in the diocese of anger 's , in the year . and that he changed it in such manner , that it were to be wished he had never meddled with it at all . and now can father chifflet warrant that no such hand hath ever made bold with his manuscript ? the acts of the agaunian souldiers , having no such thing in them as gifts to monks and monasteries ; 't was no hard matter to find them corrected in some old manuscripts but i question much whether any such manuscript can be produced , as will serve to rectifie the acts of the council of agaunum , wherein so many considerable revenues are bestowed on the monks of that place . let any body read mr. dodwel's dissertation upon the small number of martyrs , and he will see there what stress one ought to lay upon the acts and the manuscripts from whence they were taken . 't is true , that * theodore ruinart , in the edition he hath lately put out at paris , of the acts of some martyrs , prefixes a long preface , wherein he opposes mr. dodwels opinion concerning the small number of martyrs ; but at the same time , he confesses , that they who gathered their acts have often added to , or cut off from them what they listed . one may see in the same preface , that the acts of most of the martyrs having perished , either by the ravage and burnings made by the barbarians , or by the orders of heathen magistrates ; others were substituted in their place , but such as have not the authority of the former , and much less can they pretend to the same sincerity and exactness . these acts have been , by the monks of the last ages , so disfigur'd and stuffed with so many fables , that the honester and more ingenuous of the church of rome have been ashamed of it , and have publickly expressed their sorrow for it . lewis vives , and melchior canus , have grievously complained that diogenes laertius has written the lives of the pagan philosophers with more integrity and wisdom , than the christians have done those of their martyrs ▪ confessors , and virgins . when it was first given out that lippomanus , bishop of verona , was upon correcting the acts and old legends of saints , all good men of the romish church were very glad at the news , hoping that he would have purged them from all the gross lies which metaphrastes , comestor , and jacobus de voragine had left behind them . but lippomanus , and surius made all things worse , instead of mending them . for before this , the acts and lives of saints were look'd upon as pious romances , and a production of the ill-regulated zeal of the legend-writers . but then they were esteemed quite another thing , after they had been revised by surius , lippomanus , and junius mombritius , who contented themselves with taking away only the most palpable and obvious falsities , retaining those which they thought were not so offensive , and then protesting that they had gone up to the head , and had consulted the best manuscripts rosweidus , bollandus , godfrey henschenius , and papebrochius , who are come after , thinking to do some service to the learned , by gathering all whether good or bad ▪ have not given us a truer account of the acts of martyrs and saints , but only have incumbred mens studies with their huge and bulky volumes . 't is not that we believe , that the doctors of the romish communion are willing to countenance lyes and forgeries . we do them more justice than so they would undoubtedly have all this silly stuff taken out of their church service , breviaries , and martyrologies , but they know not how it can be done . they fear to give some advantage to the protestants , and to furnish them with weapons against the infallibility of their church . and the learned amongst them are afraid to bring upon themselves the hatred and persecution of monks and fryers , who make a trade of these impostures amongst silly women , and the more ignorant sort of people . 't is known all over france , what troubles they brought upon the bishop of st. pons , one of the most worthy prelates of that kingdom , for taking out of the calendar of his diocese several saints , whose saintship might be called in question , and whose suffrages he did not so much esteem . this is the reason why most of those who are sufficiently convinced of these abuses , are contented to bewail them in secret , not having the courage to undertake the redressing of them . there are some others , who , thinking it unsufferable that their religious worship should seem to have no other ground than the false legends of saints and martyrs , have indeed taken away from the story what was most fictitious , but yet have kept still the essential part of it . father chifflet was perhaps one of these , and therefore he found just in time a manuscript of the passion of the agaunian martyrs , more accurate , and truer than the manuscripts of surius and baronius . finally , we might add ; that manuscripts , as well as other books , are subject to the rigour of the index expurgatorius . and how should they stick at maiming them when they fear they will give any advantage to the protestants , since they make no scruple sometimes of suppressing them wholly . we are not willing to set down here the story of the edition of anastase , published by the jesuits of mayence in . in which they cut off what we read in the manuscript of heydelberg about pope john , and of the trick they put us upon marquardus freherus , who had discovered it to them . fabrotus , in his new edition of that author , printed at paris in the year . hath been so sincere as to own the expunging that passage ; but at the same time , was not so ingenuous as to restore it . every body knows the story of st. chrysostom's letter to cesarius the monk , and of theodoret's commentary upon the difference that arose between st. paul and st. peter , the which as not favouring transubstantiation , and the authority and infallibility of the pope , they have endeavoured to stifle and to suppress . mr. alix having discovered this mystery of iniquity , acquainted the publick with it , in his excellent letter to mr. hambden . but after all , peter francis chifflet is not the first writer , who to extricate himself out of a difficulty , or to purchase the glory of some curious discovery , hath taken an occasion to find a manuscript . 't is not of late years that there have been annius's of viterbo and varilla's , especially amongst the pretenders to antiquity , and compilers of anecdota , or secret histories . but though these remarks may not perhaps seem unseasonable , yet we have no need of them for clearing the matter of fact now in question . father chifflet's manuscript hath not brought us to such straits , as to reduce us to meer guesses and conjectures . for admitting his manuscript to be both as ancient and correct as he pleases ; the thebean souldiers would not be a jot the better for it . we shall , in the conclusion , examine their cause without any regard to the manuscripts and acts of their passion , and shall deduce , from the very circumstances of their martyrdom , such arguments as will demonstrate the falsity of it . and we must own our obligation to father chifflet , that we shall now fight no longer in the dark , without either seeing or knowing our adversary . we know now whom we are to deal with , and who 't is we are to encounter . before this , while we attack'd the acts which surius and baronius have left us , and were proving that st. eucherius , bishop of lions , could not be the author of them , it might have been answered we took pains to no purpose ; that we ought to have known that there have been two st. eucherius's , and that the acts of the agaunian passion were of the latters composing , who was present at the council of orange in the year . this very thing theophilus raynaldus hath endeavoured to prove in his catalogue of the saints of lions . so that after all our endeavours , we might chance to be in the same plunge with the sofia's in plautus , concerning the two amphytrions , and with the parliament of toulouse in the case of the two martins guerra . but now we must return our thanks to father chifflet , for having help'd us out of these doubts and uncertainties . he agrees with baronius , that there was but one st. eucherius ; and his reasons are so weighty and strong , that it seems strange , that the learned dr. cave , who must needs have seen them in the paulinus illustratus of that author , should yet be of the opinion of theophilus raynaldus , about the two sts. eucherius's , and should attribute to the junior the acts of the martyrdom of the thebean souldiers . we shall now go on with our proofs against the agaunian martyrs , and shall draw them from that ancient and accurate manuscript , upon the credit of which father chifflet hath reformed those acts , which both surius and baronius have followed . chap. viii . that the style of the true st. eucherius is different from that of the passion of the agaunian souldiers , published by chifflet . if we compare chifflet's copy with that of surius , we shall observe in it the same style , the same expressions , thoughts , and opinions ; so that one would conclude it to be the very same piece ; that place only excepted , where mention is made of king sigismond , who in that copy is not contemporary with the true st. eucherius by many years . but one cannot find in these acts of chifflet , the style , genius , and air of st. eucherius . erasmus , who had not the reputation of being too liberal of his praises , thinks he can never extol too much the true st. eucherius's letter to valerian , de contemptu mundi . he saith , that the christian religion never had any writers , no not amongst the greatest professors of eloquence , who could match him in his style and way of writing . andreas schottus calls his letter , in his preface to st. eucherius ▪ s works , a golden letter . but these so high praises , and given too by men of so refined a knowledge , are in no wise suitable to the author of the passion of our martyrs . and it is certain , that if eucherius , bishop of lions , composed that letter to valerian , he never could be the author of the history of the agaunian souldiers . 't is true , an author cannot always be the same in all his works . the most happy genius , does not like a fertil soil always bear alike , nor yield so plentifully at one time at it does another . the treasures of invention and eloqence do not lye open at all hours even to the greatest wits . there are some lucky moments for composition that are not at our command ; besides , the difference of age causeth some difference in the productions of the brain , as may be observed in the iliads , and odysses , of homer ; some subjects being delightful , we are fond of them , and fall greedily to work ; whereas others , because dry and insipid , do naturally cause in us some neglect . nay sometimes a subject does even require a man to descend from his usual greatness , and to lay aside all the pomps and loftiness of style . in a word , there are few writers , how able soever , that can bear up with a constant and continued evenness . therefore the learned vossius was in the right to condemn massius , for denying xenophon to be the author of the expedition of cyrus , because the critick , forsooth , did not observe in it all the strokes of that unimitable eloquence , which is the character of that excellent writer . for although , for the reasons we have hinted at , an author may sometimes deviate from his character , yet notwithstanding there will still be discovered in his style a tincture , as it were of himself , and a particular air that is proper to no other but him . fannius pronounced publickly in rome an oration , and there being some who envied the applause he had got , they gave out , that he was obliged for it to his friends , who had help'd him in the making it . but * tully , on the contrary , maintained that it could not be so , because in the discourse of fannius , both the style , the turn , and harmony all over the same . according to this supposition , we ought not to father upon the true st. eucherius , the passion of the agaunian martyrs . for instance , let us but compare it with that excellent epistle of his , upon the contempt of the world , and worldly philosophy . wherein his way both of thought and expression ; and indeed every thing is quite different from the former . one would take this letter to be the product of augustus's age , when the latin tongue was in its greatest purity , whereas the style of the passion of the martyrs of agaunum , tastes like that of the empire in its declension , and of the age of cassiodorus . mr. du pin , a doctor of paris , so much to be commended both for his diligence and sincerity , hath without doubt , perus'd the acts which father chifflet hath taken out of his old manuscript . and see how he speaks of 'em in his bibliotheca nova . the history , saith he , of the passion of st. mauritius , and of the other thebean souldiers , is not the style of our st. eucherius . but perhaps we have been too favourable to this relation of the martyrs of agaunum , in attributing it to the age of cassiodorus . for in the old editions of st. eucherius , printed at rome , and at basil , they have inserted amongst the works of this father , some commentaries on genesis , and upon the book of kings , which seem to have been made not in cassiodorus's time , but even since gregory the great , that is above an hundred years after , as appears by the books of morals of this pope , being cited in these commentaries . this remark hath been made long ago , by possevinus , and sixtus senensis . and there is much more resemblance between the style and character ▪ of these commentaries , and the style and character of the passion of the agaunian martyrs , than there is between the letter of the contempt of the world , and the relation of the martyrdom of the thebean legion . this conjecture is strengthened by the epistle dedicatory , prefixed to these commentaries on genesis . it will be of some use to set it here . eucherius , to the holy and most blessed bishop salvlus . i have sent to your beatitude , the history which i have written of the passion of our martyrs . i feared least the memorable events of their glorious martyrdom , should have been buried in oblivion , both by long tract of time , and the negligence of men. i have endeavoured to know the truth from those who are able to inform me of it , who have assured me , that they had the thing from isaac , bishop of geneva , much after the same manner as i have related it . and i believe these things came to the knowledge of isaac , by the means of the most blessed bishop theodorus ▪ who lived in the former ages . viro anterioris temporis . and now whereas others from divers places , and even from the remotest provinces , offer gold , silver , and several other things to the honour of our saints , we present them with our writings , if so be you vouchsafe to approve of them ; and i beg for their sakes the remission of all my sins , and for the future , the continual assistance of my perpetual patrons . remember us likewise in your prayers , when you come before god , and do attend the services of the saints . there are several things very observable in this letter . first , that he who wrote it saith , that he is the author of the passion of the agaunian souldiers . secondly , that the monastery of agaunum was built a long time before , and was in great repute in the world , since offerings were sent thither from all parts . thirdly , that this theodorus , who is called there a man of the former ages , is in all probability the same theodorus bishop of sion , whereof we have spoken on the occasion of the council of agaunum ; which shews this letter was written at least in the seventh century , since that otherwise , this theodorus could not be called vir anterioris temporis . fourthly , that it mentions one isaac , bishop of geneva , who is not to be found in the catalogue , which leti , and mr. spon , have made of the bishops of that place ▪ and which they have taken out of an ancient bible of that city . fifthly , that whereas in the bibliotheca patrum , printed at lions , this letter is placed immediately after the passion of the martyrs of agaunum , the editors who have taken care to advertise the readers , that the passion written by surius , was not altogether authentick , do not give the least caution about this letter , which is visibly later by some ages than st. eucherius . sixthly , that this letter is inserted at full length by baronius in his annals , as an irrefragable proof that st. eucherius is the author of the acts of the agaunian martyrs , seeing it is brought there to serve as a preface to it . seventhly , that after you have read this letter , when you come to the acts of the thebean martyrs , you cannot perceive any difference . you find there much the same matters , style , and way of expression in both of them . eighthly , that this letter , in all the editions of the st. eucherius's works , is prefixed as a dedication to the commentaries on genesis , which have been composed by the monks two hundred years after st. eucherius , as appears by some places of the morals of gregory the great being inserted in them . ninthly , that the author of the commentaries upon genesis , and the book of kings , is very probably the author of this letter . and that he who wrote the letter , composed likewise the passion of the agaunian martyrs . which leads us to this observation , that perhaps we seek abroad for what we may find at home . i mean , that perhaps , the acts of the thebean legion may be the growth of this land , and the work of some english writer . see how the pretended st. eucherius speaks in his commentary upon the book of kings . the blessed pope gregory , armed with an evangelical eloquence ▪ governed then in our days the romish church , when the most reverend fathers , austin and paulinus , and their companions , came into england , and preached the word of god to a people , who had been infidels for so many ages . these words have given occasion to the learned jesuite , andreas schottus to think that the author of these commentaries , i mean the pretended st. eucherius , was not a french but an englishman . i do not know but one might strengthen yet this conjecture , by an expression which we have observed in the acts of the agaunian martyrs , 't is said there , that mauricius , who commanded the thebean legion , exhorted the senators of the souldiers to suffer martyrdom , senatores militum . for though this office is not altogether unknown , and strange in the roman militia , and that st. jerom speaks of it in his letter to pammachius , nevertheless you will hardly find it in those authors , who write about military employments . whereas this expression was common then amongst the english , who used to give it to those persons who held the first rank , not so much in consideration of their age , as for their wisdom and merit . one may see in mr. du cange , the examples he alledges of it , taken from the laws both of king edward the confessor , and of kenulphus king of the mercians . chap. ix . that in father chifflet's copy , as well as in that of surius , the commander of a legion , is called by a name not then in use , and that there is a fault in the number of the legionary souldiers . but it matters not much , to know whether the author of the passion of the thebean souldiers , was english of french. these two warlike nations will scarcely fall out with one another , for the honour of having given him to the world. we must pass now to other remarks . 't is not only the difference in the style , which shews that the acts of the martyrdom of the thebean legion are not of the true st. eucherius , but there are yet other manifest proofs of it . it appears from the instructions which st. eucherius gave to his son salonius , that this father knew the use and propriety of hebrew ; but if he was the author of the aforesaid passion , he must needs have been very ignorant even of latin terms , though his letter upon the contempt of the world , shews that he was a great master of it . in the edition of surius , and of chifflet , st. mauricius , who commanded the thebean legion , is called primicerius legionis . can one imagine , that the true st. eucherius did not know that the commander of a legion , was called praefectus legionis ? let any body examine carefully all the old tombs and monuments , which can give us any light into the names and titles of military offices , from augustus's time , to that of justinian ; let any body read the notitia imperii , with pancirole's notes ; let any body turn over the codes of theodosius , and of justinian , in which there are so many laws concerning the civil , as well as the military offices of the empire ; let any body look over all the inscriptions of those times which are commonly so full of titles , and you will no where find that the commander of a legion was ever called primicerius legionis . the reason of the name is , that whereas formerly they made use of a paper prepared with wax , therefore they called primicerii those of their respective orders who were set down first in the publick registers . hence it is that so many of that name are to be found amongst the divers orders of dignities and magistrates of the empire . there was the primicerius of the imperial chamber , of the wardrobe , of the liberalities , of notaries , of the court of accounts , of the golden mace , of the singing-school , of the servants , of the judges , of the readers , and of many others , whose names are seen in the notitia , or state of the empire . this term was also received into the church in the following ages . the dignity of primicerius is very considerable in the clergy of venice . and in the collection of the councils by mr. baluze , this name is given to one peter a priest of alexandria . the church writers have sometimes made use of it metaphorically , * calling st. stephen primicer of martyrs , and st. peter † the primicer of the apostles , and at last this term hath been appropriated to these priests who carry wax tapers before princes and prelates . but as for the military officers , i confess i cannot well understand what rank and command the primicerii had there . lipsius , and salmasius , don't give us much light thereupon in their books of the roman-militia . 't is true , that goltzius , in his catalogue of military dignities , makes mention of primicerius castrensis . but all the learned do agree , that what goltzius does relate , ought not always to be rely'd upon , for he writ this , as well as the rest of his books , upon other peoples word , and without having seen himself the medals and inscriptions which he goes upon . if goltzius hath been mistaken , we have found out methinks the cause of his errour . in the notice or state of the empire , in the chapter of the civil and military dignities in the west , we see one primicerius sacri cubiculi , primicerius notariorum , castrensis , sacri palatii , &c. and perhaps he thought that before castrensis ought to be understood primicerius ▪ which might give occasion to the dignity of primicerius castrensis , set down in his catalogue . but had he minded another chapter , wherein an account is given of the offices which were sub dispositione viri spectabilis castrensis , he would have observed that this dignity , castrensis , related chiefly to the sacred-house which was the emperour's palace . 't is true indeed , that vegetius speaks of one primicerius , who after he had been a prefect , and in the praetorship , was raised to an honourable and gainful military dignity . his commentators are silent upon this place , which yet seems difficult enough . but mr. de valois does not leave us quite in the dark about this matter , in his notes upon ammian marcelline . for this historian having spoken of one valentinus , who was made a tribune after he had been primicerius of that body which was called protectores , mr. de valois observeth that from primicer of protectors it was usual to be made a tribune . and 't is true , that ammianus marcellinus speaks in his thirteenth book of one gratian , who after he had been made primicer of the protectors , and tribune , was made superintendant to the military affairs in africa . which place does explain that other in a collection of the acts of constantine , where 't is said , that constantius , nephew to claudius the emperour , after he had been first a protector , then a tribune , was at least created president of dalmatia . but we don't find in all this , that in st. eucherius time the commander of a legion , was called primicerius legionis . for it is only in the last ages , that it was given to all those who had any command . mathew paris in the year . speaks of an army where it was demanded , who was the primicerius of it , that is , who commanded it . so that as the term commander in english is very general , and may be applyed to those , who either do command a company , or a regiment , or are governours of towns and provinces ; so likewise in the last ages , in the which 't is likely the passion of the thebean souldiers hath been forged , the quality of a primicer had a very large signification ; i am tempted to say , specially amongst the english , and from thence to make another conjecture , viz. that the author of the acts of agaunum was an englishman . we did just now cite mathew paris , who was a great ornament to this nation in the twelfth century . there is an act in the history of the english monasteries , in the which the kings , edmond , and edgar , qualifie themselves kings and primicers of all england , primicerii totius albionis . therefore this primicerian quality being so general at that time , 't is no wonder that william of tyre , who lived about fifty years before matthew paris , does mention some legionary primicers . honourable men , saith he , bearing ensigns , went before the army , as if they had been the primicers of legions . if it can be inferred from these words , that the legionary primicers were the signiferi , or ensign-bearers of those times , one ought to confess that in william of tyre his time , things were very much altered , and that nothing can be concluded from this expression that may authorize that in the relation of the agaunian martyrs , unless one would confess that they suffered martyrdom about the time of william of tyre , to wit , many ages after the true st. eucherius . but let us examine what surius copy , and that of father chifflet tells us of the number of the thebean souldiers . that of surius saith , that in the emperour maximian's army , there was a legion of souldiers called thebeans , and that a legion was made up of six thousand , six hundred , and sixty six souldiers , according to the custom of the ancient romans . in father chifflet's manuscript , the number of sixty and six , and what is said of the custom of the ancient romans is cut off , being said only there , that a legion was then made up of six thousand and six hundred men. if by the custom of the ancient romans , spoken of both in surius and baronius's copy , was meant the military discipline anciently established by romulus , 't is certain that in his time the legions were composed only of three thousand foot , and some horse . and let one look over all the times in which that common-wealth flourished , from the expulsion of kings to julius caesar , one shall observe many changes in the number of the souldiers which composed the legions , and that it was sometimes lesser , and sometimes greater , according to the exigencies ▪ and revolutions of the empire : but it will be a hard matter to prove , that there hath been a time , in which the legions had precisely the number of souldiers specify'd in those two copies . livy , saith indeed , that it was a priviledge of the legions , which were in macedonia , to be composed of six thousand foot , and three hundred horse , the others ex veteri instituto , according to the ancient custom , being formed only of five thousand foot , and two hundred horse . this great author in all probability was better informed in the roman customs , than the author of the passion of the thebean souldiers . for the legions having been raised to five thousand men in the roman wars against carthage . polybius observes that to his time , they still retained the same number of five thousand foot , and three hundred horse . it cannot be deny'd , but the number of the legionary souldiers increased under the emperours , since at the time of the emperour tacitus , the legions were of six thousand , one hundred , and twenty foot , and of seven hundred , and sixteen horse , which is a remark of modestus , in the treatise he addresses to him of the terms used in the military art. vegetius , who dedicated his book to the emperour valentinian , tells us likewise , that in his time the legions were of the same number . so that it would be an obligation to the publick , to prove , by good authors , that at the time of dioclesian , and maximian , in which it is supposed that the thebean legion suffered martyrdom , the legions were of , or men , as 't is said in the copies both of surius , and chifflet . chap. x. that in the editions both of surius and chifflet , a miracle is related which hath all the appearance of a feigned story . in the acts of the agaunian martyrs , there is a miracle set down that deserves our consideration . this miracle hapned on the occasion of a man , who in surius's original was a gold-smith by trade , and in that of chifflet a black-smith or a carpenter . 't is said in these acts that all the christians of agaunum being assembled at church upon a sunday , this man , who was a pagan , stayed alone in the new church which was then a building to the honour of the thebean souldiers . whereupon the saints appearing to him in a bright and glorious apparel , dragg'd him from the place where he was , stretched him as it were upon a rack , and having banged him soundly , reproached him with his absenting himself from the church on the lords-day , and that he being a pagan , had been so bold as to work upon a church which was erecting to them . it is incredible that a grave author , as st. eucherius was , should have made the blessed martyrs to speak such nonsense . for it is an easie thing to infer from their discourse , that the pagans themselves were obliged , even as pagans , to observe the keeping of the lords-day , and this is a tenet which one can't by any means admit . for if the fourth commandment had obliged the heathens , as well as the jews , as the other commandments of the decalogue did , 't would be a certain proof that the duty enjoyned by the fourth precept concerning the sabbath-day , is a duty essentially moral , of a natural and inviolable rectitude ; and it would be a very intricate difficulty to justifie the apostolick church about the translation of the sabbath to the day of the resurrection of our lord jesus christ . when we dispute against the sabbatarians , one of the strong reasons we bring against them , is , that the distinctive character of the laws essentially moral , is their extension and universality , that is , that they bind all sorts of persons at all times , in all places , and under both covenants . so that we conclude , that the observance of the seventh day is not a moral duty , since the fourth commandment did not oblige the gentiles ; and i do not know , if the same thing may not be said of our sunday , which hath suceeded to the rights of the sabbath ▪ 't is true , that after nature hath taught men the existence of a god , it may teach them further the reasonableness of consecrating a setled time to his service : but it can lead them no further , and will leave the choice of that time to their liberty . let it be the fourth , the sixth , or the seventh day , 't is all one in the main . and to render the pagans guilty in not keeping the sabbath , either according to the jewish , or christian institution , the sabbath ought to be one of those duties that are as well known to us , as the first principles inbred in our very nature , at our coming into the world , and ingraved by the hand of god in the hearts of all men. the agaunian saints were much in the wrong to use a pagan so scurvily , under pretence of his not observing the sunday . they ought first to have instructed him , to have set before him the excellency and holiness of the christian religion , and shewed him how just and reasonable it is to consecrate the sunday , to the glory of jesus christ , the mediator and high-priest of this new law : and after this , had he been stubborn and rebellious to their charitable instructions and admonitions , then in gods name let him fall under the censure . but to knock him down out of hand , this is a way of conversion only known and practised in our days in france , and which cannot be attributed to saints , without a great offence to their charity . it was an ordinary thing indeed , at that time , to see the pagans drag the christians by force to their profane sacrifices , but not one example of those times can be produced of any christians , in places where they had the power to do to it , tormenting the pagans , and compelling them to come and joyn with them in their worship . nay , it seems that in those former times , they made some scruple of admitting infidels into the places where their holy mysteries were celebrated . for otherwise , to what purpose should the fourth council of carthage have ordered the bishops to suffer the pagans , the jews , and other hereticks to enter their churches , and hear the word of god ? 't is true , that it is added in that canon , that they shall not be suffered to stay but to the mass for the catechumens , so that after the sermon and prayer for the catechumens , the infidels were obliged to withdraw , before the celebration of the holy sacraments . another circumstance against the credibility of it , is , that , the agaunian saints do reproach this pagan , for his boldness in working upon the church which was a building for them . is it possible than an author , so wise and knowing , as sr. eucherius was , should have put in the mouth of his saints such unbecoming reproaches ! saints are not certainly so nice as this comes to , i am sure god himself is not . for when solomon was building him a temple , it does not appear that he found fault with him for sending for wood and stones from heathenish countries . and according to st. austin , he would not have taken it ill , though all the timber of his temple had been cut down in the groves consecrated to idols , ex lucis alienorum deorum . when we reflect on the the prodigious number of workmen , who were employed in the building of the temple , we cannot but conclude , that many of the infidel neighbour nations were also employed in it , and so much the rather , because the jews apply'd themselves more to husbandry , than to other mechanick arts. it was by god's order , that the gold and silver of the idolatrous jericho were put into the sacred treasury . those tables and precious vessels , and the other rich presents which ptolomy philadelphus , and queen helena , sent to the temple at jerusalem , were no doubt of the gentiles making , nevertheless , they were accepted of by the high-priests , and consecrated to the service of the god of israel . in what school then did the thebean souldiers learn that piece of morality , that it was not allowable in a pagan to help in the building of christian churches ? certainly the romish church must think that saints have now-a-days much abated of the severity of their morals , and are grown much more humane and tractable , since in the cathedral in rome , a brazen st. peter is seen which , formerly was a statue of jupiter , and in whose hands the keys were put , instead of the thunder-bolt and fiery arrows that they held before ; and since the pantheon , which was the temple dedicated to all the heathen gods , is now a church consecrated to the blessed mother of our lord. chap. xi . in which the thoughts and dispositions for martyrdom , which are attributed to those saints in the acts of agaunum , are examined . vve must not forget , that the historian of the thebean souldiers represents them all possessed with a burning zeal for martyrdom . he saith , that they were all inflamed with a noble desire to die for jesus christ , and that the ministers of the emperour being arrived to put his barbarous orders in execution , the thebean souldiers made not the least resistance or endeavour to escape , but ●endered their necks of their own accord to the executioners . this was not set down without some design ; the author had a mind to answer before ▪ hand , a difficulty which might be objected by the readers . he fore ▪ saw that it would not well go down with some considering men , that a whole legion well armed , had suffered their throats to be cut without making the least opposition , and that these brave souldiers who fought like lions in so many battels , should have permitted themselves to be led as lambs to the slaughter . but now he thinks he hath removed the difficulty , by saying that they were possessed with a fiery heat , and a kind of fury for the glory of martyrdom ; as appears especially , in that victor , whose death is related towards the end of the acts of the martyrs of agaunum , who sought for death , and brought it upon himself by his own indiscretion . for being invited by some pagan souldiers to come and make merry with them , with the spoils of the thebean souldiers , he returned their kindness with a thousand imprecations and curses , and declared , without necessity , that he himself was a christian . but these things are not perhaps so certain , as to leave no manner of suspicion behind them . 't is true , that we find in eusebius , sulpitius severus , and lactantius , many fine things said upon the noble ardour of christians ( in the primitive ages ) for martyrdom . it cannot be denyed neither , but in the church history there are particular examples of some who had more zeal than knowledge , and who in the time of persecution , when they might have made their escape , or hidden themselves , chose rather to run into the hands of their unmerciful judges and tormenters . but here the case is otherwise , for we are not speaking of some simple ignorant people , whom a blind zeal might carry too far in the first heats of christianity , but of a whole legion , which they suppose had been well instructed by a bishop of jerusalem , and confirmed in the faith by pope marcelline . amongst these were a great number of officers , who no doubt had a competent share of learning , and were sufficiently instructed in christian morality , as not being christians by their birth and education , but by choice . in the archives of the metropolitan church of turin is kept a manuscript-life of st. second , one of the thebean souldiers , wherein it is said that he was of one of the best families of the province of thebaide , brought up in all the best accomplishments , and by his extraordinary merit , raised to a considerable office in the imperial palace . now if notwithstanding all these fine qualifications , this st. secundus was left out in the acts of agaunum , we may well think that mauricius , candidus , exuper , ursus , and victor , who are mentioned there , ought to have been men of transcendent parts and ability . nevertheless , the acts of their passion do attribute to them , such thoughts as are quite contrary to the principles and morals of christianity . if the author of these acts was of opinion , that they should have offended god by endeavouring to flye from the orders and cruelty of the emperour , we need no other premises to conclude , that the true st. eucherius is not the author of this relation . this holy bishop well knew that christ did suffer his disciples , when they were persecuted in one place to flee to another . he knew undoubtedly very well , that true religion strengthned the saints against dangers , but that it forbad 'em to stay for them , or to go meet them . a man that is throughly convinced of the truth of gods promises , and hath experienced the comforts of 'em , will certainly without any change , or being in the least daunted , look upon a fiery furnace ▪ but yet he will not run himself head-long into it . as we ought not to be afraid of death , so neither are we to grow weary and prodigal of life . ignatius and albina may serve as patterns to christians of both sexes , but not cato and lucretia . the crown of martyrdom comes from the hand of god ; we ought to wait for it without anticipating the time , ( said st. cyprian the great panegyrist of martyrdom ) the thebean souldiers had an excellent model in st. paul to frame themselves upon ; who being chosen by god to ●reach the gospel to the gentiles , feared neither tribulation , nor anguish , nor persecution , nor hunger , nor nakedness , nor peril , nor sword ; he challenged life and death , angels , principalities , powers , things present , and things to come , the heighth , the depth , and all the creatures together , to shake his unmoveable steadiness and fidelity . but withal he never faced the dangers , whenever it was in his power to decline them , and made no scruple to turn aside when he foresaw some great mischief in the way . an instance of which was his going out of damascus , as you see in the . ch. of the acts. this was also a known practice in the time in which 't is supposed that the thebean legion suffered martyrdom . let one but look over the collection of penitential canons by peter of alexandria , who was in great esteem about the time of the persecutions of dioclesian . this bishop does there censure those obstinate martyrs , who having opportunity to make their escape , sought notwithstanding for death . christ , saith , he , withdrew himself to shun the malice of the jews who laid in wait for him ; and though he knew that the time appointed in the counsel of his father was not far off , he went not in search after his cross , but waited for it from the fury of the jews in a solitary place , whither he did retire . and when he foretold his apostles of all the persecutions they were to suffer for his names sake , he told them that they should be delivered to the councils and synagogues . whereupon this bishop observes that christ said , they shall deliver you , and not , ye shall deliver your selves . for this reason mr. de tillemont , in his history of the emperours , makes this wise observation , speaking of the acts of st. maximus , that these acts do appear very well deserving the esteem which baronius had for them , though they do express that this saint delivered himself to death , which is more usually seen in spurious , than in true acts. in short , one may see what were the morals of the ancient church about this thing , from a canon of the council of eliberis , and from a special place in st. austin ; and the same morals may be seen practised in the lives of st. cyprian and athanasius , who fled from persecution whenever god gave them opportunity to do it . all the business is then to examine whether the thebean souldiers , being informed of the emperour's resolution , might have prevented it by their flight ; and for the clearing of this point , we need only read the acts of their martyrdom . the army of maximian having passed the defiles of valesia , the thebean legion which was in the rear , understood at agaunum , that this army was designed to cut off the christians in gaul . they stopped at this news , and refused to march any further . first every body will agree that they might have disbanded and betook themselves to flight ; for in such cases as this , military laws ought to yield to that of self-preservation , and then desertion is not , it seems , a greater infraction of military discipline , than to refuse to march at the orders of the general . 't is further said in the acts , that maximian being informed of the refusal of the thebean souldiers , commanded them to be decimated , hoping by the death of some to terrifie the others into their duty . the legion with an undaunted courage suffered the decimation , and the ministers who executed the emperours orders , made their report to him , that the rebellious legion was nothing frighted by this exemplary punishment , but persisted in their obstinate resolution not to march. during all this while , the army is not seen to come back in order to observe the motions of this legion ; neither was it observed , that the emperour did command any troops to watch them , for preventing the ill effects of their mutinous disposition . 't is very natural to think that if the whole legion was not able to save all their lives , part of them at least might have got away , and yet 't is said in the acts , that not so much as one of them did escape the emperours cruelty . whatever care is now taken to hinder the desertions in an army , all the diligence and watchfulness of the officers cannot hinder a great many souldiers to run away from their colours every campaign ; and what is yet worth our observation is , that the situation of agaunum afforded great facility to the thebean souldiers to flee away for their safety . i have passed my self that way , when i went with the corps of duke schomberg from turin to lauzane , where he had ordered me to bury him . and having then some thoughts of this dissertation , i staid a good while to consider the ●venues and situation of agaunum . it is seated at the bottom , and further end of a very narrow valley , and there is no access to it but by continual defiles , having on both sides woods and high mountains . so that , had the thebean souldiers taken advantage from the place , the whole army of the emperour had not been able to have hindred the greatest part of them from making their escape . from this we may conclude , that the author of their acts hath not much observed the rules of probability in the romance he hath left us , since he saith , that all the thebean souldiers were massacred , not one of them caring to make his escape , but all with one accord chearfully holding up their necks , and wishing for nothing so much as the glory of martyrdom . chap. xii . that there is no likelyhood that a legion should be sent for from the east to suppress a tumult of the gauls . we have hitherto considered the martyrdom of the thebean legion , with relation both to the acts wherein it is contain'd , and to the author to whom these acts are attributed . 't is time now to come to the fact it self , and to treat it without any regard either to the acts or their author . father le cointe thought in his annals to salve both the martyrdom of the thebean legion , and the relation of their passion , by betaking himself to the acts and to the copy of father chifflet . we do not deny , saith he , that the acts of the martyrs of agaunum , were written by st. eucherius , bishop of lions ; but we say that those published by surius , and which are found in the manuscripts of most churches , are spurious , and falsly attributed to st. eucherius . we acknowledge none to be true besides those published by francis chifflet in his paulinus illustratus , and the which he hath extracted out of a very ancient manuscript of st. claud's monastery . and we believe st. eucherius to be the true father of that work. but whether st. eucherius be the author of that work , or whether he be not ▪ whether the acts be falsified in the copy of surius , and whether they be true in father chifflet's manuscript , this is now no more the matter in question . we have hitherto in a manner attack'd only the out-works , but we come now close to the fact , and will shew in it palpable characters of falsity . the first of which is this supposition , namely , that the emperour maximian , caused a legion to be put death , which he had sent for from the east to go with him into gaul . we don't deny but there were in the east some legions call'd thebeans . in the book we have already cited of the dignities of the empire , mention is made of four thebean legions . sub dispositione viri illustris magistri militum per orientem legiones comitatenses . secunda flavia constantia thebaeorum , secunda felix valentis thebaeorum . and in another chapter . sub dispositione viri illustris magistri militum per thracias legiones comitatenses . prima maximiana thebaeorum tertia diocletiana thebaeorum . we will not deny neither , but that the exigencies of the empire , calling maximian into gaul , the emperour might have been attended by some of those legions . they are all four numbred amogst those legions which the romans called comitatenses . but our business is to examine which was that thebean legion , whereof it is spoken in the acts of the agaunians martyrs the copies both of surius and chifflet , do agree that maximian caused this legion to come from the east . so that according to the pretended st. eucherius , it cannot be either prima maximiana thebaeorum , or tertia dioclesiana thebaeorum , these two legions remaining in thracia , appointed to guard those frontiers of the empire . this legion , then must have been one of those which were under the command of the general of the foot in the east . but it is not very likely , that the emperour should have sent for a legion , so far to persecute the christians in gaul , or to quell a sedition raised there . the legions on the rhine , on the danube , in moesia , and in illyria , were much nearer at hand . no example can be shewed in history , that to make war against the gauls , garrisons were drawn out of the frontier places of egypt , or mesopotamia . should it be replyed , that the romans were at peace with the persians and that all things were quiet upon the confines of africa and asia , that the danger was pressing in gaul , that rome did tremble at the first news of a mutiny in those parts , and at the bare naming of tumultus gallicus , and therefore , that it ought not to appear so strange that legions were called from the utmost parts of the east . and should it be added in confirmation of this conjecture , that the danger ought to have been very great , since the historians do observe that this was one of the reasons which induced dioclesian to divide the empire with maximian , to the end that being invested in the imperial dignity , and having a greater authority , he might sooner make an end of this business : all these replies make for us , by lessening the probability of the martyrdom of the thebean legion . for the war which maximian was to undertake being of so great importance , it is not likely he would wilfully have deprived himself of a legion , which he had sent for from the extremities of the empire . but suppose maximian had been as zealous as ever emperour was , for the service of his gods , and as implacable an enemy and persecutor of jesus christ and his disciples , yet after all , we ought not , without good reasons , to make a mad man of him , and so bad a politician , as to imagine he would have commanded one of his best legions to be massacred in the very face ▪ as i may say , of the enemy , and at the beginning of a war , the success whereof ought to have commended to the world the choice which dioclesian had made of him : and by so much the rather , for what * aurelius victor saith of him , viz. that though he was but half a courtier , yet he was a brave and skilful warriour . besides this , if with father labbe , we refer the martyrdom of the thebean legion to the year . 't is like that at that time the state of affairs did not permit that the frontiers of egypt , and of the eastern provinces , should be unguarded ; since it was not long after , that achilleus took the purple upon him , and that the quingentians , or inhabitants of the five towns , joyned their forces against the empire . and if this martyrdom be placed in the year . with cardinal baronius , i question very much whether the war was not then raging upon the frontiers of persia , and whether the emperour galerius had by that time repaired the loss of that unfortunate day , in which all his army was defeated , and he himself had much ado to escape . but now i come to something more positive . the very names which in the book of the dignities of the empire , are given to those thebean legions which were in the east , may suffice to shew that the martyrdom here mentioned , cannot be applied to any of them . for one of these legions is called secunda flavia constantia thebaeorum . where we are to take notice , that the romans gave different names to their legions for distinction sake , as princes do now to their regiments . these names are sometimes taken from the order or time of their creation , as the first , second , third , and fourth legion . and sometimes they were given upon the account of some remarkable action , whereby they had signalized themselves , accordingly one was called the victorious , another the conquering , the iron legion , &c. now and then they took their names from the countries and frontiers that were committed to their charge , as the germanick , and the pannonick legions , appointed to guard the empire in hungary and germany . some of them had also their names from the countries where they had been raised , as the nervian , and isaurian legions . mezeray , in his history of france , before clovis's time , gives this very same reason for the name of the thebean legion maximian , saith he , having also taken upon himself the defence of gaul , departed from nicomedia , and took with him some legions , and amongst them that of the thebeans , so called from its having been raised in thebais of egypt . but most commonly the legions bore the names of the emperours who had raised them ; such were the ulpian , trajan , claudian , dioclesian , and maximian legions . and it is most likely the two thebean legions , which were in the east , were of this last order . for one of them was called flavia constantia thebaeorum , from the name of the emperour , constantius . pancirollus observes judiciously , that this ought to be understood of canstantius , son to the emperour constantine , and not of constantius his father : only the reason he gives for it is false . he supposes then , that constantine the great was the first emperour who added to his titles , that of flavius ; and that most of his successors after him took the same likewise , as a mark of the esteem they had for his virtues , and of their desire to bear some resemblance with him . mr. du cange , in his byzantine families , speaks of some medals of constantius , father to constantine , with the name flavius , upon them . and mr. baluze , in his notes on lactantius's book of the deaths of the persecutors , produces an inscription which he had from mr. vaillant , where this emperour is inscribed flavius valerius constantinus , so that we should rather think that at the time when maximian was raised to the empire ▪ and when he undertook his expedition into gaul , constantius , father to constantine , had not sufficient authority to raise legions in the east , and to give them his own name . and since the other legion was called secunda felix valentis thebaeorum , from the emperour valens his name , it follows that neither the one nor the other could possibly suffer martyrdom by the order of maximian , who was taken into a partner-ship of the government several years before constantius and valens came to the throne . pancirollus seems to have been sensible of this difficulty , but finding no way to evade it , he falls with all his knowledge into pitiful contradictions . instead of one thebean legion , which is suppos'd to have suffered martyrdom , he relates the passions of two thebean legions . he saith that the legio secunda flavia constantia thebaeorum was raised by constantius , and put in the room of the second thebean , who were christians , and had been massacred at treves , by rictiovarus , a prefect of the emperour maximian ; and as for the legio secunda felix valentis thebaeorum , pancirollus will have it , that the emperour valens raised it to make up the loss of the legion which perished at agaunum , on this side of the alpes , for refusing to take the military oaths with the pagan ceremonies . that which led him into this errour , was his having read in other legends , that maximian having passed the alpes , made a detachement of some cohorts of the thebean legion , with some other troops , to reinforce the army wherewith he designed to oppose carausius . thus this famous antiquary of these few cohorts , hath made an entire legion . which is so far from being true , that in the following chapters the same thebean souldiers , who are now supposed to have been sent against carausius , will furnish us with new proofs against the martyrdom of the whole thebean legion . chap. xiii . that if the history of this legion were true , there would not be so much uncertainty of the time wherein it happened . another character of falshood , in the history of the thebean legion , which deserves our observation , is the uncertainty and contrariety of the writers of the church of rome , concerning the time in which they suppose the thebean legion suffered . the martyrdom of a whole legion is so memorable an event , that if it were true , it would certainly have been written and described in all its circumstances in the annals of the church . and though the ecclesastical writers had been so negligent as to be silent therein , yet , aurelius victor , eutropius , jordanes , or some other author , would undoubtedly have made amends for this omission titus livius , failed not to relate the tragical end of that legion , whereof all the souldiers were condemned to death for mutining and possessing themselves of rhegium , during the war of the romans with pyrrhus . and yet some would have it , that six thousand , six hundred , sixty and six officers and souldiers , were massacred by the emperour's order , upon their refusal to swear by his false gods , and to joyn with the other troops that were heathens , in shedding of christians blood ; though not one word is to be found either in profane or ecclesiastical writers , whereby to discover the exact time of an event , which so many circumstances render so extraordinary and wonderful . neither do the ablest writers of the romish church agree upon the year , the pope , or the consul , under whom it happened . cardinal baronius puts their martyrdom under the pontificate of marcelline , in which errour he was followed by two learned fathers of the oratory , namely * le cointe , and morin . anthonius pagi refers this martyrdom to the first years of emperour . the jesuite * labbe forsakes here the opinion of his baronius , and 't is he perhaps , whom anthonius pagi followed . his words are these . 't is said that about the year sebastianus tiburtinus , tranquillus , marcellinus , zeus , mauricius , and several others with the thebean legion suffered death for the faith of jesus christ at agaunum , at the entrance of the pennine alpes this agrees very well with the pontificate of cajus , and the beginning of the empire of dioclesian . and whereas cardinal baronius refers the martyrdom of the thebean souldiers to the year . it happened according to father labbe's computation in the year , viz. immediately after that carinus was killed , and that dioclesian had taken maximian into the government ▪ which if true , what will become of mr. duchesne's argument in his history of popes , who to prove that pope marcelline did not sacrifice to idols in the time of persecution , as is most commonly believed , saith , that this pope adminstred the sacrament of confirmation to the thebean legion , when they passed by rome , and earnestly exhorted them to piety and to perseverance in religion ? here labbe and pagi , put the martyrdom of this legion several years before the pontificate of marcelline in the mean while we may take notice of the extraordinary fair dealing of this jesuite , who does not give us the martyrdom of the thebean legion , as a thing whereof he himself is very well assured , and of which he hath found any authentick records and proofs , but only with an , it is said , or given out ; and this no doubt he does , as being unwilling to vouch for a relation which he found to be somewhat fabulous . now if it be reply'd , that it is not fairly done to deny a matter of fact , meerly because its epoche is uncertain ; it may be answered , that there is a great deal of difference between one transaction and another ; that there are in ecclesiastical history , several relations of matters of fact , concerning which this argument would prove of no great force . but the martyrdom of a whole legion is a thing so extraordinary , so singular , and so remarkable in it self , that the uncertainty of the time in which they say it happen'd , makes it very suspitious . and for the same reason several person doubt of the dispute of st. peter with simon magus , and of the surprizing death of this wicked man , whom the devils let fall to the ground , after they had born him up for some considerable time in the air. 't is true that eusebius , sulpitius severus , and st. austin , take notice of this memorable event . but those who believe it to be false , do reply that one ought not always to trust to the relations of the ancient ecclesiastical authors , because the zeal they had for religion , made 'em not always very nice in the choice of proofs and examples ; and sometimes they had a mind to oppose one miracle to another , seeing that the whole pagan religion was built upon the belief of miracles , and the apparitions of their false gods. they add farther , that had this event happened , as it is reported , it would have occasioned so much noise in rome , and through the whole empire , that some footsteps thereof would have been preserved in the writings of pagan authors . and that after all , though it was believed by eusebius , sulpitius severus , and st. austin , this does not make it less dubious , since those three writers do not agree about the time wherein it happn'd . eusebius puts it under the empire of claudius , st. austin , and several others , under that of nero , about the year of our lord . and sulpitius severus refers it to the time when st. paul came to rome , towards the year . and this is the very argument we urge against the martyrdom of the thebean legion . chap. xiv . that the martyrdom of the thebean legion cannot be referred either to a general , or to a local and particular persecution . another character of falshood , yet more palpable , and in the very fact , is this , that if the thebean legion suffered death for being christians , this must have happened in the time of the general persecution , or of a local and particular one . now if we examine exactly all the afflictions and calamities that befel the church uuder the reign of dioclesian , we find neither time nor room where to place the martyrdom of the thebean legion . for place it if you please with cardinal baronius in the year . or put it in the year . with labbe and pagi , what side soever you take , you shall never make it fall in with the general persecution , which happened in the year . according to the opinions of the learned * * henry noris , mr. de valois , and mr. baluze . riccioli a jesuite , in his reformed chronology finds , fault with baronius and petau , for placing the beginning of it in the year . and remarks that onuphrius hath been more exact in his computation , who makes the general persecution to begin in the month of march , and in the year . samuel petit hath thought fit to put it off to the year . in his summary collections of chronology , where he saith , that the difference about the celebration of easter , caused this persecution to begin sooner in one country than in another ; and that the emperour ▪ dioclesian ( the better to surprize the christians , and to make the effects of his rage both the more certain and dreadful ) commanded they should be massacred on easter-day . but though the martyrdom of the thebean legion , could be made to agree in point of time with the general persecution , yet this would not remove all difficulties , since 't is possible this persecution might not reach so far as the country where it is supposed that the thebean souldiers suffered . however , notwithstanding the diversity of opinions about the circumstances of their martyrdom , all the writers who have handled this matter , do agree , that the country of valesia , and the neighbourhood of agaunum had their soil honoured with the effusion of their blood. now the business is , to know whether that canton was not of gaul , and in the division of constantius . aurelius victor does clearly decide the question , saying , that in the partition of the empire , constantius had for his share all the gallick provinces beyond the alpes ; and one need only cast his eye upon the map , and he will find that agaunum is beyond the alpes in respect to rome . in the book which we have already cited of dignities of the empire , notice is taken of the seventeen provinces of gaul , and amongst them the alpes called grajae and penninae are comprehended . now it is certain , that the ancient agaunum was situated in these alpes , which were inhabited by a people called veragri . and therefore , briet the jesuite , a man so very well seen in ancient and modern geography , puts in the fifth viennese octodurum , which is now the chief city of valesia . this fifth viennese included most part of the alpes called grecian , and pennine , and belonged to gaul , by the division which the romans made of the provinces of the empire . morever , father pagi proves that these grecian alpes were none of the five provinces , which composed the ancient province of narbonne , and that they were in gaul at the time when the province of narbonne was separated and joined to italy . seeing then that the country of valesia , where agaunum stood belonged to the gauls at that time , and was then under the government of constantius , this will suffice to shew that the martyrdom of the thebean legion , cannot be placed in the time of the general persecution mr. bosquet , bishop of montpellier , and mr dodwel in his dissertations upon st cyprian , have made it out , that constantius chlorus was the only prince of all those that had then a share in the empire , who never persecuted the christians . and of this great moderation of his , the donatists were not wanting to take notice , in their humble address to constantine , hoping thereby to incline him to mildness , and a toleration of their sect. likewise eusebius , in the life of the emperour constantine , relates one of his edicts , in which he gives this commendation to his father , that of all his colleagues in the empire , he only left the christians in peace and unmolested . 't is true indeed , that yielding to the necessity of the times , he comply d so far with the two other emperours , as to permit the christian * temples in his division to be demolished ; but lactantius observes , that he took care that no harm should be done to their persons . for this reason , the defenders of the martyrdom of the thebean legion , will be forced to have recourse to some local and particular persecution , which must have been raised against the church some years before the time of the general one. but then they ought to mark out to us , out of some good authors both the places and times of these local and particular persecutions . for we are a little too hard of belief for the legend-writers ; nor can we swallow the relations of things said to have been done in the second and third centurys when there is nothing produced in confirmation thereof but lives and passions composed by monks , who lived some eight or nine hundred years after . and yet it would be no easie matter to find any one of that order , who refers the martyrdom of the thebean legion to a particular persecution , which only raged in some single countrey . they have all-spoken of it , after the same manner as matthew of westminster hath done , who places this martyrdom in the year . and saith , that it was at that time that the thebean legion , made up of six thousand , six hundred , sixty and six s uld●ers , suffered death couragiously for the faith of christ . according to the ●hronology of this benectine monk , the thebean legion suffered in the time of the general persecution ; and he joins this event with the martyrdom of st. alban and other english saints ; though it is not true neither , that constantius permitted these violences to be done in england ; and besides , gildas , and polydor vergil , place their martyrdom in the year . in the mean while it is worth our observation , that the manuscript so much commended by father chifflet , is different from that which matthew of westminster made use of , for it is said in that as well as in the copies which surius and baronius followed , that the legion was composed of six thousand , six hundred , sixty six souldiers . we don't pretend however , to deny that there have been some local persecutions before that fatal interview of dioclesian and valerius , at nicomedia , where these two emperours resolved the general persecution . for we do agree with the learned theodorus ruinart , that sometimes the governours , the judges , and the pagan priests in their turns , raised some persecutions , here and there , in some or place or other of the empire . but we say , that it cannot be referred to any of the local persecutions , which are found in church history . if it could be applied to any particular one , it must be to that which was raised at rome ( and in which baronius relates that st sebastian suffered martyrdom ) rather than to any other . but of this the cardinal observes , that it extended not much further than rome , and consequently not so far as the alpes , and to agaunum . in short , before the time of the general persecution , we find some christians condemned to death in some parts of the empire ; but before the unhappy congress at nicomedia , 'ts not possible to shew any-where , during the whole reign of dioclesian , any such massacre as that of a whole legion . chap. xv. that the martyrdom of the thebean legion cannot be reconciled with the history , and years of the emperour maximian . the character of forgery which we have dispatched in the precedent chapter , will appear yet more evident , by considering further , that 't is supposed that the thebean legion suffered death by order of maximian ; whereas there is no room for this martyrdom , either in the life or years of this emperour . the copies of surius and chifflet , and all the legend-writers who have followed them , agree in this , that this emperour caused the thebean souldiers to be put to death in an expedition which he made into gaul . accordingly then a place must be found for their martyrdom in some of maximian's voyages , on the other side of the alpes . lactantius , in his history of the deaths of the persecutors , makes mention of three of them . the first , was occasioned by the marriage of his daughter fausta with constantine , to whom he gave the title of augustus , he having had only that of caesar before . he was forc'd to undertake the second to shun the fury of his souldiers , who were extreamly incensed against him , for designing to deprive his son maxentius of the empire , by whom he had been restored to the purple , which he had freely abdicated before . and he came the third time into gaul , at his return from his journey into hungary , whither he went , but unsuccessfully , to sollicite dioclesian to resume the government ; and it was then that constantine , perceiving the ill design he had formed to destory him , thought it necessary to prevent him , and caused him to be strangled . but the martyrdom of the thebean legion , does not answer to any of these expeditions , since they are all posterior to the year . and all historians agree , that the general persecution at that time began to abate in the west . besides , it is certain that maximian in none of these progresses passed the alpes with an army , and that his fortune and the posture of his affairs at that time , did not put him into a condition to deprive himself of a whole legion . where shall we then find a fourth expedition of maximian into gaul , in which this emperour might be supposed to have murthered the whole thebean legion ? there is none left but that which is mentioned by eutropius , and aurelius victor . these two historians agree that some troops of banditi or rapperees , who were called bagauds , having raised a tumult in gaul , and put themselves under the conduct of amandus and aelianus , dioclesian made maximian his partner in the government , and sent him in all haste with an army to punish those rebels . but the time of this expedition is not agreed upon . father petau relates at large the different opinions of the learned concerning it , in his book of the doctrine of times . he thinks that maximian's reign began in the year of our lord . dioclesian being then emperour , and vested the second time with the tribunitian power ; and he confutes baronius who was led into a mistake by a passage of mamertine . mr. baluze affirms , that dioclesian having been raised to the empire on the of november in the year . took maximian into the government on the first of april , in the year . and sets it down as a point universally agreed in history , that the i wentieth year of maximian ought to answer his eighth consulship . from whence he concludes , that dioclesian reigned twenty years , five months , and twelve days ; and maximian , twenty years , and a full month. so that if this calculation be just , the beginning of maximian's reign ought to be reckoned from the first of april , in the year . father * pagi followeth the author of the alexandrian chronicle , and having placed the beginning of dioclesian's reign on the th of september in the year he adds that maximian was created ▪ caesar on the of novemb. the same year . eutropius , and aurelius victor , are different in their expression concerning the character which dioclesian gave to maximian , when he sent him into gaul against the bagands . eutropius saith , herculeum caesarem misit , and aurelius victor saith , imperatore● jubet . which difference occasioneth another dispute amongst the criticks , viz. whether maximian was made first caesar , and then augustus , according to the usual custom ; or whether both the dignities were conferred on him at one and the same time . anthony pagi , and henry noris , differ onely in the time , in which they suppose maximian was raised to the dignity of augustus ; and they are of opinion that before this he was made caesar . but though both of them are great masters , and seem able to pronounce upon this matter , yet mr. baluze , in his notes on lactantius , is for the contrary , and alledges several laws from whence he gathers , that maximian was first created augustus . against which opinion of his , a medal of francis angeloin's inscribed nobilis caesar , and on the reverse principi ivventvtis , was thought to make very much . but this difficulty the famous mr. cuper , in his notes on lactantius hath removed . where he observes , that this medal ought to be referred to galerius maximianus , by reason that several of his are found with the same inscriptions , which are not upon any of the medals of herculeus maximianus , collected by counte mezabarba . but the subject we have before us does not require that we should trouble our selves about these chronological questions . we are in search of the time when maximian took another journey into gaul , not mentioned by lactantius . now the difficulty is not to find out that time , seeing it is circumstanced both in eutropius , and aurelius victor , by two memorable events ; one of which is his exaltation to the empire , and the other the bagaudian revolt under their leaders amandus and aelianus . both which do shew , that he undertook the gallican expedition in the year of our lord ▪ . to wit , at the beginning of his reign , and above eighteen years before he took his other journies spoken of by loctantius . but our business is to examine , whether we can fix the martyrdom of the thebean legion to that time . and the dispute is at an end , if we give credit to those acts of the agaunian martyrs , which both surius and baronius have followed . for there mention is made of the bagauds , of amandus and aelianus , of maximian s assumption to the empire , and of his expedition into gaul with the thebean legion . all which does agree well enough with the time we have assigned for the same expedition . and it is strange , that cardinal baronius , who hath followed the acts of surius , and ought consequently to have joined the time of the bagaudian revolt , with that of the death of the thebean souldiers , hath , notwithstanding this , placed their martyrdom in the year , viz. twelve years after dioclesian had taken maximian into the government , and sent him into gaul to suppress the rebellion of amandus and aelianus . and since these two events fell out so well to the purpose , one would wonder father chifflet should be so transported , upon his finding a manuscript in which there is not a word spoken of the begauds , no● of amandus nor aelianus , if it were not that king sigismond unluckily appeared there also amongst the rest . for as these two concuring events very much favoured the martyrdom of the thebean legion , so what is there related of st. sigismond made it evident , that st. eucherius could not be the author of the acts of that martyrdom , since he dyed several years before this prince came into the world. bollandus thought he might save the credit of this piece , prove it to be the work of this holy bishop of lions , and remove the anachronism , by saying , that there was formerly a monastery at agaunum , and that king sigismond only repaired and beautified it . but because it is but a poor shift , destroyed both by the acts of surius , and the accounts which all the historjans give of that martyrdom , father chifflet was overjoyed upon his finding a manuscript , wherein not the least mention is made of king sigismond , or of the bagaudian insurrection . we have already declared how good an opinion we have of father chifflet's integrity , which we don't pretend to retract . nevertheless , if he be not the man who hath helped this place out of the acts of the martyrdom of the thebean legion , no body ought to find fault with us , if we suspect that some others might have conjured it away . whatsoever may be the antiquity of father chifflet's manuscrpit , sure it is that impopostors are yet much ancienter than it . now i hope father ruinart will not except against us , for making some advantage of the advice he himself gives in his answer to mr. dodwel , viz. that the collectors of the acts of murtyrs have frequently added too , and lop't off such things as they did not like . but let us come now to the matter it self , and examine whether the martyrdom of the thebean legion , can be made to fall in with maximian's fourth expedition into gaul , mentioned by eutropius , and aurelius victor . the emperour dioclesian , fearing lest the gallican revolt should be of dangerour consequence , assumes him into the government , to the end , that by his assistance he might with more ease to himself undergo the weight of it ; he raises an army with all speed to suppress this threatning insurrection in its birth ; then it is supposed that he sent for the thebean legion from the east , to serve in the expedition . and yet they needs will have it , that having passed the mountains with them , and in a manner facing the enemy , such a frenzy of superstition on a sudden seized him , as made him weaken his army by the martyrdom of this whole legion . we took notice before , that the author of this romance was not very cautious in observing the rules of probability , but because some things may be true , though they do not seem very probable , we shall therefore add something of more weight than meer conjeures , for the proof of our assertion . first then , let a man be never so little versed in roman history , he will find no ground there to believe , that maximian , being but lately admitted to a share in the empire , should by his own single authority cut off a whole legion . for though dioclesian had made him augustus , yet were they masters in common , and joint sharers of the provinces , arms , and legions of the empire . galesius and constantius were the first that shared the empire . this the city of rome took very ill , looking upon it as a diminution of its power and glory . but this sharing of the empire ending in the victories which constantine got over all his competitors , rome became again the mistress of the universe . whereupon the poet porphyrius , in a poem which he composed in the th year of this prince , has these words . — lacera cruentis imperii pars fessa poli , diversa gemehat s●eptra , & ausoniae moerebat perdita jura . during the division of the empire , each emperour acted as he pleased in his own district , and was under no obligation to communicate his affairs and conduct to the other emperours ; whereas when the empire was possessed jointly by two or three emperours , they consulted one another in all affairs of importance , because each had an equal right to the whole , aequo jure , as eutropius saith , speaking of marcus aurelius , and of lucius verus . whence we may judge , if it be possible in reason to suppose , that maximian would of his own head have commanded a whole legion to be put to death , and without so much as consulting dioclesian , have allarm'd all the christians throughout the empire by so violent a persecution . 't is true indeed , if the loss of a whole legion , cut off by the command of a cholerick and enraged prince , were to be look'd upon as a trifling matter , and of no consquence to the state , there would have been no great need for maximian upon this occasion , to have ask'd the advice of his colleague ; but i question much , whether any considering person will think it so . secondly , let us reflect upon what the historians tell us of the reign of dioclesian and maximian till the time they begun to persecute the christians , and we shall find that they represent those times to us , as times of ease and plenty , and they speak of their government as managed with clemency and moderation . matermin tells maximian , that no sooner had the light of his government shined upon the empire , but it overspread all places with peace and security . eusebius , in the th and th chapter of the th book of his church-history , cannot forbear making frequent mention of the happiness , which both the church and empire enjoyed before dioclesian and maximian had resolved to exterminate the christians . who can express ( saith he ) the prosperity and plenty which the empire enjoyed , so long as those who governed were well and kindly affected towards us . he had said before , we want words to express the great value and esteem which the doctrine of our blessed saviour met with amongst the greeks and barbarians , and the perfect liberty and tranquility which the professours of it enjoyed before the persecution which was raised against the church in our days . the particular affection the emperours shewed towards those of our religion , and the honour they did them , in conferring upon them the government of provinces , without obliging them to sacrifice to their idols . and a little after he adds . who can recount the great numbers of those who came over every day to make profession of our faith ; how many churches were erected in every city , and in what crowds came people to pay their homage to god ; insomuch , that the ancient buildings proving too narrow to receive them , it was necessary to have others built more large and capacious . neither could the envy of devils , or malice of men , put a stop to this progress of christianity , so long as the people of god were not unworthy of his almighty protection and favour . but when the excessive liberty we enjoyed , had slackned the strictness of our discipline ; so that we begun to make war amongst our selves with abusive and bitter words ; and bishops incensed against bishops , raised dissentions and disorders ; in a word , when malice and couzenage were come to their height , then divine justice lift up his hand to punish us , first gently , as it useth to do , and permitted those amongst the faithful , who made profession of arms , to be persecuted first . now , who can believe that the thebean legion was massacred at the time here described by mamertine and eusebius ? can any one style that a reign of peace , meekness , and felicity , in which above six thousand six hundred persons were at one time inhumanly murthered ? 't is supposed that maximian commanded them to be put to death , upon their refusal to sacrifice to idols , and yet eusebius told us just now , that both dioclesian and maximian conferred the government of provinces on christians , without any obligation to offer sacrifice . it was then the custom amongst the romans , that the proconsuls , the govenours , and other magistrates should sacrifice to the gods , to the safety and genius of the emperours , and should be present at all the publick sacrifices offered to them ; which is the reason , that the first christians shunned those employments as very dangerous baits , and occasions of sin. but their exemplary integrity being without doubt a motive to the emperours , to desire they might be employed in places of publick trust , eusebius observes , that they acquitted them from the obligation of doing sacrifice , ( as mr. de valois reads that passage out of the manuscripts of the medicean , and the mazarine libraries ) 't is true , that eusebius saith , that the faithful who made profession of arms were persecuted first . but this cannot be apply'd to the martyrdom of the thebean legion . for it is supposed that this legion was barbarously massacred ; and eusebius speaks of a persecution , whereby god did only gently and modarately chastise the church . but certainly the martyrdom of a whole legion cannot be called a light and gentle chastisement . but thirdly , these last words of eusebius shew clearly , that it is not possible to make the martyrdom of the thebean legion , f●ll in with maximian's expedition into gaul against the begauds . eusebius having said expresly , that the faithful who made profession of arms were persecuted first , we need only find out the time when that persecution against the souldiers begun . for if it was in the year . we may suppose , indeed , that the thebean legion was then condemned to death , since it was about that time that maximian was taken into the government , and caused the legions to march into gaul , to suppress the rebelion of amandus and aelianus , as eutropius , and aurelius victor relate . but what will they say , if the persecution of the souldiers did not begin till above twelve years after that time . father pagi places it in the year . and mr. dodwel in . whose reasons may be seen in his dissertations upon st. cyprian . but without entring upon these disputes of chronology it will be sufficient to prove that the persecution of the souldiers happened several years after maximian's expedition into gaul . now the account which lactantius hath given , both of the time and occasion of the persecution of the thebean souldiers , leaves no place to doubt of it . he saith , that dioclesian being anxious about the success of the war against the persians , which he had left to the conduct of galerius , consulted the aruspices concerning the event thereof , and adds , that the inspector having told him , that the presence of the christians hindred him from making any discovery in the entrals of the victims ▪ the emperour thereupon commanded that the souldiers should sacrifice to the idols , and upon refusal should be drawn out of their respective ranks , and disbanded . mr. baluze , on this place of lactantius , saith , that eusebius hath very well observed , that the persecution begun with the souldiers ; and that really none but those who served in the army were at first persecuted . we ought especially to observe that lactantius saith expresly , that the emperours anger and fury against the souldiers proceeded no further at that time than to cashier them . which act of his , eusebius calls a punishment ; for amongst the romans to be cashiered and turned out of the army , was accounted a great shame and disgrace , as hirtius tells us , speaking of the african wars . however , eusebius is in the right , to call this ignominy a light and gentle punishment , in comparison of the other evils which the christians suffered some years after . therefore * sulpitius severus , after having said that licinius contending for the empire with constantine , commanded the christian souldiers either to sacrifice to the idols , or to lay down their arms , adds , but we don t reckon this amongst the persecutions , as being too inconsiderable a thing to deserve a place amongst the wounds which the church received . had the thebean legion suffered martyrdom at that time , they would certainly have been reckoned among the souldiers who suffered persecution ; and because so great and remarkable an event as this could not have escaped the knowledge both of eusebius and laciantius , 't is not likely the latter would have said , that the emperours did only at first cashier the souldiers , and the former would not have called this persecution a light and gentle punishment . and since 't is agreed on all hands , that those who made profession of arms were persecuted first , 't is manifest that the martyrdom of the thebean legion cannot be referred to the expedition which maximian made into gaul , to suppress the revolt of amandus and aelianus . for maximian undertook this expedition some months after his admission to the government , about the year . and the persecution of the souldiers , according to lactantius , did not begin till a long time after . the same author saith , that the persian wars did then take up all the thoughts of the court ; whence it follows , that this expedition did not happen till after he had settled his affairs in egypt , and severely punished those who had followed the party of achillaeus , and at the time when he was putting himself into a condition to be revenged upon narses king of persia , who taking advantage of the revolt of egypt ▪ made irruptions into armenia and mesopotamia . which hapned several years after maximian's advancement to the empire , and his bagaudian expedition . chap. xvi . that it is not true , that the bagauds were christians , and that the thebean legion suffered death for refusing to persecute them . it will not be amiss to take notice here of an objection , which may perhaps be made a gainst us , viz. that it is true that the persecution mentioned in the precedent chapter did not begin till near the year , or ; but that maximian was oblig'd to cut off the theb. legion upon another account , which was , that those people who had revolted , and went under the nick-name of bagauds , being christians , the emperour was afraid least the theb. souldiers who were of the same religion , should joyn with the rebels , and therefore he thought it the best course he could take to get himself thus rid of them , and that this was the chief , and indeed , the true cause of their martyrdom . here we are to consider what mezeray saith in his second book of the origin of the french concerning this matter . these are his words . after carinus at his departure from gaule had drawn thence all his legions to go and encounter dioclesian ; the provinces , being freed from the troops that kept them in awe attempted likewise to shake off the heavy yoke of settled taxes , and the arbitrary extorsions of their governours : which lying heaviest upon the countrey people , they took up arms first & aelianus and amandus , two officers in the roman army , were so unwise as to put themselves at the head of them . such slaves as were hardly used by their masters , joyned with them ; some came into this party of their own accord , and others were surprised into it , several were sollioited , but most of them scorned the invitation . this rising was call'd bagaud , and the followers of it bagauds or bagaudians . which word ( as some say ) signifies revolt , and perhaps a revolt of such as lived in the woods , according to the etymology of the word from the ancient celtick language . for it is likely that those people having no other fortresses and places to retire to but woods , they there intrenched themselves after the manner of the germans and ancient gauls . there were many woods without doubt in several places of that countrey , but the chiefest and biggest of them was two leagues from paris on the river marne , in a place where now stands the abbey of st. maur , called des fossez , or of the ditches , because they had digged up a very spacious trench to incamp there . most of them were christians . and who knows , but that after so many horrid persecutions which they had suffered , their patience did turn at last into a just fury in arming them both against the torments , and their tormentors . maximian taking a review of his troops near the town of aoste on this side of the alpês , the theb. legion refused to take the oaths with the ceremonies used amongst the pagans , and being encouraged by the speeches of their tribune mauritius , chose rather to undergo two or three decimations , and at last to be all cut to pieces , then to desite themselves by those abominable rites . the whole legion was not there , some cohorts having been detached , who , as we shall see hereafter in another place , signaliz'd themselves by a like victory . so many brave men who despised death would have sold their lives to the romans at a very dear rate , if it had not been more glorious to die for the faith , which they professed , than to fight for it . i say further that they would have strengthened very much the bagaudian party , had their religion permitted them to dissemble till they had joined them . however maximian having defeated some of these bagauds and received others into his favour , and by this means having divided them , he besieged their great intrenchment both by land and by water , with so great vigour and resolution , that at last he took it . all those who were found in it were put to the sword without exception ; and their strong works were so entirely ruin'd and demolish'd , that nothing of them but some few ditches remained we are to believe , saith the author of the life of st. baboulene , that these men being christians , and despising their lives for the sake of their religion , pass'd through martyrdom to the kingdom of heaven ; and though we have not their acts in writing , nevertheless their memory and names shall never be blotted out of the book of life . these are the new weapons wherewith m. de mezeray furnishes the asserters of the martyrdom of the theb. legion . now all these difficulties we are very desirous to remove , the better to clear this piece of ecclesiastical history . first then it is suppos'd in the objection , that most part of the bagauds army were christians , and that the emperour maximian caused the theb. legion to be cut off , for fear so many brave men should joyn with and strengthen the rebels . then it is said , that this objection is taken out of an ancient anonymous writer , who hath given us the life of st. baboulene , and who ought therefore to be credited , by reason that these transactions happened in an age nearer to his , than to our times . our answer to this will not a little contribute , i hope , to discover the falshood of the martyrdom of the theb. legion . and first in this account of mezeray , supported by the authority of that anonymous writer , we find the christians divided in their practice upon a very considerable point of morality . for some of them leaving the plow take up arms against their sovereign , and others on the contrary being up in arms lay them down , and patiently submit to the execution of the barbarous orders of their prince . now to what shall we ascribe this difference in their judgment and practices ? was it that the morality on the other side of the alps differ'd from that of the gauls ? or must we attribute the cause of this difference to the diversity of their climates , educations , tempers and manners ? but we should spend too much time should we go about to untye this knot , therefore the shortest way is to 〈◊〉 it , and to 〈◊〉 positively , that both 〈…〉 of 〈…〉 that is christianity would rather loose than get by it . the martyrdom of the theb. legion is asserted , because it is thought very honourable to christianity ; but then to support the assertion , and insurrection of the first christians in gaule is brought in , and a rebellious conspiracy to shake off the yoak of their masters . so that if those who set up for the defence of an obedience so intirely passive , have , in the example of the theb. souldiers a legion of martyrs to boast of : those , who on the contrary believe , that there are some cases and times , in which patience ought to give place to other vertues , shall find in the bagauds a whole army of christians , in rebellion against the empire , to oppose to that legion : and shall the example of one single legion , be of more weight and consideration , then that of a whole army ? secondly , sulpitius severus , speaking of the persecution which * marcus aurelius rais'd , against the christians , saith , that that was the first time that martyrs were known to have suffered in gaule , christianity having been received somewhat late beyond the alpes . from which words we may very reasonably infer , that it is not likely that when dioclesian admitted maximian to a partnership in the government , the christians were so numerous as to form an army . but if to destroy this consequence , and the authority of sulpitius severus , it be reply'd , that there is no likelyhood that the gospel was preached so late in france , a country so near adjoining to italy , since in the time of marcus aurelius , the apostles and their disciples had published it in the most distant parts of the world ; we will oppose nothing to this answer , that may any way detract from the antiquity of the french churches . for besides , that this would carry us too far beyond our purpose , the persecution , which their unworthy posterity have raised against us , shall never lessen that high and just respect and veneration , we have always had for the first churches of the gauls . but suppose it were true , that st. luke , st. philip , st. paul , crescent , and some other disciples of christ did preach the gospel in gaule , and let it be suppos'd likewise , that it is not without ground that vienna , lions , aix , narbonne , sens , paris , reims , limoges , and toulouse , do boast of having received the christian religion from the apostles , and apostolical men , yet all this would not suffice , unless we should also further suppose , that these first preachers left there both successors and very great numbers of converts . nay , indeed it ought to be made out , that their preaching proved very effectual , and made considerable progress every where . but if none but well approved acts must be trusted , this matter will prove of greater difficulty than may at first be imagined . the assembly of the french clergy having ordered all the bishops to send memoirs to the messicurs of st. marthe , concerning the foundations and antiquity of the churches of their dioceses ; these learned men made to these memoirs several additions and discoveries of their own , and at last caused those large volumes of theirs , of christian france , to be printed : 't is true we find in them , that the christian religion was preached in gaule very early by the apostles and their disciples ; and we believe , that in that respect , the titles of the gallican churches are as good as those of many other churches that flatter themselves with the like belief of their having been honoured with the presence , and the preaching of some or other of the apostles , who came there in person . but if you strictly and impartially consider the works of messicurs de st. marthe , after the apostolick age , you fall into a kind of wilderness , a large waste of almost years , fill'd up with nothing but fabulous legends and uncertain traditions , except the relations of some few martyrs , as those of lions , who shine as stars , in so profound and long a darkness , all the rest being made up of nothing but groundless suppositions , or acts that may easily be proved to be spurious . i have by me the original copy of the memoirs , which artus de lion bishop of gap sent to mrs. de st. marthe , written by himself , and signed with his own hand . where he proves , that st. demetrius , disciple of the apostles , was bishop of gap ; and gives two reasons for it ; the first is , that before the protestants had pull'd down the episcopal palace in the year , there were seen upon the walls of the great hall , the images of the bishops of gap , and that st. demetrius was at the head of them with these words , saint demetrius the first bishop of the church of gap , and disciple of the apostles : and that by the grace of god they had yet an eye witness of it in their chapter , namely mr. paul of bauvais , who when he wrote these things , was in the hundredth year of his age. the other authority he produces is taken out of a berviary , which bertrand of champeaux bishop of gap , caused to be printed in the year , where st. demetrius is placed in the calender on the th of october , with the character of bishop and martyr , and the word totum duplex , which according to the use of the church of gap signifies the same as ( according to the use of the council of trent ) duplex primae classis , which is proper to the festivals of patrons and titulars of churches . after these so special and convincing proofs , who would venture now to deny that st. demetrius , disciple of the apostles , did plant the faith in the diocess of gap ? that breviary of gap , printed in the year . is a curious piece indeed . we read there in the. th lesson of st. demetrius's office , speaking of the etymology of that saint's name , that demetrius ex eo dictus , quia de medio , id est , de mundo triumphavit : and in the fourth lesson , that the city of gap , having been taken by the sarazens , count william beat them out of it , and gave the half thereof for the redemption of his soul , to god and to the blessed virgin mary , in the year of our lord , on the kalends of january , in the fifth indiction . though it is well known to every body that the use of the indictions did not begin till three hundred years after christ , and that the sarazens did not make inruptions into gaule till several years after . should we come to examine narrowly the traditional origins of most gallican churches , we should not , i think , find much more solidity in any of them . and especially we may observe that after the first age , there happened to that kind of traditions such an eclipse , or discontinuation , that they do'nt appear again till after the time of the general persecution . and yet notwithstanding , if we believe mezeray and take his anonimous writer's bare word for it , the christians made a figure great enough at that time in gaule , to raise whole armies against the emperours . however , there is no need of straining very much for to preserve to the churches of france their antiquity , and to sulpitius serverus the authority he deserves in a matter of this nature . for though the apostles and their disciples had preached the christian religion in gaule very early , yet this blessed seed , as well as that in the parable , was soon after choak'd by thorns , and sprung not up again till a long time after , so that it was very late before it came to any considerable maturity there . gregory of tours gives us this way of saving both the authority of sulpitius severus , and the antiquity of the gallick church , who saith , that about the year , under the reign of decius , the city of toulouse had saturnine for its bishop , and that he came from rome with six others to preach the gospel in gaule , viz. gatian at tours , trophimus at arles , paul at narbonne , dionysius at paris , astremonicus at lermont , and martial at limoges these are then the new evangelists sent in the time of decius , to re-kindle the light of the gospel in gaule , which had been so long extinguished there . from whence it may be gathered that the christian religion had not then made any great progress amongst the gauls , since in the year of our lord two hundred and fifty there was need to preach it a fresh there , and even at narbonne and arles , citys rather belonging to italy then to gaule , and which sulpitius meant not to speak of , if we may believe father pagi . how is it possible then to imagin that four years after the reign of decius , the christians should be so multiply'd in gaule , as to be in a condition to make up vast armys , and those so formidable as to strike a terrour into rome it self , and to perplex its emperours . this they would fain perswade us , by asserting peremptorily , that the bagauds were christians , and that maximian destroy'd the theb. legion for no other reason , but because he was afraid they should joyn with them . but thirdly , they are at a very great loss for arguments to prove the martyrdom of their theb. legion , when they are forced to this shift of supposing those bagauds to have been christians . for they cast no small blemish upon the ancient gallican church , who fix such a character upon her sons ▪ & besides they are very much unacquainted with the morals of the christians of those primitive ages , who think they were capable of such injustice and violences , as the bagauds stand charg'd with in history . therefore mezeray receiving the bagauds into the church , thought fit to clear them from these odious aspersions and to justify their proceedings . who knows , saith he , but that having suffer'd so many horrible persecutions , their patience turn'd at last into a just fury , in arming themselves both against the torments and the tormentors . bucherius endeavours likewise to excuse them saying , that the bagauds were moved to a rebellion which was in a manner just , by reason of the crueltys and tyranical impositions of their governours . salvianus did the same before them , whom perhaps they have both followed . he saith , that the bagauds oppressed by their unjust judges , lost all respect for the majesty of the empire , because they had been stript of the rights and priviledges of roman liberty . in short , the emperor augustus , the better to procure himself the good affection of the gauls , had granted to some of them the roman , to others the latine , and to others again the italic laws and liberties . whence salvian took occasion to say : we call the bagauds rebels and profligate villains , when 't is we that have hurried them into these outrages . for how came they to be bagauds , but by our own injustice , by our proscriptions of their persons , and violent vsurpations of their estates ; and this is the effect of their being condemned to death and hang'd for the robberies of their judges , that they are now become like barbarians , because they were not suffered before to live like romans . that priest of marseilles , who wrote about the year of our lord , adds several other things , whereby the crimes and violences which were imputed to the bagauds are laid to the charge of the governours of the gauls , of their judges and of the collectors of the taxes . but he never speaks the least word , from whence we may conclude , that the bagauds were christians , but on the contrary , his way of speaking on their behalf shews plaingly enough , that they did not profess the christian religion , we need only compare his apology with those of athenagoras , of ▪ st. austin , of tertullian , and especially of arnobius , who lived at the time of the bagaudian revolt . these fathers speak of nothing so much as of the piety , meekness , charity and innocence of those happy ages of the church . whereas salvian apologizes for the bagauds by excusing their crimes of injustice , violence and rebellion . were that true which mezeray saith of them , perhaps eutropius and aurelius victor , would have told us something concerning their religion . prosper might also have taken some notice of it , since he makes mention of them in his chronology ; so likewise eumenius in his panegyrick , wherein he informs us , that the bagauds having besieged autun , that city implored the emperour's assistance . but it is most incredible that marmertine would have been silent in this matter in the panegyrick , which he made at treves in praise of the emperour maximian . mr. cuper saith , that he made it in the year . the learned henry norris puts it a year later , in his curious dissertations upon the medal of dioclesian and maximian . howsoever it be , mamertine made this publick speech but few years after the defeat of the bagauds ; wherein he endeavours to quicken his discourse by drolling upon their army ; and makes a meer jest of it : that a crew of ignorant rusticks should pretend to the exercise of arms , and military discipline ; that the plowman should change his goad for a pike ; the shepherd leave his flock to turn trouper ; and that the husband man should plunder and waste his own estate , and destroy the fruits of his own labour with as little concern as the most barbarous enemy would have done . from which sharp and pungent expressions , one may give a shrewd guess at what he would have added , had the bagauds professed the christian religion . president fauchet is one of the french writers , who hath made the greatest discoveries in the gallick antiquities . but it does not appear , that he was of opinion , that the bagauds were christians ; for he saith of them . the gauls being overburdened with publick subsidies and taxes rose up in arms in the year of our lord or thereabouts , under the conduct of amandus and aelianus , and took the name of bagauds , which some say , signifies in the old gallick language , forced rebels or traitors , and some are of opinion , that they were all peasants , and will have it , that the vvord bagaud signifies tribute ; the heavy taxes being in some parts of france not many years ago , called bagoges . these troubles were appeased by maximian , dioclesians partner in the empire . joseph scaliger , saith , that bagaud is not a french vvord , but the name of a faction or people , and that ever since the time of dioclesian , the highway-men and robbers were call'd bagauds . which agrees with what aurelius victor saith , that amandus and aelianus gathered together great numbers of peasants and robbers . and that which shews it to be the name of a faction or party according to joseph scaliger's observation , is , that idacius in his chronology speaks of the bagauds , who mutined in spain in the province of tarragonia , under the kings rechila and theodoricus . 't is also very likely , that they wandred from one countrey to another as the hordes of the tartars do . this conjecture is seconded by what prosper tells us of a physician nam'd eudoxius , who took shelter in the bagaud , which then had changed station . and because perhaps they lived in tents , their name might well be derived from thence ; since amerbachius remarks that formerly the tents were call'd baugas . menage in his origines of the french tongue saith , that ciron fetched the term bagaud from the greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifies in suidas to live a vagabond , or rambling life , and that mr. bochart derived it from the hebrew bagad , which signifies , saith he , to revolt , though it is properly used for perfidious . he relates besides one of the memoirs , which mr. dupuy communicated to him upon the names which divers nations and people have given to the gangs of robbers , or highway-men , where the bagauds seem to answer to the vscoks of dalmatia , the cosaks of poland , the heydukes of hungary , the arabs of africa , and the pyrenean mikelets . so that it makes doubtless very much to the honour of the ancient gallican church to maintain , that those bagauds professed the christian religion . thus we see what poor shifts they are forc'd to make use of in defending the martyrdom of the theb. legion , when they find themselves oblig'd to assert that the best and most ancient christians were banditi , rebels , and rapperies . and besides let the say what they will , they shall never perswade us that in the church of the third century , there were sufficient numbers of these goodly christians to make up an army . so that upon the whole it seems much better to reject as we do , the martyrdom of the theb. legion as a groundless romance , then to cast such a scandal upon the primitive and golden ages of the church ? but had mazeray and the other writers read with attention the fifth book of salvian , in which he deplores the sad misfortune and miseries of gaule , they would never have imagin'd , that the bagauds had been christians . the christians being there very numerous in his time and involved in publick calamities , salvian represents them as persons of a spirit and principles quite different from those which mezeray attributes to the bagauds . vvhat place is there ( saith he ) where the magistrates and governours of towns do not devour the entrails of the widows and orphans , nay and even of the saints too , with whom they deal in like manner , because either the love they have for their religion hinders them from making any resistance , or their innocence and humility does not leave them the power to do it . this was the true spirit of the ancient galican church , and we ought rather to follow salvian , who lived nearer to those first times of christianity , then mazeray and the legend-writers , who say that the christians in gaule rose up in arms , and that maximian caused the theb. legion to be put to the sword , for fear they should joyn with and strengthen that party . nevertheless it is universally believed as a certain truth , not only at turin , but throughout all italy . all the modern writers speak of it after the same manner ; and all the preachers on the festival of the theb. soulders do from their pulpits deliver it so to the people . after the very same manner emmanuel tesauro , famous for several of his other works , and especially his history of the kings of lombardy , relates the matter in the account he gives of the martyrdom of the theb. legion in his history of the city of turin printed in ●olio ; where he saith that at the place where st. mauritius's town now stands , there was an altar upon which the emperour maximian commanded all the souldiers of his army to sacrifice to jupiter , and swear hostilety against the christians . but mezeray , tesauro , and all the others have been led into this mistake by the acts of the martyrs of agaunum . for those acts in surius's copy and in that of chisslet do attribute the cause of their death to their refusal to go and persecute the christians in gaule . * there it is said , that they , together with the rest of the army , were commanded to persecute the christians , and that they alone refused to execute that bloody order . and a little after it follows , that the emperour having commanded the whole theb. legion to be decimated , sent new orders , to force all those who were left to promise that they would persecute the christians . but this chiefly appears in the speech the theb. souldiers are made to speak to maximian , wherein the author of these acts hath displayed all his wit and rhetorick . we offer you , say they , the best service our hands can perform , against all your enemies whatsoever ; but we look upon it as the blackest of crimes , to imbrue them in innocent blood . these hands know how to fight against vvicked men and rebels to the empire , but they have never yet learned to destroy good men and loyal subjects &c. — you command us to go and seck for the christians , that they may be brought to punishment , but there is no need for you to make these enquiries any further , for here we our selves are christians , and do confess god the father the author of a● things , jesus christ his son , and the holy ghost . this one particular related in all the acts of the agaunian martyrs , to wit , that maximian's army was ordered to persecute the christians , and to punish their rebellion , shews evidently the martyrdom of the theb. legion to be but a counterfeit story . such a studied and pathetick speech as this , which they are made to deliver to the emperour , is another proof of the forgery of their acts. these little school declamations would have been very unbecoming the mouths of dying christians and martyrs , whose minds were wholely taken up with the thoughts of another life . whensoever such speeches as these are found in the acts of martyrs we may well conclude , that either those acts are counterfeit , or that those speeches were added to them by some christians of the following ages . the true acts of martyrs , are those that have been taken out of the publick registers , church-offices , and proconsular acts. now after the stentence of death pronounced against the christians , it was not usual amongst the romans to insert or add to them any thing more in the publick registers . the opinion of mezeray upon this matter is so just and so rational , that it is well worth reciting . in all the authentick acts of martyrs ( saith he ) you will find an ardent charity for god and their brethren , a modesty and humility so much the greater by how much they were more constant and worthy of glory , an entire confidence in the grace of god , an extream diffidence of their own weakness , much meekness and compassion for those who were fallen , great wisdom and strength , and above all , continual prayers to god : all which godly dispositions render those other acts , which make martyrs utter long speeches and elaborate discourses , invectives and threatnings , justly suspected . fourthly , since mezeray was induced to believe , that the greatest part of maximian's army were christians , only upon the authority of the authors of st. baboulene's life , it will not be amiss to examine what can be built upon this writer's authority ; and i● we cast but half an eye upon this work of his , we shall plainly discern that the whole from the beginning to the end of it is made up of nothing but fabulous legends and fictions . the manucript is kept at paris in the library of st. germain des-prez , and james dubrcuil , a monk of that abbey , made an abrigdment of it , and published it in the year . mr. du chesne inserted it some years after in his history of france ; father le-cointe takes notice of it also in his annals , and rejecteth it as altogether unworthy of credit ; for he observeth , that this writer exactly follows in every thing that anonymous impostor , who wrote the acts of the kings of france ; of which he gives these following particulars . first , that he makes erchenald major of the palace in the first year of clovis , whereas fredegair calls him , who was then in that office aeganes . secondly , that he confounds aubert , bishop of paris under king clovis , with agilbert , who was bishop of that ●●e under clotary . son to clovis . thirdly , that of two baboulenes , one of whom was abbas bob●ensis , and the other abbas fosatensis , he makes but one . fourthly , that he reckons but . years from the death of clovis the first to the death of clovis the second ; fifthly , that he makes clovis the second to succeed his father dagobert in the year of our lord , in the first indiction . and several other faults he finds in the same author all contrary to the known truth of history . but a most notable one is his saying , that the abbey of st. maur des fossez is situate in the place where formerly the camp of the bagauds was , and that they incamped there because there was then standing an old castle , built by julius caesar , inclosed with walls , and secured on all sides with large ditches . the truth is , that that abbey of st. maur is call'd by several writers of the later ages castrum bagaudarum . mr. menage in his origines upon the word bagauds saith , that in a charter of the abbey of st. maur , granted in the year . st. maur des fossez is call'd castrum bagaudarum , and adds because anciently it was a fort of the bagauds . but who told that anonymus author , that julius caesar had built there a noble castle , nobiliter constructum . he is the only writer who speaks of that castle , there is not the least mention of it in the commentaries of julius caesar , though all his actions in gaule are therein writen with the greatest exactness . moreover , this impostor makes orosius to say things , which he never thought of . for orosius saith , that amandus and aelianus having got a considerable number of peasants together , raised great disturbances in gaule , which oblig'd dioclesian to create maximianus herculeus , caesar , and to send him thither , who being a man of considerable experience in war , easily dispersed that army of peasants which was altogether without order and discipline . but this anonymous scribler makes orosius to say , that amandus and aelianus were christians , and that they revolted only , because they thought that their religion did not allow them to obey pagan princes . it is a strange impudence this , first to invent fables , and then for the confirmation of them , to quote a famous historian . if we take this authors quotation out of him for truth , orosius attributes very noble and evangelical morals to the christians of the third century , in making them shake off the authority of their lawful superiours , only because they were not of their own religion . monsieur de tirlemont makes a remark very su●iable to the purpose . it is upon the acts of st. maximus , related by baronius in the year . there arises , saith he , yet greater difficulties from what optimus saith , that the edict of decius , commanded all christians to forsake their superstition , and to acknowledge their lawful prince , on whom all things depended , and to worship his gods. against which mr. tirlemont with great reason does except thus . what does all this mean ? should then the christians have made any difficulty to acknowledg decius for their emperour ? by no means . but the truth is , that though they were the most submissive and truest subjects to their princes , nevertheless , because they did not prefer them to god himself , they were deemed to fall from the duty of their allegiance . in fine , this anonymous writer of mezeray's relates the martyrdom of the theb. legion very differently , both from the counterseit st. eucherius , surius , and father chifflet . for he saith , that maximian having ordered , that all the souldiers of his army should swear upon the altars of his gods , sacrifice to them , and oblige themselves by an oath , that they would persecute the christians where-ever they should meet with any of them : mauritius answered for the whole theb. legion under his command . we know , o emperour , how to fight against rebels and wicked persons ; but we know not how to make war upon good men , and our own fellow subjects : though we are all well arm'd , yet we do'nt make any resistance , as being more willing to have our own blood shed , than to shed that of others . so without any more ado they stretched out their necks to the executioners , and were raised by their torments to the glory of paradise . and thus this anonymous author leads us immediatly to the end of his romance , whereas the supposed st. eucherius , after maximian hath given his barbarous orders , makes the theb. legion to withdraw ; supposes , that it refuses to march ; saith , that it was only decimated at first ; makes the emperour to reiterate his orders , relates their speech to this prince ; and so entertaining his reader with a great number of intervening particulars , he at last brings him to the catastrophe of his tragedy . whence it follows , that the martyrdom of the theb. legion is not originally found but in false and supposititious writings , and was only related at first by impostours . one invented and publish'd the story of this martyrdom , another vouch'd for the truth of that narrative , by another of his own : and upon the credit of these two relators , hundreds of others believed it , and at last it became a common opinion in the world. for a tale never misses to be credited , when it begins to grow ancient ; and we see every day , that when any relation hath passed for current for fifty or threescore years , it is then almost too late to contradict , or call it in question . chap. xvii . that it is not true , that some cohorts of the theb. legion were detached out of maximian's army to march against carausius . towards the end of the counterfeit agaunian acts there is a passage which affords us another proof , that this story of the theb. legion is a forgery . it was , saith the author , a common report , that vrsus and victor , two souldiers of that legion , suffered death for christ at soleurre . if we ask the legend writers , how it came to pass , that these two theb. souldiers left their legion , and were martyred so far off in suisserland , they answer , that maximian upon his march into gaule , to compose the bagaudian troubles , was inform'd that carausius had revolted , and seized on both the port of bologne and the navy which the romans kept there . which news oblig'd him to make a great detachment of his army , and to send it in haste down the rhine against this rebel . they add , that there were amongst this detachment some cohorts of the theb legion , all the souldiers whereof were massacred upon the roads , upon the news of what had happened at agaunum to the body of the legion ; so that vrsus and victor were put to death at soleurre : three hundred and eighteen were thrown into a well at colen , and the rest in several places suffered martyrdom . if you ask them further , who told them all these transactions and particulars , they cite you one helinaud a monk of the cistertian order , and author of the acts of florentius , cassius , victor , gerion and several other souldiers of the theb. legion . these acts are found in surius on the th of october , where he puts the death of these pretended saints ; and it is strange , that cardinal baronius should not scruple to follow these acts , and to make use of them , when they are full of such visible and palpable untruths ; unless he did it for the reason we have formerly given , viz. that in examining the martyrdom of the theb. legion so many apocryphal authors and supposititious writings do occur by the way , that it is very troublesom to get rid of them . which thing however , far from being favourable to that martyrdom , ought the rather to render it more su●picious , seeing that nothing can be produced in its defence but spurious and counterfeited acts. but let us hear what helinaud himself saith , he tells us ; that the emperour maximian marching against the bagauds had notice given him , that carausius was forming some enterprise against the empire ; that this carausius was a man of quality , and made by the romans governour of a province near the ocean and upon those confines of gaule and saxony , which the franks , driven a second time out of their own countrey , were come to inhabit . that the emperour upon this news gave orders that part of his army should go down the rhine ; amongst which were some cohorts of christian souldiers commanded by gerion , victor , cassius and florentius . then he relates the martyrdom of the theb. legion , upon their refusing to adore an idol , that maximian set up at a place called afterwards st. maurice , and to which he order'd all his army to do sacrifice . then he saith , that the emperours life-guards followed the detachment sent against carausius , and that having understood , that cassius and florentius with seven others were of the theb. legion , they cut off their heads near verona on the rhine ; that gerion marching before with three hundred and eighteen theb. souldiers , the imperial ministers came up to them before they had heard any thing of this massacre of their fellow soldiers ; that all of them received with constancy the crown of martyrdom in a field near colen , and that the executioners having cut their bodies to pieces threw them into a deep well . then headds , that the other cohort com mnded by victor was marching in great haste to their rendevouz , and was come to the town of the gauls , call'd by the inhabitants troy , or xanthus , in rememberance of the old troja , from whence their ancestors came . but that while they were encamping in the pleasant meadows , near that place , the commissioners of the emperor arrived , who having massacred victor , that illustrious soldier of jesus christ , with three hundred and thirty other theb. souldiers , sunk their dead bodies into marshy grounds and ditches . mezeray has also suffer'd himself to be imposed upon by this account of helinaud , as well as by that other of the anonymous author of st. baboulene 's life . since therefore he has collected the materials of his history of france , before the times of clovis , out of such uncertain and adulterate writings , this may serve as a caution to his readers not to believe every thing he saith . this helinaud , saith he , wrote about the year , but he must have taken this narrative from other authors more ancient than himself . but for those which he makes use of , we know nothing of them , i wish they had told us where that new troy was , which was then inhabited by the gauls . some are of opinion that he meant by it , the trajan colony , and that through ignorance and affectation they imagined it to have been a trojan colony . but if there ever really was a city in that countrey call'd troy , we must believe , that it was built by the gauls , and that they were ever afterwards persuaded of their trojan original ; being either flattered into that opinion by the romans , the better to tame them by a pretended affinity ; or else attributing to themselves that honor , as not willing to yeild in point of antiquity to those to whom they were not inferior in valour . but the following remarks will suffice to shew what little certainty there is both in the text of helinaud and in mezeray 's commentary . first , this cistercian monk makes carausius to have been a man of quality , whereas eutropius , who in all likelyhood was better informed than helinaud , about the birth of carausius , saith expresly , that he was a man sprung from the very dregs of the people . which account of him is confirmed by orosius , who calls him also a man of the meanest extraction . secondly , helinaud saith , that cassius and florentius , with seven other theb. souldiers suffered at verona on the river rhine . this surius also relates upon the credit of those acts ; and baronius hath inserted them in his annals . 't is true , that this cardinal being afterwards sensible of this gross blunder , hath corrected it in his notes on the roman martyrology , where he saith , that instead of verona , we ought to read bon , which is a town of germany situate on the rhine near colen . but does he establish this his correction by the authority of any more authentick manuscript ? does he say , that he hath taken it out of a more exact copy ? not at all . he only saith , that it is his conjecture , because he hath been told that it is at bon , where the reliques of these two theb. souldiers are kept . so that if he had been told , that their reliques were at basil , worms , or spire , he would in all likelyhood have made no difficulty in setting down any of these instead of verona . and for the same reason another may conjecture , that it was at verona in italy , because in that town of the milanese , they think they have the reliques of cassius , as garnier a canon relates it in his history of st. alexander . thirdly , eutropius saith , that carausius was by the romans commissionated at bologne , to free those seas from the piracies of the franks and saxons . and helinaud makes carausius procurator for the romans , in a province bordering upon the franks , contrary to the geography of those times , which places the franks in germany and very far from the belgick frontiers . besides , if eutropius represents the belgicks , infested by the franks , he observes at the same time , that they were pirates who kept the seas , and consequently whose places of abode might have been at a great distance . ut if any body will undertake to defend helinaud's relation , he will do us a kindness to mark us out the province , where , he saith , that the franks , when driven a second time out of their own country , came to settle near the confines of the gauls and saxons , and whereby it is supposed , that the gauls and saxons were neighbours . this particular we shall examine no further , but leave it to the consideration of those that are better versed in ancient geography . but fourthly , what does helinaud mean by that town of the franks , to which the inhabitants gave the name of troy , or xanthus , in remembrance of the ancient troy , from whence their ancestors came ? unless one should imagin it to have been the same with troy in champaine , as some ignorant writers have done ; who were led into that mistake by that french name : for anciently that town was not call'd troja , but trecae , as appears by ammianus marcellinus . but mezeray is not to be excused , when he pretends to find any tolerable sense in this discourse of helinaud ; especially , when he himself discover'd so great a blunder in it ; and which made him in his translation of this place of helinaud , at large , to leave out the word xanthus , which is the name of the river , that ran near the walls of troy , and which the franks , as helinaud saith , gave to their town in remembrance of the ancient troy. mezeray , who in his history of france before glovis , does affect to appear well versed in the old gallick geography , would have been hard put to it to have produced any good geographer or exact historian , that makes any mention of that troy , built by the franks , after they were driven the second time out of their own country . this is exactly the fable , that was revived by the abbot trithemius , and is by all the learned rejected as a dream , though he would fain have perswaded the world , that he collected it out of the two famous authors vastaldus and hunibaldus , whom he makes to say , that after the destruction of troy , some trojans , under the conduct of francion , fixed their abode near the palus moeotis , from whence being expelled by the neighbouring nations , they retired into hungary , where they built the town , sicambria , which they forsook afterwards to make an irruption into germany , where they conquered the country of the old sicambrians , which they possessed till the year , when following the example of the vandals , visigoths and burgundians they spread first into gaule , and came to settle into gueldria ; but that after having got several victories and driven the burgundians and visigoths from their conquests , they made themselves masters of the greatest part of gaule . all which agrees with the romance which the cistercian monk hath given us , and wherewith he hath also set off another romance , to wit , the martyrdom of gerion and some other theb soldiers . now shall we after all this depend upon cardinal baronius , who cites helinaud with such high commendations , calling him a famous writer , who took every thing he wrote out of very ancient monuments , and drew them up into a compendious history ? fifthly , we have formerly observed , that it is very ordinary for impostours to thwart and contradict one another ; and we must here again make the same remark , because in the agaunian tragedy , we see none but liars and cheats appear upon the stage . the counterfeit st. eucherius saith not one word there of those cohorts of the theb. legion , detached from maximians army , and sent down the rhine to joyn the body which was assembling against carausius . but according to his acts , the whole theb. legion was at agaunum , and suffered there . for he saith , that maximian by one sentence condemned all the theb. souldiers , and the more effectually to put his sentence in execution , he caused them to be surrounded by several bodies of his other * souldiers , and thus , saith he , that truly angelical legion was slain . but if we believe helinaud , the whole legion was not at agaunum ; for a great detachment had been made out of it against carausius , and gerion was martyr'd near colen with three hundred and eighteen souldiers , while victor had in another place the same destiny , with the three hundred & thirty , who accompany'd him . add to these , the nine who suffered martyrdom near bonne , and you shall find , that after helinaud's , own reckoning six hundred fifty nine suffered in other places then at agaunum , where the supposititious st. eucherius affrms the whole legion to have been barbarously slain . but sixthly , because these two cities , colen , and bonne , desirous to maintain the reputation of their martyrs , and the worship which is paid to them , may replay , that st. eucherius in his relation hath followed the ordinary use of giving the name of the whole to the most considerable part of it , and therefore that what he saith does not destroy the account given by helinaud , viz. that maximian , upon his march into gaule to suppress the bagaudian insurection , understood , that carausius had revolted and threatned the confines of the empire ; which was the reason why he divided his army and sent part of it with all speed against this rebel : we object , that this answer , and the account of helinaud suppose , that the revolts of the bagauds and of carausius happened both at one and the same time , which suppositions cannot be proved . for eutropius and orosius , who without doubt were better informed than helinaud concerning these two events , do exactly distinguish them ; both of them saying , that carausius did not begin to move till after the bagaudian insurrection was over and eutropius having spoken of amandus and aelianus , and of the disorders caused by the bagauds , adds , that after that time , carausius a man of a very low and vile extraction , &c. took the purple and possessed himself of britain . orosius places these two events in the same order as eutropius , saying , that maximian defeated the bagauds , and easily dispersed their ill disciplined army , and that after this expedition carausius begun to stir . therefore father pagi having put the bagaudian insurrection in the year of our lord , refers the revolt of carausius to the following year ; which the famous henry noris places yet a whole year later , viz. in , and though these two learned men do not agree about the time that maximianus herculeus was made augustus , nevertheless they both say that the troubles in gaule were ended , before carausius formed any enterprise against the empire . this aurelius victor is peremptory in ; and no man that reads him can doubt of it . for after he hath spoken of the war , he adds , that in the same war carausius a citizen of menapia , distinguish'd himself with so much gallantry and valour , that the esteem and great reputation he acquired , and the opinion they had conceived of his being a good officer , as having bore arms from his youth , were motives to the romans to make choice of him to fit out their navy , and to clear the seat of the german pyrats then swarming in those parts . from which words of aurelius victor , it will appear , that carausius made war with maximian against the bagauds , and so signaliz'd himself by his illustrious actions , as moved the romans to entrust him with their naval forces ; and that it was not till afterward , that being informed they suspected him , and had resolved his ruin , he declar'd openly against the empire , put on the purple , and invaded britain . so that it is certain , that the bagaudian revolt was not at the same time with that of carausius . now since this carausius was personally in conjunction with the imperial troops , employed in the war against the bagauds , it makes it evident , that the monk helinaud was grossly mistaken , in going about to perswade us , that maximian in his march against the bagauds , detached some cohorts of the thebean legion against carausius , who at that time threatned to invade the fron●iers of the empire . chap. xviii . that no writer for two hundred years after maximian hath made any mention of the martyrdom of the theb. legion . cardinal baronius in his notes on the roman martyrology , observes that the greek church hath amongst its martyrs , one mauritius and his companions , who at the time of dioclesian and maximian's persecution , suffered death at apamea , a city of syria . he further saith , that he was the same mauritius who was chief of the thebean legion ; that the martyrs of apamea were the agaunian martyrs , and that formerly he himself was of that opinion , condemning metaphrastes for having confounded the eastern with the western martyrs . and adds , that he was perswaded to the contrary by reading a place of theodoretus , bishop of cyr , where he speaks of the most eminent martyrs that were come to his knowledge . it would here be superfluous either to examine this passage of theodoret , or the reasons which induced baronius to change his opinion . it is enough that by this learned cardinal 's own confession , we know that there was a time when he thought that mauritius and his companions were martyred at apamea ; which is as much as to say , that he look'd upon eucherius's relation to be fabulous ; and that the latin writers designing to do service to the western churches , had remov'd the scene of this tragedy from syria into the alps. we cannot pretend to know certainly the motives which baronius had then to call in question the martyrdom of the thebean legion . nevertheless , there is some reason to believe , that one of those which made the strongest impression upon him , was the universal silence of the ecclesiastical writers for above two hundred years after the time in which it is suppos'd that this legion was cut to pieces at agaunum . for indeed the martyrdom of a whole legion is so considerable an event , that had such a thing ever been , it must needs have been taken notice of , in above a hundred places of church history . and can any pertinent reason of this general silence be assigned ? those who believe that a woman possessed the roman see , between the time of leo the iv , and bennet the iii , have something to answer to those , who , as an argument against it , press the churches silence for above two hundred years , viz. to the time of marianus scotus , who was one of the first who spoke of pope joan. to which they reply , that those were very ignorant and barbarous ages , wherein writers were very scarce ; and that though some few of them may be found , yet the matters they handled had no relation to the succession of popes : that perhaps those who treated of it were by the care and industry of the church of rome wholly suppressed , or else have perished by the same misfortune , that hath ravished from us so many other works ; that hincmarus , photius and the defenders of the cause of the emperours , against the usurpations of the popes hildebrand and nicholas , have always spared the chair of st. peter and the successours of the apostles . what other reasons they give for this silence , may be seen in that excellent treatise concerning pope joan , lately publish'd by mr. spanheim . but now there is no substantial reason , can be given for the silence of the ecclesiastical writers concerning the martyrdom of the theb. legion , till about the time of gregory of tours , viz. almost three hundred years after maximian's expedition into gaule . for had there been any ground for the belief of the martyrdom of the theb. legion , two sort of writers would have undoubtedly spoken of it . viz. either those preachers who have made homilies , or sermons upon the martyrs , or else the compilers of chronologies , and ecclesiastical historys . we have still a great number remaining of the sermons of those fathers , who lived two hundred years after maximian's empire , and which are either upon all martyrs in general , or some martyrs in particular . 't is true indeed we have lost methodius's discourse upon the martyrs , except only a fragment of it transmitted to us by theodoret , the panegyrick of martyrs , by phileas an egyptian bishop , mentioned by st. jerom , in his book of church-writers , the treatise of the persecution of christians , by james surnamed the wise , whereof gennadius speaks with great commendation , a letter of st. jerom upon the sufferings of martyrs addressed to chromatius and heliodorus , as we are told by cassiodorus , a treatise of vigilius in praise of martyrs , and a letter of the acts of martyrs amongst the barbarians cited by gennadius . and though these and several like writings are now lost , yet if the authors of them had spoke of the martyrdom of the theb. legion , doubtless some footsteps of it would be seen in the remaining writers of those times , who had occasion to make use of their works . methodius wrote about the year , phileas bishop of thinus in egypt was beheaded in the year , under the persecution of maximian , and had they spoken of the martyrdom of the theb. legion , lactantius who flourish'd at the beginning of the fourth century , must in all probability have known something of it . but besides lactantius , being an italian born , and call'd into gaule by constantine for the education of his son crispu● , it is very unlikely that he should have been wholly unacquainted with so remarkable an event , as that of the agaunian martyrdom , which might have happened but thirty years before : and had he known any thing thereof , it would have fall'n in so pat to his treatise of the death of the persecutors , that it cannot be imagin'd he would have left it out , specially when he was describing the cruelties of the emperor maximian , and the dreadful punishments which god inflicted upon him . whosoever therefore shall weigh with an unprejudiced mind this silence of lactantius , will doubtless be perswaded , that the martydom of the thebean legion is nothing but a fiction . though the sufferings of confessors in general do afford a rich field of eloquence to preachers , yet it must be granted , that there is no martyrdom more capable of receiving ornament from the pulpit , and of elevating the genius and thoughts of a christian orator , than the martyrdom of this legion . how comes it then to pass , that of so many fathers , who have writ homilies in the praise of martyrs , none of them have ever made use of so pathetick and powerful an example as this would have been . ephrem , a monk of syria , wrote encomiums on all the martyrs of christ , about the year . gregory of nazianzen hath handled the same subject much about the same time . we have the sermons of st. chrysostom , upon martyrs in general . asterius bishop of amasia in pontus , who lived at the beginning of the fifth age , hath made likewise a panegyrick on all martyrs , but none of these fathers , nor any other who treated of the same matter , have made the least mention of the martyrdom of the thebean legion . if any had mentioned it , it must have been maximus , bishop of turin , who died under the reign of honorius , and theodosius , junior : for he wrote in the country , where it is supposed that this martyrdom happened , and the memory of it would therefore have been fresh in his days ; but in all his works there is not one word relating to it . we read , amongst his writings that are yet extant , a sermon , de sanctis martyribus , which gennadius hath taken notice of , and call'd , generalem omnium sanctorum homiliam . but in this sermon , there is not the least stroak in reference to the thebean legion . 't is true , that amongst his works , there is another sermon with this title , in natali sanctorum taurinorum octavii , aventitii & solutoris . these are the same saints , whose names are seen in capital letters , on the frontispiece of the jesuites church at turin . in which church ; there is a chappel where the reliques of these saints are kept in an urn , which madam chrestiene of france caused to be made on purpose , with this inscription ingraved on it , augustae taurinorum patronis christiana à francia . these saints have done many miracles , if we may believe the vows and offerings hung up in their chappel ; but we may observe , that this sermon which we speak of , is to be found amongst those of st. ambrose , of the impression of basil , in the year , with this note in the margent , a sermon of st. maximus . the benedictines of paris in their new edition of st. ambrose , do likewise restore it to that bishop of turin , and say , that st. maximus had been so conversant in the works of st. ambrose , that he sometimes uttered long passages out of them in his own sermons ; the doing whereof , occasioned great confusion in the homilies of these two fathers ; and they likewise judge st. maximus to have been the author of the book of sacraments attributed to st. ambrose . however , gennadius does not mention that sermon in his catalogue of maximus's works . and father mabillon publishing some new pieces of this father , in his musaeum italicum , says , that we ought to consult gennadius , to distinguish the genuine works of this father , from those which are spurious . i should be very sorry , that this sermon should be disowned to belong to maximus , for it is so principal a support to the cause we defend , that if there was any ground for what we are told of the thebean legion , this is the very work where we should find it . but if we look for it in the body of that sermon , we shall loose our labour . i have read it several times over , but never could find one word in it relating in the least to the martyrdom in question . should any pretend to make his best of the inscription , in natali sanctorum taurinorum octavii , aventitii & solutoris ; this title does not import these three saints to have been thebean souldiers : for those people whom the ancient geographers called taurini , were extended far into the cottian alps , and into liguria ; so that we ought not therefore to conclude that octavius , aventitius and solutor , were three saints particular to the city of turin , because they are called sancti taurinorum . in st. ambrose's works , printed at basil in the year , there is sanctorum tauricorum . in the geographical manuscript of selden , there is likewise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; and who can tell but st. maximus might mean some saints whose zeal and constancy had been remarkable amongst those people called taurisci , who are placed by some geographers in the fifth rhetia . if we had that manuscript of st. maximus , mentioned by the benedictine monks , in their new edition of st. ambrose , we might perhaps make some other remarks on the title of that sermon : but without examining whether the titles of st. maximus's sermons be ancient , and writ by himself , here is a proof , that octavius , aventitius , and solutor , were not thebean souldiers , and such a proof that nothing can be replied against it . the counterfeit st. eucherius , does not mention any of those in his relation ; but saith , that in his time none of them were known by name , except them following , viz. mauritius , exuperius , candidus , victor , and another victor who suffered death at soleur , with vrsus ; adding that the names of the others were unknown to him , but were written in the book of life . as we believe the author of the acts of the thebean souldiers more modern than st. maximus , this sufficeth to convince us , that the three saints whose piety this bishop of turin did formerly celebrate , were not thebean souldiers . but to prevent all cavilling about the time in which st. eucherius might have written , we shall produce other writers , who lived some ages after st. maximus . ado , died about the year of our lord , . this ado who was arch-bishop of vienna , hath collected all the names of the thebean souldiers that were heard of in his time , thirteen whereof he reckons in his martyrology , to wit , mauritius , exuperius , candidus , molossus , victor , innocentius , vetalis gerion , victor , orsus , alexander , secundus and antoninus . amongst which we find not either octavius , aventitius , or solutor . now vienna being but fifty leagues distant from turin , had these saints , whose memory was celebrated in piedmont , been generally thought to have been theb. souldiers , there is no likelihood , that ado would have left them out of his catalogue . this reason is yet more confirmed by vsuard's silence upon it , who was a monk of st. germains , and contemporary with ado he formed the design of making a martyrology both more exact and copious than any that had appear'd before : for he thought , that st. jerom and beda had handled this matter too carelesly ; and it is even reported , that the emperor charles the bald , to whom he dedicated his book , had set him at work . and therefore it is more likely , that he did every thing answerable to the zeal of his age for martyrs and reliques . which notwithstanding , his diligence and all the care he took , could effect no more than the discovery which he made of two other theb. souldiers , namely cassius and florentius , who are also recorded by helinand , but further , had it passed for current , at that time , that the three saints in st. maximus's sermon were theb. souldiers , 't is very improbable , that they could have escaped the diligent search of vsuard . if after this , any one should alledge to us the lives of saints , as the legends of octavius , aventitius and soluter , we have no other answer for them , but that there are none so blind , as they that will not see . but since it hath so fallen out , that maximus his sermon hath given us an occasion to speak of st. ambrose , we ought not to pass by , without some reflection , the silence of this father in this particular , viz. concerning the theb. legion and their martyrdom , though in an hundred places of his works , he speaks of saints and famous martyrs in general . the time he lived was not long after that , wherein it is supposed , that the theb. legion was cut off . he was bishop at milan , not very far distant from agaunum , where this martyrdom is said to have happened , and he had conversed sometimes with theodorus bishop of octodurum or martigni , where agaunum is situated both these bishops were present at the council of aquileia , assembled to give a decision in the cause of palladius and secundianus , arrian bishops in illyria . they met again at milan , where theodorus signed the letter , which st. ambrose and the other bishops wrote to pope siricius , concerning the condemnation of jovinian , who had uttered blasphemous expressions against the virginity of the blessed mother of god. and though the false st. eucherius , in the letter already related , does write to the bishop salvius , that theodorus , whom he calls vir anterioris temporis had informed isaac bishop of geneva of all the circumstances of the martyrdom of the thebean legion , it does not appear , that he ever spoke of it to st. ambrose , seeing there is not the least notice tak'n of it in all the works of this father . but let us come now to another sort of writers , and ask the fathers , who have composed chronologies or church-histories . these perhaps will tell us something of the martyrdom of the theb. legion ; for this is not so inconsiderable a transaction as can be suppos'd to have been overlook'd , or lost amongst the croud of those great events , which they had to relate . it is a memorable matter of fact , worthy of their pens , and to be recommended to posterity ; for it is the martyrdom of a whole legion , and the most famous historians of the church , either liv'd at the time of this suppos'd martyrdom , or wrote about a hundred years after ; i mean eusebius , socrates , sozomen , theodoret , evagrius , jerom , orosius , sulpitius severus : if this martyrdom were true , it is impossible , that they should have been ignorant of it , and had they known it , 't is not to be imagin'd , they would all have conspired together to leave us in the dark about it . to begin with eusebius , of whom those who favour him least , as joseph scaliger , do yet agree , that with great care he hath search'd into the original pieces concerning the foundation of the first sees , the succession of their bishops , the persecutions moved by enraged pagans against the primitive christian religion , the many conflicts of the blessed martyrs , for its defense and the victories which their faith and constancy have obtained over infidelity and errour . st. jerom , or whosoever is the author of the letter to chromatius and heliodorus , agrees with the remarks of president cousin upon the care and diligence of eusebius in collecting the acts of the martyrs . it is said in that letter , that the emperour constantine at his arrival at cesarea permitted eusebius to ask him whatever he had most a mind to , and that eusebius desired him to command , that they should send him from all the courts and tribunals of judicature throughout the empire , all the processes , tryals and sentences concerning martyrs , that so he might be particularly inform'd of their right names , qualities and numbers , and also of the different kinds of their torments and death , and of the provinces , towns , and days of their excecutions , and lastly with what patience and courage they had suffered their torments . therefore antipater bishop of bostra in arabia , thinking to obscure the glory and reputation of eusebius , said in his confutation of origen's apology . i allow eusebius to be excellently vers'd in history , and that there is nothing in the monuments of antiquity which he is unacquainted with ; but the emperours authority favouring his design , it was an easy thing for him to gather up whatever writings were scattered all over the world. so that eusebius having so many ways of being imformed of the truth , of the agaunian martyrdom , no body can deny but he is a well qualify'd witness , to be call'd and heard upon this matter of fact. and so much the rather , because he not only was alive at the time of this martyrdom , but of age to know what was then transacted . in the first book of constantine's life he saith , that in his youth he first saw this prince in palestina , in the retinue of the emperour dioclesian ; and in the third book of his church history , speaking of dionysius of alexandria , he saith , that it was in his time that he was raised to the honour of the episcopal chair ; seeing therefore that it is agreed on all hands , that dionysius of alexandria dyed in the twelfth year of the empire of gallienus's reign ; eusebius his birth must necessarily precede the death of this prince . the learned doctor cave conjectures , that he was born about the year . as to the time of gallienus's death we are under great uncertainties . cardinal baronius placeing it in the year , upon the testimony of eusebius , who will have him to have reigned but fifteen years , but antonio pagi is of a different opinion and thinks he lived some few years longer and this upon the authority of a medal of gallienus ; spoken of by mezabarba , with this inscription p. m. tr. po. xvi . con. vii . so that it appears to be a difficult thing to assign precisely the time of eusebius his birth . but it is not our business here to cast the horoscope of this father , or to make an exact calculation of the time of his nativity , it is sufficient to our purpose that the circumstances here specify'd will make it appear that eusebius was at least fifteen or sixteen years old , when maximian went into gaule , in the year , the very time wherein the theb. legion was suppos'd to have been massacred . we are then much in the right to produce eusebius , in this cause as a witness very fit to inform us about the truth of falsehood of the martyrdom of the theb. legion . but in all his works there is not one word spok'n either of this legion , or of this martyrdom . however he had often a fair opportunity to speak of it , seeing that his whole ecclesiastical history is chiefly filled up with long accounts of the persecutions and conflicts of martyrs . his eighth book is nothing but an ample narrative , both of dioclesian and maximians cruelties , and of all the great examples of zeal and constancy , which the christians of all orders and conditions soever gave in those times . if any ancient writer had occasion to speak of the theb. legion , without doubt it was eusebius , but since he hath said nothing of it , his silence is an historical demonstration , that it is only a meer fable . to this we might add , that the same silence is observed by socrates , sozomen , theodoret and evagrius , who have now and then pick'd up some facts that are wanting in eusebius ; that st. jerom who hath followed eusebius in his chronology , and carefully collected those things that have escaped his knowledge , saith nothing of the theb. legion ; that sulpitius severus , whose ecclesiastical history goes beyond the aera of martyrs , and who is so much noted for his great credulity , and fondness of opinion about saints and miracles , had not heard of it at the beginning of the fifth age ; that we find it not in paulus orosius , who speaks of the bagauds , of amandus and aelianus , of maximian's expedition into gaule , and greedily swallows any thing that does but serve his turn , whether well grounded or no ( as monsieur dupin observes ) and sometimes even debaseth the dignity of history so much as to insert into it meer popular reports ( according to vossius's judgment . ) however the fable of the theb. legion , being not yet brought into the world in the reign of the emperours arcadius and honorius , wherein he lived , we do not see , he hath adorned the seven books of his history with the recital of it . it remains then only for us to examin , whether according to the principles of the doctors of the romish church , we may not infer a good conclusion from this negative argument . john launoy a doctor of paris in his dissertation upon the authority of negative arguments , lays down this rule , that we may reasonably conclude the untruth of a fact from it 's not being attested either by contemporary writers , or by any author within two hundred years after . he confesses , that this space of two hundred years is indeed too long ; but that he feared , if he had chalked out a shorter , he should thereby have drawn upon himself the reproaches and calumnies of most people , who are not willing , that too strict a search should be made after truth . but what if mr. de launoy had been so very complaisant to the monks , and the admirers of fables and legends , as to throw 'em in t'other fifty years , yet this would not in the least have weakened the strength of our argument , since that 't is almost three hundred years after maximian's expedition into gaule , that not one writer hath spoken of the martyrdom of the theb. legion . 't is true , that upon the superstitious party of the popish church's being alarm'd by mr. de launoy's book , because they saw , that the method in it was like to pull down a great number of their saints , and would bring into contempt their miracles and reliques , john baptist thiers , a divine of paris , endeavour'd to re assure them by a dissertation in answer to that of mr de launoy , which indeed he did not think worth his while to answer , or to shew the vanity of his arguments and evasions . now this is the tenet of john baptist of thiers : we grant that a negative argument ought to be of some force in historical accounts , when in matter of very ancient facts , the argument is taken from the general silence of grave , learned and diligent writers , who were not lightly wrought upon , but prudent in their judgment and choice , and who have succeeded one another during many ages . where notwithstanding that all his words be exactly measured and fitted to his design , viz. to render negative arguments of no use , by putting them under impossible conditions , &c. yet nevertheless we desire no other concessions , than what he himself grants : for the fact here in question is very ancient , and no body can deny but the writers here spoken of , are some of the most grave , learned and diligent that ever appeared in the church ; and that for a continued succession of two or three ages , and yet not one of them but is wholly silent upon the martyrdom of the theb. legion . now after this long silence , on the one side , let us see who those were who first open'd their mouths on the other , and who should these be but two authors who lived towards the end of the sixth century ; namely gregory of tours and venantius honorius fortunatus ; the latter of which was a poet , and consequently more likely to make use of their old privilege in the verse , pictoribus atque poetis , he hath translated into verse an abridgment of st. george's legend , which baronius confesses to have been originally writ by the arrians . seeing then that this poet was so grosly mistaken in attributing the character of a saint to one who was an arrian and a wicked man , may we not think but his credulity might have been likewise imposed upon concerning another matter of fact , of an older date than this was ? and as for gregory of tours , mr. dupin observes , that he was very credulous and easy in the matter of miracles , and made no scruple of recounting uncertain and fabulous histories . which agrees with what abbot hilduinus wrote concerning him to the emperor lewis : we ought to pardon the simplicity of this pious man , for having written several things contrary to the truth of history , not indeed out of any crafty design of imposing upon the world , but meerly through his credulity . and seeing , that fortunatus took a journey to tours , where he hoped to have been cured of his sore eyes , by the intercession of st. martin , and that he had a great esteem and affection for gregory , it is very likely , that he received all that he knew concerning the theb. legion from this good bishop . now to let you see the very foundation on which gregories own belief of this matter was establish'd , i shall only transcribe the place where he speaks of it in the tenth book of his history of france . i found , saith he , a little chest in st. martin's treasury in which our fathers had deposited the reliques of the agaunian martyrs , as i was informed by some very aged priests . the very seal which their piety had put to it , was by old age and rottenness quite worn away ; and it happened , that during the solemn office that was celebrated to their honour in the eve of their festival , it came into my thoughts to take a torch , and view them more carefully . now while i was a searching with great attention , one of the porters told me , here is a stone with a cover upon it , what may be in it , i cannot tell , neither did my predecessors , to whose custody these things were committed , know any more of it than my self ; if you please , i will bring it hither , that we may see what it contains ; and when he had brought it , i opened it , and found a little silver trunk , wherein were not only some reliques of the martyrs of the blessed legion , but also of several holy martyrs and confessors . we found likewise in the same trunk , several other hallowed stones , with some reliques of the apostles and other martyrs . from which words , we may judge not only of the character of this gregory of tours , but also of the genius of his age. however , both he and venantius were without doubt great men , considering the time they lived in ; nor do we suspect either of them of fraud or imposture , but only say , that they were too credulous , and the christians were then strangely affected and hankering after reliques and miracles . do but read the th epistle of the third book of gregory , the th chapter of st. austin , de opere monachorum , the d canon of the council of lions , and the th act of the second council of nicea , and you may see what a scandalous trade was then droven with the limbs and bones of martyrs , which were broke in peices , and transported from town to town , and from one province into another , under pretence of devotion . st. austin even then lamenting , said , that the bodies of several persons were had in veneration upon the earth , whose souls were tormented in hell-fire . and it was not without reason that he thus complain'd , for do but read st. martin's life , in sulpitius severus , who saith there , that the people of tours ran in great grouds to a place where they thought some martyrs had been buried . that the common tradition was , that the altar there had been erected by the ancient bishops of tours . but that st. martin having not been able to learn any thing for certain from the eldest priests of his clergy , concerning the names of those martyrs , and the time of their death , was in great perplexity and doubt about this matter , fearing on the one side to cause some prejudice to religion , if he should forbear his usual coming to that place , and on the other to increase superstition , if he had authorized it by his presence . but one day being gone thither with some of his brethren , and having pray'd to god to discover to him who it was who was there buried ; he saw on his left-hand a frightful and deformed spectre , which he commanded to tell what it was . whereunto the shade answered , i am a robber condemned formerly for crimes to an ignominious death . the error of the people makes me here to be honoured , but i have no part with the martyrs , they being in glory , and i in torments . after which , st. martin caused the altar to be thrown down , and freed the people of tours from that gross superstition . this example alone may suffice to shew , that in matter of reliques , impostures are no new device . moreover , it serves to discover the false zeal of the christians , of the sixth age , and the ignorance and base connivance of the bishops and priests , in not repressing the indiscretion of it . sulpitius severus hath told us just now , that it was the common opinion that the altar upon the grave of that robber had been erected by the ancient bishops of tours . now after this , is it so much to be wondred at , for the good-man gregory , who a hundred years after was made bishop of tours , to be deceived himself by some uncertain tradition , or that he should give so much credit to an inscription upon the little truck , in which were supposed to be shut up the reliques of the agaunian martyrs ? now from st. martin's time , the evil was so far from diminishing , that it increased more and more . religion and piety did then it seems chiefly consist in searching the graves , looking for the bodies of saints , erecting altars , and contriving all sorts of ways to honour them . the sixth age having brought into the church , st. bennet and his rule , his children departed very soon from the institution of their holy founder , applying themselves wholly to get plentiful possessions , and large revenues . the martyrs , their reliques and miracles , were the properest means in the world for that purpose , and god knows how they improv'd the knack they had already got of making use of them ; for it is certain , that they owe most of their vast incomes and estates to meer dreams and chimaeras like that of the agaunian martyrs . then the old saints grew out of date , and new ones came in fashion , being reputed to exceed the others in multiplicity of miracles . therefore they found the way to dig every day a new one out of the ground , as if the priests of those times had made use of a divining rod , to find out bodies of saints . no wonder therefore if some martyrs of the second and third age , unknown to eusebius , orosius , and sulpitius severus , were discovered since by some monks of the eighth and ninth century . it is very probable , if i may give my opinion , that the acts of the agaunian martyrs were forged towards the end of the sixth age , or at the beginning of the seventh , the author of them saith , that the names of the thebean souldiers are written in heaven , and that only these following were come to his knowledge , viz. mauritius , exuper , candidus , orsus , and the two victors . but it seems not long after , some others began to peep out ; ado , archbishop of vienna , who wrote towards the middle of the ninth century , adds to these malosius , victor , innocent , vitalis , gerion , alexander , secundus and antoninus . vsuard a benedictine monk of st. germans , had the good luck to find out two more , namely cassius and florentius . in the archives of treves is kept the history of st. thirsus , wherein is mentioned another thebean souldier , call'd bonifacius . in burgundy some churches are consecrated to viator , and st. amour , who , by the authors who have written their lives , are said to have been agaunian martyrs . so that we see already fourteen or fifteen of them , who were not come to the knowledge of the pretended st. eucherius . but further discoveries have been made yet , for one day telleth another . st. paul exhorted the christians , to seek the things that are above , but the monks of the tenth century , pressed them to nothing so much , as to look into the things that are below , and to search into the graves . and though christ had said , speaking of himself , that where the body was , there the eagles should gather also ; yet the christians did now , no longer with joseph of arimathea , frequent the sepulchre of our lord. the death of christ was to them an old story , and grown out of date , and new objects were then required to excite the zeal and devotions of christians . hence it was , that from time to time , some thebean souldier or other , was digged out of the ground , and proposed to their veneration . the citizens of pignerol make their boast of having there in the abbey of our lady , the corps of st. tiberius . in the diocess of saluces , are shewed the tombs of constantius and theophredus or jafredus , and a new inscription clapt thereon , causeth them to be worshipped as souldiers of the thebean legion . some years ago passing by fossano , i had the curiosity to go and view the place , where according to the tradition of that town , alverius and sebastianus , thebean souldiers , are said to be buried . garnier in his history of st. alexander , saith , that the bodies of cassius , severinus , licinius and secundus , lye deposited at como in the milanese . crantzius tells us , that at brunswick , they believe , that they have some martyrs of agaunum . the city of colen vaunteth to have a great number of them . but above all , the town of turin brags of having been enrich'd with their spoils . in the abbey of st. solutor are kept some reliques with this title , reliquiae sancti benigni thebensis . they shew in the same abbey , a manuscript , wherein are recorded the lives of solutor , adventor and octavius , set off with all those incidents and flourishes , which generally adorn the common legends . the jesuites of turin have made a sudden discovery all at once , of ciro , john , cacusat , chrysogon , cyriacus , felix , fortunatus and achilles , as they inform us in the history which they have published of the holy martyrs , abondius and abondantius . when you have passed the bridge of turin , and taken your way towards the mountain that leads to chiers , you find on the side of the river pô , a little chappel , where there is an inscription which i had amongst my papers , but by mischance it hath been almost blotted out ; however here is the remainder of it . d. o. m. beatae virgini mariae thebaeorum martyrum .... ex vetustate labentem aediculam , ampliorem .... divinoque ministerio eptiorem comes gregorius johaninus ..... a solo excitavit .... an . i remember that the names of two theb. souldiers are to be seen there . and it is certain , that if in travelling through italy , one would be at the trouble to take information of the saints of every particular place , and to read both the printed and manuscript lives of saints that are kept in the archives of the cathedral churches , there would great numbers of theb. souldiers start up from behind the bushes , who had no other being but what they received from the monks of the last ages , in order to serve their turns and promote the trade they made of the poor people's superstition . however it be , as the case stands , i have in this dissertation struck of from the romish church saints , as the learned father sirmond with one dash of his pen had taken lately from them eleven thousand . for having met with these words in an old martyrology , s s vrsula & vnde ci milla v. m. i. e. vndecimilla , virgin and martyr , he shew'd the shameful blunder of those who imagin'd that vnde ci milla with the v and m had been an abbreviation to express eleven thousand virgins . mr. de launoy had both the honesty and courage to publish what he thought of st. bruno , and several other saints ; and might he have enjoy'd the protection , either of the court or clergy , he would have been a great instrument of reformation in the roman worship . i was told , that this mr. de launoy , being once at dinner with the curate of a country parish , in the diocess of mans , on the festival of the chief saint of that village , desired the curate to tell him the name of that saint . you must excuse me for that , answered the curate , for should you once go about to pull down my saint , as you have done so many others , i should be undone , and my boors would find themselves without a patron . mr. de valois saith , that the life of st. catharine , virgin and martyr is but a fabulous legend , from the beginning to the end ; and likewise , that of st. eustachius patron of the biggest parish in paris ; and as for what is related of st. lazarus , of st. martha , of mary magdalen , and of the st. baume he added , credant qui volent , as for me i shall never believe a word of it , and i hold their arrival into france to be one of the most fabulous things in the world. mr. menage , in his book of learned women , having enumerated amongst them st. catharine , takes notice , that baronius suspected it to be but a fable . and it is material to observe by the by , that baronius's suspition was grounded upon the silence of eusebius which we have also alledged against the agaunian martyrs . moreover , mr. menage tells us , that francis de harlay , arch-bishop of paris , having chosen some of the most understanding men of his clergy in , to revise and reform the breviary for the use of the church of paris , these doctors thought fit to expunge the life of st. catharine , looking upon the acts of her martyrdom , as a meer fiction . the bishops of st. pons , in the year , took from the calendar of his diocess about sixty holy-days , amongst which were st. amarante , the immaculate conception of the blessed virgin mary , the chair of st. peter , st. ignatius loyola , &c. he is a prelate , who has very much distinguished himself both by his learning and piety , but who had the misfortune to incur the hatred of the jesuits as being a disciple of the famous bishop of alet ; and also to displease the court for refusing to persecute the protestants of his diocess , and not following cardinal bonzi , and the bishops of his cabal , in voting in the states of lauguedoc the subsidies that were demanded by the french king. therefore the jesuites looking for an occasion to bring him into trouble , the abbot of aulergues , his archdeacon , devoted himself to serve their revenge . so that if an archdeacon is call'd in the canons of the church oculus episcopi , it may be well said , that here the light of the body became darkness . this abbot appealed from his bishop against the reformation of his calendar to the parliament of toulouse . the jesuites who cared but little for the other saints , but resented very much the disgrace put upon their st. ignatius , procured an order from the court to that parliament , that they should favour the abbot's cause without further delay . i was then at toulouse , where i was oblig'd to stay during the months of july , august and september , at which time the cause was pleaded . i was present at the hearing , and the kings attorney broke into a furious passion against the bishop of st. pons , and taking occasion from the feast of the immaculate conception , to speak of the honours due to the blessed virgin , he carry'd them as far as bonaventure , bernardine and crasse● . but at last the archdeacon's appeal was declared frivolous and faulty . the bishop of st. pons , was maintained in the power which the councils of the gallican church gave to their bishops of making a calendar , and regulating the church service of their diocess . and this sentence was the effect of the virtue and honesty of the first president , who without contradiction was a great magistrate and worthy of a better age. i have related these facts upon this account only , that they of the romish religion , who may read this work of mine , may see , that i had reason to question the truth of the acts of some of their saints , since some of the greatest men of their communion have done the same , and do agree that many false ones are found amongst them . and if some preachers should not like our endeavours in exposing the falshood of the martyrdom of the theb. legion ; because hereby they find themselves at a loss for want of so many fine passages , elevated thoughts , and an example so moving , and ready at hand , whenever they had a mind to exhort their hearers to patience and perseverance in the faith , we need only to recommend them the reading their eusebius , wherein they shall find great numbers of true martyrs , whose examples are much more instructive , and fit to move the affections , then the martyrdom of the theb. legion , is pretended to be . it is neither arthur of britain , nor the roland of ariosto , nor the renaldo of tasso , which those who are intrusted with the first education and instruction of young princes do propose to them for a pattern of imitation , but those heroes , who had a real being in the world , such as scipio , hanibal and augustus . in like manner church history being full of the glorious conflicts and great examples of the piety of true martyrs , christian princes would betray the holiness of their ministry , did they propose to their people false martyrs and counterband saints as mr. de valois us'd to call them . chap. xix . that the fabulous relations of the pretended agaunian martyrs , and other fictitious saints , are sufficient to destroy all the reasons brought by the roman church to justify the vvorship they pay to saints . the first shift of the romish church in this matter , is , to distinguish worship into absolute and relative , mediate and immediate . they say , that god alone ought to be the object of absolute and immediate worship , but that the relative and mediate worship , may be paid to saints and angels , since it passeth only through them , and terminates in god. that this is but a mere evasion , our writers have shewed a thousand times . and more than that , they have proved , that upon examination of the matter of fact , it is not true neither , that the romish church renders to the deceased saints , only mediate and relative honours . for this distinction hath place only in their schools , being no way discernible in their practice . they make no distinction as to place , since they worship both god and the saints in the same churches ; nor in respect of time , for as god hath his , so the saints have likewise their holy-days ; nor yet in the church-service , since the saints are mentioned four or five times in the service of the mass , which they offer most immediately to god ; nay , not so much as in the bodily postures of the worshippers , since they fall down on their knees , and make the same bodily prostrations before god and his saints . neither can it be distinguish'd in the quality of their petitions , since they who pray to saints , ask pardon of them for their sins , and the grace of the holy ghost ; no more is it in the multitude of their prayers ; for they will say ten ave maria's to one pater noster . so that the saints do , if i may so say , reap all the worship of the roman religion , and god , who should gather the whole , hath only the tithe of it . this distinction therefore hath place no where but in disputes , no real difference being perceivable between the honours paid to god , and the saints . our writers have likewise discussed the question , de jure , viz. whether it be lawful to bestow upon the creatures a worship which terminates in god. their writings are full of good reasons shewing that religious worship is the glory of god's excellency , and that not so much as the least portion of this glory can be bestow'd upon the saints , without provoking the anger of that jealous god. 't is true , that in coming near to god to know him , we may make use of the creatures as steps to the knowledge of him : but when we approach god in the duty of worship , all our thoughts , attention and affections ought wholly to be fix'd upon him alone . we ought then to banish the thoughts of all created beings out of our minds , and so to bless , pray to and worship him , as if there were none but he and we in the world. but when all is done , what use soever they may make in their disputes of the distinction of worship into absolute and relative , 't is certain the doctors of the roman church can make none of it , when we charge them with calling upon such saints , as never had any being in the world , such for instance , as st. longinus , st. christopher , st. catharine , the eleven thousand virgins , and the souldiers of the thebean legion . they cannot ▪ surely have the face to say , that the worship paid to these pretended saints , hath any relation to god , or terminates in him . and therefore they ought to confess , that their church hath erred , and is yet in errour . secondly , the romish doctors , to justifie the worship they pay to the saints , say , that all their prayers to them do amount to no more , according to the intention of their church , than barely to desire them that they would please to pray to god for them . to which it hath been replyed and abundantly proved , that the use and form of the terms , do determine the quality of prayers , and not the intention of the church ; that if the matter , or the form of prayers be faulty , it is not the intention of the church that can rectify them ; and that the common people mind only the literal signification of prayers , and never think while they are pronouncing them , of giving a catholick sense to idolatrous expressions . why then do they put so many ignorant people in danger of making unlawful prayers ? why do they give protestants so great an occasion of scandal ? why do they not take out of their prayer-books and breviaries all those forms of prayer in which they ask the saints to have mercy on them , to cleanse them from their sins by their merits , to illuminate their hearts , and to excite in them a true repentance ? if this principle of the roman church had any good foundation , i don't see why she might not as well have put an arrian creed into her liturgy , with a warning to her children to follow her intentions , and give an orthodox sense to that heretical-creed . it would prove a hard matter to reduce to an orate pro nobis that prayer used at the consecration of their altars ; sanctify o lord this stone to thine honour , to the honour of the virgin mary , and to the honour of all saints . you see here the saints and the blessed virgin joyn'd equally with god. mons . de le habespine bishop of orleans hath laboured in vain to justify this prayer . and from hence we must necessarily conclude , that the romish church pays to the saints a religious . worship of the same nature with that which she gives to god ; for otherwise bellarmine does not argue well when he proves from the form of baptism , that the holy ghost , being joined therein with the father and the son , ought therefore to be esteemed , god , as well as the father and the son. go and baptise all nations in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy ghost . but what can the romish church reply , when it is objected that she prays to saints who never had any being , as st. christopher , st. catharine , the eleven thousand virgins , and the souldiers of the theb. legion ? let these prayers be reduced as much as they please to the general spirit of the church , yet she cannot justify them , and therefore she must confess that she hath erred , and is yet in error . thirdly , they of the church of rome , to excuse the worship they pay to the saints , say , that they pray to them in the same manner as we pray our living brethren to intercede for us . but had they not thus explain'd their meaning by the bishop of meaux's pen , we would hardly believe that they were in good earnest . what! is there then no difference between the prayers which the sick protestants desire to be made for them in their churches , that god would comfort and relieve them in their several necessities , and those which the papists direct to their saints ? when the protestants desire these offices of charity of their brethren , do they ask them after the same manner , and in the same order as the romish church implores the intercession and assistance of her saints ? do they consecrate holy-days and altars to them ? build them churches ? make vows and pilgrimages to their honour ? do they light wax-candles before their images ? approach them with censers ? present them with offering ? and make processions and confraternities in honour of their memories ? quite contrary . our brethren are there present with us , where they see our necessities with their own eyes , and we desire them to joyn with us in prayer . we don't look upon them as if they were of a superior order to us , but as fellow labourers , subject to the same weaknesses and infirmities as we are , and thereby ingaged to compassionate our sufferings . our practice is authorized by the example of the faithful of all ages , and by the express command of the apostle st. james , who exhorteth us to pray one for another . but the romish practice is very far from having a title to any of these advantages . under the old testament no prayers were ever made to the deceased saints , though the faithful prayed one for another , as we do . notwithstanding they had at that time saints whose holiness could not be call'd in question , since god himself had , if i may so speak , canonized elias and enoch . all these answers are solid and good . but how can they apply this ? or what other answer can they make , when we charge them with praying to such saints as never were in the world , such as st. christopher , st. catharine , the eleven thousand virgins , and the souldiers of the theb. legion , seeing these saints were only meer fictions and the invention of legend-writers ? they cannot sure answer that they pray to these after the same manner , as we do to our living brethren ; and therefore they ought to confess that they have erred , and do remain still in error . the fourth evasion of the romish church is to have recourse to the equivocal sense of the terms worship and adoration . they say , that there is a supream worship and adoration of latria , and that god alone deserves this worship and adoration ; but that there is an inferiour worship and a service of dulia , which we ought to pay to angels and saints . but this distinction is not in , nor is it grounded upon , scripture . for st. paul makes use of the term dulia , when he speaks of the supream worship , telling the thessalonians , that they turn'd to god from idols to serve the living and true god. and the septuagint have used it in the same sense , . sam. c. . v. . and ps . . v. . and on the contrary , they have expressed by that of latria , the services which men do one to another in that threatning , which god makes to his people , that they should servetheir enemies , which god would send against them in hunger and in thirst and in nakedness . but besides , this distinction is very insignificant ; for let the terms be never so equivocal , yet the things expressed by them are not so . for churches , festivals , altars , vows , offerings , lights , and processions are not equivocal things , but determined to the highest sort of religious worship . to prove this , let an indian or a chinese go into a popish church , tell him , that this temple is consecrated to francis of assise ; that this is his holy-day , and that they are going to make a procession to his honour ; that the image which he seeth adorned with so many flowers , and illuminated with so many torches is his representation . and let him see afterwards all the people prostrating themselves before it , in order to the addressing their prayers to it : and then ask him , what this people is a doing ? he will answer , that they adore st. francis , or his image , the simple notions of nature leading him to that answer , because all the actions of this people are determined to religion , which being taken altogether are the formal and distinct signs of the supreme worship . and therefore it is in vain for them to endeavour to palliate the matter by a pretended equivocal use of words . had the romish doctors been pleased to express themselves more clearly , there would have been no wrangling about the terms . we acknowledg , that the acts of religion are not all of the same weight and importance . the first are those that are call'd elicite and immediate , which are referred only to god. the second are grounded upon the reference or relation which certain things and persons have to religion . in this rank we place the reverence due to pastors , to churches , holy vessels , to the elements of the sacraments , to saints , to angels , to the blessed mother of god ; that is , that there are some degrees of respect due to each of these , in proportion to the rank which they hold in religion , and to the account which god makes of them . the last sorts of religious acts are those that are commanded by religion it self , as for example , the submission and honour we owe to parents and magistrates . but if these controversies were fairly manag'd , all the dispute would be about the first sort of these acts of religion , which are call'd in the language of the schools , elicite and immediate , and such as god reserves peculiarly to himself , with exclusion of the noblest and most exalted rank of created beings , such , for instance , as invocation , psal . . v. trust and affiance jer. . v. . vows , isa . . v. . worship , sacrifice and adoration , exod. . v. . act. . v. . apocal. . vers . . these are the acts of religion which we accuse the roman church of giving to the saints . those amongst them who pretended to devotion , make vows to the saints upon every occasion , though st. thomas hath said , that a vow is an act of latria . but however this be , the equivocal sense of the term adoration , can do them no service , where they are accused of paying a religious worship to supposititious saints , such as st. christopher , st. longine , st. catharine , the eleven thousand virgins , and the souldiers of the theb. legion . they cannot pretend that they pay these saints only a worship of dulia , & honours much inferior to the supream . they ought therefore to confess that they have erred , and do still persist in their error . fifthly , the roman church speaking by the mouth of the bishop of meaux , saith , that she instructeth her children to make a great deal of difference between the affections that accompany the prayers they make to saints , and the zeal , piety , and profound humility they ought to be possessed with , when they direct their devotions immediately to god himself . but to this have not we just reason to reply , that god alone knows the affections of the heart , and that we cannot judge of them but by mens words and actions ? we don't pretend to usurp the prerogative of god , and should be very unwilling to pass a rash judgment upon men. moses hath taught us , that secret things belong to the lord our god ; and christ hath told us , that we shall know men by their fruits ; that is , by their words and actions . this way of passing judgment upon mens hearts , is so common a notion , and so universal a principle , that all men in the world do follow it in the judgments they make of others . so that it is very unjustly done by those of the french clergy , who accuse us of calumny in finding fault with their church for its paying to saints a prohibited worship , since our accusation is founded upon their words and actions . for let them say what they please , that they do not form the same idea of the saints , as they do of an infinite and supream being , and that their prayers to god are accompanied with affections far more lively , ardent and humble , than those they address to the saints : this is known to none but god , and discernable only by his all-seeing eye . and all that we see and hear of their performance towards the saints , as prayers , temples , festivals , illuminations , burning of incense , processions , prostrations ; all these things , i say , are the proper and formal characters of the supream worship , which god hath in a peculiar manner reserved to himself . are we then in the wrong , to conclude that they carry the honours they render to the saints too far ? the jansenists in that book of theirs , intituled the imaginary heresie , charged the jesuites with making the pope a god by their tenet , that the pope is infallible , because infallibility is a property belonging only to god. but we have yet more reason to reproach the roman church for dealing with saints as if they were gods , not only upon account of the external worship she pays to them , but also because of the good things she asks of them , which suppose that they know the hearts of men , are present every where , and have an unlimited power ; all which , are properties belonging only to the supream being . but after all , suppose it should be true , that the romish church puts a great difference between the thoughts that accompany the prayers to god , and those addressed to the saints , we leave every wise man to consider , whether this distinction in the thoughts , does not raise in the mind troublesome scruples , and hinder its due application and adherence to god. these theological principles leave one always unquiet and uneasie , for fear of going beyond , or stopping short of the mark. thus far in their opinion the worship is lawful and right , but to go ever so little further , is idolatry . when those who repeat after the priest the confession of sins at the beginning of the mass , hear him say , i confess to god almighty , they must mind to do an act of latria , but when he adds , and to the blessed virgin , they must take care to descend lower to hyperdulia , and when he goes on saying , to the angels , and to the saints , to the holy apostles , peter and paul , &c. it would be a crime , should they offer to them any of the two former kinds of worship ; and therefore they must pass to that of dulia . if an image be presented to them , they are to offer but a relative honour to it ; but let it be a little piece of the true cross , they may go as far as the indirect latria . and because these different worships are often mix'd in the same service and litanies , we leave it again to wise men to consider , whether all those who are present at these church-services , have in that instant of time all these distinctions present in their minds ; whether they be all capable of these nice and refined subtilties of the schools ; and whether all this be proper to raise the heart , and to inflame true piety . at least , our religion hath this advantage above theirs , that god alone being proposed to us as the object of our worship and prayers , we need not busie our minds about any of these distinctions ; no scruple arises to disturb our zeal , we embrace the divine object with all our heart , and with all our soul , free from fears and danger of running beyond the mark. but after all , this difference of thoughts in their prayers , will do them no service , as to the worship which they render to saints that never existed , such as st. christopher , st. catharine , the eleven thousand virgins , and the souldiers of the thebean legion . these being mere chimeras and groundless fancies , which deserve not any the least respect ; they who pay any sort of religious worship to them , ought to confess , that they have been , and are , yet in error . the sixth subterfuge of the roman church is , that they make great difference between christ's mediation , and that of the saints . for , say they , christ is a mediator of redemption , and the saints are only mediators of intercession . but in answer to this , all the functions of the mediator of redemption , may be reduced to these three principal ones . first , christ hath taught men the true and only way that leadeth to heaven , having brought life and immortality to light , through the gospel . secondly , christ by his death , hath reconciled god to men , and the merits of his cross , are the source of their peace and righteousness , god having made him to be sin for us , who knew no sin , that we should be the righteousness of god in him . in the third place , christ is the dispenser of all those good things which are the effects and consequences of that eternal and new covenant which he hath brought into the world , and sealed with his own blood upon the cross , all power being give● him , both in heaven and earth , that he might save to the uttermost all that come to god by him . now we think we have great reason to accuse the roman church , of attributing to the saints these functions of the high priest of the new covenant . for as if the gospel were not a sufficient rule to direct us the way to heaven , the romish church teaches , that her dominicks , francis's , loyola's , &c. have received from heaven , rules more certain and powerful to raise those who follow them to a higher perfection , than those of the gospel it self . and for the proof hereof , they produce the heavenly visions , divine apparitions , and other miracles wherewith they pretend god hath honoured the calling of these founders of orders . moreover , the romish church holds , that by christ's death , only our mortal sins , and the eternal punishment due to them were expiated ; so that men must have recourse to other ways of expiation , both for their venial sins , and the temporal punishments due to their mortal ones . therefore was purgatory invented ; and to that purpose are likewise applied the fasts , the disciplining whips , the obits or offices for the dead , the pious foundations , the masses , and the canonical penances injoyned by the confessors at the tribunal of penitence ( as they call it . ) but the most powerful machine , is the treasury of indulgences , that treasury which hath drawn so much money into the pope's exchequer , and which , they say , is silled up with the overplus of the satisfactions and merits of saints ; which superabundance is by indulgences applied either for the expiation of venial sins , or for a compensation for the temporal penalties due to mortal sins . this is the ground of that prayer which the priest saith in the mass , when he asks of god the forgiveness of sins , by the merits of those saints whose reliques are at rest under the altar . finally , the roman church makes her addresses to the saints , as to the dispensers of heavenly graces ; and we might observe a hundred places in their prayer-books , rituals , breviaries , and other books of their religion , where it plainly appears , that they ask of them the forgiveness of sins , the grace of perseverance , and good dispositions for dying well . but here perhaps it may be objected , that the church of rome makes a great difference in its practice , between christ's mediation , and that of the saints ; which is so far from being true , that one of her most famous writers , sadly complains , that it is evident , that most of the people put more trust in the intercession of the saints , than in christ's intercession ; and that they have recourse with more zeal to their protection , than to the patronage of that great redeemer . and after all , this distinction of mediator of redemption , and mediator of intercession , is very injurious to christ , and to the fulness of his priesthood . the apostle willing to condemn the partialities of the corinthians , some saying they were of paul , and others of cephas , asked them with indignation , have paul , apollos or cephas , been crucified for you ? and may not we then with more reason , ask the doctors of the romish church , have francis , dominick , or ignatius loyola , been crucified for you ? for christ's priesthood comprehends two parts , namely sacrifice and intercession , one upon the earth , and the other in heaven , one on the cross , and the other beyond the vail in the true and incorruptible sanctuary , that 's to say , that his intercession is nothing but a continuation of his priesthood ; and that the reason why he is our advocate , is , because he was crucifi'd for us . but in what order of mediators can the romish church put st. christopher , st. longine , st. catharine , the eleven thousand virgins , and the thebean souldiers , since it is plain , that at the best they are nothing but meer figments ? they will not sure offer to own them mediators of intercession , and therefore they must confess that they have err●d , and are still in error . the seventh device of the church of rome to excuse the worship they render to saints , i● , that they would fain perswade us , that the council of trent hath not determined this worship to be necessary , but only simply declared , that it was a good and profitable practice . to which it will suffice to oppose this argument . that practice must needs be held necessary to salvation for the not observing of which people are declared to be damned : now it is evident , that the church of rome damns all those who believe that saints ought not to be prayed to , from whence it ought to be inferr'd , that the worship of saints , is , according to the principles of the roman church a practice necessary to salvation . the proof for the minor of this argument is found in the th session of the council of trent , where is a canon that anathematizeth all those who deny the lawfulness of calling upon saints conformably to the use and practice of the roman church : unless they would say , that the council of trent did pronounce these anathemas , notwithstanding , they were of opinion that the worshiping of saints is not a practice necessary to salvation . but while they go about to set off the wisdom of the fathers assembled in that council , they are not aware , that they accuse them both of levity , and want of charity in damning men , for things that may be either done or let alone without prejudice to salvation . the doctors of the church are hardly put to it to know what things the council of trent hath judged ceremonial , and what dogmatical and essential to religion . that which gives occasion to these disputes is , that in some states that submitted to the pope's authority , the decisions of the council of trent , have been recieved as to the dogmatical part of religion , though they will not acknowledge them as to rites and ecclesiastical discipline . i shall observe by the by , that the illustrious peter de ma●ca , frequently lays i● down as a certain truth , that france approved of and received the council of trent in the year of the last age. however , we find in the history of the cardinal duke of joyeuse , compos'd by haberi , a barester at the parliament of paris , a brief of pope paul the v. sent to the cardinal of joyeuse bishop of ostia , above five and fourty years after the time when m●uns . de marca saith , that france received the council of trent , wherein this pope complains very bitterly of the refusal , which they still made in france to approve this council , and to submit to its decisions . whatsoever it is , most of the doctors of the romish church do agree , that to know the difference which the council of trent hath put between things dogmatical , pertaining to religion , and things meerly ritual and belonging to discipline , the most certain rule to judge by , is the anathemas that are fasten'd on them . and therefore , since that council hath anathematiz'd all those who do not approve the worship of saints , it follows , that the fathers of that council did look upon this worship as a thing of great moment and necessity in religion , and not as one of those practices and ceremonies , which though they be allowed to be very good and profitable , yet may be left out or changed at the will and pleasure of the pope and church . but let them say what they please , certain it is that the romish church does not only believe , that it is necessary to salvation to call upon saints , but is moreover bound to believe so . and their doctors pretend , that this piece of service to saints is commanded in the scripture , wresting i know not how many texts to make them apparently comply with their fancy , and utter what they would be at . now if we believe , that god hath commanded a worship , there is no doubt but we ought also to believe that we cannot omit the peformance thereof , without puting our salvation to stake . but what can they say for those services that are established in so many places to the honour of such saints , as owe all their being to the forgeries of a parcel of monks , and the credulity of a deluded people ? whereas instead of declaring these practices to be necessary , the church of rome ought to acknowlege that they fall short of being even good and profitable . and therefore that church must confess that it hath erred , and is yet involved in error . the eight shift is that of some doctors of the romish church , who do deplore the excess that the worshiping of saints is grown to , and protest altogether , that if in some places some saints that never were are worshiped , they are but local practices tolerated , though not approved by the church . this is the rock on which do split every day the learning , piety , knowledge and conscience of many ecclesiasticks in the church of rome , who being desirous of salvation and having made a considerable study in religion , yet comparing the mischief of that false worship , with the consequences of a separation , think it much safer for their souls to live in a corrupted church , and to groan under its errors , than to make a breach of charity by separating from its communion . in which they are like those cowardly and unworthy citizens , who while a generous deliverer hazards his fortune and his life , to preserve to them both their laws and country , are content with folded arms to wish him good success and prosperity ; and if he chances to fail in the attempt , will also bewail and pity him . of which sort of people a great man used to say , that they were the most useless of all friends , for that having the vertue of wishing us well , and shedding some tears for us , they had not yet courage enough to afford us their assistance . for indeed all these good wishes and lamentations are no remedy to the misfortunes of a church or country . works they are and honest endeavours which god requires at our hands , and not timorous wishes and unprofitable vows . if some of the romish party do sigh at the sight of a worship , which they think dishonourable to their church , why do they not likewise joyn with those who apply themselves to reform it ? i believe there are but few very amongst them who have not heard of the wholsom advices of the blessed virgin mary to her indiscreet votaries , and of the pastoral letter which a bishop of france adjoyn'd thereto , recommending them to the perusal and practice of all the good christians of his diocess . this was just the time , and a fair occasion for those doctors , who bewail so much in private the abuses of their church , to appear and to speak , had not some unworthy considerations stop'd them in the way , and made them speechless . the prelates , the universities , rome it self condemned those wholesom advices , no body having piety and courage enough to defend them , while error and falshood found a world of zealous protectors . crasset a jesuite stood in the defence of all the excesses of the bonaventures and bernardines : and the sorbonne by giving their approbation to his works , condemned likewise both the wholesom advices , and the pastoral letter of the bishop of tournay . how can they say then , that most of those things , which we find fault with in the church of rome , are but local practices , or excesses only tolerated , and not approved by the church ? those very things which we disallow , are of such a nature , that a bare toleration of them , hath the force of an approbation . for they are not dogmatical errours , nor empty speculations , but errours in the practice , and false ▪ worship , in the publick service of religion : which , whenever a christian society does tolerate , it gives thereby a sufficient ground to believe , that it approves them likewise . yet had not all our just complaints upon this matter , power enough to induce the commissioners of the index expurgatorius , to expunge the scandalous excesses of their bonaventure , bernardine of siena , and gabriel biel. the congregation of the holy office , and that de ritibus , are very well informed of the honours paid in divers places to the souldiers of the thebean legion . but let the protestants prove as clear as the day , the forgery of their martyrdom , these imaginary beings , consecrated by a blind superstition , are permitted notwithstanding still to retain all the deferences of honour and worship formerly paid to them . a ninth evasion of the romish party is , that we cannot , they say , condemn their worshipping of saints , without involving both the fathers , the church of the first ages , and the most ancient christians in the same condemnation . but this accusation which they enter against us with so much confidence , is wholly groundless the truth is , that in the times of st. basil , st. chrysostom and gregory nazianzen in the east , of st. ambrose , st. jerom , st. austin and st. paulinus in the west , some practices may be observed which have been in the after-ages the origine of the false worship paid to the saints . the people beginning then to esteem a little too much of their reliques , they flock'd from all parts to their sepulchers , and with an extraordinary zeal , they celebrated the memorial of them ; the preachers in the mean time , by rhetorical figures , directing their speech to them in such manner , as if they had been actually alive . but however the veneration they had then for them , came nothing near to the worship which the romish church pays to them now adays . gregory the first , who died in the seventh century , began in his time to innovate in the publick worship of the church , by inserting in the litanies , the name of the blessed virgin mary , those of the saints having not been introduced till a long time after . and we defy the doctors of the church of rome to shew us , that the worship which they render to saints , is mentioned in any of the ecclesiastical writers , who lived before the year of our lord . martin perez hiala , bishop of cadiz , confesses , that they cannot justify by ancient authority , the invocation and intercession of saints , before the time of cornelius , who lived towards the end of the third century . and this good prelate would have descended yet a hundred years lower , had he seen the reasons which blondel alledges , to prove that that which is cited of cornelius is meerly spurious . had the invocation of saints been in use in the times of st. athanasius , and st. hilary , we must confess that the arrians had but very little wit , when it being objected , as it was by these fathers to them , that they were down-right idolaters , in praying as they did to christ , whom they thought to be but a creature ; they did not reply that this accusation ought to rebound on their adversaries also , since notwithstanding they did not believe their saints to be gods , yet they made prayers and supplications to them but how is it possible to believe , that in those first ages of christianity , the christians made their addresses to the deceased saints , seeing they were of opinion , that the souls of the faithful did not enjoy the beatifick vision before the general resurrection of the dead . if we ask cardinal bellarmine why the saints were not invoked under the old testament , he answers , because the souls of the just were then in limbo , and did not yet behold the face of god. for which very reason , we may likewise conclude , that the christians of the first ages did not pray to saints , since they believed that their souls were not to be admitted into the presence of god till the general resurrection . which opinion of theirs , hath forced cardinal richlieu to make this confession , that several fathers in the first ages , held for certain , that the souls of the faithful deceased in the grace of god ( those of martyrs only excepted ) should not enjoy the beatifick vision , till after the resurrection of the dead ; and therefore ' its no wonder , that they spoke in those times , of the veneration and invocation of saints , with more caution and wariness , than it hath been done since it hath been commonly believed , that the souls of the faithful who have departed this life in the fear of god , did not wait till the resurrection for the enjoyment of the beatifick vision . in the church of the first ages , they observed another practice inconsistent with that worship , which the present church of rome renders to the saints . for now a days , the living pray to the dead , whereas , formerly the living pray'd for them . cardinal richelieu ( as you have seen in the place above quoted ) hath excepted the martyrs from the general rule ; but in this case there was no exception made of any ; for according to the liturgy ascrib'd to st. mark , the christians us'd to say . remember o lord our ancestors the patriarcks , the prophets , the martyrs , and all the spirits who are perfect in the faith of jesus christ , and grant that their souls may rest in the sanctuary of thy saints . this practice of praying for all the saints , was yet in use in hinkmar's time . and in the rubrick upon the decretals at the title of the celebration of masses , ch . . sect . oratio quae dicitur , &c. we find this curious remark in the gloss on the margent . it was formerly said , grant o lord that this prayer may be profitable to the soul of thy servant leo : but now it is said , grant that this prayer may be profitable to us by the intercession of thy servant leo. so little distinction was made in those times between the martyrs and the saints of the first order , that they used to pray even for the blessed mother of god. for in the liturgy attributed to st. chrysostom , we find these words : let us pray to the lord , for all those who have heretofore administred and fulfilled the duties of priesthood , for the eternal remission of their sins , and for the memory of all those who are deceased , in hope of the resurrection . forgive them o merciful lord. and we offer also this reasonable service unto thee for our ancestors who rest in the faith , the fathers , the patriar●s , the prophets , the apostles , the martyrs , and especially for the most blessed and immaculate mary . after this do ye think it well done of the romanists to accuse us of condemning the primitive church , and all the ancient fathers , because we condemn the worship which they pay in our days to the saints ? certain it is that in this we don 't condemn origen , who wrote thus against celsus we ought not to pray to creatures , who have as much need to make prayers and supplications for themselves , and do therefore rather by their calling upon him , admonish us to make our addresses to god only , and not to debase our selves before them by dividing between god and them the honour of prayer , god forbid that we should follow celsus's advice , who would have us to pray to angels . we ought to pray to none but god , who is the paramount lord of a●l things . we do not condemn st. austin , who saith , that were st. paul and the other apostles our mediators , we should have many of them , but then this apostle had not been in the right who saith , that there is but one god and one mediator between god and man who is jesus christ. and he declares in another place : that in offering the sacrifice , mention was made of the martyrs , as of men of god , who by the confession of his name , had triumphed over the world , but that they were not invocated . we don't condemn ignatius , a disciple of the apostles , who recommended this to the christians , to have none before their eyes when they pray but christ jesus and his father . we do not condemn st. irenaeus , that holy bishop of lions , who had framed himself both upon the lessons and examples of polycarp , and who saith , that the church does not mix in her service either the invocation of angels , or any other criminal curiosity , but does direct her prayers meerly , purely and openly to god , the maker of all things , by calling upon the name of our lord jesus christ . we do not condemn tertullian , who giving an account of the faith and hope of the christians , before the roman emperors , saith . that they do invocate none but the true god and do pray for the prosperity of the emperor , but that they ask it of him whom they know alone to be able to grant it . nor do we condemn lactantius who declares , that those who pray to deceased saints , do sin both against reason and piety , revolt against god , break all sorts of laws , and in worshiping dead men , do commit an unpardonable fault . but if the romish church , does side with those ancient hereticks , who , as theodore● informs us , held , that whosoever will have a free access to god , ought first to endeavour to secure to himself the favour of angels ; and if we find fault with that church for doing the same , we leave it to our readers to examin , whether we do condemn also that ancient doctor , who answered these hereticks , that it is but a pitiful subterfuge to say , that we make our addresses to the creatures , only upon the account of making by their means our approaches to god , as they are us'd to do , who desire to be introduced to the king , by making first their application to his officers . true it is , that to be admitted to the audience of a king , and to be promoted by him , it is necessary first to speak to and court those who do attend him , because a king being but a man cannot of himself know whom to trust with the administration of his affairs , but as he receives information from those that are about him . but that we may approach god , who is omniscient , there is no need of imploring the patronage of men. it is enough , if we have a sincere and upright heart , and a religious mind ; for god will answer in any place of the vniverse whosoever speaks to him in that holy disposition . how unjustly then are we condemned by the romanists , for holding opinions contrary to those of the ancient church concerning the saints , since in conformity to that church of the first ages , we do not address our prayers to any but god through jesus christ . we do , as she did , honour the saints , and reverence their memory , we propose their examples to our imitation , we applaud their triumph , and do crown them with praise . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imitation , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praise , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 love , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 commemoration , were all the duties which the piety of the primitive christians pay'd to the saints . and if we do restrain our selves within the same bounds , we have for us the most authentick acts of antiquity as the . and . epistles of st. cyprian , wherein this blessed martyr speaks of the commemoration which the church made of martyrs ; and the . ch . of the book corona militis by tertullian , in which are mentioned the oblations which in those times were offered for the dead , especially for relations and friends : but chiefly we have on our side the declaration of the ancient church of smyrna concerning st. polycarp's body , related by eusebius , and in the acts of this blessed martyr printed byvsserius , and which are quoted by mr. de valois in his notes . it is a very memorable fact , and which happened about the year of our lord , and is as follows : the jews being unwilling that the christians should have the comfort of burying their polycarp , represented to the pagan magistrates , that if the christians were permitted to keep the body of that holy martyr , they would soon forsake their master to serve his disciple , not knowing , said the whole church of smyrna , that it is impossible we should leave christ who hath suffered for the redemption of all those who are saved through the whole world , and that we should pay a religious worship , or address our prayers to any other but him . for as to christ , we adore him as being the son of god , whereas we love the martyrs as the disciples and imitators of the lord. and certainly this is nothing but what is very just , considering the zeal and fervent love they had for their own king and master . god grant that we may so imitate their piety , that we may be partakers of their glory . which discourse of the church of smyrna , as it is our apology , so it is a condemnation of the worship which the romish church renders now a days to saints . and if the ancient church speaks thus of true martyrs , we may easily judge how it would have behaved it self towards false and supposititious ones , such as are the souldiers of the theb. legion . tenthly , father malbranche is without contradiction , one of the greatest wits of our age , did he not too much affect to be an original . his system concerning the worship of saints , and the way he takes to defend the practice of his church is as follows . first , he lays down for a foundation , that all our good things come from god , and that he is the only cause and dispenser of them . secondly , he saith , that when we receive from him any thing that is good , christ is the occasional cause thereof , god by an eternal law having decreed not to communicate any good to mankind , but at christ's desire and request . which tenet of his is set forth more largely both in his christian meditations , and his treatise of nature and grace . thirdly , he declares , that it is not in the power of the saints to impart any of these goods unto us , and that we ought not so much as to say , that they are the occasional causes of them , it being a privilege , that belongs to none but christ , as he is the mediator of the new covenant , and the high priest of things eternal . it is at the desire of christ , and not at those of the saints , that god by an eternal law hath bound himself to communicate his graces . fourthly , nevertheless he adds , that the saints do excite and incline the desires of christ toward us , in which chiefly he makes the force of their intercession to consist . fifthly , and lastly , he believes , that they have the power to heal sicknesses , and to bless with fertility our fields , because the order of the universe seems to require , that inferior things be made subject to the power of the superior beings . i know not how father malbranche , with all the sagacity and sharpness of his wit , can reconcile these principles of his both with the doctrine and practice of his church . for having established in the first , that god is the only dispenser of all good things , hence it follows , that the asking the saints for graces , which come only from the hand of god , is down-right idolatry . and when he saith , secondly , that god does not dispense his graces but at the desire of christ , who is established by him the mediatour of the new covenant , and the high-priest of things eternal , and that he alone can make intercession for us to his father in determining and contracting by his desires the general laws of god's mercy to some particular sinners , whom he hath more kindness for , we may easily conclude , that the imploring the mediation of saints , and asking them to pray directly and immediately to god for us , is a high injury offered to the priesthood of jesus christ . now as to his third tenet , viz. that the saints have not the power to convey to us those graces which we want , and that we ought not so much asto look upon them as the occasional causes of them , if this opinion of his be true , what will become of so many litanies and prayers set down in the popish breviaries , and in their prayer and mass-books , in which they ask the saints to cleanse them from all their sins , to preserve them from the sicknesses of the spirit , to inflame their hearts with the fire of charity , to deliver them from hell-fire , to open the gates of heaven to them , and to make them sit on thorns with the glorious company of the blessed above , &c. lastly , if according to malbranche's fourth and fifth principles all the good services , which the saints are able to do , are only to move and excite christ's desires towards us , and to give us ease in our afflictions , or afford us a good crop , he asserts these last tenets in so dubious a manner and so faintly ( though upon any other matter , he uses to be very vigorous and positive ) that it is an easy thing to discern that he himself is not very well convinced of it . 't is , saith he , the opinion of the church that the saints do know all our wants . we may pray to the saints , that they be pleased to stir up the desires and the charity of jesus christ . one saint perhaps is more in favour , and hath more access to christ upon his own holy-day than at another time , or than another saint . it may be also that they have the power of healing our sicknesses , or of procuring us a plentiful year . we see by these shy and uncertain expressions , how hard he is put to it to reconcile his opinions with the doctrine and practice of his church . for indeed there is a palpable incompatibility of his principles , with that religious worship which the romish church pays to the saints . and we need only to examin the principles , which he had already laid before , viz. that the church by praying to the father through the son , does acknowledge the son to be equal and of one substance with the father : for if he were not so , saith he , we could not call upon him . and likewise he had already said , that the father hath tyed his blessings and treasures to christ's desires , and that this is the reason why we ought to adore the father , and to call upon christ . but what he after adds deserves especially our consideration , namely , that these desires of christ are the desires of his human will , that his flesh is the principle of these desires , which make all the riches of the church and the sanctification of the elect : and that this is the reason why religion teaches us to address sometimes our prayers to the father , because if we never did invocate any but christ , by reason of those priviledges which god hath by an eternal decree adapted to his desire , to those human desires , he saith , which do proceed from the child of the blessed mary , we should be in danger of adhering to christ as he is a man , and of trusting in his flesh with the same kind of love and trust , which we owe only to the infinite and soveraign being . we may easily perceive that this way of reasoning is quite contrary to the doctrine of the roman church , and to that worship it renders to saints . the esteem indeed , which i have for great men is such , that i cannot forbear having also a kind of respect even for their odd fancies , and by-ways of writing , which made me take notice by the by of father malbranch● his system concerning the worshipping of saints , though i know in the bottom of it there is no more reality than in a shadow or dream . but after all , should we suppose his opinion to be not altogether groundless , who would venture to say , that supposititious saints , such as we have proved those of the theb. legion to be , can move and excite christs desires ? therefore the roman church ought to confess , that she hath erred in permitting and approving the worship which is paid to them . finis . some books printed for r. bently . books in folio . . beaumont's and fletcher's plays in one volume , containing . plays . . mr. william shakespear's plays in one volume . . towerson's works compleat in one volume . . dr. allestry's sermons in one volume . . dr. comber's works , the four parts in one volume . . the council of trent ; by father paolo . . toriano's italian dictionary . . mr. milton's paradice lost , with copper cuts finely engraven , to express the whole poem . . milton's paradice regain'd ; in the same volume , paper and print , to bind with it . . fodina regalis ; or , the history of the laws of mines . by sir john pettus . . bishop brownrig's sermons . books in quarto . . the burnt child dreads the fire . . a treatise of our sanguinary laws against papists . . dr. whitby's answer to s. cressy . . mr. nathanael lee's plays in one volume . . mr. thomas otway's plays in one volume . books in octavo . . dr. whitby , of idolatry . . dr. whitby , of host-worship . . the life of the marsh●l turenns . . the secret history of the house of medicis . . cronelius agrippa , of the vanity of arts and sciences . . mauger's french grammar . edit . . . lipsius , of constancy . . agiates , queen of sparta . . nicorotis . . plurality of worlds , translated by mr. glanvil . . boyle's art of poetry ; traslated by mr. soames . . poems and songs , by mr. cuts . . sir. james chamberlain's poems . . mr. coppinger's poems . . madam colonna's memoirs . . hudibras compleat , in three parts . . seneca's morals ; by sir roger l' estrange . . comber's companion to the altar . . godfrey of boloign ; a poem . . plato's apology of socrates . . natural history of the passions . books in duodecimo . . present state of england . . enter into thy closet . . moral essays , in four volumes . . a perfect school of instructions for the officers of the mouth . . a prospect of human misery . . vanity of honour , wealth and pleasure . . bishop andrew's devotions . . covent-garden drollery . . zelinda ; a romance . . happy slave . . hatige , or the king of tameran . . homais queen of tunis . . triumphs of love , . obliging mistress . . uufortunate hero. . countess of salisbury . . count teckely . . essex and elizabeth . . the pilgrim . . the empire betray'd , by whom , and how . . the character of love. . don henrick . . princess of fez. . marce christianissimus . . gallant ladies ; in two parts . . victorious lovers . . love in a nunnery . . duke of lorain . . minority of st. lewis . . queen of majorca . . count de soysons . . clytie . . dialogues of the dead ; in two parts . . neapolitan ; or , the defender of his mistress . . instructions for a young nobleman . . five love-letters from a nun to a cavalier . . five love-letters from the cavalier in answer to the nun's . . religio laici , in a letter to mr. dryden . . count gabalis . . the chast seraglion . . rules of civility . . the extravagant poet. . new disorders of love. . ottoman gallantry ; or , the life of the bassa of buda . the end. notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e val. flac ▪ arg. l. . phasidos . cla●dian . notes for div a -e ferrero . p. . notes for div a -e carolo hyacinto ferrero vita de' primi protettori , &c. pag. . ferrero pag. . tuttosi deve al sangue a' miracoli , alle preghie re de' nostri benignissimi protettori . ferrero pag . ferrero . pag. . difesero in un pericol● estremo il principe e la città dall ' arme et dall ' eresia de' calvinisti . il card. de rovere questi sono quei santi liquali , serenssimo principe vi hanno restituita intie●a questa fidelissima citta vestra , &c. cromerus de reb. pol. l. . bull greg. . ob eximiam devotionem quam erga eosdem sanctos dilectus filius emmanuel phil. dux sabaudiae , & universus civitatis taurinensis populus gerunt , &c. notes for div a -e crot. lib . c. . & cap. . , . edward fuller , the des . of christian . sect. . c. . pag. . dr. cave , primitive christ . part . c. . pag. . notes for div a -e vaillant praest . imp. numism . pag. . , . . vaill . pag. . pag. . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . council . . act . . tom. . pag. . ann. baron . tom. . an. . bellarm. de lib. arb . lib. . c. . notes for div a -e d●u noctuque hymn●rum , psalmorumque decantatio non desini● , quod jubente praeclaro sanctoque martyre beato sigismu●do rege institutum , usqu● bo●ie co●servatum est . dupin nov. bibl. tom. . pag ▪ . surius tom. ▪ . s●p ▪ martyr . rom . kal●n● . oct. pag. ● . bellarm. in catal. script . eccl. in euch. cave hist . li● . script . eccles . p. . in c●sario . hadr. vale●i●s notit . gall in heaunum . notes for div a -e tom. . council labbe and cossart . pag. . le cointe ann. eccles . an . ch . . num . . pag. . tom. . concil labbe . coss . pag. . de jam dicto monasterio quod vocatur agaunum , quod nunc domino adjuvante infra reg●um nostrum burgu●dionum construximus . infra ambitum basilicae quam clementia regis ad hoc opus ornare jussit . marsh . in propyl . ad mon ▪ ●ug . cantè intuendae sunt hujus●nodi chartae , quae fidem ha●ent e● minorem quo majorem prae se ferunt antiquitatem . papebrookin propylnum . . cha●tas sinceras & genuinas vix reperi●i . notes for div a -e 〈…〉 . ch . . diocl. . maxini . . p. . bibl. patrum apud aniss . lug ▪ dunt , an . . tom. . pag. . theod. ruin. act. prim . martyr . pag. . le cointe , an. . * theod. ruin. praef. in act. martyr . alii resecuerunt noilnulla , quae sibi in illis actis displicebant . ex iis etiam actis pleraque perierunt quibus alia postmodùm substituta fuere , sed quae ad istorum auctoritatem non pert ingunt nedùm ad priorum sinceritatem . lud. vives de trad. disc . lib. . melchior canus , loc. . c. . dolenter hoc dico multò severius a laertio vitas philosoph●rum scriptas , quam a christianis vitas sanctorum ; long●que incorruptius & integrius suetonius , &c. alix expostul ▪ de st. j. chrys . pag. . theoph. raynal . in ind. sanct. lugd. p. . cave ann. ch , . p. . quamplurimi eucherio juniori ascribunt , & rectè quidem . notes for div a -e erasm . bibl. patr. tom. . p. . nihil video profectum a nostrae religionis hominibus , qui eloquentiae quoque gloria floruerunt , quod cum hujus phrasi sit conferendum . andreas schottus in epistola aurea ad valerianum . * cicero in bruto . unus enim sonus est totius orationis , & idem stylus . du pin nova bibl. 〈◊〉 tom . pag. . at basil in . ●● . at rome in . baron . an . ch . . pag. . in . comm. in lib. reg. c●p . bibl pat● . tom . . p. . non gallus ho●o sed britannus . hieron . epi●t . ad pammach . deinde senator , ducenarius , biarchus , cirmicitor , eques , deinde tyre . glossar . du cang . tom . . p. . notes for div a -e lazius comin . rp r●m . lib. . c. . pag. ● . primicie●u primi erant & antesignani omnium . digni●atum quod in tabula cerata prime notarentur . suid●s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hera●lii . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . balusius nov . coll. concil . pag. . * st. august . serm. . † bodicus delonsis . arch. in hist . hieros . goltzius thes . rei antiquariae pag. . veget. lib. . cap. . sicut primicerius in officio praefectorum praetorioque ad honestum quaestuosumque militiae pervenit gradum . ammian . marcel . lib. . c. . inter quos valentinus ex primicerio protectorum tribunus . valesius pag. . caeterùm ex primicerio protectorum ad tribunatum prevenire mos erat . in excerptis de gestis constantini . constantius d. claudii opt . principis nepos ex fratre , protector primum , exin tribunus , postea praeses dalmatiarum fuit . matth. paris an . . sciscitabantur in exercitu quis foret primicerius . monasticon angl. tom. . pag. . gulielm . tyrius lib. . cap. . pracedebant autem ejus exercitum quasi legion●m primicerii , vexilla bajulantes ●iri nobiles & inclyti . tit. livius lib. . polyb. lib. . notes for div a -e aurifex . faber . see lock of hum. underst . con. carth. . can . . aug. ep. . ad publ. josue ch ▪ . ▪ lightfoot . de●cript . temp. hier. sect . . pag. . notes for div a -e cypr. de 〈◊〉 nam cum 〈◊〉 de 〈…〉 ●c . tillemont hist . des emp. . p. . ●om . pag. . council elib . can . . august . in breviar . colla● . di. . c. . notes for div a -e le cointe ann. franc. tom . . an. ch. . acta martyr . agaun . hi in auxiliu● maximiano ab orientis partibus acciti . * laziu● rcip . rom. lib. . comitabantur augustum in procinctum abcuntem . sex● . aurel . victor . eutr●p . lib. . * aurel. victor . quanquam semiagrestem , militiae tamen atque ingenio b●●um . mezeray hist . before clovis , &c. pag. . guido pa●cirol . notit . imper. cap. . fol. . notes for div a -e * le cointe an● . ch. . ●o●i●us part . . cap. . de rebus a const . gestis . * labbe chr. hist . part . an . ch . ● . pag. . duchesne hist . of the popes pag . notes for div a -e * henr. noris epochae syron . diss . . p. . valesius in notis ad cap. . lib. . balusius in notis lactantii riccioli chr. ref. lib. . cap. . * petitus . eccl. chron. ▪ aurel. victor quae irans alpes galliae sunt constantio sunt co●●m●ssae . brietus parall . veter ge●gr . & novae pag. . ant. pagi crit. hist . chr. p. . bosquet hist . eccl. lib. c. . dodwel diss . cypr. . * ver●m autem dei templu●● quod est in h●miri●●● i●colume serv●v●● . lactant de mort. p●rsec . lib. . matth. westm . pag. . theod. ruinart , in praef. contra dodwelum . baronius an . ch. . notes for div a -e petau de d●ctr . temp. lib. xi . cap. . balus . in notis ad lactant. * pagi an . . num ; . p. . pagi dissert . by● . cap. . num . . theod ▪ ruin. praf . in act. man. alii r●se●uerunt non nulla qua in illis act is displicebant . eutrop lib. . divisusque inter eos romanus orbis . oros. lib. primi imp. rom. in du●s partes determinaverant . eutrop. lib. . mamert . in gene●hli● su● finein . vt vero lucem ●en●ibus extu●istis , exi● de soluta res 〈◊〉 j●g●●er mar●nt . eus●b . lib. . cap. . and . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . an●h . pagi ad an . ch. . lactant. de mort. perse● . cap. . lactant. de morte persecut . cap. . e●●am milites cogi ad n●fanda sacrificia prae●ipit , ut qui non paruissent mili●ia solverentur . hactenus furor ejus & ir a processi● . hirtius lib. . ●e bello africano . * sulpitius sever. lib. . pag. . sed id inter persecu●i●nes um computatu● . ade● res 〈◊〉 nego●●● f●it quam ut ad ecclesiarum v●lnera perveniret . notes for div a -e mezeray hist . do france avant clovis liv . . pag. . gaud in the old gallick language , in low british goúer , & in high dutch wald signifie wood. sulpitius severus , lib. . pag. . * ac tum primum inter gallias martyria visa , seriùs trans alpés religione suscepta . pagl . . galliarum nomine antiquam narbonensem provinci●m minimè comprebendit . mez. hist . of france before clovis lib. . pag. . aegidius bucherius belg. rom. num . . pag. . bagaudas ad rebellionem tum ferè justam praepositorum suorum acerbitatibus & tyrannicis incitates . savl . lib. . de provinciâ inceperunt esse barbari quia non permittebantur esse romani . eumenius in paneg. de schol just . cuper notae in la. p. . h. noris diss . de num. dio. mammer . in paneg. pag. . cum militares habitus ignari agricolae app●tiverunt . cum arator peditem , cum pastor equitem , cum hostem barbarum suorum cultorum rusticus vastator institutus est . fauchet lib. . antiq . gall. scalig. in chro. pag. . aur. vict. excitamanu agrestium & latronum ▪ quos bagaudas incolae vocant . in bagauda id temporis mora delatur . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 em. tes . ●●isi . de torino lib. . pag. . ch●ogni 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ●●●ove et giur●sse la guerra ●on●ro a' christiani . * passio mart. ag. c●●a hi ●●ut c●teri militum ad per●r thendam christianorum multitudinem destin trentur , &c. mezer. etat de la religion dans les gaules liv . . pag. . le-conte an fr. tom . . p. . anonymum fabulatorem qui gesta regum francorum scripsit . oros . lib. cap. . tirlemont . p. ●om . . pag. . notes for div a -e ex eadem legione fuisse dicuntur etiam illi martyres , ursus & victor quos soloduro passos fama confirma● , &c. sur. rom . . . octo. bar. rom . . an . ch . . num . . mezeray hist . of france before clovis lib. . pag. . helin . carausius quidam nobilis eu. carausius qui vilissims natus , oros . carausius quidem genere infimus . baron . martyr . rom. pag. . ad . oct. sed verona perperam legitur loco bonae . baron . ubi horum sanctorum corpora requiescere accepimus . eutro . cum apud bononiam pertractum belgicae & armoricae pacandum mare accepisset , quod franci & saxones infestabant . helin . procurator constitutus erat provinciae quae est juxta oceanum , ubi franci jam secundo a sedibus expulsi juxta gallorum & saxonum consinia consederunt . baron . tom . . an . . n. . celebris temporum suorum scriptor , qui eadem omnia ex antiquioribus monumentis accepta brevi sermone contexuit . vn â sententiâ interfici omnes decrevit , &c. * sic interfecta est illa plane angelica legio . eutrop. lib. . post haec tempora etiam carausius qui vilissimè natus , purpuram sumpsit & britannias occupavit . orosius , loco citato , qui facile agrestium hominum imperit●m & confusam manum militari virtu●e compescuit . deinde carausius quidam genere insimus , &c. an. pagi an . . pag. . henri noris . diss . . de num. smpp . dio. & max. bagaudian aurelius victor . quo bello carausius menapiae civis , fact is promptioribus enituit eoque eum simul quiae gubernandi ( quo officio adolescentiam m●rcede exercueraet ) gnarus habebatur parandae classi , & prpulsandis germanis maria infestantibus praefecere . notes for div a -e martyr . rom. baron . dec . kal. oct. pag. . theodoret . de evang . vers . lib. . theodoret . dial. . p. . hieron . de script . ec. c. . genand . de script . eccles . cap. . cassiod . lect. div. cap. . gennad . cap. . mabillon mus . ital. tom. . p. . gennadio duce restitui possunt . ado martyr . . kal. . bris . mr. le prefident cousin dans son advertissementa . le histoire de eusebe . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . dupin . nov. bibl. ●om . . voss . de hist. lat. lib. . cap. . joannis launoij diss . de auth. arg. neg . p. . joann . bap. thiers exercit. 〈◊〉 . part . . greg. turon . lib. . hist . franc. cap. . & glor. miracul . cap. . venant . fortun. lib. . carm . . dupin nov. bibl. tom. . p. . psal . . col. . crantzius sax. . . valesiana pag. , menagij animad . in diog. la. pag. . baron . ann. ad an . . sect. . cumdoleamus ab eusebio praetermissa &c. saints de contrebande . it alludes to prohibited wares unlawfully and surreptitiously imported without paying custom , which are call'd in french marchandises de contrebande . notes for div a -e albasp . p. . fol imppar . bellarm. lib. . de chr. cap. . st. james cb . . v. . . thess . . vers . . deut. . vers . . acts of the french clergy of , a●●i . . tim. . . cor. c. . v. . heb. . . alexand. al. quaest . . num . . artic. . cor. . . the duke of rohan ▪ the bishop of tournay . perez de trad. part . . cons . . pag. . blondel in epist . pontif . pag. . athan. epist , ad adelph . . contr . arr. hilar. de trinit . lib. . & . bellarm. de bea● . sanct. lib. . c. . richlieu tract . conv●r . lib. . c. . bibl. patr gr. lat. . pag. . dicebatur olim annue nobis domine ut animae famuli tui leonis haec prosit oratio . ho●ie aurem dicitur ut interc●ssione beati leonis hac nobis prosit oratio . bibl. pp. ● . . rom . . p. . origen . contra cels . tir● ▪ . & . august . contra epis . . parm. lib. . cap. . aug. de civi● . dei. lib. . c. . iren. lib. . cap. . tertul. apol. cap. . & . theo ●o 〈◊〉 in cels . . . & ● . . euseb . lib. . cap. . malbranche moral . c. . pag. . missal p. . and . brev. p. . die . jan. die . octob. pag , &c. a table of the x. first persecutions of the primitiue time of tiberius, vnto constantinus emperour foxe, john, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a stc . estc s this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a table of the x. first persecutions of the primitiue time of tiberius, vnto constantinus emperour foxe, john, - . sheet ([ ] p.) : ill. a. i[slip,] f. k[ingston] and r. y[oung,], [london : ] imprint from stc ( nd ed.). kingston alone pr. this. page references in the text are to , e.g. st. peter is on p. ; ss. maturus and sanctus on p. . -- stc. o copy, reel , is incomplete; one folio only. reproduction of original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng martyrs -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - john pas sampled and proofread - john pas text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a table of the x. first persecutions of the primitiue time of tiberius , vnto constantinus emperour depiction of martyrs the christians cruelly throwne downe the mountaine● . . christians driuen by the mountaines . . . and so failing downe vpon sharpe stakes . the christians with swords thrust through . . their braines beaten out with ma●les . . the christians stoned to death . . . . the christians stabbed in with forkes . . . matur●s and sanctus fried in an iron chaire . . some burnt with their entrals torne out . . peter the apostle hanged vpon the crosse . . laurence laid vpon the gr●●yr●● by galienus , or decius . . the christians most cruelly thrust through , . this side is now rolled enough● turne vp , o tyrant great , &c. . depiction of angels and a man standing on a skull and crossbones ad hoc . ab hoc . per hoc . xlii. monethes . reuelat. xi . iii. yeeres and a halfe . iii. daies and a halfe . reuelat. xi . a time , times , and halfe a time . reuelat. xii . m.cc.lx. daies . reuelat. xii . the tying and loosing againe of satan . reuelat. xx . these persecutions in the primitiue church lasted two hundred ninety foure yeeres , counting from the the holy citie xlii . moneths . and againe in the xiii . chapter : and power was giuen to the beast to wherein is to be noted the error of them , which taking these xlii . moneths simply ( as the letter scripture , and so they make ccxciiii . yeeres : during the time of which yeeres , antichrist then the like vnderstanding also hath the iii. dayes and a halfe mentioned in the reuelation , chap. xi . and so whether ye count by months or by dayes , both waies it giueth a time , times , and halfe a in the reuelation , chap. . furthermore , where in the said reuelation of s. iohn , chap. . mention is made of m.cclx . dayes , it commeth likewise note moreouer , that after the time of these persecutions expired , s. iohn in the said booke of his reuelation , chap. xx . dome of the turkes first began vnder ottomannus , wasting and destroying then the churches of asia , and afterward of a new martyrology, or, the bloody assizes now exactly methodizing in one volume comprehending a compleat history of the lives, actions, trials, sufferings, dying speeches, letters, and prayers of all those eminent protestants who fell in the west of england and elsewhere from the year ... : with an alphabetical table ... / written by thomas pitts. tutchin, john, ?- . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing t estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a new martyrology, or, the bloody assizes now exactly methodizing in one volume comprehending a compleat history of the lives, actions, trials, sufferings, dying speeches, letters, and prayers of all those eminent protestants who fell in the west of england and elsewhere from the year ... : with an alphabetical table ... / written by thomas pitts. tutchin, john, ?- . the fourth edition v. in : ports. printed (according to the original copies) for john dunton, london : . "an impartial history of the life and death of george lord jeffreys" has separate t.p. and paging. reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng jeffreys, george jeffreys, -- baron, or - . bloody assizes, . martyrs -- great britain. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - mona logarbo sampled and proofread - mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a new martyrology : or , the bloody assizes : now exactly methodized in one volume . comprehending a compleat history of the lives , actions , trials , sufferings , dying speeches , letters , and prayers of all those eminent protestants , who fell in the west of england , and elsewhere , from the year , to this present time . with the pictures of the most eminent of them , in copper plates . to this treatise is added the life & death of george l. geffreys . the fourth edition . containing several speeches , letters , elegies , and new discoveries ( sent out of the west ) never printed before ; so that the whole work is now compleat . with an alphabetical table annext to it written by thomas pitts gent. london , printed ( according to the original copies ) for john danton at the raven in the poultrey . . to the memory of those worthy protestants who suffer'd in the west and elsewhere , from the year to . since that free agent who conducts the world , his wheels of providence has backward whirl'd , and by the turn men to their senses brings , to loath their idol-priests , and idol-kings , ( finding a popish promise proves all one , from an ignatian chair , and from a throne , ) since over-indulgent heaven has been so kind , to op'n our eyes by miracles , we find all men admiring they 've so long been blind ; surpriz'd they should so long their friends oppose , and with a credulous trust caress their foes . amidst the numerous wonders of the time , 't is no small wonder ( not to say a crime ) we reverence no more their memory , who for their countrey 's welfare dar'd to die ; whose quarter'd limbs imbru'd with native gore , still cry for vengeance on the western shore . why should we with ignoble triumph tread vpon the silent ashes of the dead ? and with insulting feet their dust profant , whose free-born souls sp●rn at a slavish chain ; souls ( not so sensless , so supine as ours ) that early saw the drift of romish powers , early disdain'd those yokes with generous scorn , which our more servile necks have tamely born ; that saw the hovering storm approach from far , threatning a thousand mischiefs ( worse than war ) and boldly rush'd upon th' impetuous waves , rather to die like men than live like slaves ; to save their native country bravely try'd fail'd in th' attempt , and then as bravely dy'd . in vain would envious clouds their fame obscure , which to eternal ages must endure . ●n vain do virulent tongues attempt to slain the solid glory noble patriots gain . if ill designs some to the battle drew , 't is i●pious to condemn all for a few : if fawning trayt●rs in their councils sate , 't is base 〈◊〉 , ●ather lament their fate : tho god ( or england's sins ) r●fus'd to bless their b●ave d●signs with the des●'d success : 't is an unequal b●utish argument always to judge the cause by the ●vent ; thus the unthinking giddy multitude a suffering jesus crimin●l conclude . well 't is enough heav'n now crowns with applause , and gives p●otection to that righteous cause ; nay , did ordain that spot to be the scene where the cause dy'd sor't to revive again . great nassau favour'd by the powers above ( their special c●re , an● their peculiar love , ) an atlas to our si●king state does prove : auspicious stars on all his councils smile . that breath vast blessings on our joyful isle . and now methinks their manes , who of late fell worthy martyrs of our bleeding state , r●proach us with ingratitude , and say , ' is nothing due unto our murther'd clay ? ' vnto our murther'd names is nothing due , ' who sacrific'd both lives and names for you ? ' does no tongue daign to move in the d●fence ' of wounded honour , and wrong'd inno●ence ? ' if th' all-wise god ( tho just ) don 't yet se● good ' with swift revenge t'appeas● our crying blood , 'save us at least from envy's darker grave , ' and let our fame a resu●rection have . great souls , too great for our inferiour pra●se ! you for your selves the noblest trophies raise ; your dying words your monoments become more bright , more lasting than a ma●ble tomb ; to future times your fame shall fre●hly bloom , and speak aloud t●ll it strike envy d●m'● . the introduction . nothing can be plainer to any man that is but moderately vers'd in history , than that upon any turn of affairs , whoever has won or lost , or whatever party is uppermost , the great enemy of mankind has some way or other advanced his own interest , and got some plausible argument for atheism or profaneness . and the reason of it is evident , for those who are in the highest stations , by a weakness incident to most , we might perhaps say , all of mankind , are apt immediately to conclude themselves the beloved of heaven , and that providence favours only them , as it did the jews , to the neglect , if not detriment of the rest of the world. but no sooner is the wheel turn'd ; and either by the inscrutable providence of god , or the wickedness of men , or their own male-administration of affairs , those who are uppermost thrown out of the helm , to make room for the next set of governours ; when those who ascend , take the same notions with their predecessors ; while such as are gotten under , with all whom interest , or guilt , or prejudice more closely united to the former administration , grow discontented and uneasie ; and if their designs and expectations are more and more frustrated , morose and melancholy ; the more devout among 'em will be sure to call whoever suffer in opposition to the established government , heroes and martyrs ; and be ever prophesying of some sudden turn , and visible appearance of heaven to confound their enemies . but the profane or hypocritical party , which we may without breach of charity suppose very large on all sides , very naturally run into the other extream : they 'll fly out into frets and passions ; and because god does not think fit to govern the world according to their minds , impotently pronounce , that there is no god at all , that religion 's a meer cheat , and heaven and hell but priest-craft and fable . but notwithstanding the difference in opinion , and all sides arrogating as much as possible to themselves , there are yet hardly any men to be found so senslesly sceptical , as to deny the differences of right and wrong , good and evil. that it hugely alters the case to consider , whether opposition has been made against a lawful , or unlawful power ; whether the means be legal or no , or the reasons sufficient to countervail all the mischiefs that may arise from such undertakings : whether such as do it have any right , or concern to warrant their actions ; whether for or against , in defence or opposition to the laws of nature and nations : vvhether those that suffer , meet with their misfortunes in the discharge of their duty , or opposing others in theirs . or if the quarrel be religion ; vvhether that religion on which it is grounded , be a false or a true one . and 't is from the examination of such particulars as these whence 't will appear , whether they are patriots or rebels , stubborn enthusiasts , or holy martyrs . now as oft as the iniquity of the times encourages vice , and depresses ▪ vertue ; raises those who are consent to be slaves themselves , so they may but make others so , and trample on others , while they are kick'd themselves ; while it industriously opposes the very sparks of ingenuity and liberty , and takes off as fast as possible , either by clandestine plots , or open cruelty , whoever dare be any braver , or better , or honester than their neighbo●rs ; while providence all the while seems to nod , and sit an unconcerned spectator of the ravage that 's made in the vvorld ; then there 's no little danger , lest even those who are truly , though weakly religious and virtuous , should yet be hurried away in the stream of sour and melancholy thoughts ; be tempted to think with the royal prophet , that all things were carried caeco impetu , that they have cleansed their heart in vain ; and be almost ready with him , to condemn the generation of the righteous . 't is a question whether ever any age in the vvorld gave more advantage and colour for these kind of thoughts than this last , wherein we have had the sad experience of debauchery and villany rampant and triumphant , and to all appearance , most prosperous and happy ; wherein 't was much more dangerous either to be distinguishingly vertuous , or to forsake villany , than to continue in one , and laugh at t'other ; when so many of the flower of our nobility and gentry , either lost their lives or estates , or liberties , or country ; whilst a crew of parasites triumphed and fluttered in their ruins . to see a russel die meanly and ignobly in the flower of his age ; an essex or a godfrey sacrified to the insatiable ambition and revenge of their enemies , who yet not content with their lives , would like the italian , stab on after death ; and tho' they could not reach their souls , endeavour to damn their memories . these , and too many other such melancholy instances would be ready to make a short-sighted man exclaim with hercules in the tragoedian , that vertue is but an empty name , or at least could only serve to make its owners more sensibly unhappy . but altho' such examples might a little work on a weaker vertue ; that which is more confirmed and solid can more easily resist it . 't is not impatient nor uneasie , but still beli●ves that heaven is awake , that the iron hands of justice will at length overtake the offenders , and by their destruction vindicate the honour and innocence of those whom they have ruin'd . it considers any riddles in providence as a curious piece of opticks , which , if judged of either before 't is finished , or by pi●ce-meal , here an eye , and there another distorted feature , appears not only unpleasing , but really dreadful ; which yet if viewed when 't is compleat , and taking all the features together , makes a figure sufficiently regular and lovely . vvho almost could have imagined , without some such reflections as these , that those brave men we have seen for some years past pick'd out , and cut off one after another with as much scandal and obloquy as cou'd be thrown upon 'em by the ungenerous malice of their enemies ; when the very attempt to clear their reputation has been made almost capital , and involved those who had courage enough to attempt it in little less mischief than what they themselves endured : that over these phoenixes should rise again , and flourish in their ashes ! that so many great pens should already have done some of 'em justice , and the vvorld as much to all the rest ! and with how much more joy , if'twere possible , would those heroes have received their crowns , could they have foreseen their deaths wou'd have tended so far to work up the nation to such a just resentment , as wou'd at last have so great an influence , as we ●●d it had , on our late glorious deliverance . but since we have yet no form'd history of all those who have suffer'd under the cruelty and injustice , not to use so harsh a word as tyranny , of late years ; since such a design may be of no little use , both to show what our former discords have cost us , and to vindicate the memories of the sufferers , as well from the malice of their enemies , as hasty kindn●ss of their friends : and besides , to leave posterity so many great examples of those who preferr'd their liberty and religion before all else that was dear in the vvorld ; and because they could not live free , dy'd so . for such reasons as these this vvork is undertaken , which , if it deserves the acceptance of the reader , no doubt will find it ; there being few good books written which have not been favourably received in the vvorld . if any be so weak to object , that the subjects of this history are ill match'd , some of 'em being of one communion , and some of another : it might be enough to send 'em to fox's martyrology for an answer ( tho' some few years since 't is granted this objection wou'd have look'd more dreadful ) wh●re they may find hooper and ridley differing in their opinions , but yet agreeing at the stake , and accordingly ranged by that great man in the same noble army . the kindness and gratitude of the courts of england and rome made no distinction between 'em ; nay , not so much as to eat either of them last , but as occasion served , took one or t'other . fas est ab hoste — and since they made no difference in their deaths , altho' they endeavour'd it as much as possible in their lives ; since there 's no doubt there 's none betwixt 'em now , but they all agree in heaven : i see no reason why any party should envy the other that glory , which for suffering in the same cause , they 〈◊〉 deserve . there has been formerly some discourse about town of a weak or malicious design a-foot , to publish an history of persecutions , and charge it on one particular party of protestants ▪ but as such a thing wou'd be most pernicious to the common cause , so god knows , if it should go round , it would be endless . this design is quite contrary , as ' its hoped its effects will be . 't is to lay the fault where it ought to be , and make those friends , who have been too long impos'd upon , almost to each others ruine . others may be offended with the title of martyrs and martyrdom , which so often occurs in the following papers ; both because some of those concerned were accused for plots against the government , and others were in actual arms. but 't is possible for a person at the same time to be a church and state martyr . naboth's accusation was for speaking blasphemous vvords against god and the king. the apostles of our saviour ▪ and the christians afterwards , were accused as those who turned the vvorld ▪ upside down , and enemies of the empire . these answers , 't is own'd , may be accommodated to any party , being general things ; but in the body of the discourse we hope to fix 'em , and to prove in particular of the persons mention'd , that they deserv'd that great name , both on account of the cause , and their dying so unjustly , many ways , from ●he perjury of their accusers , or the inequality of their judges , or corruption of juries ; and that really because they would not yield themselves , but made a vigorous opposition against popery and slavery . for the vvestern martyrs , we intend a distinct account of 'em at the beginning of those transactions . one thing more ●●at may choak such as have a mind to quarrel , is the 〈◊〉 faults , and in some , or at least one instance , vicious habits , and ill life of those whom we give that high character . but if little failures if heats and weaknesses were any valuable objection against the worth or honesty of a person , 't would be impossible to make any tolerable defence even for many of those great men , who were the happy instruments of our reformation : tho it may seen an excuse dull and common , yet there 's none who does not find it nec●ssary on his own account ; that allowances are to be made for the best of men. cranmer and the rest of our reformers , as the learned dr. burnet observes in his letter to mr. thevenot : tho' we piously believe 'em saints and martyrs , yet never pretended to be infallible : they were men , and so were these , tho' they suffer'd for the same causes , and almost in the same manner . for such as liv'd ill , if there is more than one instance , this certainly will be sufficient , that they dy'd well , and gave all the tokens of a hearty repentance for their not having liv'd up to so good a profession . let us then do 'em justice now they are dead , who so nobly defended the cause of our holy religion while they were living , and at last so freely and joyfully at their death , seal'd it with their dearest blood. if in any accounts met with here , some persons shou'd find some particular words or phrases not so usual with 'em , let 'em not be so weak or unjust to condemn them as cant or nonsense . what reason is there why every man should not express himself in that way which likes him best , and with which he has been more acquainted ? and what matters it , if i 'm discours'd to in yorkshire , or london dialect , so i talk with an honest man , and our sentiments agree , tho' our words may a little differ ? especially , when as before was remark'd , all of 'em suffer'd for the same caus● ▪ and with this considerable circumstance , that the first , and some of the last victims of popish cruelty , were entirely agreeable in their judgments , as to the manners and merits of their death . sir edmondbury godfrey , who begins the rubrick , having notoriously declared , some days before his death , that he believed in his conscience he should be the first martyr : and some of those who went last to glory , as will appear below , mentioning this as one of their greatest comforts , that they should , in after ages , be enrolled among the rest of the protestant martyrs . advertisement . to make the book pleasant as well as profitable , there are inserted some poems and elegies made by an ingenious person , who was particularly acquainted with many of those who are the subjects of ' em . an emblem of our late martyrs . sr. ed : bury godfrey portrait i. duke of monmouth : portrait the earle of argile portrait arth : earle of essex : portrait wm. ld. russell . portrait collonell sydney . portrait alderman cornish portrait mr. wm hewling . portrait mr. wm. ienkins . portrait the lady lisle : portrait m rs . gaunt . portrait sr. tho : armstrong portrait these all dyed in faith heb : . a new martyrology : or , the bloody assizes , &c. sir edmond-bury godfrey . had the person who wrote that scandalous libel upon sir e. b. g. which he calls the mystery of his death , but always confin'd himself to as much truth and reason as we meet with in the very first lines of his preface to it , he might have gone both through the world , and out of it with more reputation than now he is like to do — [ there will ( saith he ) be a time when truth shall be believed , and the witnesses of it justified . ] but notwithstanding all his boasted sagacity in winding alterations at such a distance , we may safely affirm , that when he writ that sentence , he little thought 't would ever have been apply'd in this manner — that truth would come to life again after all the care he had taken to stifle it , and the highest judicatures in the nation in one day remove all the black dirt which so many years he had been throwing on its witnesses , and in so publick and authentick a manner justifie 'em again . 't was in the heat of those mischiefs and miseries which all thinking men cou'd long before easily foresee wou'd be the consequences of such notions as he broached , and were too greedily swallow'd , that he publish'd the book before mentioned , at such at time when he knew 't was in one sense unanswerable , wherein he pretends both to confound all the evidence given in before the parliament , and publick courts of justice for sir edmond's being murthered with papists ; and over and above — that he was a self-murtherer — no better than a second running him through with his own sword after his death . 't is some plausible insinuations he has there heapt together which will make it necessary to be a little larger on him than those who came after ; especially since he led the way both to the sufferings of the protestants , and malice of their enemies . sir edmond-bury godfrey was born of a good family ; his relations are sufficiently known , and as justly respected in the city of london : but 't is not the intention of this piece to write the lives , but the deaths of those who are the subjects of it ; at least no more of one than is requisite for describing the other . — the occasion of his knighthood is reported to be the good service he did in giving directions for quenching a fire which happend some years past at st. james's ; which honour the then duke of york obtain'd for him , having been under a great consternation at the apprehension of the danger . this very probably might be the beginning of his so great intimacy with the papists , which sir roger so often hints in his history , and which afterwards cost him so dearly . he was a person of known vertues — for the instances of his secret charity the world is oblig'd to that reverend and learned person who preach'd his funeral sermon . for his piety and integrity , even his worst enemy here gives us several instances thereof ; that particularly , when after those prophetick bodings of his approaching martyrdom , he took care to settle all things , and adjust accompts exactly , and even in parish matters to right such as he thought had formerly been injur'd . lastly , how vigilant and careful he was in the execution of that office the law had intrusted him with , his death , as well as his life may testifie — one thing cannot , without great injury to his memory , be omitted — 't is his extraordinary conduct and courage in the time of the plague in this city , whence he never stir'd all the while it rag'd so dreadfully ; but reliev'd the poor , and fed them daily with his own hands : nor did he neglect justice while he was exercising mercy , but to the amazement , and almost terrour of the beholders , pursu'd a malefactor , who had taken sanctuary in a pesthouse , thinking none wou'd be so desperate as to follow him , and with his own hands fetch'd him thence , when the other officers dar'd not venture after him . 't was either his acquaintance among the papists , before intimated , and hence his being consequently better known by those who were of that party , or his industry and indefatigable care in the discharge of his office , or both , to which we may rationally attribute the addressing of the first discovery of the popish plot to him , rather than any other . the clearest method for the description of his martyrdom , will be first to enquire into the occasion of it and then the manner , circumstances , and authors ; and lastly the several endeavours have been used to clear the papists of that indelible guilt which sticks upon 'em from so horrid a villany . for the occasion of his martyrdom , what was said in the summing up the evidence concerning him , but modestly and on supposition only , we may yet venture to affirm positively — this protestant magistrate was certainly murder'd — because he was a pro●estant . but the particular and special reasons were these following : . he had taken examinations about the popish plot , and those not only ( as the attorny general said in the trial of the assassines ) perhaps , but undoubtedly more than are now extant . mr. oates addressed himself to him with his depositions — he had taken them , and enquired something closely into the design , as his manner was in any thing which belong'd to his office. this the papists very well knew , and therefore found it convenient to be rid of a troublesome busie man , who now he was engaged in the business , was likely to pierce to the bottom on 't — and he being once out of the way , the evidence might very easily have been dispos'd of to their satisfaction but here those , whose interest 't is to get clear of such a charge , object very pertly — what need , or what advantage in taking off a justice , when the same things were deposed in other places ? . the second reason or occasion for this murder will easily answer that objection . they not only bore him malice for what he had already done in oates's case , and might probably be ignorant of those secret passages transacted before king and council in relation to oates's depositions , — but were sensible of a deeper reason than all this , and which brought them into more danger than the other . see it in the lord stafford's trial , p. . and . mr. dugdale had received a letter the very night on which this gentleman was martyr'd ( of which more anon ) with these words in 't — [ this night sir e.b.g. is dispatch'd . ] — this came from the papists to ewers a popish priest at my lord aston's , who after he had read it communicated the good news to mr. dugdale , telling him one of their enemies was taken out of the way . — he being desirous to know how things went , ask'd what was the reason they took away his life ? ewers tells him — there was a message sent to mr. coleman , when in newgate , to desire him that he wou'd not reveal any thing of the plot ; which message came from the duke of york . — to which coleman replyed — what was he the nearer — for he had been so foolish as to reveal all to sir e.b.g. already ? but upon the examination of oates before sir e.b.g. he was afraid he would come in as evidence against him , having shewn himself eager in the business . — to which the duke of york sent word again , — if he wou'd take care not to reveal , but conceal it , sir e.b.g. shou'd not come in against him . — and the next news was — that he was dispatch'd . now this effectually takes off the former cavil ; — and this s●r roger cou'd not but be sensible of ; and concluding so unanswerably against wh●t he built so much upon , e'ne lets it fairly drop . and mentions not a syllable of it in all his book — which evidence of mr. dugdales is beyond contradiction confirm'd by several hints unluckily given in sir roger 's own depositions — pa. . where mr. wynnel deposes sir e. told him — coleman wou'd dye — and mention'd consults about a toleration — adding further — that he was master of a dangerous secret that wou'd be fatal to him . — hence nothing can be plainer to any reasonable man , than that sir edmond was acquainted with mr. coleman as well as dr. oates , and knew even the minute circumstances in those letters which afterwards were brought against him and stood in fear of his life for that very reason , as for the same he afterwards lost it . for the manner of his death , those who were accomplices therein shou'd best know it ; and the objections against their evidence the reader may find clear'd , if he 'll take the pains to look a little lower — after the poor gentleman had several days been dog'd by the papists , as dr. oates , mr. prance , and mr. bedlow unanimously swear , and which he as good as acknowledged to mr. robinson , as appears on the trial of his murtherers , they at last accomplish'd their wicked design on saturday , octob. . . and under a pretence of a quarrel , which they knew his care for the publick peace wou'd oblige him to prevent , about nine at night , as he was going home , got him into the water-gate at somerset-house . when he was thus trapan'd in , and got out of hearing from the street , toward the lower end of the yard , green , one of the assassines , threw a twisted handkerchief round his neck , and drew him behind the rails , — which , notwithstanding his age and weakness , are objected against its probability ; taking him thus at a surprize , and in the dark , 't was easie for him to do , especially three or four more of 'em immediately falling in to assist him , there they throtled him ; and lest that shou'd not be enough , punch'd and kickt him on the breast , as sufficiently appear'd when his body was found , by the marks upon it ; and lest he shou'd not be yet dead enough , another of 'em , girald , or , as i find him called in other places , fitz-girald , wou'd have run him through , but was hindered by the rest , lest the blood shou'd have discover'd 'em : but green , to make sure work , wrung his neck round , as 't was found afterwards on the inspection of the surgeons . for the disposal of the body , they all carried it up into a little chamber of hills , another of the murtherers , who had been , or was dr. godwin's man , where it lay till monday night , when they remov'd it into another room , and thence back again 'till wednesday , when they carried him out in a sedan about twelve a clock , and afterwards upon a horse , with hill behind him , to support him , till they got to primrose-hill , or as some say 't is call'd , green-bury-hill , near a publick house , call'd the white house , and there threw him into a ditch , with his gloves and cane on the bank near him , and his own sword run through him , on purpose to perswade the world he had kill'd himself . very politickly making choice of a place to lay him where they might both think he wou'd be sometime conceal'd , and near where he had been seen walking the same day , if the affidavits to this purpose in sir r's book may be reposed upon . all this mr. prance swe●rs upon the trial of his murtherers , with whom he acknowledges he had several consults before at the plow alehouse , and other places , concerning it . whose evidence is confirm'd , not only by innumerable other circumstances , but mr. bedlow's confession , who was to have been present at the action , had not remorse of conscience hinder'd him , having been engag'd by the conspirators for a great reward , and was afterwards to have a considerable part of it for carrying off the body , which he swears he saw in the very room whither prance says 't was remov'd on the monday night . — but even here too he fail'd 'em — so 't was done without his assistance in the manner before described . and very sure , no doubt , the great plotters thought they had now made their business : for we are not to fancy these little villains attempted such an action of their own impulse ; the great spring we had before in dugdales story of coleman , from whence those large sums must proceed which bedlow mentions . now , i say , they thought the business was as sure as the jews had made the sepulchre — having seal'd all the mouths of the parties concern'd , with oaths and sacraments , solemnities commonly abus'd by their party to the foulest villanies . — but neither that , nor the darkness of the night , nor the distance of places , cou'd hinder the divine justice from looking through and discovering the villains concern'd , and bringing 'em to punishments worthy their wickedness — the manner thus , — his body being found by some who accidentally walk'd that way , and generally suspected from his former discourses , and many probabilities ; that he was murder'd by the papists , the king issued out a proclamation with a promise of indempnity and l. reward to any who wou'd discover it . on this mr. bedlow writ a letter to the secretary from the country , concerning his knowledge of something considerable in that matter ; and being sent for up to town , reveal'd whate're he knew of the business . and a little after , prance being accidentally seiz'd by a constable , and then in the house of lords lobby , was known by mr. bedlow , having seen his face on that monday night , when at the same time they saw the body ; — who on examination discover'd also what his share was in the murther : and tho' he afterwards denied it , for fear of losing his trade , and such other motives , as he himself confest , yet in a quarter of an hour he returned again to his first evidence . but the most difficult task will be what yet remains — the clearing those objections , and some of 'em plausible ones , and which have led away too many well-meaning men , against the truth of this recited evidence ; as well as some insinuations spread abroad , and made the most of to perswade the world this worthy gentleman was guilty of his own death . but here it can't be expected that a private person , who has not the advantages of sir roger , to have warrants from two k's and all persons and papers before him relating to that business , and who had wit great , and honesty little enough to pick out , and leave in what was for his turn ; that such an one shou'd be able to go through so many hundred pages as his book consists of , and answer every particular therein . 't will be satisfaction enough to any rational man , to touch some of the plots and fetches made use of from one time to another to wash the blackamoor white , and clear the papists from this villany : to answer the main objections against the evidence , and bring some corroborating circumstances for the truth on 't . and lastly , to shew sir edmond cou'd not murther himself in that place and manner as is pretended . the first of the methods they used to sham off this murther , was by early reports they spread about , even before his body was found , that he had kill'd himself . now this sir roger himself can scarce have brow enough to affirm was done by the brothers to save the estate ; since 't was a very odd way certainly to do that , by letting the world openly know that he was a self-murtherer . that such reports were spread we shall by and by prove , and that from sir roger 's own book , without the trouble of consulting the paper-office , — and who got by 't , who shou'd do 't , whose interest was 't to do 't but the papists , altho' the particular authors may be unknown ? among the many evidences of his death being known at so many distant places before 't was publick here , there are two come up exactly to the matter in hand . the first — which was recited by the reverend dean of bangor , now bishop of st. asaph , in his funeral sermon , and which it seems he had of one mr. angus — who the same day sir edmond was found about five a clock on primrose-hill , being in mr. chiswell's shop in st. paul's church-yard about one or two , there was a person unknown to him past by , and clapping him on the shoulder , ask'd him [ if he heard the news that sir e.b.g. was found dead , with his own sword run through him . ] the second is of mr. goldsborough , clerk of the house of commons , who being in a barber's shop on tuesday morning , while he was missing , a person came in open-mouth'd [ that sir e. b. g. was found ; ] and being ask'd where , reply'd , [ he had kill'd himself upon primrose-hill ; ] where , upon thursday following in the evening the body was indeed discover'd . the second considerable attempt made the same way , was by one magrath an irishman , the famous celiers , who foretold both the prince of wales , and a great many more after him ; the jesuits in newgate , and others , who pretended to prove sir e. b. g. hang'd himself , and his clerk moor cut him down — but being examin'd at the council-board , it prov'd only a malicious and false contrivance . 't will be very well worth the while , to remark that mrs. mary gibbons was one of the persons deeply engaged in this design among so much other good company ; and that mrs. mary gibbons is one of the main evidences sir roger makes use of in his book . — tho' this sham was then so thin laid , and this person so well known , that even farewell and pain were asham'd to make use of either in their letters to prance on this subject , but protest very solemnly , that none of those , neither celiers , the newgate priests , nor mrs. mary gibbons , or other papists , or popishly affected , knew any thing of the matter , but were all strangers to it . when this contrivance was found out by all the world to be as very a sham as celiers being with child in newgate , or some body else in another place , yet was not the indefatigable zeal of that party discouraged ; but mr. farewell , a person intrusted in managing the estates and lands of the jesuits ; and pain , brother to the famous pain who wrote st. coleman's elegy , set a new project on foot to the same purpose in some letters sent to prance , and printed by n. thomson ; which indeed , if we look close into 'em , will appear to be sir roger in little , there being the self same expressions in one as the t'other , and his mystery seeming to be hardly more than their letters spread a little thinner . — the blood gubling out of the wound , — bedlow and prances east and west contradictions , — the wax dropt on his clothes after he was found , and several other things the self same in both of ' em . and i remember , at that very time 't was shrewdly suspected and rumour'd about town ▪ that the same person lay behind the curtain , and thrust their cats-feet into the fire , who has since appear'd publickly in prosecution of the same cause . before their trial they reckon'd their witnesses by the hundred , pretending to make his self-murther as clear as the sun. when they came to it , and had all the fair play imaginable , pain 's heart fail'd him , and he pleaded guilty . — farewell made so poor a defence , and the matter was so clearly prov'd against 'em , that farewell and thomson were both fined by the court ▪ and sentenced to stand in the pillory , with this inscription over them , [ for libelling the justice of the nation , by makin● the world believe that sir e.b.g. murther'd himself . ] where how abundantly they were honour'd by the spectators , all who know any thing of the story can't but remember . thus it lay for some time , and no person was so hardy to make any farther attempts that way while there was any possibility of having justice against 'em : but when the sheriffs , juries , nay king and all were chang'd ; when that past which poor oates and all the world have cause to remember ; when , if prance wou'd not unconfess , he knew he must tread the same dolorous way that oates had gone before him , and had now done all that cou'd be desired ; then sir roger took up the cudgels , and publish'd his book , call'd , [ the mystery of sir e. b.g 's death unfolded ; ] or , which wou'd have been a fitter title , [ the second edition with additions of farewell and pain 's letters . ] the main of what he advances there , will be answer'd in clearing , as was propos'd , the objections against the evidence relating to that matter . if the ill character of the persons who gave it , be urg'd to invalidate their testimony , as this does not reach all of 'em , so it has been often answer'd — who but such were fit for such villanies ? if their seeming disagreement in some part of their evidence , what greater argument that 't was no combination ? if prance retracted — we are told by sir roger himself , that he was a white-liver'd man , and so might be frighted out of truth as well as into it . and indeed , on that very reason 't was long before suspected , that if he shou'd ever be bore hard upon , he wou'd not be able to stand it . [ but the papists wou'd never kill him , because he had obliged'em ] — as if gratitude were a popish vertue , or charity , any more than faith were to be kept with hereticks : those that think so , let 'em look back , and see if the last reign be enough to convince ' em . it may be urg'd on , here are several testimonies in the trial of the murtherers , and since , that invalidate the evidence there given , — warner and his wife and maid about green — that he was at home all that evening when he was accused for committing it . — ' twou'd be enough to oppose to this their confession to captain richardson — that they cou'd do him no good . — but besides this , mr. justice dolbin's observation on the trial clears it effectually — they swore to the saturday fortnight after michaelmas day , which was , says the justice , the th of octob. not the th . on which the murther was committed . — if broadstreet and others testifie they were in the room where the body was laid , and hills wife so rubs up her memory , that after so many years she remembers what she cou'd not upon his trial — that she , and he , and their child lay in the room all that very time when the body was said to be there — ' twou'd not be a shift , but an answer — that they were papists that swore it , who can swear any thing . but besides , broadstreet acknowledged before the duke of monmouth , that hill was gone from his lodgings before this time , as was prov'd on the trial. mrs. tilden says , there was but one key to their door . mrs. broadstreet at the same time , with what she own'd about hill , that there were six or seven — contradictions in others , we see , as well as the king's evidence ; and these being much homer , and more irreconcileable than theirs , must of necessity destroy the belief of what else they testifie . but the home thrust is — [ the centinels saw no sedan carried out — ] this the printed trial easily sets right . the centinels were trollop and wright . trollop staid till ten , and saw a sedan go in , but none out again : wright till one , but saw none go out . it must be in trollops time , being , as prance says , about twelve . — the centinels being then at bury's lodge , smoking and drinking . trollop says on the trial , he was never at the lodge , but so does not wright , as any one may see by consulting it , he being never ask'd the question . 't will give a great light into this deed of darkness in the next place , to consider several circumstantial evidences , which wou'd , of themselves , go very far to prove that sir e. b. g. was murther'd by the papists , and that in the very place and manner which has been already described . the first of these from sir edmond's own mouth , which has been already hinted , but shall here be farther clear'd . 't was indeed so notorious , that sir e. g.b had boding thoughts , and a sort of a prophetical intimation of his death , and that by the papists ; and discours'd of so publickly and generally , that sir roger cou'd not deny all the matter of fact , but endeavours to avoid the force on 't ; when he says , as is witnessed by several — [ on my conscience i shall be the first martyr — ] this he interprets — [ i doubt i shan't live long . ] — sure , though he says in one place , the man was no fool ; yet he must be supposed to be no better , any more than all the readers , if neither he nor they made any difference between being hang'd and martyr'd . but the very reason of this ●nterpretation was for what sir r. dearly loved — that he might have opportunity for a reflection on the parliament — he fear'd , says he , that the parliament wou'd call him to account , and that nothing wou'd satisfie 'em but his life for not discovering it sooner . — in opposition to this , any impartial man need but consider what follows . esquire robinson , on the trial of the murderers , witnesses that he had a discourse with sir edmond a little while before his death about the plot then newly talkt on — says robinson — i wish the depth of the matter be found out . — sir e. answers , — i 'm afraid it is not . — vpon any conscience i believe i shall be the first martyr . — he acknowledged he had taken several examinations about it , but thought he shou'd have little thanks for his pains . the esquire askt him — are you afraid ? [ no , said he , i do not fear 'em , if they come fairly ; and i shan't part with my life tamely . ] well , sir roger , is all this the parliament ? was he afraid the parliament wou'd send a party to dog him , and set upon him ? and that he did not fear the parliament , but if they came fairly , would not part with his life tamely ? — no ; any man that has but half an eye , unless that too blinded with prejudice , may see the meaning on 't ; and that he apprehended danger onely from the papists , against whom he had taken several examinations . the next is of john wilson the sadler , who swears , sir edmond talking with one mr. harris , then told this informant , [ that he was in danger for what he acted for the discovering of the late plot against his majesty . ] see how ingeniously this is answer'd — [ his apprehension was from the parliament , not the papists ; and for concealing , not discovering the plot. ] these very words sir roger has in his book , pag. . now whether this is not a direct statuimus , i. e. abrogamus , what sir edmond calls discovering , for sir r. who knows his mind better , now he 's dead , than he himself did while alive , to tell us he means concealing , which is quite contrary — and how fair a way of answer 't is , let any of his best friends be judges . twou'd be tedious to bring any more , when this does effectually as to his own judgment . only 't is remarkable , that these very things are sworn upon the trial by mr. oates , — that sir e. b. g. had told him — [ he had received affronts from great persons for being so zealous in the business — that he had been threatned — that he went in fear of his life from the popish party ; and that he had been dog'd several days , — but fear'd 'em not if they came fairly to work . ] for other evidences of his murther by the papists , that which indeed made the greatest noise , was , his death being heard of so far off , and in so many different places , before 't was known in london . this sir roger tells us , was on purpose spread by the brothers to throw it on the papists : but here 's this in opposition : dugdale , against whom he makes no objection , but allows his evidence ; makes oath in my lord stafford's trial , and other places , that this news was brought to one ewers a priest , in a letter which he shew'd him , dated the very night 't was done , — which had these words in 't — [ this very night sir e. b. g. is dispatch'd . ] now i 'd fain ask — had these brothers correspondence with the priest ? wou'd they use such a word as that [ dispatch'd ? — ] did they write to ewers too , and bid him tell dugdale , that this sir e b.g. was a busie man , and fit to be taken out of the way ? — as dugdale swears he did . — cou'd dugdale conspire with oates so long before they knew one another ; and while he was himself a prisoner in staffordshire ; and were all those perjur'd who witness that mr. dugdale did report this before it cou'd be known by any but the very conspirators ? that 't was done in that very place , at somerset-house , providence has left strange confirmation . the first is — bury the porter's refusing to admit any persons into the gates about that time , the th , th , th of october . nay , that he had deny'd the prince himself admittance , ( prince rupert i suppose it must be ) and pretended orders for so doing . but these orders he never produc'd . — and more like a true papist , deny'd matter of fact when charg'd with it ; and tho' he had acknowledg'd to the council he had never such orders before , when sir thomas stringer came to witness it , positively deny'd it . two more ve●y remarkable affidavits there are , which give mighty strength to all the former : one of spence ( captain spence he 's call'd in some copies ) and the other of john okeley . spence was a tall , black man , much like sir e. b. g. as was witnessed by those who knew him ; to all which sir r. only answers — he has been told otherwise . this spence passing by the same water-gate at somerset-house about seven at night , two days before sir edmond's murther , was drag'd in thither , being seiz'd by five or six men — but one of 'em , when they had him in , cry'd out — this is not he — on which they immediately let him go . — here 's a plain evidence of their intentions , and a confirmation of what bedlow , oates , and prance sware of sir e's being dog'd so long before . — all that 's answer'd to 't is , — that there was a suit of law depending between this spence and mrs. broadstreet — and therefore forsooth , he must forswear himself , and wilfully damn his soul only for a circumstantial evidence and reflection on hill himself three or four years after he was hang'd , and so on his master dr. godden , and thence again on mrs. broadstreet ; and all this when it had no influence at all on the suit of law , or them who su'd him . — but enough of this — let 's now take notice of the next — 't is one john okeley , who that very night , octob. . going by somerset-house , at the water-gate about nine a clock , saw there sir e. b. g. whom he knew very well , living in the same lane with him — he past close by him , pull'd off his hat to him , as sir e.b.g. did to him again ; — when past him , he turn'd about and look'd on him . and this he told to several persons , which witness the same . — to this , the main of what sir r. objects is , — 't was dark , and how shou'd he know him ? certainly , any one that knows london can't be ignorant that we have lights in the streets at nine at night : and 't was morally impossible that one who knew him so well , who look'd upon him , who put off his hat to him , as he to him again , and who after all this look'd back upon him — that such a one shou'd be mistaken in the person . the last thing to be prov'd is — that sir e.b.g. did not , and cou'd not murder himself in that place , as is pretended by his enemies . he was first missing on saturday , and therefore according to their account , his body must have been in the place where 't was found till that thur●day night . but had it been there on tuesday or wednesday , the pack of hounds which hunted there , both of those days , must have found him . sir roger tells us . — they might have been on t'other side of the ditch , or beat the place carelesly without finding it . but mr. faucet's deposition is , — that he beat that very place — which sure he was capable of knowing , having been himself there to see it after the body was found . he repeats it , and says twice , — 't was in that very place . and harwood says as much , who hunted the day after . — one circumstance there is , which makes this evidence yet more conclusive . 't was depos'd in the trial of farewell , and several other places , that the body stunk extreamly when 't was found , which was but the next day after . now i 'd ask any unprejudic'd man , whether was so much as possible that this very place shou'd be beat two days after one another , and the hounds not scent the body , even tho' the hunters might perhaps over-see it ? but besides this , there was yet a narrower search made on another occasion in that same field . the story is told in a paper , call'd , an account of the murther , publish'd by thompson himself , who , with another printer , was present , and avouch'd the matter of fact on their own knowledge . 't is this — that while the body lay at the white-house , and the jury were about it , one of the jury-men themselves declar'd , — that a servant of his mother , a butcher , and two boys , made a very strict and narrow search in all parts of the ground for a calf that was lost there , and this both on munday and tuesday — and at that time there lay no dead body , belt , gloves , or any thing else there . — but were all these too on the wrong side of the hedge ? or where did they look for this calf ? in the middle of the field , or in the ditches and hedges ? where 't was impossible they cou'd have mist of the body , had it been there . there 's one great objection which sir roger makes very much of in this matter — tho' not quite so strong now as 't was some years since ; and that is — there was no popish plot at all , therefore no popish murther , — which he expresses in his own peculiar merry-andrew way — they hang both upon the same string , and whoever overthrows the one , trips up the heels of the other . nor indeed is he singular in his opinion , as to a great part of it — for my lord chief justice pemberton says , on the trial of farewell i think 't was , — if they cou'd have made it out that he had killd himself , all of them wou'd have cried out , the popish plot was a sham raised by the protestants against the papists , and all the plot must have gone for nothing . — but now to retort the objection — if there was a popish plot , 't is a terrible argument that there was too a popish murther . but that there was one , we must be forc'd to believe , till we find these things , among many others , answer'd . . coleman's letters — and that expression — the extirpation of this northern heresie . . the letter produc'd in harcourt's trial , wherein the very consult of april . is mention'd , — and a design then on foot among 'em , which they were to manage with all imaginable secrecy . . the positive oaths of so many men . some of 'em of a fair character and blameless conversation ; others no more able to invent such a plot than their enemies to disprove it . . the endeavours of the papists to assassinate , disgrace , buy off , or any way divert the evidence against 'em ; which they were not such fools to do for nothing . . the behaviour of the witnesses ever since . one of 'em testifying at his death , after the sacrament : another by his life , their malice reaching to his barbarous murther . a third with his blood , and so much as wou'd have perhaps cost any two or three other men their lives , to the truth of their depositions . and lastly , what transactions we have felt and seen since the late king came to his throne , till his departure , are no great evidence that all that plot was a forgery . from these things 't is plain there was a popish plot : from these , and what went before , that this was a popish murther . there needs no exaggeration of the fact , nor tragical exclamations . 't was as foul as hell cou'd make it , and perhaps we have not yet seen the full revenge that heaven intends for those who were concerned in it ; tho' 't is after so long a time miraculously begun , and will in due time be accomplish'd . two anagrams there were made on this brave gentleman , which for the peculiar luckiness of 'em , it may not be ungrateful to the reader , to have 'em inserted . sir edmvndbvry godfrey . anag . i find murder'd by rogues . another ; by rome's rude finger die ! having thus vindicated the memory of this great person ▪ without any mean expectation , either of applause or reward , who was the first martyr for our holy protestant religion ; we shall address what has been written on this subject , not only to posterity , as sir roger very wisely does , where he shall never hear his fault , but to all the sober unprejudic'd men of the present age , and so dismiss it , and go on to the rest for whom he only made way , after we have presented you with one of the best pieces of wit that the age has yielded on sir edmond's death . 't is a part of that ingenious poem , call'd bacchanalia , or , the drunken club. well primrose ! may our godfrey's name on thee like hyacinth inscribed be ! on thee his memory flourish still , sweet as thy flower , and lasting as thy hill. whilst blushing somerset , to her eternal shame , shall this inscription wear ; " the devil's an ass , for jesuits on this spot " broke both the neck of godfrey , and the plot. mr. arnold . but though the providence of god was pleas'd , no doubt for wise reasons , to suffer this last worthy person to fall a victim to the malice and cruelty of our popish enemies ; tho' there was perhaps a sort of a sad necessity — that this one man shou'd die , to alarm a stupid nation , and rouze 'em from that careless believing temper which since that has gone so fair towards their ruine ; and tho' 't was to cost england more and nobler blood , before its entire deliverance ; yet the government of the world is not so absolutely given up to the disposal of him who is call'd the prince of it , as that in every attempt , villany should be triumphant , and vertue miserable . however kindly 't was meant , the stroke here was not home enough , and mr. arnold prov'd only a confessor , tho' they intended him a martyr . one wou'd have thought their ill success in taking off one justice of peace , shou'd have cool'd their fury a little , and hinder 'em from venturing upon another . — but this 't is when men list themselves of a religion where they must be given up to the salleys and transports of a blind zeal , and refuse the conduct either of their senses or reason . mr. arnold had been a vigorous prosecutor of the priests and jesuits which sculkt about in his own county of wales . this was a crime not to be forgiven , nor any ways attoned by less than his destruction . in order to which he was assaulted by several villains , fit for such a business , in a little dark lane near the temple , as he was passing through it pretty late in the evening ; and had no doubt dispatch'd him ; and either found some way to make the world believe he had done it himself , as they wou'd have done in the former instance , or started some other sham to have remov'd the odium from their own party . but the gentleman , having had apprehension of some such accident , made better use of it than sir edmond before him ; and having luckily a sute of private armour on , receiv'd several stabs the villains gave him , upon that , and so sav'd his life . but they finding their attempts that way unsuccessful , were resolv'd to take another course with him , and having got him down , with some desperate weapon or other fit for the purpose , made several trials to cut his throat , and gave him some dangerous wounds about that part ; which while he was strugling with them to preserve , a boy providentially goes by with a light , which their deeds of darkness not being able to endure , they all ran away , and left mr. arnold weltering in his blood , who yet , by god's providence , recover●d again , and liv'd to see justice done to one of the villains that used him in that barbarous manner : his name was giles , and was discover'd by a wound in his leg , which one of his accomplices ran through in the scuffle , as he was making a stab at mr. arnold . he was try'd for the action , found guilty of it , and sentenced to stand in the pillory for the same , which was accordingly executed , with a liberal contribution over and above from the enraged rabble , who sufficiently made up for the gentleness of his sentence , though as severe a one as our mild laws could inflict upon such offenders . mr. colledge . no body can doubt but that 't was now very much the interest of the papists to get off , if possible , that foul imputation of a plot which stuck so deep upon 'em ; which had been confirm'd by sir edmond's murther , coleman's never to be forgotten letters , arnold's assassination , and a great deal of collateral evidence , which fell in unexpectedly , many of those who gave it being utterly unacquainted with the first discoverers . after several unfortunate attempts they had made to this purpose ; after the living had perjur'd themselves , and the dying done worse , to support their desperate cause ; after attempts to blast and ruine some of the evidence , and buy off others of 'em , in both which , publick justice took notice of , and punish'd 'em : being of a religion that sticks at no villany to serve an interest , and certainly the most indefatigable and firm people in the world when they set about any design , especially where diana is concern'd , not being yet discouraged , they resolv'd to venture upon one project more , which prov'd but too successful , to the loss of the bravest and best blood in the kingdom ; and that was to brand all those who were the steddiest patriots , and so their greatest enemies , of what rank soever they were , with the odious character of persons disaffected to the government , or , in the old language , enemies to caesar : they pretended to perswade the world , that after all this great noise of a popish plot , 't was onely a presbyterian one lay at the bottom : this they had endeavour'd in the meal-tub intrigue , the names of most of the worthy persons in england being cull'd out to be sworn into it : but this miscarrying ( like the mother on 't , mrs. celiers miscarriage in newgate ) they had by this time taken breath , form'd new designs , and procur'd new witnesses which might do business more effectually , and , tho' they cou'd not write nor spell their names , and so were not very well skill'd in book-learning , yet at buke-blawing they were admirable ; by which character you may easily guess they were irish-men . nor did they want fools to believe , any more than knaves to manage this design ; by their continued unwearied contrivances a great many easie , and some well-meaning people having by this time been wrought upon to believe almost as implicitly as they themselves , whatever the priests wou'd have ' em . one thing , whatever happen'd , they were pretty sure of , that whether this plot were believed , or no , they shou'd carry on their intrigue by it : if 't was , they had what they wish'd : if it shou'd be discover'd , 't wou'd yet confound and amuse peoples minds , and make 'em so sick of plot upon plot , that it might make 'em almost stagger in their belief of the other . they had besides all this , a strong party at court to favour their enterprizes . the king was the duke's , and the duke — all the world know who 's ▪ t was necessary to flesh their blood-hounds by degrees , to bring people on by little and little ▪ to attempt some of inferiour rank for a beginning ▪ and not split the cause for want of good management . and who so fit as poor colledge to be the first victim of their perjury and malice ; by whose death , besides being rid of a troublesom fellow , and breaking the ice to make room for those to follow ; they might also expect this advantage , that the middle sort of people wou'd be discourag'd in their just hatred of popery and papists , and prosecution of the laws against them . 't was by such methods as these that mr. colledge began to signalize himself in the vvorld . being a man of courage , industry , and sharpness , he made it much of his business to serve his country , as far as possible , in searching after priests and jesuits , and hunting those vermin out of their lurking holes , in which he was very serviceable and successful , and for which , no doubt , they did not fail to remember him . the first time we meet with him in publick , is , i think , in stafford's trial , where he 's brought in for mr. dugdale , as a collateral evidence . but by that time the vvind was a little upon turning , and the tide of popular aversion not quite so strong against popery , being by the cunning of our common enemy diverted into little streams , and private factions ; and arbitrary power driving on , as the best way to prosecute the designs of rome ; to which the city of london in a particular manner made a vigorous resistance ; which displeasing the grand agitators , no wonder they endeavour'd , as much as possible , to do it a mischief ; their kindness to it having been sufficiently experienced in . and even since , in order to which , the k. was pleas'd , by the advice of his ghostly brother , to alter the common and almost constant course of parliaments , and call one at oxford instead of london . many of the members whereof , and especiall● those of london were apprehensive of some design upon 'em there , having formerly in the gun-powder treason , and ever since , sufficiently found the love of the papists to protestant parliaments , and knowing very well what they were to expect from their kindness , if they shou'd be attempted upon by 'em , and found defenceless . and more ground of suspicion they had , because , as colledge protests in his speech , there had been affidavits judiciously made of a form'd design against 'em , being besides remov'd away from the city of london , which had always so much of the english blood in 't , as heartily to love parliaments , and for that reason wou'd have ventur'd all for their defence . from these , and such like reasons 't was , that several of the parliament men went accompanied with some of their friends , well arm'd and accoutred , to oxford , of which number this mr. colledge was one , he waiting on my lord clare , paget , and huntington to oxford ; where the parliament , foreseeing what has since happen'd , wou'd have gone on where they left off in former sessions , which , causing great heats , every body knows how abruptly they were dissolv'd not long after their meeting . 't was now grown the entertainment of every coffee-house , and the subject of every buffoons pamphlet to expose and vilifie parliaments as much as possible , and the very name of it was now grown as odious to some men , as that of protestant . mr. colledge had , besides all his other forementioned crimes , been , as he declares in his speech , a great honourer of that august assembly , and had been in former sessions engaged by ●●me of the honourable members to search the places adjoyning the parliament-house , lest there should be a new gun-powder-treason hatching for 'em ; from whence , as he says himself , he believes he got that popular name of protestant joyner . all these reasons together were more than enough to get him taken out of the way ; and for the performance thereof , heins , macnamarra , and one or two of the apostate evidence of the popish plot , informed against him . nor is it a wonder that after so many attempts , some of those men should be prevail'd with to prove false ; but rather , that under so many temptations , any of 'em resisted ▪ or were not sooner villains . these persons swore such mad things against him , of taking whitehall , and pulling the king out of it , and such other odd wild stories , that partly from the improbability of the matter , and partly from the ill character of the persons who witness'd it , the jury here in london refus'd to find the bill , but return'd it ignoramus . on which , contrary to all justice , and president , and law , and common reason , which forbids a man should be twice in danger of his life for the same offence ; the business was remov'd to oxford , where how little civility or common justice he met with in his tryal , was then notorious to all the world : a person being check'd , for giving him but assistance and notes in the way of his calling , to make his defence , when his life was engaged : yet tho' even those notes were deny'd him : none that heard the tryal , or so much as read it , but must grant , that he made a very extraordinary defence , and much more than could have been expected from a man of more learning . but he might have spared all his labour ; the business was no doubt on 't resolv'd upon before , and he was found guilty , sentenc'd and executed according to order . to look back once more , and enquire a little deeper into the very original of the matter : that there was a design laid to bring in most of the worthy patriots of england into a sham-plot under the odious , scare-crow name of presbyterians , not only the meal-tub-attempt , and several other of the same batch , makes sufficiently appear ; but the late essay of fitz-harris above all the rest , was enough to satisfie the most prejudiced persons . he had conspired with some others to write a scandalous libel against the king , which was to be laid on such as they 'd call presbyterians , and this to be sent to their houses , or conveyed into their pockets , and there to be seiz'd , and the persons prosecuted thereupon . this business the oxford parliament had before 'em , and began to smell out who set it on foot ; and being resolv'd to find the bottom on 't , lest he should be hang'd up on the sudden to prevent his confession , ( he now beginning to melt a little ) as hubert , who fir'd london formerly was , they impeached him , to keep the examination of that matter to themselves . 't is too long to run over the proceedings against him , and the court-parties subtle contrivance , to hang , draw , and quarter him , and so to hinder effectually his telling any more tales . 't is sufficient to observe , that this design was prosecuted for several years after , and poor colledge was to bear the first brunt on 't , as has been already declared . if we reflect y●t further on the manner of his tryal , and not look on to any others , one wou'd be apt to think 't was impossible a man could be destroyed with more injustice and barbarity than he was , or that twelve men who look like christians , could be found out , who would hang a man upon such evidence as was given against him . when a criminal shall be kept a close prisoner in the tower , without having sufficient means to make his defence , till he come to his trial : when , as has been said , he shall be rifled of his notes , by which he could only save his life , on which he depended , and that just before he came to his tryal ; though assisted therein by that very council assigned by the court for him : when he shall in vain demand 'em again , and call heaven and earth to witness , that he 's meerly cheated of his life for want of 'em : when all his redress is such a frivolous excuse , as not only a judge , but any honest man would be asham'd to make use of — nay , such a sort of a one as is commonly made before the judges , but seldom by 'em — that 't was somebody else did it — that the court , the chief-justice , had 'em not , nor did take 'em from him ; when the very person stood by who rob'd him of 'em ; and yet he could have no reparation : when the kings council must whisper the chief-justice on the bench , and the court must be adjourned , on purpose to examine into those minutes which the poor man had got together to save his life , and even from them get an opportunity to take it away , altering the manner of their prosecution , strengthning and bolstering their evidence where they found it weak or contradictory : when all the evidence against him , were not only such as an honest london jury wou'd not believe , though a country one , directed by the kings council , could make a shift to do it ; but were every one of 'em who witness'd any thing material , confounded by such home evidence , as if any thing in the world could do it , did certainly invalidate and annul their testimonies : when one of them swears horridly , he cared not what he swore , nor whom he swore against , for 't was his trade to get money by swearing . — that the parliament were a company of rogues for not giving the king money , but he would help him to money out of the fanaticks estates , which is explained by what smith says , — that if the parliament would not give the king money , but stood on the bill of exclusion , 't was pretence enough to swear a design to seize the king at oxford . when this same heins very pleasantly says , 't was a judgment upon the king and the people , and the irish-men's swearing against 'em was justly fallen on 'em , for outing the irish of their estates . when others of 'em swear , that since the citizens deserted 'em , they would not starve ; that they would have colledge's blood ; that tho they had gone against their consciences , 't was because they had been persuaded to 't , and could get no mony else ; and when they had said before t●ey believed colledge had no more hand in any conspiracy against his majesty , than the child unborn ; when they would have hired others to swear more into the same plot ; when the bench was so just and kind counsel for the prisoner , as to tell the jury , the kings witnesses were on their oaths , the prisoners not , and so one to be credited before the other ; in which case 't is impossible for any man living to make a defence against a perjur'd villain . lastly , when the prisoner himself very weightily objected — ●hat there was no proof of any persons being concern'd with him in the design of seizing the king , and 't was wisely answer'd , — that he might be so vain to design it alone — a thousand times more romantic improbability than an army 's lying conceal'd at knightsbridge , and of the same stamp with draweansirs killing all on both sides . taking all these things together , hardly ever was a man at this rate banter'd out of his life before any judicature in the world , in any place or age that history hath left us . nor ought the great service he did to the nation in general to be ever forgotten ; since notwithstanding all the disadvantages he was under , the publick stream running so violently against him and his witnesses , and the surprize which such strange treatment , when he was on his life , might cast him into , he yet made so strong a defence , by shewing what sort of witnesses were brought against him , hindring them ever after from being believ'd , and thereby certainly saved many anothers life , tho he could not his own . nor can the undaunted courage , and firm honesty of the man be hardly ever enough admired . since besides what he shewed in his defence , after he was condemned , as he himself said , as good as without a tryal , he boldly ask'd , when he was to be executed ? without any the least seeming concern . and tho he had time considerable before his execution to consider on 't , refus'd to save his life so meanly , as to make other innocent men's the price of his own ; without which design they had hardly been so kind to have given him so long a reprieve . as for his behaviour at his execution : ' twa● such as convinc'd more than a few of his greatest enemies , and made 'em entertain a much better opinion of him than before . from his last speech we shall remark several passages as another argument for his innocency . but before we proceed any further in 'em , 't will be needful to fix one assertion , which we may presume few modest unprejudiced persons , will deny , and which we shall have occasion to make further use of . — 't is , — that a protestant , who believes an heaven and hell , and is not a man of no principles , or debauch'd and atheistical , would go out of the world , into the presence of that god who must judge him , with a lie in his mouth . — this none will deny , but those who have a very great kindness for the papists ; and yet of all men in the world , such as these must not offer to do it , — since 't was the very argument they made use of for the innocence of the jesuits , and other traytors . tho' on that side we know there are unanswerable arguments not to believe them ; their religion recommending pe●jury , and all sorts of villanies to 'em as meritorious , when holy church is concerned . their church besides allowing 'em dispensations before , and absolution after , and purgatory at the worst , whence a few masses would fetch them out again . — things being thus , what can any man of modesty say to mr. colledges protestations over and over , both in prison , and at his death , that he was perfectly innocent of what he dy'd for ? [ i did deny it then , ( says he , that is , before the council ) and do deny it upon my death : i never was in any manner of plot in my days ; nor if i had had any such design as these have sworn against me , i take god to witness , as i am a dying man , and on the terms of my salvation , i know not one man upon the face of the earth which would have stood by me . ] and lower , [ i knew not of any part of what they swore against me , till i heard it sworn at the bar. ] again , [ all the arms we had was for our defence , in case the papists should have made any attempt by way of massacre , &c. god is my witness this is all i know . ] and in his solemn prayer , and some of his almost very last words — [ 't is thee , o god , i trust in . — i disown all dispensations , and will not go out of the world with a lie in my mouth . ] — and just after to the people , [ from the sincerity of my heart , i declare again , that these are the very sentiments of my soul , as god shall have mercy upon me . ] now upon the whole i 'd ask any sober man , what he would answer to this , and how he can forbear , without the greatest violation to all principles of good nature and ingenuity to pronounce this person innocent ? thus dy'd mr. colledge , whose blood as he himself desir'd it might , sufficiently spoke the justice o● his cause ▪ who seem'd in his speech to have some prophetick intimations , that his blood would not be the last , as indeed it was not , but rather a praelude to that which follow'd , the edge of the laws being now turn'd against all those who dar'd defend it . he has one daughter yet living , whose gratitude and generosity to those who were kind to her under the misfortunes of her family , is at present the wonder and entertainment of the cou●t of england , and whose brave soul speaks her the true child of such a father . for his character . how great and undaunted his courage was , both his tryal and death testifie . he was very vigorous and earnest , almost to a fault , in his undertakings . but certainly there are so few who err on that hand , that we may without flattery account this his warm zeal for his country , if it did a little exceed , a happy as well as a very pardonable error . he was extraordinary ingenious in his own trade , and imployed amongst great persons for his dexterity therein . he had an entire love for the city of l●ndo● , and stood up for its honour and priviledges as highly as any man living . he ha● a soul so very great and generous , that many who knew him well , have said , considering his education , they wondred how he came by it . he was a man of very good sound sense , considerably more than those of his rank generally have , which he had much improved in his latter time by conversation with persons of honour and quality . in fine , he liv'd sufficiently belov'd by those who knew , and did not fear him ; and dy'd lamented by his friends , and admired and esteemed by his very enemies . some time after his death his picture was sold about town , which as i remember very much displeased the observator . under it were these lines engraven , by irish oaths , and wrested laws i fell , a prey to rome , a sacrifice to hell. my guilty blood for speedy vengeance cries , hear , hear and help , for earth my suit denies . part of a poem written by mr. stephen colledge , a while before he was sent to oxford , where he suffered death , aug. . . what if i am into a prison cast , by hellish combinations am betray'd ? my soul is free , although my body's fast : let them repent that have this evil laid , and of eternal vengeance be afraid ; though racks and gibbers can my body kill , my god is with me , and i fear no ill . what boots the clamours of the giddy throng ? what antidote 's against a poysonous breath ? what fence is there against a lying tongue , sharpen'd by hell to wound a man to death ? snakes , vipers , adders do lurk underneath : say what you will , or never speak at all , our very prayers such wretches treason call . but walls and bars cannot a prison make , the free-born soul enjoys its liberty ; these clods of earth it may incaptivate , whilst heavenly minds are conversant on high , ranging the fields of blest eternity : so let this bird sing sweetly in my breast , my conscience clear , a rush for all the rest . and sure of this the world 's so well aware , that here 't is needless more for me to say , i must conclude , no time have i to spare , my winged hours do flie too fast away , m● ( work ) repentance must i not delay , i 'll add my prayers to god for england's good ; and if he please will seal them with my blood. arthur earl of essex . that party , and those persons who were engag'd to manage the designs before-mention'd , were now entred on the most compendious way of introducing what they desir'd , as well as avoiding what their own consciences , and all the world knew they deserv'd . having those in their own hands who had the executive part of the government in theirs ; and finding no doubt a sort of malicious pleasure , as well as advantage , in destroying people by those laws which were made to preserve 'em ; a villany to be compared with nothing but the treason of that monster of a priest , who gave the emperour poison in the blessed sacrament : having wrought up the nation , and all parties therein to a high ferment , making one side mad for slavery , as if they had all been at constantinople as well as their sheriff , and learnt the doctrine of the bow-string ; some of 'em treated , others cajoled , others frightned , and some few reason'd into the belief of absolute authority in kings , and obedience active as well as what is call'd passive , to be paid to all their commands . some honest , several learned , more witty men joyning in with all their power to advance the transactions at that time on the wheel . and on the other side , exasperating that party who were more tenacious of their liberties , as much as possible against the constitution which they saw so horridly abused both in church and state , perswading 'em all the clergy were for making 'em slaves ▪ and themselves and the court great to ride upon 'em ; whereas really it was only a party , tho' too large , who made more noise , tho' they had neither more sense nor number than those who differ'd from 'em ; and by this means rendring many of the trading part of the nation especially , so dissatisfied with 'em , and eager against 'em , that they began to think they had reason to fear as bad effects thereof as they had experienced in the last age , and so sided more closely with that party whence they expected protection . when things were in this posture , and a great many persons either taken off from their natural love to a lawful liberty , which is so much of the very nature of an english-man ; the managers of the great intrigue which was to accomplish our ruine , resolv'd after they had begun with colledge , to rise higher , and flie at nobler game , and take off all those whom they cou'd not win over , or against whom interest or revenge had more keenly engag'd 'em , and who were most likely to make the most vigorous opposition against their attempts . but finding the london juries unmoveably honest , and no way to accomplish their designs on these persons , while their witnesses wou'd not be believ'd , and no way to get juries fit for their turn , but by having sheriffs of the same stamp ; and finding the party they had gotten , after all their tricks , which many of those who then knew , are now ashamed of , visibly and fairly out-numbred by those who were not yet ripe for slavery , they bethought themselves of one way to rid themselves of that inconveniency — which was by a quo warranto against the city of london , that they might more effectually and with less noise have what sheriffs they pleas'd ; or in effect , hang whomever they thought their enemies , and not be forc'd almost to blush at those visible and sensible illegalities with which they had forc'd those officers upon the city . this they had accomplish'd in the year . when judgment was given against the charter of london , whose liberties had been confirm'd to 'em by william the conquer●r , and deliver'd down before from immemorial ages , and this by two judges only in westminster-hall , tho' the greatest cause , one may venture to say , that ever was legally try'd therein . now by this time they had , after so many former fruitless endeavours , brought something of a plot to bear ; and with this advantage above all their former , that there was really something in 't , altho' , as bays says in another case , that truth , which was notoriously blended with lies and perjuries . the occasion of it , we may best meet with in holloway's most ingenuous acknowledgment ; [ by arbitrary and ●llegal ways , and force of arms , they had got sheriffs to their mind , — witnesses they had before , but wanted jurors to believe them ▪ n●w they have got sheriffs who will find jurors to believe any evidence against a protestant , and so hang up all the king's friends by degrees . — none being suffered to come near the king but those who have been declared enemies to the king and kingdom , who to save themselves , do endeavour to keep all things from the king's knowledge , and perswade him against parliaments , &c. ] thus much for the occasion . the design seems to be the same with what was intended at first , by many of those great and eminent persons , both clergy and laity , in their late appearance in arms ; tho' by the providence of god , for the security of the nation , and reason of state , it has since been carried farther than theirs was ever to have been . [ seeing fair means , says holloway , would not do , but all things on the protestants side misrepresented to the king by such great criminals , and none more in favour than those , — to take the king from his evil council , and that ( as the late wonderful turn was transacted , and as 't is impossible to be otherwise in business of so large a concern , by a general insurrection in several parts of england at ones . ] all those who have had any share in the present transactions , which are upon the matter all the nation , have shewn themselves plainly of the same mind with those who were engaged in this , on which the dispute runs , as to t●e reason of the thing , and the principles on which they proceeded — and their only difference is about matter of fact , whether things were then at that heighth as to need desperate remedies . if it be objected , that such attempts are only glossy pretences , vali'd under the specious name of the publick good. — the answer is as ready as the objection , is there any difference between reason and no reason , truth and falshood ? there is a right , and a wrong , — and if ever liberties were invaded , and the ends of government vacated and annulled , never were the foundations of such a design plainer than on this occasion — so that 't was indeed , what was of it , a counter-plot , rather than a plot against the government and laws of england , and that when no other remedy could without a miracle be expected . that this was the heighth and utmost of the then design , and that no brave good man need to be asham'd on 't , i think all , or most men are by this time pretty well satisfied . but alas ! this would not serve the turn of the managers — even this might not , nor perhaps could not be , as certainly 't was not fairly prov'd against several , who suffered for it . this was a thing so necessary and defensible , that there was occasion of laying fouler colours upon 't , to fright and amuse the world , and let 'em stand by patiently , and see their best and bravest patriots sink , with much such prudence and wisdom as the sheep in the fable suffer'd those bloody mastiffs to be destroy'd , who so often broke the peace between them and the harmless wolves ; and were afterwards in their turns handsomly worried , and justly eaten up for their reward . 't was convenient to make somewhat more of it — there must be an assassination grafted on this insurrection , or else all would not be worth — an halter : 't was the business and interest of the popish party to render their enemies odious as possible to the people , of whom for their steddy zeal and love to their religion and liberties they had long been the darlings . to accomplish this , 't was very necessary to get some persons to insinuate into their counsels , to inflame things higher , to make black and odious proposals of assassinations , and murders , and such bloody villanies as alarm the good-nature of an english-man with the very mentioning of ' em . — which yet some of the honester and wiser looking upon as mad hot words only , or , if any more intended , having it in their power to prevent such wickedness another way , would not yet turn informers , nor ruin those persons , who in all probability were only trapans to ruin them . in all the papers relating to this matter , we shall find all discourses of this nature center'd in west and rumsey . west was very much for the lopping business — for killing 'em in their calling — and was full and eager of it . tho' walcot , holloway , and all whoever heard it propos'd , receiv'd it still with the greatest detestation imaginable , as a most base and bloody action , which they never wou'd have their own hands imbru'd in , nor their posterity stain'd with . that all the great persons , of birth and honour , were absolutely against any so foul an action , and abhorr'd it from their souls , we may find , even without the forc'd confession of their worst enemies , by the lord russel's concern when such a thing was mutter'd , and the duke of monmouth's answer , — god so — kill the king , i will never suffer it . the account we have of it , is from him who shou'd best know , and that 's west , who in his discourse with holloway on this occasion , tells him of the new-market and rye-house design — that the king and duke were to be kill'd as they came by , for which they had provided arms for fifty men — and were promis'd rumbald's house , which lay in the road. when ask'd , vvho was to act it — who were to fire these arms for fifty men — pistols , carbines , and blunderbusses ? he cou'd name but two men , rumbald and his brother ; who certainly must have been very dexterous to have discharg'd all those dreadful businesses themselves without assistance , and is much such a likely story as colledges being so vain to attempt seizing the king by himself , without any assistance . but if even these two brothers , who very likely were pickt out by the evidence for the king-killers , meerly for their hard names , the very sound of which wou'd be as shrew'd an argument of their guilt to vvomen and children , and with as much justice , as some of the odd names of the poor people in the vvest were made , at least a strong presumption against 'em , and almost as mortal as an innuendo . ●f even these two were innocent of this horrid business , who were the onely persons ingaged therein , pray , vvhat then becomes of the assassination ? and won't rumbald's blunderbuss hear laughing at full as well as ●ickering's carbine or screw-gun , and chaw'd bul●ets . but if there be any thing solid in that observation in colledge's case , that a christian , and a protestant won't forswear himself when he 's just going out of the world ; if this fair supposition may but be granted me , as i see not how it can be avoided , the matter will be clear enough ; rumbald himself in his speech at his execution in scotland absolutely disclaiming and denying any hand in any such design . see his speech ▪ and answer to his indictment — [ he desired all present to believe the words of a dying man — as for having design'd the king's death , he never directly , nor indirectly , intended such a villany ; that he abhorr'd the very thoughts on 't ; and that he blessed god he had that reputation in the vvorld , that he knew none had the impudence to ask him the question , and he detested the thoughts of the action , and hoped all good people wou'd believe him , which was the onely way he had to clear himself ; and he was sure that this truth shou'd one day be manifest to all men. ] so at his execution — [ i think it necessary to clear my self of some aspersions laid on my name ; and first , that i shou'd have had so horrid an intention of destroying the king and his brother . ] vvhere he repeated what he had said to the jury on the same subject . the sum is , — if any assassination , it must have been by the rumbalds : if not by them , as has been proved , then not at all . if no assassination in this plot , then nothing is left of malignity in it , but a lawful and laudable opposition to the breach and ruine of our good laws and government ; and even that , as will be proved , not proved against most of those that by the iniquity of the times , suffer'd for the same . we have been forced to give this fair and impartial scheme or idea of that design which was at that time represented so formidable and dreadful , before we could handsomly proceed to the death of this noble lord , or those others that followed him ; and that as well from the order of the history , as for his vindication . and as has been remark'd , 't was necessary for that party who manag'd our ruine , that the forementioned business of the assassination should be believed , and nothing like a real one actually performed , to gain credit to a feigned one onely pretended : for what could be a greater argument that there was some black wickedness at the bottom , some sin of an extraordinary stain , like the murder of princes , bearing too hard on his conscience , could possibly induce so great a man to so unchristian an attempt on his own person ? hence they might , and no doubt did argue — hence the very rabble may easily reason — certainly there was more in it than onely just consultations , and necessary measures taken for the publick safety by the peers of the realm — by the king and kingdoms best friends , to deliver his majesty from those familiars that haunted him . there was more than this , and this lord was conscious of it , or else certainly he had never acted what he has . now this would effectually excite that aversion which must necessarily follow from all honest men to a party who could be guilty of such horrid designs . this must of necessity , as in effect it did , sway much with those juries who were to sit upon the lives of any accused or concerned in the same business , had there not been more weighty reasons to be produced below towards the finding 'em guilty . altho 't is certain , by their own confession , the best excuse they could make for innocent blood , particularly in russel's case , was that confirmation they had to the evidence sworn against ' em ' by essex's murder . besides , there might be a barbarous kind of a pleasure , in opening this plot with a scene so like that which began the popish one ; and that in all probability , by the same actors whose hands were deep in the others . there was a gentleman kill'd , which contributed very much towards the credit of that plot , tho in another way . here must be one to undergo the same fate for the same reason . and both of 'em too pretendedly to kill themselves — just one as much as another . these preliminaries being cleared , 't will be now time to come to the person of this noble lord , his family , and former manner of life . every one knows he was of the illustrious family of the capels , whose father dy'd for a family , whence he deserved better treatment for his sake , and had received it , had he not fallen into the hands of popish gratitude and mercy ; which his enemies knowing too well , and doubting the sweetness of temper which all the world ever acknowledged in king charles the second would not give him over to their publick revenge , in all probability , resolved to take a shorter course with him . he had been some years before in the highest place under the king in ireland , and there behaved himself with that wisdom and candor , inseparable from all the actions of his life — and lived above blame , though not above envy : being recalled thence unexpectedly , and dealt with not very handsomly ; which yet he bore with a spirit like a brave man , and a christian. my lord of essex was a person , whom , 't was no doubt the highest interest of the popish faction to have gotten out of the way , even tho' there had been no such extraordinary reason as has been mentioned . he had large interest , a plentiful estate , a great deal of courage , understood the world , and the principles and practices of the papists as well as any man , having been of several secret committees in the examination of the plot , on which very reason there was as much necessity for his dying as sir e. b. godfrey's . he was besides all this , they very well knew , of inflexible honesty , and so true a greatness of mind , they could no more expect to gain him , than heaven it self to be on their side as for the immediate subject of his death , the manner and cir●u●stances thereof — it must first be granted and a very reasonable demand it is , that for the present only supposing he was murder'd by the papists they would , we may be sure , make it their business to render the manner of it as dark as the hell in which 't was contriv'd . murders , especially of that magnitude , don't use to be committed in the face of all the world , and at noon-day . when power is engaged in any villany , when the same power is still continu'd or encreas'd , and can be easily exercis'd in taking out of the way the traytors , tho' it loves the treason ; and when so many years have interven'd since the fact ; 't is no wonder at all if things are more in the dark , than they would have been , had at that very instant liberty been given to have enquired into it , which was so loudly and passionately demanded . but this we are yet certain of , tho' no more be yet publickly known in this matter than what has formerly been printed ; and tho' there may be several reasons , both of state and decency , which may perhaps make it convenient that things should always be as they are ; yet there are already such violent probabilities , both that he was murthered , and murthered by papists ; and of the other side , such at least next to impossibilities , in his acting it himself , that as long as the world stands , no modest man will be able either to get by 'em or over 'em ; nor the most impudent or cunning , to out-face , or give them an answer . for the probability that he was murther'd by popish contrivement , besides those already named , why they should do it ; here are these following arguments , that they did it ; their principles too openly known to be deny'd : their practices in all ages , and this present , — sir e.b.g. the very prototype of essex , arnold ; all the pretended legal murders , all that has since happened — but if 't is said , some papists are better and braver than others . let 's come nearer . would those that formerly burnt london ; those who have since broke all the obligations of gratitude and good nature , nay , publick faith , and the most solemn oaths which 't is possible for a man to take — who , if the testimonies of such as have confirmed it with their dying breaths , and last drop o● blood , may be credited , who have encouraged , hired , paid men for attempts to be made on the lives of their nearest , and too tender relations ; would such as these stick at a single murther , a small venial villany to advance their cause , and merit heaven into the bargain ; when pretence of justice , necessity of affairs , reason of state , and so many more such weights might be thrown into the scales ? more than all this — when such persons as these were actually in the place where this murther was committed , at the very instant 't was done ? all these together , with what is yet to follow , amount to as strong arguments and pregnant circumstances as the nature of the thing will bear , and mark out the murtherers as plainly and visibly , as if they had come out of his chamber with white sleeves , and a long knife in their hands , bloody all over . and indeed there seems need of little more than relating bare , simple , indubitable matter of fact , and such as hardly any body will deny , to satisfie any cool rational man in the business . the earl of essex's throat was cut in the tower the th of july , about eight or nine in the morning , at which time the duke of york , a bigotted papist , his known bitter enemy , was there present . this was reported at andover , sixty miles from london , the th of july , the first day of his imprisonment , and as common town-talk in every bodies mouth , as sir e. b.g's at the time of his murther , and told a person travelling on the road near the same place , which was witnessed before , even a jeffreys , in a publick court of judicature . a deputy-coroner present at the inquest instead of a legal one ; none of the relations to attend the inquest . the body remov'd from the place where 't was first laid , stript , the clothes taken away , the body and rooms washed from the blood , the clothes denied the view of the jury . the principal witnesses examin'd , only bomeny his man , and russel his warder , who might be so justly suspected of being privy to , if not actors in it . that the jury hasten'd and hurried the verdict when so great a man , a peer of the realm , and such a peer was concern'd , who was the king's prisoner . when sir thomas overbury had been before murther'd in the tower , and his jury brought in an unrighteous verdict ; when even sir e. b. g's jury , so much cry'd out against for their ill management , adjourn'd their verdict , and staid considerably before they brought it in . this at a time when the lord russel was to be try'd for a share in a plot in which the earl was also accused of being concern'd . one branch of which conspiracy , and which 't was so much the papists interest to have the belief on 't fix'd , was a barbarous murther of the duke and king ; when nothing cou'd so immediately , and critically tend to that noble gentleman's ruine ; when the news was instantly , with so much diligence , convey'd from the tower to the sessions-house , bench , bar , and jury , and harp'd upon by the lord howar● just then and by others in after trials , as the mor● than a thousand witnesses , and the very finger of god. after this , the very centinel , who that day stood near the place , found dead in the tower-ditch , and captain hawley barbarously murther'd down at rochester ; and ill methods us'd to prevent the truth of all from coming to light . mr. braddon harass'd , prosecuted , jayl'd and fined for stirring in it . on the fair and impartial consideration but of these things , hardly one of which but is notorious matter of fact , granted by all sides — what can a man conclude from the whole , but whether he will or no — that this noble lord was certainly murthered by the popish party ? but there 's yet more evidence , — if he could not murther himself in that manner , who then should do it but those on whom the guilt on 't has been justly charged ? and this from the manner of it . his throat was cut from one jugular to the other , and by the aspera arteria and wind-pipe to the vertebrae of the neck , both the jugulars being throughly divided . how often has it been ask'd , and how impossible it should ever receive an answer , — how could any living man , after the prodigious flux of blood which must necessarily follow on the dividing one jugular , as well as all those strong muscles which lye in the way , how cou'd he ever have strength to go through , all round , and come to the other , without fainting ? one cou'd as soon believe the story of the pirate , who after his head was cut off , ran the whole length of his ship ; or that of st. dennis , which was no doubt grafted on the other . nor is it rendered less impossible from the instrument with which those who did it wou'd perswade the world 't was perform'd by himself a little french razor . had bomeny held to the penknife , it had been much more likely . but here was nothing to rest or bear upon in the cutting , it having no tongue to hold it up in the haft : and as 't is observ'd in the prints on that subject , he must therefore , supposing he had done it himself , have held his hand pretty far , upon the very blade , and so with about two inches and a half of it , whittle out a wound of four inches deep and all round his neck , as if he had intended to have been his own headsman as well as executioner , out of remorse of conscience for his treason . lastly , his character makes it morally impossible he should be guilty of so mean and little an action . 't is for women , and eunuch's , and lovers , and romantick hero's to kill themselves ; not men of known virtue , temper , wisdom , piety and gravity ; who had formerly digested as great affronts as cou'd be put upon à man , with a candor and calmness so worthy a man and a christian , who had been so far from defending so barbarous and unmanly a thing as self-murther , as is suggested , that he had rather express himself with detestation concerning it . and as he ought not , and cou'd not be hurried into so fatal an action by a false mistaken greatness of mind ; as no such thing , or so much as the least footsteps of it appear'd in the whole course of his life ; so from all his actions in the tower before his death , we may fairly deduce the quite contrary to what his enemies have asserted ; and by observing his conduct there , discover plainly that no such black intention ever enter'd into his mind . this appears from his ordering his people to have his own plate sent for out of the country to dress his meat ▪ as well as a considerable parcel of wines bought and brought into the tower for his drinking , that he might not stand to the courtesie of his enemies ; and this sufficient to last him till he cou'd be deliver'd by due course of law. i can foresee but one thing that can with the least plausibility be objected to this considerable passage ; and 't is , that this was when he was first committed , before he fell melancholy , which he more eminently did when he heard my lord russel was to be try'd , as being griev'd and desperate for having brought so brave a gentlemen into such unhappy circumstances , as bomeny somewhere or other pretends to , on discoursing with him on that particular . but there are two answers which cut all the sinews of this objection : one , that this was the very day before he was murder'd , that he sent both for his wine and silver vessels . now bomeny lays the foundation of his melancholy , and the intention to be his own destroyer on the very first day he came into the tower. for he says in his deposition in braddon's trial , [ that he had order'd his servant two days before to provide a penknife for him , on pretence of cutting his nails , but with an intent of committing that fatal and tragical act. ] the thirteenth of july was the day of his martyrdom , two days before then must be the eleventh , the day of his commitment : but 't was the intervening day , the twelfth of that month , on which he took such care to eat and drink safely : whereas had there been any such design in his head , he wou'd never have taken such measures ; and if he had had an intention to amuze his people , that no such thing might have been suspected , he might have taken other ways , less troublesom and chargeable . but what yet clears all the remaining scruple , is his ordering his gentleman to take notes at my lord russel's trial , appointing him how to manage himself for the effecting it , so calmly and orderly , that he can't be suppos'd , either disturb'd , or desperate on account of his own guilt , or russel's unhappiness ; or to have taken this course with himself , as jeffreys says in braddon's trial , to prevent justice , tho' others did it with him to prevent mercy . one great argument more ; that , which indeed when it happen'd , did much alarm all thinking men , and make 'em shrewdly suspect foul play had been offer'd-was the ill treatment those met with who dared but pry into these arcana imperii , and desire but in a legal way that the business might be reviewed , and search'd to the bottom . this was granted in the case of poor sir edmund , many years after his death , and commission given to enquire into it to l'estrange . — but 't is confest there was a great deal of difference . one , as 't was manag'd , tending to root up all belief of a popish plot : t'other if it had been honestly examin'd , might have done as much in reality to a protestant one. the great tenderness of some persons , in this case , and their huge aversion and unwillingness to be touch'd thereabouts ; made people more than suspect , that there was some sore or other in the case which wou'd not endure it . mr. braddon had heard of a boy , who being playing before essex's window that morning , saw a bloody razor thrown out of the window ; he thought he shou'd do the king service to make a discovery if any injury had been offer'd to one of his subjects , especially so great and good a person . he brings the boy with him to my l. sunderland , and for his reward is himself brought before the council , severely reprimanded , and forced to give l. bail to answer an information for suborning the boy to say what he did . upon which , after a great many worse vexations , which besides the charge and trouble ▪ hindred also his prosecution of the business while 't was yet fresh and warm , he was at last try'd : the very words to the indictment running , — for his procuring and suborning false witnesses to prove that the earl of essex was not a felon of himself . &c. of which , according to jefferys law , and the conscience of the then juries , he was found guilty , and fin'd for the same , tho' not the least syllable of practice or subornation prov'd against him : tho' the boy did himself acknowledge he had said those things , as well as several witnesses prov'd it : tho' 't was terribly suspicious that some art had been afterwards used with the boy to make him deny it ; tho' jefferys storm'd and rav'd , after his usual manner , when mr. wallop did put such a question , and wou'd by no means have it be answer'd . but whatever this couragious honest gentleman suffer'd from their spite and malice , he bore all with handsom , and truly english resolution . as he before his imprisonment , and since , was indefatigably diligent in getting up the bottom of this soul business ; all english-men must own , he has deserv'd the love and honour of his country , who was not discourag'd from acting even in the worst of times , against a whole enraged faction . where he had such firm and pregnant circumstances on which to ground his attempt ; tho' he cou'd not but be sensible he must undergo all the censures of his friends , as forward and imprudent ; as well as all the hate and malice of his own and his countries enemies . he deserves a much fairer commendation than here can be given him ; but however , this was a just a debt due to his courage and honesty , when he alone durst undertake what all the world else was afraid of : durst still continue firm to honour , and conscience , and his first resolution , in spite of fines and imprisonments , and has now outliv'd 'em all , to carry on his first undertakings ; whose design therein , is no doubt just and generous , whatever the event proves ; and although so much dust may have , since it happened , been purposely thrown on the action , that it may be now more difficult , and perhaps unsuccessful to trace it , than 't was before . his character . it must be confessed , 't is a bold and dangerous thing to attempt the character of one of the greatest men which our age has produc'd especially for one who had not the honour of any personal intimacy with him . all that 's to be done is from what has been already said and what other memoirs are left of him , to endeavour at something so like him , that any one who sees it , may say 't was meant for the picture of the great essex , how infinitely soever it must of necessity be short of its original . the first thing then remarkable in him , and which alone would sufficiently distinguish him , is , that he was a person of strict morals , and severe piety ; and that in the midst of a court and age not very famous for either . nor did this degenerate into superstition or weakness . he was a refin'd politician , without what some will say 't is impossible to be so , and that 's dissimulation . when affronts were offer'd him , he did not , as others , dissemble 'em , but , like himself only , scorn and conquer 'em ; even tho' of the highest nature , and which generally pierce deepest into persons of his figure and character . he was , as all the rest here commemorated , a firm lover of his country and religion , the true character of a true englishman ; and engaged on their sides against the then duke of york , and other ministers , not from any mean pique or little discontented humour , which he was very much above , but meerly from the true respect he had for 'em , and a sense of that imminent danger they were in , which his piercing judgment and long experience made him more sensible of , and his courage and vertue more concern'd at , than others ; not only those who sat unconcern'd spectators , or shar'd in their ruins ; but even then most of them who were engag'd with him in the same common cause of their defence and preservation . nothing of such an impatience , or eargerness , or black melancholy cou'd be discern'd in his temper or conversation , as is always the symptom or cause of such tragical-ends , as his enemies wou'd perswade us he came to . lastly , what may be said of most of the rest , does in a more especial and eminent manner agree to the illustrious essex ; and than which nothing greater can be said of mortality , he liv'd an hero , and dy'd a martyr . upon the execrable murther of the right honourable arthur earl of essex . mortality wou'd be too frail to hear how essex fell , and not dissolve with fear ; did not more generous rage take off the blow , and by his blood , the steps to vengeance show . the tow'r was for the tragedy design'd , and to be slaughter'd , he is first confin'd : as fetter'd victims to the altar go . but why must noble essex perish so ? why with such fury drag'd into his tomb , murther'd by slaves and sacrific'd to rome ? by stealth they kill , and with a secrect stroke silen●e that voice which charm'd when e'er it spoke . the bleeding orifice o'reflow'd the ground , more like some mighty deluge , than a wound . through the large space his blood and vitals glide , and his whole body might have past beside . the wreaking crimson swell'd into a flood , and stream'd a second time in capel's blood. he 's in his son again to death pursu'd , an instance o● the high'st ingratitude . they then malicious stratagems imploy , with life , his dearer honour to destroy , and make his fame extinguish with his breath ; an act beyond the cruelties of death . here murther is in all its shapes compleat , as lines united in their centre meet , form'd by the blackest politicks of hell ; was cain so dev'lish when his brother fell ? he that contrives , or his own fate desires , wants courage , and for fear of death expires ; but mighty essex was in all things brave , neither to hope , nor to despair , a slave . he had a soul too innocent , and great , to fear , or to anticipate his fate : yet their exalted impudence and guilt , charge on himself the precious blood they spilt . so were the protestants some years ago destroy'd in ireland without a foe . by their own barbarous hands the mad-men dye : and massacre themselves they know not why : whilst the kind irish howl to see the gore , and pious catholicks their fate deplore . if you refuse to trust erroneous fame , royal mac-ninny will confirm the same . we have lost more in injur'd capel's heir , than the poor bankrupt age can e're repair . nature indulg'd him so , that there we saw all the choice strokes her steddy hand cou'd draw . he the old english glory did revive , in him we had plantagenets alive . grandeur , and fortune , and a vast renown fit to support the lustre of a crown . all these in him were potently conjoyn'd , but all was too ignoble for his mind . wisdom and vertue , properties divine , those , god-like essex , were entirely thine . in his great name he 's still preserv'd alive , and will to all succeeding times survive . with just progression , as the constant sun doth move , and through its bright ecliptick run . for whilst his dust does undistinguish'd lye , and his blest soul is soar'd above the sky , fame shall below his parted breath supply . william lord russel . the next who fell under their cruelty , and to whose death essex's was but the prologue , was my lord russel , without all dispute the finest gentleman one of 'em that ever england bred , and whose pious life and virtue was as much treason against the court , by affronting 'em with what was so much hated there , as any thing else that was sworn against him . his family was ancient , tho' not rais'd to the honours it at present enjoys , till king edward's time , when john russel , a dorsetshire gentlemen , who had done many services , and receiv'd many favours from the crown , both in henry the seventh , and henry the eighth's time , being by the latter made lord high admiral , and at his death lord high steward of england for the solemnity of the coronation ; obtain'd such a victory for his young master against his rebels , as was rewarded with the title of the earl of bēdford . the occasion of it thu — idolatry and superstition being now rooting out by the publick authority , and images every where pulling down , the loyal papists mutined , and one of their priests stabb'd a commander of the kings , who was obeying his orders , and ten thousand of the deluded rabble rise in the defence of that barbarous action , and their old mass and holy-water . against whom this fortunate lord was sent with an army , who routed 'em all , relieved exeter which they had besieg'd , and took their gods , banners , crucifixes , and all the rest of their trumpery , wherein the deluded creatures trusted for victory . thus the family of the russels were early enemies to the romish superstition , tho' this brave gentleman only paid the scores of all his ancestors . the son and heir of this john ▪ was francis , second earl of bedford , who was as faithful to the crown , as his father , an enemy and terror to the french , and a friend to the protestant religion , as may appear by the learned books of wickliff , which he collected , and at his death bequeath'd to a great man , who he knew wou'd make good use of ' em . his eldest son william lord russel , the present earl of bedford , is sufficiently known to every true english-man , and his person and memory will be honoured by them as long as the world lasts . but 't is necessary good men should not be immortal — if they were , we should almost lose their examples , it looking so like flattery . but to do 'em justice while they are living , with more safety , and less censure , we may discourse of that noble gentleman , his son and name-sake william lord russel , who made so great a figure in our courts and parliaments , before he was sacrificed to the cruelty and revenge of his popish enemies . if we 'd find his first offence , which lay behind the scene , and was indeed the cause of his death , though other colours were necessary to amuse the publick , we must look some years backward , as he himself does in his last speech , wherein he tells the world , [ he cannot but think his earnestness in the matter of the exclusion had no small influence on his present sufferings . ] being chosen knight of the shire for bedfordshire , where the evenness and sweetness of his behaviour ; and his virtuous life made him so well-beloved , that he 'll never be forgotten . he began sooner than most others to see into that danger we were in from popery , and all those fatal consequences which have since happened ; and described them as plainly as if he had more than the ordinary inspection of a prudent man into futurities . thus in his first speech , on the discovery of the popish plot in . he has these words , [ i am of opinion that the life of our king , the safety of our country , and the protestant religion , are in great danger from popery ; and that either this parliament must suppress the power and growth of popery , or else that popery will soon destroy not only parliaments , but all that is near and dear to us . ] and lower [ i humbly move , that we may resolve to take into our consideration in the first place , how to suppress popery , and prevent a popish successor , without which all our endeavours about this matter will not signifie any thing . ] and how much he was in the right as to all these guesses , which then no doubt were nick-named groundless and factious fears and jealousies , all the world is now satisfied . nothing can be more handsom than what he says on this subject in his last speech , which gives the reasons of his acting at that time , and being so earnest for the bill , in which indeed is as fair a state of that great question as we shall any where find in so little a compass . [ i cannot ( says he ) but give some touch about the bill of exclusion , and shew the reasons of my appearing in that business , which in short is this : that i thought the nation was in such danger of popery , and that the expectation of a popish successor ( as i have said in parliament ) put the kings life also in such danger , that i saw no way so effectual to secure both , as such a bill . as to the limitations which were proposed , if they were sincerely offer'd , and had pass'd into a law , the duke then would have been excluded from the power of a king , and the government quite alter'd , and little more than the name of a king left : so i could not see either sin or fault in the one , when all people were willing to admit of the other : but thought it better to have a king with his prerogative , and the nation easie and safe under him , than a king without it , which must have bred perpetual jealousies , and continual struggle . ] thus far that noble lord , with whom concurred at that time very many great and good men , as true lovers of the regulated monarchy of england , as of the protestant religion ; and indeed all were at that time unanimous in the house of commons , and other places , except some honest men , who despaired of obtaining his exclusion : others who strained their charity almost as far as origen , who hoped well even of the devil , and they came not far short , believing a papist would be honest or grateful . some who were indifferent — their private obligations to the duke byassing their judgments too much on his side . others fearful that the contrary tide ran so strong , they could have no safety but under his protection — and perhaps more than all these others , who fairly bought and sold their religion and liberties — the blood and souls of themselves and honester men ; whom 't is not doubted but our chronicles will mark as long as our nation has any in 't that can but write themselves , or read what others have written . the reader will pardon this little digression , and go on with me to remark some strange expressions in another speech of his . 't was on a debate in the house for mony to be given for the relief of tangier . [ doth not ( says he ) the dukes interest indanger the kings life ? and are not our lives and fortunes in danger to be snatch'd up by his power ? — and shall we yet make him stronger by putting mony into his hands ? ] and a little lower , [ when his majesty shall be pleased to free us from the danger of a popish successor , and remove from his council , and places of trust all those who are for his interest , because there can be no distinction made between the dukes interest and the popish — then i shall conclude , that what mony we shall give , will be disposed of according to his majesties own royal pleasure , and for the true protestant interest , and i shall be ready to give , even all that i have in the world , if his majesty shall have occasion for it . ] i have been the larger in this , to undeceive the world as to that clamouring against those parliaments for not giving the king mony , the true reason of which we may here plainly perceive . but there is one passage so very remarkable , and i know not how to call it less than prophetical , in the beginning of this same speech , that it must by no means be omitted ; 't is as follows . [ if ever there should happen in this nation any such change , that i should not have liberty to live a protestant , i am resolv'd to die one . ] and i think he was as good as his word — for being mark't out , and among others , appointed for the slaughter , he was taken up and imprisoned for that end and purpose in the tower , and brought to his tryal above all days in the year , on essex's day , the th of july , . he was brought to the old baily , arraigned , and the same morning tryed for high treason . he earnestly desired he might have respite , and might not be tryed that day , since he had some witnesses that could not be in town till the night ; nay , they were in such post-hast , and so hot a scent for his blood , that on his earnest desire , they would not stay so much as till the afternoon , pretending 't was against president , and they could not do it without the attorney general 's consent ; tho 't is notorious , that both plunket , the titular irish primate , and fitz-harris before spoken of , were both of them try'd a whole term after they were arraign'd ; tho in both cases the attorney oppos●d it ; and even here in the case of treason , at the old-baily too , whitebread's tryal was put off to another sessions . if 't is pleaded , the case is different , and that there was reason for the one , but not for the other : 't will be readily granted , — tho my lords evidence were not ready , theirs was — they had concerted business better , and just at that time news was brought hot into the house , that my lord of essex had this morning prevented justice , as has been before remarked in the story of essex ; as also , that several of the jury had said , they had never found russel guilty , had it not been for that accident . and indeed , were that all in the case , there would be still room for a great deal of charity : for though that was no proper evidence against the prisoner , yet very few persons in the world , perhaps , could have been found , whose minds would have been so firm , and reason so clear , as not to be , whether they wou'd or no , hing'd and byass'd by such a sudden report as this brought in among 'em , when they had no time to consider calmly of the matter ; and this , no doubt , was very well known by those who order'd things in the manner before-noted . but i say , 't were to be wished , for the honour of the english nation , that this had been all the foul play in the case , and that there had not been so many thousand guinea's imployed in this and other tryals , as the great agitators thereof have lately confess'd to have been . the names of his jury , as i find them in print , are as follow : john martayn william rouse jervas seaton william fashion thomas short george toriano william butler james pickering thomas jeve hugh noden robert brough thomas omeby . when he found he must expect neither favour nor justice , as to the delaying of his tryal , he excepted against the fore-man of the jury , because not a freeholder ; which for divers and sundry reasons , almost , if not all the judges , having the happiness to light on different ones , and scarce any two on the s●me , was over-ruled ; and given against him ; though that same practice since declared and acknowledged one of the great grievances of the nation . his indictment ran in these words , [ he did conspire and compass our lord the king , his supreme lord , not onely of his kingly state , title , power , and government of this his kingdom of england to deprive and throw down ; but also our said soveraign lord the king to kill , and to death to bring and put , and the ancient government of this kingdom of england to change , alter , and wholly subvert , and a miserable slaughter among the subjects of our said lord the king , through his whole kingdom of england to cause and procure , and insurrection and rebellion against our said lord the king , to move , procure , and stir up within this kingdom of england . ] and lower , [ he and divers others did consult , agree , and conclude insurrection and rebellion against our sovereign lord the king , to move and stir up , and the guards for the preservation of the person of our said soveraign lord the king , to seize and destroy . ] now that all this was not intended as matter of form only , we may see by the kings councils opening the evidence . the first says — [ he was indicted for no less than conspiring the death of the kings majesty ; and that in order to the same , he and others did meet and conspire together , to bring our sovereign lord the king to death , to raise war and rebellion against him , and to massacre his subjects — and in order to compass these wicked designs , being assembled , did conspire to seize the kings guards , and his majesties person : and this ( he tells the jury ) is the charge against him . the attorney general melts it a little lower , and tells 'em the meaning of all these tragical words , were a consult about a rising — about seizing the guards , and receiving messages from e. of shaftsbury concerning an insurrection . nor yet does the proof against him come up so high even as this , though all care was used for that purpose , and kind questions put very frequently , to lead and drive the evidence ; but one of them witnessing to any one point . the first of whom was col. rumsey , who swears , that he was sent with a message from shaftsbury , who lay concealed at wapping , to meet lord russel , ferguson , &c. at shepherds 's , to know of them what resolution they were come to about the rising design'd at taunton — that when he came thither , the answer was made , mr. trenchard had fail'd 'em , and no more would be done in that business at that time . that mr. ferguson spoke the most part of that answer ; but my lord russel was present , and that he did speak about the rising of taunton , and consented to it . that the company was discoursing also of viewing the guards , in order to surprize 'em , if the rising had gone on ; and that some undertook to view 'em ; and that the lord russel was by when this was undertaken . ] but this being the main hinge of the business and this witness not yet coming up to the purpose , they thought it convenient to give him a jog , to refresh his memory , asking him . [ whether he found my lord russel averse , or agreeing to it . ] who , no doubt , answer'd , agreeing . but being afterwards in the tryal ask'd , whether he could swear positively that my lord russel heard the message , and gave any answer to it ? all that he says is this , [ that when he came in , they were at the fire side , but they all came from the fire-side , to hear what he said . ] all that shepherd witnesses is , that my lord russel , &c. being at his house , there was a discourse of surprizing the kings guards ; and sir thomas armstrong having viewed them when he came thither another time , said , they were remiss , and the thing was feizible , if there were strength to do it , and that ( upon his being question'd too , as rumsey before him ) whether my lord russel was there ? he says , he was , at that time they discours'd of seizing the guards . the next witness was the florid lord howard , who very artificially begins low , being , forsooth , so terribly surprized with my lord of essex's death , that his voice fail'd him , till the lord chief justice told him , the jury could not hear him ; in which very moment his voice returned again , and he told the reason why he spoke no louder . after a long harangue of tropes and fine words , and dismal general stories , by which , as my lord complains , the jury were prepossessed against him , he at last makes his evidence bear directly upon the point for which he came thither — and swears , [ that after my lord shaftsbury went away ] their party resolved still to carry on the design of the insurrection without him ; for the better management whereof they erected a little cabal among themselves , which did consist of six persons , whereof my lord russel and himself were two : that they met for this purpose at mr. hambden's house , and there adjusted the place and manner of the intended insurrection : that about ten days after they had another meeting on the same business at my lord russel's , where they resolved to send some persons to engage argyle and the scots in the design — and ( being ask'd too ) that he was sure my lord russel was there . ] being ask'd whether he said any thing , he answer'd , [ that every one knew him to be a person of great judgment , and not very lavish of discourse . ] being again goaded on by jeffreys with a — but did he consent ? [ we did ( says he ) put it to the vote , it went without contradiction , and i took it that all there gave their consent . ] west swears , that ferguson and col. rumsey told him , that my lord russel intended to go down and take his post in the west , when mr. trenchard had fail'd ' em . whose hear-say-evidence being not encouraged , jeffreys ends very prettily , telling the court , they would not use any thing of garniture , but leave it as it was . as for rumsey the first witness : as to his person — my lord candish prov'd on the trial , that my lord russel had a very ill opinion of him , and therefore 't was not likely he would entrust him with such a secret. as to his evidence , squeez'd out of him as it was , in both branches of the design , seizing the guards , and the rising of taunton , he says in gross and general , that he was agreeing to one , and spoke about and consented to the other . for his agreeing to the seizing the guards , he might think as the lord howard does after , that silence gives consent ; for it appears not , nor does he swear , that my lord spoke one word about it . but he himself , in his last speech , which was not a jesuit's , & which we have all the reason in the world to believe exactly true , since , as he himself says in it , [ he always detested lying , tho' never so much for his advantage ; and hoped none would be so unjust , or uncharitable to think he 'd venture on it in thee his last words , for which he was so soon going to give an account to the great god , the searcher of hearts , and judge of all things . ] in this last speech he protests , that this time of which rumsey swears , there was no undertaking of securing and seizing the guards , nor none appointed to view or examine them , only some discourse there was of the feazibleness of it : he had heard it mentioned as a thing might easily be done , but never consented to as a thing fit to be done . now i 'd ask any man of sense and honour , who did but know my lord russel , let 'em be never so much his enemy ( if there were any such ) which of these two they really judge most worthy to be believed ? there is but one against one . rumsey , who either swore upon liking , for saving his life , or was a trapan , [ that he was consenting to the seizing the guards ] or my lord russel on his death and salvation solemnly affirming , [ that he was so far from consenting to any such thing , that there was not so much as any such undertaking mention'd in the company while he was with ' em . ] especially when 't is observable , that rumsey never instances in the terms in which he gave his consent . the same is to be said of the other branch of his evidence as to the message of the insurrection , which he says he brought into the room , found the lord russel and the rest by the fire ; whence they all came to him , and heard his message , and the lord russel discoursed of the subject on 't , and consented to 't . to all which let 's again oppose not only what he answer'd in his trial , wherein he says , that he would swear he never heard , or knew of that message which rumsey says he brought to them ; but also what he says in confirmation thereof in his speech , [ i shall aver , that what i said of my not hearing col. rumsey deliver any message from my lord shaftsbury , was true . ] and a little before , [ when i came into the room i saw mr. rumsey by the chimney , tho' he swears he came in after . ] one thing more is observable , that when west came to give in his garniture-evidence , he runs in a length further than rumsey , and remembers rumsey had told him , what it seems he himself had forgot , that on mr. trenchards failing 'em , my lord russel was to go in his place , and take up posts along in the west . and indeed had not west miss'd his cue , and by imitating my lord howard's example , begun first with hear-say , he had made as stabbing an evidence as e're a one of the other — or had they but let him run to the end of his third , and take things methodically , as his lordship did before him . for shepherd , all must grant he says not a syllable to the purpose , or any thing which affects my lord. he can hardly tell whether he was there when there was the discourse of seizing the guards , but speaks not a word of my lord 's hearing , or in the least-wise consenting thereunto . as for my lord howard's evidence , we may , without scandalum magnatum , affirm that every lord is not fit to make a privy-co●nsellor ; no , nor every witty lord neither , especially in a business of such a concern . he does very well to say , the council of six all chose themselves ; for had not he given his own vote for himself , hardly any body else wou'd have done it , since his character is so notoriously different from that which he himself gives of my lord russel , [ whom , he says , every one knew him to be a person of great judgment , and not very lavish of discourse . ] for his evidence , he too is so happy to have a better memory than rumsey , as well as west had ; and says , that the duke of monmouth told him , rumsey had convey'd my lord russel to shaftsbury , on whose perswasion the insurrection was put off about a fornight longer . of this rumsey himself says not a syllable . he says further , that when they had enquir'd how matters stood in the countrey , and the duke of monmouth had found trenchard and the west-country fail'd them , on this 't was put off again — and this about the th or th of october . now this same action rumsey speaks of , but takes a larger scope as to the time , the end of october , or beginning of november , far enough from the th or th of the month before . rumsey says , on this disappointment of the taunton men and trenchard , shaftsbury resolv'd to be gone . lord howard , — that he was so far from it , that he and his party resolv'd to do it without the lords , and had set one time and t'other , and at last the th of novemb. which also not taking effect , then shaftsbury went off . as to his evidence , which was closer — the story of the council of six , besides the former improbability , that he among all the men in england shou'd be chosen one of 'em ; 't is remarkable , that in their former greater consults at shepherds , which he and rumsey mention , the lord howard was never present , nor so much as touches on 't in his evidence ; tho' here , if any where , the grand affair of seizing the guards , and the answer to shaftsbury about taunton was concerted . all that appears of truth in the matter , seems to be what my lord russel acknowledges , — that those persons named met very often — that there was no form'd design , but onely loose talk about those conce●ns . that there was no debate of any such thing as was sworn , nor putting any thing in a method : but my lord howard being a man of a voluble tongue , and one who talkt very well , they were all delighted to hear him . nor indeed does my lord howard positively swear , even supposing this form'd consult to be true , that my lord russel actually consented to it , or discoursed of it . only — that he was there — and — that he took it , and that he did give his consent . 't is a very ill cause that needs either a lye or a cheat to defend it . my lord russel himself being so ingenuous to acknowledge whatever of truth , any that knew him will believe to be in his part of the design , 't would be an injury to his memory to do any otherwise . it appears then from his own acknowledgment , that howard , armstrong , and such others , had sometimes discoursed of ill designs and matters in his company : and , as he says in his speech , [ what the heats , wickedness , passions , and vanities of other men had occasion'd , he ought not to be answerable for , nor cou'd be repress ' em . ] nay more , he did sufficiently disapprove those things which he heard discours'd of with more heat than judgment . but for himself , declares solemnly again and again . that he was never in any design against the king's life , or any man's whatsoever , nor ever in any contrivance of altering the government . if so , what then becomes of all the story of the council of six ? and is 't not to be thrown among the same lumber with the old famous nagshead tavern business ? 't will be still said he was an ill man , in being guilty by this very confession , of misprision of treason . — supposing this true — that was not death , and he dy'd , as he says , innocent of the crime he stood condemned for . and besides , every lord has not brow hard enough , nor tongue long enough , nor soul little enough to make an informer against others to save his own life ? [ i hope , says he , no body will imagin that so mean a thought could enter into me , as to go about to save my life by accusing others . the part that some have acted lately of that kind , has not been such as to invite me to love life at such a rate . but all this does not depend on his naked word , since the evidence who swore against him , being such as were neither credible , nor indeed so much as legal witnesses , the accusation of it self must fall to the ground . if legal , they were not credible , because , as my lord delamere observes in this case , they had no pardons , but hunted as the cormorant does , with strings about their necks , which west , in his answer to walcot's letter , ingenuously acknowledges ; and says , [ 't is through god's and the king's mercy he was not at the apparent point of death . ] that is , in a fair construction , was not just turning over , but was upon trial , to see whether he 'd do business , and deserve to scape hanging . much such an honourable way of getting pardon , as the fellow who sav'd his own neck by turning hangman , and doing the good office to his own father . nor indeed was the great witness , the honourable lord , who cast this noble person , so much as a legal , any more than a credible witness . no man alive has any way to clear himself from the most perjur'd villains malice , if he swears against him point-blank , but either by circumstance of time , or invalidating his very evidence . let any think of another way if they can . the first of these was precluded . 't was that which had before been made use of to sham off a truer plot , and much more valid evidence . but here rumsey and the rest came to no determinate time , but only about such a time ; about the end of october , or beginning of november : and others cloud the precise time in so many words , that 't is impossible to find it . all then that could be done , was as to the person . now what thing can be invented , which can more invalidate the evidence any person gives , than his solemn , repeated , voluntary oath , indubitably prov'd against him , that such a person is innocent of that very crime of which he afterwards accuses him ? if this be the case or no here , let any one read the following depositions ▪ and make an indifferent judgment . my lord anglesey witnesses , he was at the earl of bedford 's , after his son was imprisoned , where came in my lord howard , and began to comfort him , saying , he was happy in so wise a son , and worthy a person ; and who could never be in such a plot as that . that he knew nothing against him , or any body else , of such a barbarous design . but this was not upon oath , and onely related to the assassination , as he says for himself in his paring-distinction . look then a little lower to dr. burnet , whom the lord howard was with the night after the plot broke out , and then , as well as once before , with hands and eyes lifted up to heaven , did say , he knew nothing of any plot , nor believ'd any . here 's the most solemn oath , as he himself confesses voluntarily , nay unnecessarily , tho' perhaps in my lord bedford's case , good-nature might work upon him . here 's the paring of his apple broke all to pieces . no shadow , no room left for his distinction between the insurrection and assassination , but without any guard or mitigation at all , he solemnly swears , he knew not of any plot , nor believed any . but 't was no great matter , for the jury were resolv'd to know and believe it , whether he did or no. there 's but one little subterfuge more , and the case is clear . all this perjury , all these solemn asseverations he tells us were only to brazen out the plot , and to out-face the thing for himself and party . this he fairly acknowledges ; and let all the world be the jury , whether they 'd destroy one of the bravest men in it , on the evidence of such a person ? but there 's yet a farther answer . his cousin , mr. howard , who was my lord's intimate friend , who secur'd him in his house , to whom he might open his soul , and to whom it seems he did , he having made application to ministers of state in his name , that he was willing to serve the king , and give him satisfaction ; — to him , i say , with whom he had secret negotiations , and that of such a nature — will any believe that he wou'd out-face the thing here too ? that he wou'd perjure himself for nothing , where no danger , no good came on 't ? no certainly , his lordship had more wit , and conscience , and honour ; he ought to be vindicated from such an imputation , even for the credit of his main evidence ; for my lord gray , he tells us , was left out of their councils for his immoralities ; and had he himself been such a sort of a man , those piercing heads in the council wou'd have certainly found him out before , and never admitted him among them . as for the very thing , mr. howard tells it as generously , and with as much honest indignation as possible , in spite of the checks the court gave him . [ he took it , says he , upon his honour , his faith , and as much as if he had taken an oath before a magi●●rate , that he knew nothing of any man concern'd in this business — and particularly of the lord russel ; of whom , he added , that he thought he did unjustly suffer . ] so that if he had the same soul on monday , that he had on sunday ( the very day before ) this cou'd not be true that he swore against the lord russel . my lord russel's suffering , was imprisonment , and that for the same matter on which he was try'd , the insurrection , not the assassination . if my lord howard knew him guilty of that for which he was committed , tho' not the other , how cou'd he then say , 't was unjustly done ? after all this , ' twoud be almost superfluous to go any further , or insert the evidence given by dr. tillotson , burnet , cox , and others , not onely of his vertuous and honourable behaviour , but especially of his judgment about any stirs , or popular insurrections , — that he was absolutely against 'em , — that 't was folly and madness till things came to be regulated in a parliamentary way , and that he thought 't would ruin the best cause in the world to take any such ways to preserve it . all this and more wou'd not do , dye he must , the duke order'd it , the witnesses swore it , the judges directed it , the jury found it ; and when the sentence came to be pass'd , the judge ask'd , as is usual , what he had to say why it should not be pronounc'd ? he answer'd , that whereas he had been charg'd in the indictment which was then read to him , with conspiring the death of the king , which he had not taken notice of before , he appeal'd to the judge and court whether he were guilty within the statute on which he was try'd , the witnesses having sworn an intention of levying war , but not of killing the king , of which there was no proof by any one witness . the recorder told him , that was an exception proper , and as he thought , his lordship did make it before the verdict . whether the evidence did amount to prove the charge , was to be observ'd by the jury ; for if the evidence c●me short of the indictment they cou'd not find it to be a true charge ; but when once they had found it , their verdict did pass for truth , and the court was bound by it as well as his lordship , and they were to go according to what the jury had found , not their evidence . now i 'd fain know , what 's the reason of the prisoners being ask'd that question , what he has to say for himself ? is 't only formality , or banter ? he makes an exception , which the judge himself confesses proper . but who was counsel for the prisoner , is not the bench ? or , does it not pretend to be so ? and why was not this observ'd by them in their direction to the jury ? the recorder seems to grant it fairly , that the evidence did not prove the charge , and says , the court was to go , not according to the evidence . well , evidence , or none , the truth is , was not the question ; for being found ●uilty , sentence past upon him — whence he was removed to newgate . while he was there , the importunity of his friends , as he says handsomely in his speech , lest they shou'd think him sullen or stubborn , prevail'd with him to sign petitions , and make an address for his life , tho' 't was not without difficulty that he did any thing that was begging to save it . but with how much success , it may easily be guess'd by any who knew the duke's temper ; nor is it forgotten how barbarously his lady and children were repuls'd , and the king 's good nature not suffer'd to save one of the best men in his kingdom . dr. burnet and dr. tillotson were with him much of the time between his sentence and death ; where to the last , he own'd that doctrine , which other good men who were then of another judgment , have since been forc'd into , namely , the lawfulness of resistance against unlawful violence , from whomsoever it be . after the fruitless applications for his pardon ; after a farewel and last adieu in this world , to one of the best of women , who stood by him , and assisted him in his trial , and left him not till now , he at last on saturday the st of octob. went into his own coach about nine a clock , with dr. tillotson and dr. burnet ; whence he was carried to great lincolns-inn-field to the scaffold prepar'd for him , where , among all the numerous spectators , he was one of the most unconcern'd persons there ; and very few rejoyc'd at so doleful a spectacle but the papists , who indeed had sufficient reason ; my lord powis's people expressing , as 't is said , a great deal of pleasure and sati●faction . there , after he had again solemnly protested his innocency , and that he was far from any design against the king's person , or of altering the government : nay , that he did upon the words of a dying man , profess , that he knew of no plot against the kings life , or government ; and delivering one of the finest speeches in the world to the sheriff , he prayed by himself , and with dr. tillotson's assistance ; and embracing him and dr. burnet , he submitted to the fatal strokes , for the executioner took no less than three before he could fever his head , which when 't was held up , as usual , there was to far from being any shout , that a considerable groan was heard round the scaffold . his body was given to his friends , and convey'd to cheneys in buckinghamshire , where 't was buried among his ancestors . there was a great storm , and many loud claps of thunder the day of his martyrdom . an elegy was made on him immediately after his death , which seems by what we have of it , to be writ with some spirit , and a great deal of truth and good-will ; only this fragment on 't could be retriev'd , which yet may not be unwelcome to the reader . 't is done — he 's crown'd , and one bright martyr more , black rome , is charg'd on thy too bulky score . all like himself he mov'd , so calm , so free , a general whisper question'd — which is he ? deckt like a lover , tho' pale death 's his bride , he came , and saw , and overcame , and dy'd . earth wept , and all the vainly pitying croud : but heaven his death in thunder groan'd aloud . the rest are lost — but he has better justice done him by this honourable parliament ; and if the world should possibly be so malicious and silly , in after ages , as some are in this , and ask , what have they done since their meeting ? had we not a nation sav'd , peace preserv'd , and many other almost miracles to answer 'em ; yet this one thing wou'd be sufficient , that in this sessions , they had reversed the judgment against this vertuous , pious , and honourable lord. for his character , if we 'll believe the best men , and those who knew him best , 't is one of the most advantagious the age , or indeed , our nation has yielded . those are great words which mr. leviston gower speaks of him on his trial , but yet not a syllable too big for his merit , tho' they are very expressive of it . — that he was one of the best sons , the best fathers , the best husbands , the best masters , the best friends , and the best christians . by others , that he was a most vertuous , prudent , and pious gentleman . — a man of that vertue , that none who knew him could think him guilty of such a conspiracy . — a man of great honour , and too prudent to be concern'd in so vile and desperate a design . — a person of great vertue and integrity . — one , whom those he had long convers'd with , never heard utter so much as a word of indecency against the king. ] and others of the highest quality , who had been often in his company , say , that they had never heard any thing from him , but what was honourable , just and loyal . his person was tall and proper ; his temper even and agreeable , and such as rendred his vertues even more lovely than they did him . his piety and devotion , as unaffected , and yet as remarkable as his love to the church of england . the true church of england , as he himself calls it , not those tumours and wens that grow upon it , and pretended to be not only part but all of it in our late bad times ; to whose heighths and extravagances he thinks it no shame in his speech to confess he could never rise . he was of a noble courage , which he did not express by quarrels or duelling , but serving his country at sea in the most dangerous wars , and at land in the parliament , in more dangerous councils and debates . he was there a true englishman — still the same ; you knew where he would be , for he never mov'd . a strenuous asserter and defender of his country's religion and rights against all opposers , and that in a lawful and parliamentary method . he spoke little there , but always very home , and much to the purpose — and that was as true a character of him formerly recited , as if it had come from a better man , that every one knew the lord russel to be a person of great judgment , and not very lavish of discourse . lastly , which will give no small heightening to his character , he had mr. johnson to his chaplain . an abstract of the late noble lord russel's speech to the sheriffs ; as also of a paper delivered by him to them at the place of his much lamented execution on july . . in his speech to the sheriffs , he tells them , that for fear of not being well heard , he had couched what he had to say upon that sad occasion in the paper he delivered them ; only he protests his innocence of any designs against the king's person , or the then government , and prays for the preservation of both , and of the protestant religion ; and in short , declares that he forgives all the world , and wishes that all true protestants may love one another , and not make way for popery , by their animosities . in the paper , he first declares himself compos'd for death , and weaned from this world : then he affectionately thanks god , as in general , so in particular , for his advantagious birth , and religious education , of which in that important occasion , he found such happy and powerful effects as kept him up against the fear of death , and all other discomposures , and armed him with such assurances in god's love and mercy , as made the most joyful of the visibly saddest moments of his life . he professes to die as he had lived , a sincere protestant of the church of england , tho' he never could come up to the heighths of some ; wishes more moderation both in church-men and dissenters , and that the common danger of popery might move them to lay aside their differences , and all persecuting inclinations , as more unseasonable than at any other time . he declares , he had a notion of popery , as of an idolatrous and bloody religion , and thought himself bound to act in his station against it , notwithstanding the power of the enemies he was sure to meet with on that account , &c. but yet he professes he never thought of doing any thing against it basely or inhumanely , against the maxims of christian religion , or the laws and liberties of this kingdom , for his sincerity , in which , he appeals to god , renouncing all passion , by-end , or ill design , as also all designs of changing the government , which was in his opinion , the best in the world , and for which , as well as his country , which he valued above his life , he was ever ready to venture it : disclaims all thoughts against the king's life , denying even the lord howard to have said any thing tending to prove it . prays sincerely for the king and nation , and wishes they may be mutually happy in one another ; that the king may be truly a defender of the faith ; that the protestant religion and kingdom may flourish under him , and he be happy in both worlds . as to his share in the prosecution of the popish plot , he declares he acted sincerely in it , as really believing , as he still did , the truth of such a conspiracy , and disclaims his knowledge of any practices with the witnesses which he protests against as abominable , and disowns falshood or cruelty ever to have been in his nature . he persists in his opinion , that popery was breaking in upon the nation , and grieves to see protestants instrumental to it ; declares his fears of the sufferings the protestant religion was like to undergo , and bewails the publick and shameless impiety that abounded , and modestly admonishes all persons , and particularly his friends , well-wishers to the protestant cause , that were defective , to live up to its principles . then he declares his submission to god's pleasure , freely forgives his enemies , and desires his friends to seek no revenge for his blood. after which , he looks back , and gives some little touches concerning his past behaviour , and the manner of his treatment at his trial. he confesses , he moved much for the bill of exclusion as the only effectual remedy to secure both the king's life , the protestant religion , and the frame of the government , he thinking none of them could be safe so long as there was any hopes of a popish successor ; and that the limitations proposed to bind the duke were effectual remedies against those fears , because the nation could never be easie and safe under a king without a prerogative : but yet imputes his present sufferings to the revengeful resentments some persons retained for his earnestness in that matter . next as to his conspiring to seize the guards , he disowns that ever he was concerned in any such design or ever heard talk of any such thing as designed , but only once , as of a thing feazible , against which likewise he warmly declared himself , and said , the consequence of it was so like to end in massacring the guards in cold blood , that he could not but abhor the thoughts of it , as approaching too near the popish practice , at which the duke of monmouth taking him by the hand , cried out affectionately , that he saw , they were both of a temper ; he adds on that occasion , that he always observed in that duke , an abhorrence to all base things . he proceeds to shew how he went to the meeting at mr. shepherd's , at the duke of monmouth's earnest request , chiefly to endeavour to prevent any such disorderly proceedings as the duke feared would be otherwise put on by some hot men , whose rash courses he did accordingly most vigorously oppose , and yet was condemned only for not discovering them , though he endeavoured to reform them , because he would not stoop to so mean a thought , as that of going about to save his life by accusing others for crimes that they only talkt of , and that , as we may partly gather from his discourse , he had effectually disswaded them from too , so that his intention was good , and his part in that transaction , even in the strictest sense of law , but a misprision of treason , and therefore he declares he cannot but think the sentence of death past against him to be very hard , and he by a strange fetch , brought within the compass of the statute of treason , of edward the third . he moreover adds , that he had so convincing a sense of his own innocence in that case , that he would not betray it by flight , tho' much pressed to it . he next excuses his saying so little at his trial , saying , he hoped it lookt more like innocence than guilt : adding , that he was advised not to confess matter of fact too plainly , because it would certainly have brought him within the guilt of misprision , and so he thought it better to say little , than by departing from the ingenuity he had always practised , by using little tricks and evasions , to make the last and solemnest part of his life so notably different from the preceding course of it , as such a conduct would have made it . he farther subjoyns , that he never pretended great readiness in speaking , and advises those gentlemen of the law that have it , to use it more conscientiously , and not to run men down , and impose on easie and willing juries by strains and fetches , &c. the killing unjustly by law , being the worst of murthers . he then , as in several other places , repeating his wishes , that the rage and revenge of some men , and the partiality of juries , may be stopped with his blood , and so , after a small hint , how by the importunity of his dearest and most virtuous lady , and some other dear friends , he had been prevail'd upon against his inclinations , to address , tho' ineffectually for his life , he concludes with a fresh protestation of his innocency , and a devout prayer to god , suitable to that sad occasion . captain walcot , &c. captain walcot and his fellow-sufferers , in order of time , should have gone first , he being convicted before my lord russel , and executed the friday , as he on saturday . but my lord russel's fate having so immediate a dependance on the earl of essex's , and all the plot hanging on him ; especially they two making the greatest figure of any who suffer'd on this occasion ; it look'd more proper and natural to begin with them , and reserve the other to this place . captain walcot was a gentleman of a considerable estate in ireland , but more remarkable for the rare happiness of having eight children all at once living , and most of all , for his love to his country , which cost him his life . we can have but little dependance , as has been before hinted , on the publick papers relating to these concerns ; especially in his case , where cartwright was engaged . what appears to us , and we may believe most reasonable , and what 's agreed on of all hands , is — ' that west , rumsey , and i think one more of 'em , had frequent discourses , at least , of killing the king and duke — so horrid and barbarous a thing , and so like the practice and principles of those worst of men , the papists ; that as every true englishman , and good christian must needs conceive a detestation and horror at the very mention of it ; so no doubt , it will be very acceptable to such to find when the thing is enquired closely into , which has partly been done before , and shall now be finished , to find no probability of any thing real in the bottom , none engaged in it , but two or three knaves , and one fool. no person of honour or character , who had heard so much as any discourse of it , but what immediately disapproved , or detested it , as much as every good man ought to do : tho' some of 'em , if there were more than walcot , might hear such mad discourse , as my lord russel says , the wickedness , passions , and vanities of other men might have occasion'd ; and yet not believing any thing in it more than words , nor think they were obliged to turn informers and hangmen ; which because they did not do , they suffer'd themselves . and this any reasonable man will , i doubt not , upon a little free thinking , acknowledge to be walcot's case , and no further . the pretended crime for which walcot suffer'd , and which west and others witness against him , was — consulting the death of the king , and charging the guards , at his return from new-market , while the dreadful blunderbuss was to be fired into the coach by rumbold , or some others . his privacy to discourses about the kings death was but misprision . for his acting in it , they could not have pitch'd on a more unlikely man to command a party in so desperate an attempt as charging the guards , than one that was sick and bed-rid of the gout , as about this time , and often besides the captain was . nor seems west's pretence more likely — that he refused to be actual in the assassination , because of the baseness of it , but offer'd to charge the guards , while others did it — much as wisely and tenderly , as if he had denied to cut a man's throat , but consented to hold his hands while others did it . this he denies with indignation in his speech , and [ appeals to all that knew him , whether they thought him such an idiot , that he should not understand 't was the same thing to engage the kings guards , whilst others kill'd him ; or to kill him with his own hands ? ] here then 't is plain , lies the pinch of the matter ; west and rumsey , &c. had been frequently discoursing at that bloody villanous rate ; west was most impatiently eager of having it done — he proposed the lopping 'em at a play , which he said would be [ in their own calling . ] for some of those who are charged with this foul business , as promoters , or so much as approvers thereof , were the innocent or guilty as to that particular ; i can assure the reader i have the same thought of 'em , that juvenal had of sejanus , and can say as he does , nunquam si quid mihi credis , amavi . but however one may add as he does , sed quo accidit sub crimine ? quisnam delator ? quibus indiciis ? quo teste ? and almost resolve all these questions to the same way , with a — nil horum . never was any party without many ill men — this no doubt , had too many whose ill lives both discredited , and in probability , ruined the best cause in the world , as my lord russel intimated in his speech . some of these , not having the fear of god before their eyes , might have such traiterous designs ; nay , and by their own confession , it appears they had so — but let 's not however be hurried away in a popular stream , which generally runs very muddy , to condemn those , who , whatever personal faults they may have had , how turbulent their nature , or bad their morals , or ill their character , yet seem to be no way concerned in so bloody and barbarous a conspiracy , how home soever it might be charg'd upon ' em . west and rumsey were the main pillars , and almost only witnesses on which the credit of that action depended , who appear all through the great and almost sole managers thereof , and who accuse others for being concerned in it . what and how much their credit weighs , we have already hinted , but shall yet confront it with further testimonies relating to this matter , and that of dying men , who could expect no pardons in this world , nor 'tother for a falshood . besides , rumbold's solemn protestation ; see walcot's speech and paper , wherein he as deeply affirms as a man can do , [ that west bought arms for this villanous design ( which can't be express'd with detestation enough ) without any direction of his — nay , without any direction , knowledge , or privity of his . ] west says in his answer to this , as well as in his evidence , [ that walcot joyn'd in the direction about the nature and size of those arms ; that he was very intimate and familiar with this rumbold , who was to be the principal actor in the assassination . ] but rumbold's death before recited , clears himself , and walcot , and shews us what west is . in another place he affirms — that walcot told him ferguson had the chief management of the intended assassination . rumbold's hard-name , as has been said already , ferguson's ill name , and the absence of 'em both , brought 'em in all probability into the business ; and walcot's being past answering for himself or them , made it very advisable to charge so much on him . so in the same nature ferguson was the author of that expression walcot had from west , — ferguson undertook for the duke of monmouth , — ferguson proposed to see for an opportunity between windsor and hampton-court . — the men to commit the assassination were all provided by ferguson , rumbold , &c. and i remember another of 'em , or he himself talks of fifty men engag'd for the very action . now as meer good nature , and the love i have to my countreymen will never suffer me to believe there could be so many englishmen found , and protestants too , who would consent to kill their king ; never any one having acknowledged such a design besides poor hone , who was so stupid , he could not give one sensible answer to what cartwright ask'd him at his death : so plain testimony , and dint of fact and reason , forces me to conclude these persons here charged were not guilty . see what rouse says of it — he was told , they did not intend to spill so much as one drop of blood . but most particularly holloway , [ he could not perceive ferguson knew any thing of the new-market design , but rumsey and west were deep in 't . ] again , [ holloway ask'd west who was to act the assassination ? to which he could give but a slender answer , and could , or would name but two men , rumbold and his brother . ] just such probable stuff as colledges seizing the king by himself at oxford , [ so that ( he goes on ) we found they had but few men , if more than two , and no horses , only a parcel of arms he shew'd at a gunsmith's . ] and lower , at another time , [ west only named rumsey and rich. goodenough as concerned in the assassination — west again proposed the assassination , but none seconded him — rumsey was for the old strain of killing the king , to which not one consented — he could never find above five concerned in it — he heard walcot speak against it — i knew ferguson to be against any such design . upon the whole , the world is left to its liberty to believe , at least three dying mens asseverations , against those who so plainly swore others necks into the halter , to get their own out , that west himself is not ashamed to own in his forementioned answer , that he was still in danger of death , though not so eminent as it had been ; not , at the apparent point of death . and at the close of this paper — if it shall please the king to spare my life for my confession , it is a great happiness , &c. which part of his evidence every body will easily believe . from all which , here lies a fair supposition of the innocency of this captain , and others , of what they were accus'd , found guilty , sentenc'd , and dy'd for ; it being on west's evidence , and such as his , that he and others were arraign'd and condemn'd ; the captains defence being much the same with what he says in his speech . 't is well known , that the witnesses against captain walcot swore for their own lives with halters about their necks ; and it 's as true that most of the witnesses had talkt at a mad rate , in the hearing of some of those whom they destroyed ; but see , what captain walcot in a most solemn manner declared with his last breath . an abstract of captain walcots speech . captain walcot denied any design of killing the king , or of engaging the guards , whilst others killed him ; and said , that the witnesses invited him to meetings , where some things were discoursed of , in order to the asserting our liberties and properties ; which we lookt upon to be violated and invaded : — that they importuned and perpetually solicited him , and then deliver'd him up to be hang'd — that they combined together to swear him out of his life , to save their own ; and that they might do it effectually , they contrived an vntruth . — that he forgave them , tho' guilty of his blood ; but , withal , earnestly begg'd , that they might be observed , that remarks might be set upon them , whether their end be peace ; and he concluded ( with what made sir roger l'estrange a great deal of sport , but yet heaven has made it good ) that when god hath a work to do , he will not want instruments . with him was try'd rouse , who was charg'd with such a parcel of mad romance as was scarce ever heard of ; and one wou'd wonder how perjury and malice , which use to be sober sins , cou'd even be so extravagant as to hit on 't . he was to seize the tower , pay the rabble , uncase the aldermen , to be pay-master and flea-master general , and a great deal more to the same tune . in his defence , he says , no great matter , but yet what looks a thousand times more like truth than his accusation ; that the tower business was only discourse of the feasibleness of the thing , ( as russel's about the guards ) but without the least in tent of bringing it to action ; that all he was concern'd in any real design , he had from lee , and was getting more out of him , with an intention to make a discovery . but it seems lee got the whip-hand of him ; they were both at a kind of halter-combat ; rous's foot slipt , and lea turn'd him over , and sav'd his own neck . his dying words . mr. rouse declared , that he was told , that they did not intend to spill one drop of blood ; and affirmed that lee , the witness against him , did ( by his evidence ) make him the author of the very words , that came out of his the said lee's own mouth . a brief extract of captain walcots prayer . o lord , our god , thou art a god of present help in time of trouble , a god , that hast promised to be with thy people in the fire and in the water . o lord , we pray thee , that thou wilt afford thy presence to thy poor suffering servants at this time , o lord , thy servant that speaketh doth confess , that the iniquities at his heels have justly overtaken him ; o do thou bathe each of our souls in that fountain set open for sin and for vncleanness . o do thou enable every one of us , from the inward evidence of thy spirit , to say with thy servant job , that we know and are assured that our redeemer lives . o give us some inward tasts of those heavenly joys that we hope through the mercy of jesus christ , in a little time to have a more full fruition of . o lord , do thou speak peace to every one of our consciences ; though we lie under a sentence of death from man , we beg that we may have a sentence of life eternal from our god ; and though we meet thee , o lord , in a field of blood , we beg that thou wilt come to meet with us in a field of mercy . o lord , though we have been prodigals , we desire to return unto our fathers house where there is bread enough . o enable us to come unto thee as children to their parents . lord put to thy helping hand , lord teach us truly to leave no sin unrepented of in any one of our hearts . and o lord , we beg that with us thou wilt give us leave to recommend unto thy care our poor wives and children : thou hast promised to be the father of the fatherless , and the husband of the widow ; and thou hast commanded us to cast the care of them upon thee . o do thou make provision for them , and enable them to hear this severe stroke with patience . o lord , we also beseech thee in the behalf of these poor kingdoms wherein we are , that thou wilt be merciful to them , prevent divisions among them , heal all their breaches , compose their differences , make all that are thine of one heart and mind in the things of thee our god. lord , favour us with thy mercy , assure us of thy love , stand by us in the difficult hour , take us into thine own care , cause thy angels to attend us , to convey our souls as soon as they are divided from our bodies , into abraham 's bosom . all which we beg for the sake of thy son jesus christ , in whom , o lord , this little time do thou give us hearts to give thee all glory , honour , and praise , now and for evermore , amen . sweet jesus , amen . hone was accused , and owns himself guilty of a design to kill the king and the duke of york , or one , or neither , for 't is impossible to make any sense of him . when they came to suffer , walcot read a paper , in which was a good rational confession of his faith ; then comes to the occasion of his death , for which , he says , he neither blames the judges , jury , nor council , but only some men , that in reality were deeper concern'd than he , who combin'd together to swear him out of his life to save their own , and that they might do it effectually , contriv'd an untruth , &c. he forgives the world and the witnesses : gives his friends advice to be more prudent than he had been ; prays that his may be the last blood spilt on that account ; wishes the king wou'd be merciful to others ; says he knew nothing of ireland , and concludes , with praying god to have mercy upon him . he had then some discourse with cartwright wherein he tells him , that he was not for contriving the death of the king , nor to have had a hand in 't ; and being urg'd with some matters of controversie , tells him , he did not come thither to dispute about religion , but to die religiously . but tho' dying be a serious business , yet 't is almost impossible to read his discourse with the dean , without as violent temptations to laughter as compassion . never was so exact an imitation of the scene of the fisherman and kings in the rehearsal , when he tells 'em prince pretty-man kill'd prince pretty-man . one wou'd think him very near in the same case with bateman , who came after him . his replies are so incongruous , that there 's hardly either sense or english to be made out of ' em . but the poor fellow talks of snares and circumstances , and no body knows what , and says in one line , he was to meet the king and duke of york , but he did not know when , where , nor for what : in the next he was for killing the king , and saving the duke ; and when askt the reason , answers , the only sensible thing he said all through , that he knew no reason , that he did not know what to say to 't . and when the dean charges him with the murderous design , — that he knew as little of it , as any poor silly man in the world. rouse comes next , gives an account of his faith , professing to die of the church of england , tells his former employment and manner of life , acknowledges he heard of clubs and designs , but was never at 'em , and a perfect stranger to any thing of that nature . gives a relation of what past between him and his majesty on his apprehension . talks somewhat of sir thomas player , the earl of shaftsbury , and accommodating the king's son , as he calls it , tho' not while the king reign'd . then falls upon lee , and the discourse they had together , who , as he says , swore against him on the trial those very words he himself had used in pressing him to undertake the design . speaks of a silvers ball which he proposed to be thrown up on black-heath , and after some discourse with the ordinary , gives the spectators some good counsel . then they all three singly prayed ; and then the sentence was executed upon ' em . algernon sidney , esq the next victim to popish cruelty and malice , was , colonel algernon sidney , of the ancient and noble name and family of the sidneys , deservedly famous to the utmost bounds of europe ; who , as the ingenious mr. hawles observes , was meerly talkt to death , under the notion of a common-wealths man , and found guilty by a jury who were not much more proper judges of the case , than they wou'd have been had he writ in greek or arabick . he was arraign'd for a branch of this plot at westminster the th of novemb. . where , tho' it cannot be said the grand jury knew not what they did , when they found the bill against him , since no doubt they were well instructed what to do ; yet it must , that they found it almost before they knew what ' t was . being so well resolv'd on the case , and agreed on their verdict , that had he been indicted for breaking up an house , or robbing on the high-way , 't was doom'd to have been billa vera , as much as 't was now . for tho' the indictment was never presented to 'em before they came into the hall , yet they immediately found it : the substance whereof was , [ for a conspiracy to depose the king and stirring up rebellion , and writing a libel for that purpose . ] the most part of the evidence brought against him , was only hearsay , as against my lord russel ; nay , west whose evidence was then refused , now was admitted to tell a long story of what he had from one and t'other . rumsey's was much of the same nature . in the reer came that never failing evidence the lord howard , who witnesses he was one of the council of six , and engaged one of the deepest in their consults . and more than that , exercises his own faculty very handsomly , in an account of two speeches mr. hamden made on the occasion , which indeed were such fine things , that some might think it worth the while to swear against a man , only to have the reputation of reciting 'em ; and whom they are most like , mr. hamden , or my lord 's own witty self , let any man judge . the next evidence was a paper , said to be of the prisoners writing , which was found in his study . the substance of which was an enquiry into the forms of government and reasons of their decays : the rights of the people , and bounds of soveraignty , and original of power . in which were those heinous , treasonable expressions , [ the king is subject to the law of god as ae man , to the people who made him such , as a king , &c. ] and examples of evil kings and tyrants , whom sometimes a popular fury had destroy'd ; at others , the ordines regni either reduc'd , or set them aside , when their government was a curse instead of a blessing to their people . vvell , what treason to be found in all this , and a great deal more ? nothing but a jesuits enchanted telescope cou'd have found any in it . if there were any mistakes , as he says in his speech ▪ they ought to have been confuted by law , reason , and scripture , not scaffolds and axes . first , 't was not proved to be his writing , nor did he confess it ; treason and life are critical things : one ought to be as fairly prov'd , as t'other to be cautiously proceeded against . tho' he might write it , he had the liberty of an english man , not to accuse himself : the very same thing which was afterwards put in practice by those reverend persons , who , later than he , and cheaper too , defended their countries liberty with only the loss of their own . but owning he writ it , how very few , if any things therein are not now generally and almost universally believ'd , and are the foundation of the practice , and satisfaction of the conscience of every man , tho' then confuted with the single brand of commonwealth principles , being indeed such as all the world must , whether they will or no , be forc'd into the belief of , as soon as oppression and tyranny bears hard upon 'em , and becomes really unsupportable . but supposing they were now as wicked principles as they were ( call'd ) then ; yet what was that to the then present governours ? he answer'd filmer for his own satisfaction , or rather began to do it , many years before the makers of this plot dreamt of that , or bringing him into it : kept it private in his own study , where it might have lain till dooms-day , had not they fetch'd it out to make somewhat on 't . 't was suggested ▪ and innuendo'd , that this book was written to scatter among the people in order to dispose 'em to rebel , as 't is in the indictment . but how ridiculous that is , any one will see who considers the bulk of it , which was such , that , as he says in his speech , [ the fiftie●h part of the book was not produced ; nor the tenth of that read , tho' he desired it , and 't was usual ; and yet after all , as it had never been shewn to any man , so 't was not finish'd , nor cou'd be in many years . ] now is this a business likely to be calculated for a rebellion ; when it cou'd neither be finish'd till several years after 't was over ; and besides , if it had , the bulk made if so improper to be disperst for that purpose for which 't was pretendedly design'd ? no , those who are to poison a nation in that manner , know better things , and more likely ways . 't is to be done in little pamphlets , and papers easily read over , understood , and remembred , as the declaration-gentlemen t'other day , very well knew . but still here being not a syllable , in these papers of king charles , any more than of the king of bantam , or the great mogul , against whom they might as well have made it treason ; 't was all supply'd by a fine knack , call'd an innuendo , that is , in english , such interpretation as they 'd please to affix on his words . thus when he writes tarquin , or pepin , or nero , they say , he meant king charles ; and so , scandalously of him , as well as wickedly of the gentleman , make a monster and a ravisher of their king , and then take away anothers life for doing it . there was a minister i have somewhere read of , who was accused for writing a libel against queen elizabeth , and her government ; and the fact there , 't is true , lay , as this does , upon innuendo's , though much more plain and pregnant . — but all the punishment inflicted on him , tho' that thought severe enough , reached not his head , the loss of his hand being thought sufficient ▪ while with that which was left , he pulled off his hat , and prayed god to bless the queen . — but this was under a mild reign , and truly protestant government . as for my lord howard's evidence , had the jury been any but such as they were , and sidney describes them , they would not have hang'd a jesuit upon the credit on 't ; he having , one would think , that read the tryals , taken a pride in damning , himself deeper and deeper against every new appearance in publick , on purpose to try the skill and face of the council in bringing him off again . — to the evidence brought against him in my lord russel's case , he had taken care that these following should be added . the e of clare witnesses , that he said , after sidney's imprisonment , if question'd again , he would never plead — ( had it not been a pleasant thing for my lord howard to have been press'd to death for not speaking ? ) and that he thought colonel sidney as innocent as any man breathing : mr. ducas says the same , so does my lord paget , and mr. edward , and philip howards , and tracy , and penwick , and mr. blake , that he said he had not his pardon , and could not ascribe it to any reason , but that he must not have it till the drudgery of swearing was over . but though there was no reasonable answer could be given to all this ; tho sidney pleaded the obligations my lord howard had to him and the great conveniency he might think there might be in his being hang'd , since he was some hundreds of pounds in his debt , which would be the readiest way of paying him ; and had besides , as it appeared , a great mind to have the collonel's plate secured at his own house ; tho never man in the world certainly ever talk't stronger sense , or better reason , or more evidently batter'd the judges , and left 'em nothing but railing . — 't was all a case with him , as well as the others ; and the petty jury could as easily have found him guilty , without hearing his tryal , as the grand jury did as soon as e're they saw the bill . never was any thing more base and barbarous , than the summing up the evidence and directions to the jury , who yet stood in no great need of 'em : nor more uncivil and sawcy a reflection on the noble family and name of the sidneys , than the judges saying — that he was born a traitor . never any thing braver , or more manly , than his remonstrance to the king for justice , and another trial : nor lastly , more roman , and yet truly christian than his end . the brave old man came up on a scaffold , as unconcern'd as if he had been going to fight , and as lively as if he had been a russel . in his last speech he gives almost all the substance of all those books which have been lately written in the defence of the late transactions , and no disgrace to 'em neither ; since truth and reason are eternal , and one and the same from all pens and parties , and at all times , however there may be some times so bad , that they won't bear some reason , any more than some doctrine . — he there says as much in a little as ever man did — [ that magistrates were set up for the good of nations , not e contra ] if that be treason , k. charles the first is guilty on 't against himself , who says the same thing . ) that the power of magistrates is what the laws of the country make it : that those laws and oaths have the force of a contract , and if one part is broken , t'other ceases . ] and other maxims of the same necessity and usefulness . — he besides this , gave a full account of the design of his book , of his tryal , and the injustice done him therein ; of the jury's being packt , and important points of law over-ruled ; and ends with a most compendious prayer , in which he desires god would forgive his enemies , but keep 'em from doing any more mischief — and then he laid down his head , and went to sleep . to the king's most excellent majesty the humble petition of algernoon sydney , esquire , sheweth , that your petitioner , after a long and close imprisonment , was on the seventh day of this month , with a guard of souldiers brought into the palace-yard , upon an habeas corpus directed to the lieutenant of the tower , before any indictment had been exhibited against him : but while he was there detain'd , a bill was exhibited and found ; whereupon he was immediately carried to the king's bench , and there arraign'd . in this surprize he desir'd a copy of the indictment , and leave to make his exceptions , or to put in a special plea , and council to frame it ; but all was denied him . he then offer'd a special plea ready ingross'd , which also was rejected without reading : and being threatned , that if he did not immediately plead guilty or not guilty , judgment of high treason should be entered , he was forc'd contrary to law ( as he supposes ) to come to a general issue in pleading not guilty . novemb. . he was brought to his tryal , and the indictment being perplexed and confused , so as neither he nor any of his friends that heard it , could fully comprehend the scope of it , he was wholly unprovided of all the helps that the law allows to every man for his defence . whereupon he did again desire a copy , and produced an authentick copy of the statute of ed. . whereby 't is enacted , that every man shall have a copy of any record that touches him in any manner , as well that which is for or against the king , as any other person ; but could neither obtain a copy of his indictment , nor that the statute should be read . the jury by which he was try'd was not ( as he is inform'd ) summon'd by the bailiffs of the several hundreds , in the usual and legal manner , but names were agreed upon by mr. graham , and the under-sheriff , and directions given to the bailiffs to summon them : and being all so chosen , a copy of the pannel was of no use to him . when they came to be called , he excepted against some for being your majesties servants , which he hoped should not have been return'd , when he was prosecuted at your majesties suit ; many more for not being free-holders , which exceptions he thinks were good in law ; and others were lewd and infamous persons , not fit to be of any jury : but all was over-rul'd by the lord chief justice , and your petitioner forc'd to challenge them peremptorily , whom he found to be pick'd out as most suitable to the intentions of those who sought his ruin ; whereby he lost the benefit allow'd him by law of making his exceptions , and was forc'd to admit of mechanick persons utterly unable to judge of such a matter as was to be brought before them . this jury being sworn no witness was produc'd , who fixed any thing beyond hear-say upon your petitioner , except the lord howard , and them that swore to some papers said to be found in his house , and offer'd as a second witness , and written in an hand like to that of your petitioner . your petitioner produc'd ten witnesses , most of them of eminent quality , the others of unblemish'd fame , to shew the lord howard's testimony was inconsistent with what he had declared before ( at the tryal of the lord russel ) under the same religious obligation of an oath , as if it had been legally administred . your petitioner did further endeavour to shew , that besides the absurdity and incongrui-of his testimony , he being guilty of many crimes which he did pretend your petitioner had any knowledge of , and having no other hope of pardon , than by the drudgery of swearing against him , he deserv'd not to be believ'd . and similitude of hands could be no evidence , as was declared by the lord chief justice keiling , and the whole court in the lady carr's case ; so as that no evidence at all remain'd against him . that whosoever wrote those papers , they were but a small part of a polemical discourse in answer to a book written about thirty years ago , upon general propositions , apply'd to no time , nor any particular case ; that it was impossible to judge of any part of it , unless the whole did appear , which did not ; that the sence of such parts of it as were produc'd , could not be comprehended , unless the whole had been read , which was denied ; that the ink and paper sheweth them to be writ many years ago ; that the lord howard not knowing of them , they could have no concurrence with what your petitioner is said to have design'd with him and others ; that the confusion and errors in the writing shew'd they had never been so much as review'd , and being written in an hand that no man could well read , they were not fit for the press , nor could be in some years , tho' the writer of them had intended it , which did not appear . but they being only the present crude and private thoughts of a man , for the exercise of his own understanding in his studies , and never shewed to any , or applied to any particular case , could not fall under the statute of ed. . which takes cognizance of no such matter , and could not by construction be brought under it ; such matters being thereby reserved to the parliament , as is declared in the proviso , which he desired might be read , but was refused . several important points of law did hereupon emerge , upon which your petitioner , knowing his own weakness , did desire that council might be heard , or they might be referr'd to be found specially . but all was over rul'd by the violence of the lord chief justice , and your petitioner so frequently interrupted , that the whole method of his defence was broken , and he not suffer'd to say the tenth part of what he could have alledged in his defence . so the jury was hurried into a verdict they did not understand . now for as much as no man that is oppressed in england , can have relief , unless it be from your majesty , your petitioner humbly prays , that the premises considered , your majesty would be pleased to admit him into your presence ; and if he doth not shew , that 't is for your majesties interest and honour to preserve him from the said oppression , he will not complain tho' he be left to be destroy'd . an abstract of the paper delivered to the sheriffs on the scaffold on tower-hill , december . . by algernoon sidney esquire before his execution . first having excused his not speaking , as well because it was an age that made truth pass for treason , for the proof of which , he instances his trial and condemnation , and that the ears of some present were too tender to hear it , as because of the rigour of the season , and his infirmities , &c. then after a short reflection upon the little said against him by other witnesses , and the little value that was to be put on the lord howard's testimony , whom he charges with an infamous life , and many palpable perjuries , and to have been byassed only by the promise of pardon , &c. and makes , even tho' he had been liable to no exceptions , to have been but a single witness : he proceeds to answer the charge against him from the writings found in his closet by the kings officers , which were pretended , but not lawfully evidenced to be his , and pretends to prove , that had they been his , they contained no condemnable matter , but principles , more safe both to princes and people too , than the pretended high-flown plea for absolute monarchy , composed by filmer , against which , they seemed to be levelled ; and which , he says , all intelligent men thought were founded on wicked principles , and such as were destructive both to magistrates , and people too . which he attempts to make out after this manner . first says he , if filmer might publish to the world , that men were born under a necessary indispensable subjection to an absolute king , who could be restrained by no oath , &c. whether he came to it by creation , inheritance , &c. nay , o● even by usurpation , why might he not publish his opinion to the contrary , without the breach of any known law ? which opinion he professes , consisted in the following particulars . . that god had left nations at the liberty of modelling their own governments . . that magistrates were instituted for nations , and not econtra . . that the right and power of magistrates was fixed by the standing laws of each country . . that those laws sworn to on both sides , were the matter of a contract between the magistrate and people , and could not be broken without the danger of dissolving the whole government . . the vsurpation could give no right ; and that kings had no greater enemies than those who asserted that , or were for stretching their power beyond its limits . . that such vsurpations commonly effecting the slaughter of the reigning person , &c. the worst of crimes was thereby most gloriously rewarded . . that such doctrines are more proper to stir up men to destroy princes than all the passions that ever yet swayed the worst of them , and that no prince could be safe if his murderers may hope such rewards , and that few men would be so gentle , as to spare the best kings , if by their destruction , a wild vsurper could become gods anointed , whi●● he says was the scope of that whole treatise , and asserts to be the doctrine of the best authors of all nations , times and religions , and of the scripture , and so owned by the best and wisest princes , and particularly by lewis th of france , in his declaration against spain , anno . and by king james of england , in his speech to the parliament . and adds that if the writer had been mistaken he should have been fairly refuted , but that no man was ever otherwise punished for such matters , or any such things referred to a jury , &c. that the book was never finished , &c. nor ever seen by them whom he was charged to have endeavoured by it to draw into a conspiracy : that nothing in it was particularly or maliciously appplied to time , place , or person , but distorted to such a sense by innuendo's as the discourses of the expulsion of tarquin , &c. and particularly of the translation made of the crown of france from one race to another , had been applied by the then lawyer 's innuendo's to the then king of england ; never considering adds he , that if such acts of state be not allowed good , no prince in the world has any title to his crown , and having by a short reflection , shewn the ridiculousness of deriving absolute monarchy , from patriarchal power , he appeals to all the world , whether it would not be more advantagious to all kings , to own the derivation of their power to the consent of willing nations , than to have no better title than force , &c. which may be over-powered . but notwithstanding the innocence and loyalty of that doctrine , he says , he was told he must die , or the plot must die , and complains , that in order to the destroying the best protestants of england , the bench was fill'd with such as had been blemishes to the bar ; and instances how against la● , they had advised with the king's council about bringing him to death , suffer'd a jury to be pack'd by the king's sollicitors , and the vnder-sheriff , admitted jury-men no free-holders , received evidence not valid ; refus'd him a copy of his indictment , or to suffer the act of the th of ed. . to be read , that allows it had over-ruled the most important points of law , without hearing , and assumed to themselves a power to make constructions of treason , tho' against law , sense and reason , which the stat. of the th of ed. . by which they pretended to try him , was reserved only to the ●arliament , and so praying god , to forgive them , and to avert the evils that threatned the nation , to sanctifie those sufferings to him , and tho' he fell a sacrifice to idols , not to suffer idolatry to be established in this land , &c. he concludes with a thanksgiving , that god had singled him out to be a witness of his truth , and for that good old cause in which from his youth he had been engag'd , &c. his epitaph . algernon sydney fills this tomb , an atheist by declaiming rome ; a rebel bold by striving still to keep the laws above the will , and hindring those would pull them down , to leave no limits to a crown . crimes damn'd by church and government , oh whither must his soul be sent ! of heaven it must needs despair , if that the pope be turn-key there ; and hellcan ne're it entertain , for there ●s all tyrannick reign , and purgatory's such a pretence , as ne're deceiv'd a man of sense , where goes it then ? where 't ought to go , where pope and devil have nought to do . his character . there 's no need of any more than reading his trial and speech , to know him as well as if he stood before us . that he was a person of extraordinary sense , and very close thinking , which he had the happiness of being able to express in words as manly and apposite as the sense included under ' em . he was owner of as much vertue and religion , as sense and reason ; tho' his piety lay as far from enthusiasm as any mans . he fear'd nothing but god , and lov'd nothing on earth , like his country , and the just liberties and laws thereof , whose constitutions he had deeply and successfully inquired into . to sum up all , he had piety enough for a saint , courage enough for a general or a martyr , sense enough for a privy-counsellor , and soul enough for a king ; and in a word , if ever any , he was a perfect english man. mr. james holloway . mr. holloway was by trade a merchant ; but his greatest dealing lay in linnen manufacture , which , as appears from his papers , he had brought to such a heighth here in england , as , had it met with suitable encouragement , would , as he made it appear , have imployed poor people , and acres of land , and be pounds a year advantage to the publick revenues of the kingdom . the return of the habeas corpus writ calls him , [ late of london merchant ] though he lived mostly at bristol . he seems to be a person of sense , courage , and vivacity of spirit , and a man of business . — all we can have of him is from that publick print , call'd his narrative , concerning which it must be remembred , as before , that we have no very firm authority to assure us all therein contained was his own writing ; and perhaps it might be thought convenient he should die , for fear he might contradict some things published in his name . but on the other side , where he contradicts the other witnesses his evidence is strong , since be sure that was not the interest of the managers to invent of their own accords ; tho' some truth they might utter , tho' displeasing , to gain credit to the rest . taking things however as we find 'em , 't will be convenient for method's sake to take notice first of the proceedings against him , then of some pretty plain footsteps of practice upon him , and shuffling dealing in his case ; and lastly , of several things considerable in his narrative . he was accused for the plot , as one who was acquainted with west , rumsey , and the rest ; and having been really present at their meetings , and discourses on that subject , absconded when the publick news concerning the discovery came into the country ; tho' this , as he tells the king , more for fear that if he was taken up , his creditors would never let him come out of gaol , than any thing else . after some time he got to sea in a little vessel , went over to france , and so to the west-indies , among the caribbe-islands , where much of his concerns lay : but writing to his factor at nevis , he was by him treacherously betray'd , and seiz'd by the order of sir william stapleton , and thence brought prisoner to england , where after examination , and a confession of at least all he knew , having been outlawed in his absence on an indictment of treason ; he was on the th of april , . brought to the kings bench , to shew cause why execution should not be awarded against him , as is usual in that case : he opposed nothing against it , only saying , [ if an ingenuous confession of truth could merit the king's pardon , he hoped he had done it . ] the attorney being call'd for , order'd the indictment to be read , and gave him the offer of a trial , waving the outlawry , which he refused , and threw himself on the king's mercy . on which execution was awarded , tho' the attorney who had not so much law even as jeffreys , was for having judgment first pass against him , which is never done in such cases , according to which he was executed at tyburn the th of april . it seem'd strange to all men , that a man of so much spirit as mr. holloway appear'd to be , should so tamely die without making any manner of defence , when that liberty was granted him : it seemed as strange , or yet stranger , that any protestant should have any thing ●hat look'd like mercy or favour from the persons then at the helm , [ that they should be so gracious to him , as 't is there call'd , to admit him to a trial , which look'd so generously , and was so cry'd up — the attorney calling it [ a mercy and a grace ] and the lord chief justice saying , he 'd assure him 't was a great mercy , and that it was exceeding well . now all this blind or mystery will be easily unriddled , by two or three lines which holloway speaks just after , [ my lord , says he , i cannot undertake to defend my self , for i have confessed before his majesty , that i am guilty of many things in that indictment . ] which was immediately made use of as 't was design'd — good mr. justice withens crying out full mouth'd , [ i hope every body here will take notice of his open confession , when he might try it if he would — surely none but will believe this conspiracy now , after what this man has owned . ] so there 's an end of all t●e mercy — a man who had before confessed in order to be hang'd , had gracious liberty given him to confess it again in publick , because they knew he had precluded all manner of defence before , and this publick action would both get 'em the repute of clemency , and confirm the belief of the plot. now that there had been practice used with him , and promises of pardon if he 'd take this method , and own himself guilty without pleading , is more than probable , both from other practices of the same nature used towards greater men , and from some expressions of his which look exceeding fair that way . thus in his paper left behind him , [ i had , he says , some other reasons why i did not plead , which at present i conceal , as also why i did not speak what i intended . ] other reasons , besides his confession to his majesty , and reasons to be conceal'd . now what should those be , but threatnings and promises , to induce him to silence , and publick acknowledgment of all ? which appears yet plainer from another passage , [ i am satisfied that all means which could be thought on have been used , to get as much out of me as possible . ] if all means , then without straining , those before mentioned . but if he made so fair and large an acknowledgment , here 's more mystery still ; why wan't his life spar'd ? let any read his confession and speech , or these passages observed out of them , and he 'll no longer wonder at it . he was a little squeasie conscienc'd , and would not strain so far as others in accusing men of those black crimes whereof they were innocent ; nay , as was before said , vindicating them from those aspersions cast upon them , and for which some of them , particularly my lord russel , suffer'd death . he says , [ the assassination was carry'd on but by three or four , and could never hear so much as the names of above five for it — that he and others had declared their abhorrence of any such thing — that ferguson was not in it . ] and besides , speaks some things with the liberty of an englishman , shews the very root of all those heats which had been rais'd — says what was true enough , [ that the protestant gentry had a notion of a devilish design of the papists to cut off the kings friends , and stirring men in both last parliaments ; that they had long had witnesses to swear them out of their lives , but no juries to believe 'em ; that now the point about the sheriffs was gain'd , that difficulty was over ; that the king had bad council about him , who kept all things from his knowledge ; that if things continued thus , the protestant gentry resolv'd to get the king from his evil council , and then he 'd immediately be of their side , and suffer all popish offenders to be brought to justice . ] hence 't was plain , no assassination , no plot against the king or government intended ; only treason against the d. of york and the papists , who were themselves traytors by law. but ●et one bolder stroke than all this , [ he prays the king's eyes might be open'd , to see his enemies from his friends , whom he had cause to look for nearer home . ] was a man to expect pardon after this — no certainly , which he soon himself grew sensible of , and prepared for death , [ the council , as he says , taking it very heinously , that he should presume to write such things . ] as for what sheriff daniel urges , that what he says about the king were but glossy pretences ; he answers him very well , that 't was far otherwise . here was plain matter of fact : the kingdom in eminent danger ; the fitt just coming on , which has since so near shaken to pieces all the frame of church and state , which has so many years been rising to this compleatness : ordinary ways and usual remedies could not prevail ; these protestants were forced to betake themselves to extraordinary , in defence of the government and laws , and not against 'em , any more than 't would have been to have taken arms and rescu'd the king from a troop of banditti , who had got possession of his person ; the papists who had him , being as visibly and notoriously obnoxious to the government , and as dead men in law , most of 'em , as publick thieves and robbers . thus much of mr. holloway , the popish tender mercy towards him , his confession and execution . mr. holloway declared , that mr. west proposed the assassination , but none seconded him — that he could not perceive that mr. ferguson knew any thing of it ; and holloway said , it was our design to shed no blood ; he being interrogated , by mr. ferguson's friend , mr. sheriff daniel , whether he knew ferguson ; he answer'd , that he did know him , but knew him to be against any design of killing the king. sir thomas armstrong . but the next had not so fair play , because they knew he 'd make better use on 't . they had this lion in the toils , and did not intend to let him loose again to make sport , lest the hunters themselves should come off ill by it . he had been all his life a firm servant and friend to the royal family , in their exile and afterwards : he had been in prison for 'em under cromwel , and in danger both of execution and starving ; for all which they now rewarded him . he had a particular honour and devotion for the duke of monmouth , and pusht on his interest on all occasions , being a man of as undaunted english courage , as ever our country produced . he was with the duke formerly in his actions in flanders , and shar'd there in his danger and honour . his accusation was , his being concern'd in the general plot , and that too of killing the king ; but he was indeed hang'd for running away , and troubling 'em to send so far after him . the particulars pretended against him , were what the lord howard witnessed in russels trial , [ of his going to kill the king when their first design fail'd . ] but this was there onely a supposal , tho' advanc'd into a form'd accusation , and aggravated by the atturney , as the reason why he had a trial denied him , when holloway had one offered , both of 'em being alike outlawed on which outlawry sir thomas was kidnapt in holland , and brought over hither in chains , and rob'd by the way into the bargain . being brought up , and askt what he had to say , that sentence shou'd not pass upon him , he pleaded the th of edw. . wherein 't is provided , [ that if a person outlawed render himself in a year after the outlawry pronounc'd , and traverse his indictment , and shall be acquitted on his trial , he shall be discharged of the outlawry . ] on which he accordingly then and there made a formal surrender of himself to the lord chief justice , and ask'd the benefit of the statute , and a fair trial for his life , the year not being yet expired . if ever any thing cou'd appear plain to common sense , 't was his case . the statute allows a years time , the year was not out , he surrender'd himself , demands the benefit of it ; and all the answer he could get , or reason to the contrary , was the positive lord chief justice's , [ we don't think so , and we are of another opinion . ] nay , cou'd not have so much justice as to have counsel allow'd to plead it , tho' the point sufficiently deserv'd it , and here was the life of an old servant of the king 's concern'd in it . when he still pleaded . that a little while before , one , meaning holloway , had the benefit of a trial offered him , if he 'd accept it , and that was all he now desired . the lord chief justice answers . that was onely the grace and mercy of the king. the atturney adds , the king did indulge holloway so far as to offer him a trial , and his majesty perhaps might have some reason for it : the very self-same some reason , no doubt on 't , which holloway says he had for not pleading . but sir thomas ( the atturney goes on ) deserv'd no favour , because he was one of the persons that actually engaged to go , on the king 's hasty coming from newmarket , and destroy him by the way as he came to town ; and that this appeared upon as full and clear evidence , and as positively testified as any thing could be , and this in the evidence given in of the late horrid conspiracy . ] now id fain know who gives this clear and full evidence in the discovery of the conspiracy . howard's is meer supposition , and he 's all who so much as mentions a syllable on 't that ever cou'd be found on search of all the papers and trials relating to that affair . to this sir thomas answers in his speech , [ that had he come 'to his trial , he cou'd have prov'd my lord howard 's base reflections on him to be a notorious falshood , there being at least ten gentlemen , besides all the servants in the house , cou'd testifie where he dined that very day . ] still sir thomas demanded the benefit of the law , and no more : to which jeffreys answer'd , with one of his usual barbarous insults over the miserable , [ that he shou'd have it by the grace of god ; ordering , that execution be done on friday next according to law. and added , that he shou'd have the full benefit of the law : ] repeating the jest lest it should be lost , as good as three times in one sentence . tho' had not his lordship slipt out of the world so slily , he had had as much benefit the same way , and much more justly than this gentleman . then the chief justice proceeds , and tells him , we are satisfied that according to law , we must award execution upon this outlawry : thereupon mrs. matthews , sir thomas's daughter , said , my lord , i hope you will not murder my father : for which , being brow-beaten and checkt , she added , god almighty's judgments light upon yov . the friday after he was brought to the place of execution , dr. tennison being with him , and on his desire , after he had given what he had to leave , in a paper , to the sheriff , prayed a little while with him . he then prayed by himself ; and after having thanked the doctor for his great care and pains with him , submitted to the sentence , and died more composedly , and full as resolutely as he had lived . 't is observable , that more cruelty was exercised on him than any who went before him , not onely in the manner of his death , but the exposing his limbs and body : a fair warning what particular gratitude a protestant is to expect for having oblig'd a true papist . another thing worth remembring , in all other cases as well as this tho occasion is here taken to do it , is , that whereas in holloway's case , jeffreys's observ'd , [ that not one of all concern'd in this conspiracy had dared to deny it ; and lower , to deny the truth of the fact absolutely . ] t is so far from being true , that every one who suffer'd , did it as absolutely as possible . they were try'd or sentenc'd for [ conspiring against the king and government ] that was their plot ; but this they all deny , and absolutely too ; and safely might do it : for they consulted for it , not conspired against it , resolving not to touch the king's person ; nay , if possible , not to shed one drop of blood of any other , as holloway and others say . for the king's life , sir thomas says as the lord russel , [ never had any man the impudence to propose so base and barbarous a thing to him . ] russel , and almost all besides , say , they had never any design against the government . sir thomas here says the same ; [ as he never had any design against the king's life , nor the life of any man , so he never had any design to alter the monarchy . ] as he liv'd , he says he dy'd a sincere protestant , and in the communion of the church of england , tho' he heartily wish'd he had more strictly liv'd up to the religion he believed . and tho' he had but a short time , he found himself prepared for death ; and indeed , as all his life shew'd him a man of courage , so his death , and all the rest of his behaviour , did , a penitent man , a man of good sense , and a good christian. at the place of execution sir thomas armstrong deported himself with courage , becoming a great man , and with the seriousness and piety suitable to a very good christian. sheriff daniel told him , that he had leave to say what he pleased , and should not be interrupted , unless he upbraided the government ; sir thomas thereupon told him , that he should not say any thing by way of speech ; but delivered him a paper , which he said contained his mind , he then called for dr. tennison who prayed with him , and then he prayed himself . in his paper he thus expressed himself , that he thanked . almighty god , he found himself prepared for death , his thoughts set upon another world , and ●eaned from this ; yet he could not but give so much of his little time as to answer some calumnies , and particularly what mr. attorney accused him of at the bar. that he prayed to be allowed a tryal for his life according to the laws of the land , and urged the statute of edward . which was expresly for it ; but it signified nothing , and he was with an extraordinary roughness condemned and made a precedent ; tho' holloway had it offered him , and he could not but think all the world would conclude his case very different , else why refused to him ? that mr. attorney charged him for being one of those that was to kill the king ; he took god to witness , that he never had a thought to take away the king 's life , and that no man ever had the impudence to propose so barbarous and base a thing to him ; and that he never was in any design to alter the government . that if he had been tryed , he could have proved the lord howard's base reflections upon him , to be notoriously false — he concluded , that he had lived and now dyed of the reformed religion , a protestant in the communion of the church of england , and he heartily wished he had lived more strictly up to the religion he believed : that he had found the great comfort of the love and mercy of god , in and through his blessed redeemer , in whom he only trusted , and verily hoped that he was going to partake of that fulness of joy which is in his presence , the hopes whereof infinitely pleased him . he thanked god he had no repining , but chearfully submitted to the punishment of his sins ; he freely forgave all the world , even those concerned in taking away his life , tho' he could not but think his sentence very hard , he being denied the laws of the land. on the honourable sir thomas armstrong , executed june . . had'st thou abroad found safety in thy flight , th' immortal honour had not fam'd so bright . thou hadst been still a worthy patriot thought ; but now thy glory 's to perfection brought . in exile , and in death to england true : what more could brutus or just cato do ? alderman cornish . to make an end of this plot altogether , 't will be necessary once more to invert the order in which things happened , and tho' mr. cornish suffer'd not till after the judges returned from the west , as well as bateman after him , yet we shall here treat of 'em both ▪ and so conclude this matter . mr. cornish was seiz'd in octob. . and the monday after his commitment , which was on tuesday or friday , arraigned for high treason , having no notice given him till saturday noon . his charge was for conspiring to kill the king , and promising to assist the duke of monmouth , &c. in their treasonable enterprises . he desired his trial might be deferred , because of his short time for preparation ; and that he had a considerable witness an hundred and forty miles off , and that the king had left it to the judges , whether it should be put off or no. but 't was denied him ; the att●rney telling him , he had not deserved so well of the government as to have his trial delayed . that was in english , because he had been a protestant sheriff , he should not have justice . the evidences against him were rumsey and goodenough . rumsey swears , [ that when he was at the famous meeting at mr. shepherds , mr. shepherd being call'd down , brought up mr. cornish ; and when he was come in , ferguson opened his bosom , and under his stomacher pull●d out a paper in the nature of a declaration of grievances , which ferguson read , and shepherd held the candle while 't was reading ; that mr. cornish lik●d it , and what interest he had , said , would joyn with it ; and that out of compassion he had not accus'd mr. cornish before . ] goodenough swears , that he talkt with cornish of the design of seizing the tower. mr. cornish said , he would do what good he could , or to that purpose . to goodenough's evidence was opposed by mr. gosprights , who testified mr. cornish opposed his being ▪ under-sheriff saying , that he was an ill man , obnoxious to the government , and he 'd not trust an hair of his head with him . and is it then probable that he 'd have such discourses with him as woul● endanger head and all ? mr. love , jekil , and sir william turner witness to the same purpose . as to rumsey's evidence , the perjury lies so full and staring , that 't is impossible to look into the trial with half an eye , without meeting it . compare what he says on russel's trial , and here , and this will be as visible as the sun. being askt there whether there was any discourse about a declaration , and how long he staid ; he says , [ he was there about a quarter of an hour , and that he was not certain whether he heard something about a declaration there , or whether he had heard ferguson report afterwards that they had then debated it . ] now turn to cornish's trial. he is there strangely recovered in his memory , and having had the advantage , either of recollection , or better instruction , remembers that distinctly in octob. . which he could not in july . [ he had been the●e a quarter of an hour ] the time he states in the lord russel's trial , but lengthens it out , and improves it now , to so long time as mr. shepherds going down , bringing cornish up , ferguson's pulli●●●ut the declaration , and reading it , and that , as shepherd said in russel's trial , a long one too , as certainly it must be , if , as 't was sworn , it contained all the grievances of the nation , and yet all this still in a quarter of an hour ; thus contradicti●g himself both to time and matter . but he is of such villanous credit , that his evidence is scarce fit to be taken even against himself . let 's see then how shepherd does point-blank contradict , and absolutely overthrow it in every particular , as expresly as 't is possible to ruin any evidence . he says [ at one meeting only mr. cornish was at his house to speak with one of the persons there ; that then he himself came up stairs , and went out again with mr. cornish . that there was not one word read , nor any paper seen while mr. cornish was there , and this he was positive of , for mr. cornish was not one of their company . ] now who should know best , rumsey what shepherd did , or he what he did himself ? could a man hold the candle while a declaration was read , as rumsey swears shepherd did , and yet know nothing of it ; nay , protest the quite contrary ? what sizes the consciences of his jury were , let any christian , turk , or jew be judge ; and providence has already visibly done it on the foreman of it , who came to an untimely end , being beaten to pieces by the fall of some timber at a fire in thames-street . all that is pretended to bolster rumsey's evidence , and hinder shepherd's from saving the prisoner , was , that shepherd strengthened rumsey , and proved cornish guilty of a lie . but if we enquire into the matter , we shall find one just as true as the other . cornish on his trial is said to have denied his being at the meeting , and discoursing with the d. of monmouth : which they 'd have us believe shepherd swears he was , tho' not a syllable of it appears . [ he had been there several times , shepherd says , but was not of their consult , knew nothing of their business , nor can he be positive whether 't was th● duke of monmouth he came to speak with that evening . ] but supposing in two or three years time , and on so little recollection . cornish's memory had slipt in that circumstance , what 's that to shepherd's evidence against the very root of rumsey's which hang'd the prisoner ? in spight of all he was found guilty , and condemn'd , and even that christian serenity of mind and countenance wherewith t was visible he bore his sentence , turn'd to his reproach by the bench. he continued in the same exc●llent temper whilst in newgate , and gave the world a glaring instance of the happiness of such persons as live a pious life , when they come to make an end on 't , let the way thereof be never so violent . his carriage and behaviour at his leaving newgate was as follows . some passages ●f henry cornish esq before his sufferings . coming into the press-yard , and seeing the ha●ter in the officers hand , he said , is this for me ? the officer answered , yes ; he replied , blessed be god , and kissed it ; and after said , o blessed be god for newgate , i have enjoyed god ever since i came within these walls , and blessed be god who hath made ●e fit to die . i am now going to that god that will not be mocked , to that god that will not be imposed upon , to that god that knows the innocency of his poor creature . and a little after he said , never did any poor creature come unto god with greater confidence in his mercy , and assurance of acceptation with him , through jesus christ , than i do ; but it is through jesus christ , for there is no other way of coming to god but by him , to find acceptance with him : there is no other name given under heaven whereby we can be saved , but the name of jesus . then speaking to the officers , he said , labour everyone of you to be fit to die , for i ●ell you , you are not fit to dye : i was not fit to dye my s●l● 'till i came in hither ; but o blessed be god , he hath made me fit to dye , and hath made me willing to dye ! in a few moments i shall have the fruition of the blessed jesus , and that not for a day , but for ever . i am going to the kingdom of god , to the kingdom of god where i shall enjoy the presence of god the father , and of god the son , and of god the holy spi●it , and of all the holy angels ; i am going to the gen●ral ass●mbly of the first-born , and of the spirit of just men made perfect : o that god should ever do so much for me ! o that god should concern himself so much for poor creatures , for their salvation ▪ blessed be his name ! for this was the design of god from all eternity , to give his only son to dye for poor miserable sinners . then the offi●ers going to tye his hands , he said , what , must i be tied then ? well a brown thred might have served the turn ; you need not tye me at all , i shall not stir from you , for i thank god i am not afraid to dye . as he was going out , he said , farewel newgate , farewel all my fellow prisoners here , the lord comfort you , the lord be with you all . thus much for his behaviour in the way to his martyrdom . the place of it was m●●t spitefully and ignominiously ordered , almost before his own door , and near guildhall , to scare any good citizen from appearing vigorously in the disc●arge of his duty for his countreys service , by his example if any thing was wanting in his trial , from the haste of it , for the clearing his innocency , he sufficiently made it up in solemn asseverations thereof on the scaffold : [ god is my witness , says he , the crimes laid to my charge were falsly and maliciously sworn against me by the witnesses : for i never was at any consult , nor any meeting where matters against the government were discoursed of . ] he adds , [ i never heard or read any declaration tending that way . ] again , [ as to the crimes for which i suffer , vpon the words of a dying man , i 'm altogether innocent . lower he adds , [ he died as he had liv'd , in the communion of the church of england in whose ordinances he had been often a partaker , and now felt the blessed effects thereof in these his agonies . he was observ'd by those who stood near the sledge , to have solemnly , several times , averr'd his absolute innocence of any design against the government , and particularly that which he died for . there were some persons , who are sufficiently known , who were present at , and exprest a great deal of barbarous joy at his death : the open publication of their names is here spar'd , in hopes they have or will repent of so unmanly and unchristian a behaviour ; tho' some of them then were so confounded with his constancy and chearful bravery , as wickedly to report , that he was drunk or mad when he died . his quarters were set up on guildhall , in terrorem , and for the same reason , no doubt , before mentioned , for which he was executed so near it . there was such a terrible storm the day of his death , as has scarce been known in the memory of man ; and will never be forgot by those who were in it ; ten or a dozen ships being founder'd , or stranded in one road , and a vast many more in other places . and as heaven then did him justice , and vindicated his innocence , so earth also has done it , the judgment against him being reverst by that honourable , ever memorable parliament which under god and our king , has setled the happiness both of this age and posterity . there wanted not a sort of men at this time who would have perswaded the world , that murder was a royal sport ; for at this time was printed a ballad call'd advice to the ●ity , sung to the king at windsor , wherein are these entertaining lines . then london be wise , and baffle their power , and let 'em play the old game no more , hang , hang up the sheriffs , those baboons in power , those popular thieves , those rats of the tower. the instruments of shedding this blood may do well to reflect upon the fate of clowdesly , one of the iury-men , and upon some others since that were concern'd in that bloody tragedy . his character . he was a person of as known prudence as integrity , a good christian , a comple●t citizen , a worthy magistrate , and a zealous church of england man. he was so cautious and wise , that he was noted for it all thro' those worst of times , and often propos'd as an example to others of hotter and more imprudent tempers ; nor could the least imputation be fix'd on him of hearing , or concealing any unlawful or dangerous discourses , any other ways than by plain force of perjury , being known to have shunn'd some persons , whom he , as well as some other prudent men , suspected to have no good designs , and to be indu'd with no more honesty than discretion , as it afterwards prov'd . but he was design'd to glorifie god by such an end as all his care could not avoid , which he submitted to , with bravery rarely to be met with , unless among those who suffered for the same cause in the same age ; or their predecessors , queen marys martyrs . there was seen the same tenour of prudence and piety thro' all the actions of his life , tho' most conspicuous in the last glorious scene of it . there was such a firmness in his soul , such vigour , and almost extatick joy , and yet so well regulated , that it shin'd thro' his face , almost with as visible rays as those in which we use to dress saints ▪ and martyrs , with which both at his sentence and execution , he refresht all his friends , and at once dazled and confounded his most bitter enemies . mr. charles bateman ▪ the next and last was mr. bateman the chy●u●geon , a man of good sense , good courage , and good company , and a very large and generous ▪ temper , of considerable repute and practice in his calling : a great lover and vindicator of the liberties of the city and kingdom , and of more interest than most of his station . he was swore against by rouse's lee , and richard goodenough , upon the old stories of seizing the tower , city , and savoy we had had a better defence , had he himself been able to have made it : but being kep● close prisoner in newgate , the windows and rooms all dark , and little or no company , he being a free jolly man , and us'd formerly to conversation and diversion , soon grew deeply melancholy ; and when he came on his tryal , appeared little less than perfectly distracted ; on which the court very kindly gave his son liberty to make his defence — the first instance to be sure of that nature ; since he himself might probably , had he been in his senses , have remembred and pleaded many things more , which would have invalidated their evidence against him . but had not the mistaken piety of his son undertook his defence , certainly they could never have been such cannibals to have try'd one in his condition . — yet could but what he brought for him , been allowed its weight and justice , he had escaped well enough . for as for lee , one baker witness'd , [ he had been practic'd upon by him in the year . and would have had him insinuate into bateman 's company , and discourse about state-affairs to trepan him , by which means he should be made a great man ] 't was urged besides , that there was three years between the fact pretended , and lee's prosecution of him , which , tho' they had but one witness could have brought him to punishment , which would have been judged sufficient by any , but those who would be content with nothing but blood. for goodenough , he was but one witness , and pardon'd only so far , as to qualifie him to do mischief . however he was found guilty ; and just before his execution , very much recovered himself , dying as much like a christian , and with as great a presence of mind as most of the others . dr. oats , mr. johnson , and mr. dangerfield . we are now obliged , by the thrid of our history , to resume a subject , which , 't is not doubted will be ungrateful enough to some persons ; and that is , — the popish plot ; the belief of which , by the indefatigable industry of that party , and the weekly pains of their observator , and especially this last pretended plot against the government , was now almost entirely obliterated out of the minds of the less thinking part of the nation . to accomplish which more fully , 't was thought necessary by the managers , either quite to take off , or expose to miseries and disgraces worse than death , all those few persons who remain'd honest and firm to their first evidence ; the generality of the world judging by outward appearance , and thinking it impossible but that one who stood in the pillory , and was whipt at the carts-arse , must be a perjur'd rogue without more ado . mr. bedloe was dead , and his testimony therefore would be easier forgotten : tho' at his last breath after the sacrament , he solemnly and juridically confirmed every word of it before one of the judges , who was happily in bristol at the time of his death . most of the under-evidences in the plot were threatned , or promised , or brought off from what they had witness'd , or forc'd to leave the land for the securing their persons . none remain now besides oats and dangerfield , with whom all means possible , fair and foul , had been used , to make 'em turn villains , and deny their evidence ; but to their eternal praise , they still continued firm to their first testimony , to the rage and confusion of their enemies . they therefore went first to work with the doctor ; and 't will be worth the while to consider the reason of his first prosecution , by which men that are not very much prejudiced may see the reason and justice of those which follow , and 't was [ for scandalizing the duke of york with that notorious truth — that he was reconciled to the church of rome , adding , what every one knows , that 't was high treason so to be . ] would but the doctor 's greatest and most passionate enemies reflect on this beginning of his sorrows ; as well as calmly examine all that 's to come , they must form a ju●ter judgment of his person and actions , than what seems too deeply fixed in 'em , ever to be rooted out ; for which he was adjudged to pay that reasonable little fine of a pounds , which , till he paid , tho' there was no great haste for his doing it , he was committed to ●he bench. having him thus in limbo , they resolved to strike at the root with him , and therefore after new fruitless attempts to make him qu●t and revoke his evidence , they made the last effort on his constancy and honesty ; and indeed life it self , indicting him on the th and th of may , . for perjury in some branches of his evidence , given in some of it , almost seven years before . his first accusation wa● , [ for-swearing in ireland 's tryal , he himself was here in london , whereas t was pretended he was at that very time at st. omers ] the second , that ireland was at that time in town , when they would have it believed he was in staffordshire . the evidence for the first were all lads of st. omers , who , though they blunder'd ill-favour'dly in former attempts the same way , and were accordingly told so by the court in other tryals , were now grown expert in the business , being all of a religion that makes perjury meritorious ; all youths and boys , and under such a discipline as oblige them to obey their superiors , without any reserve , or questioning the reason or justice of the thing ; all , or most of 'em afterwards , rewarded with places of trust and profit under king james , as no doubt promised 'em before for their good service . they all swore point blank , that oats was at st. omers , when he swears he was here at the consult . not one of these witnesses who had not been bred at st. omers , and but one who pretended to be a protestant . for the second indictment — of irelands not being in town in august , as oats had sworn him : they brought several witnesses to prove it , and that he was at that time in staffordshire ; most , if not all of which were great papists . in answer to which , let 's first be persuaded fairly to consider what may be said in his defence , and most part of his vindication is over : and first — these were most , or all of 'em , the self-same witnesses , who in the successive tryals , whitebreads , harcourts , &c. and mr. langhorns , could not find credit ; and who had several witnesses who swore point-blank contrary to what they affirmed , some of whom were dead before this last tryal . let 's then consider what defence oats made for himself , which in spite of his own and jeffreys passions , seems strenuous and unanswerable . he had in the former tryals produced no less than eight persons who swore positively to his being in town at that very time , when the jesuits and their younkers would so fain had him been out of it , whose names were mr. walker , an ancient minister of the church of england , sarah ives , mrs. mayo , sir richard barker , mr. page , mr. butler , william smith , and mr. clay , a romish priest , four of which , mayo , butler , page and walker he now produced again at his tryal ; the two first of whom positively swore the same they did before ; the minister was too old to remember , and the last too fearful positively to affirm what they had before done . as to the d indictment , a crowd of witnesses , such as they were , came to testifie ireland was in staffordshire when oats swore him to be in london . to this same objection he had formerly answerd , and prov'd by the oaths of mr. bedloe , sarah ●ain , and afterwards of mr. jennison , that ireland was in town , when others witness he was in the country . but now , at his tryal , bedlo and pain being dead , and jennison fled into holland , he was absolutely incapacitated of making any defence that way ; and so was found guilty of both indictments . the judgment against him was just as merciful as could be expected from papists , acting by a jeffreys , part of which was , [ to be whipt from algate to newgate on wednesday , and on the friday following from newgate to tyburn , and stand on the pillory five times a year , and be prisoner during life . ] which he bore with a great deal of strength and courage ; tho had not providence provided him a body and soul , made , one would think , on purpose for it , 't would have kill'd him , if he 'd had the strength of twenty men. he had in all above two thousand lashes , as some that were by reckon'd em up — such a thing as was never inflicted by any jew , turk , or heathen , but jeffreys ; nay , the merciful jews thought one less than god almighty had appointed sufficient , and never gave but at a time ; all st. paul's times not coming near the third part of the doctors . had they hang'd him , they had been merciful ; had they flead him alive , 't is a question whether it had been so much torture . how good and merciful those persons , who will vindicate this worse than barbarous and inhumane action , are , let the world and future ages be judges ; in the mean while we 'll safely defy all history to shew one parallel of it either on man or dog , from the creation of the world to the year . but there needs no more aggravation of it , or urging what is plain enough , that the thus dealing with him , even supposing his crime as great as they 'd have it was yet the highest affront and indignity even to humanity it self . 't will besides this be an unanswerable observation , — that it had been impossible for a man to have held out the second whipping after the first was over , while the wounds were fresh about him , and every new stroke more than a double torment , either to have undergone this without confession , or dropping down dead with extremity of pain , had he not both had truth on his side , and also a more than common support and assistance from him who saw his innocency . this whipping of his being the greatest confirmation to his evidence that was possible to be given . after his return , to prison , after all this usage , yet if possible , more barbarous , tearing off the plaisters from his wounds , crushing him with irons , thrusting him into holes and dungeons , and endeavouring to render him as infamous to the nation , and all the world , as cain or judas ; he bore up against a●l this , and more , with so strange and almost mir●culous a patience , that during his four y●a●s imprisonment , he was never once heard to sigh , or maniifest any impatience under his condition . he refused all the offers of the jesuits , who even after this had the impudence to pro●ose to him his recanting his evidence . he had still a strong belief that he s●ould see better ●imes , and get his freedom again ▪ which he had in that general goal-delivery , gra●ted all england by the then prince of orange's heroick undertaking . since that he has presented his case and petition to the parliament ; to the house of commons , as well as the house of lords : and tho the honourable house of lords were offended at what they judged a slight of their jurisdiction , in his addressing to the house of commons , while his cause lay before them , and exprest their resentments thereof accordingly ; the commons have since that taken his case into consideration , and , as well as four succeeding parliaments before 'em , own'd his cause , and censur'd the proceedings of jeff●eys against him ; and 't is not doubted but will appoint him rewards suitable to his sufferings and merit . his character . his firmness and courage , even perhaps to a fault , have been visible through these mentioned , and all his other actions since he appear'd on the publick stage : his passions are lively and warm and he 's the worst made for a dissembler , an hypocrite , or a secret villain of any man in the world : nor have all his sufferings much sunk him , tho he be a little alter'd in this particular . he 's open and frank , and speaks whatever he thinks of any persons or things in the world , and bearing himself justly enough , on his services to his country , is not careful to keep that guard which others do , on his words and actions . he has wit enough , a pleasant humour and sufficiently divertive to those he knows , and his learning is far from contemptible . he has a good library , is no mean critick in the greek , and well acquainted with the schoolmen and fathers . he 's owner of as much generosity as any man , and as much tenderness to any in misery , scorning to strike at those below him ; an example of which very remarkable there was in his inhumane judges fall , he being almost the only person who has been heard to pity him ; tho' one would have thought he should have been the last . in a word , as this present age has now begun to do him justice , so t is not doubted will make an end on 't , and those succeeding joyn with it in making honourable mention of his name and services to the protestant religion . mr. johnson . much about the same time , the pious , reverend , and learned mr. johnson met with , much the same usage . his great crimes were , — being my lord russel 's chaplain , writing the famous julian the apostate , and endeavouring to perswade the nation , not to let themselves be made slaves and papists , when so many others were doing their parts to bring 'em to it . and 't is a question whether any man in the world , besides his friend the reverend dr. burnet , did more service with his pen , or more conduc'd to our great and happy revolution , both among the army , and in other places . for some of these good s●rvices he was accused , imprisoned , tryed and condemned to be divested of his canonical habit , and be whipt as far as oats was before him ; which was perform'd , and which he underwent , as he did , with courage and constancy above a man , and like a christian and a martyr . he remain'd ever since in the kings bench , till the prince's coming deliver'd him . the following paper was published by mr. samuel johnson , in the year . for which he was sentenced by the court of king's-bench , ( sir edward herbert being lord chief justice ) to stand three times on the pillory , and to be whipp'd from newgate to tyburn : which barbarous sentence was executed . an humble and hearty address to all the english protestants in this present army . gentlemen , next to the duty which we owe to god , which ought to be the principal care of men of your profession especially ( because you carry your lives in your hands , and often look death in the face ; ) · the second thing that deserves your consideration is , the service of your native country , wherein you drew your first breath , and breathed a free english air : now i would desire you to consider , how well you comply with these two main points , by engaging in this present service . is it in the name of god , and for his service , that you have joyned your selves with papists ; who will indeed fight for the mass-book , but burn the bible , and who seek to extirpate the protestant religion with your swords , because they cannot do it with their own ? and will you be aiding and assisting to set up mass-houses , to erect that popish kingdom of darkness and desolation amongst us , and to train up all our children in popery ? how can you do these things , and yet call your selves protestants ? and then what service can be done your country , by being under the command of french and irish papists ▪ and by bringing the nation under a foreign yoke ? will you help them to make forcible entry into the houses of your country-men , under the name of quartering , contrary to magna charta and the petition of right ? will you be aiding and assisting to all the murthers and outrages which they shall commit by their void commissions ? which were declared illegal , and sufficiently blasted by both houses of parliament , ( if there had been any need of it ) for it was very well known before , that a papist cannot have a commission , but by the law is utterly disabled and disarmed . will you exchange your birth-right of english-laws and liberties for martial or club-law , and help to destroy all others , onely to be eaten last your selves ? if i know you well , as you are english-men , you hate and scorn these things . and therefore be not unequally yoaked with idolatrous and bloody papists ▪ be valiant for the truth , and shew your selves men. the same considerations are likewise humbly offered to all the english-seamen , who have been the bulwark of this nation against popery and slavery ever since eighty eight . his character . if any man does not know what he is , let him read his julian , and defences of it ; he 'll find there as much clear , close , fair reason , scripture , and law , as ever an ill cause had brought against it , or a good one for it . mr. johnson is a true christian stoic ; and though he writes warmly , thinks and acts as coldly as any man in christendom . his piety is as remarkable as his constancy , and his universal charity as both . — but he 's still alive ; and 't is better to say no more of him , than either too much or too little . mr. dangerfield . his father was a gentleman , who lived in good fashion at waltham-abby , or thereabouts — had been a great sufferer for k. charles i. and charged this his son on his death-bed , after his discovery of the plot , never to have any hand in any thing against the government ; which he promis'd , and faithfully observ'd . he was a man of business and courage , and therefore employed by the papists , while among 'em , in their desperate and most dangerous concerns . he was then of a religion that excused and encouraged the worst things he or any other man could be guilty of . the great thing which brought him on the stage , was mrs. celiers business , called the meal-tub-plot . the papists had design'd to kill two birds with one stone — divert the laws and people from themselves , and ruine their enemies ; for which end they had among 'em made a plot to bring in the best men , and patriots of the kingdom into a pretended design against the k. and government , by a kind of an association , like that which afterwards took better effect . and for this transaction , mr. dangerfield was made choice of , a list of their names , with the design being by him , according to order , conveyed into one colonel mansel's chamber — but he was discover'd and seiz'd in the design , and acknowledg●d all the intreagues , giving so clear an account of it ; that they had never to this very day , the impudence to pretend any contradiction , or trip in his evidence , nor any other way but flat denial but there was somewhat yet deeper in the case which he afterwards revealed in his depositions before the parliament , that he was employed by the same party to kill the king , and encourag'd and promis'd impunity and reward , and part of it given him by a great person for that end . when the stream ran violently for popery , he went over , for security , into flanders , but continued not long there ; and returning back he was some time after seized , and carried before the council , where , before the king himself , persisting to a tittle , in all his former evidence , he was committed to newgate ; and after having lain there some time , petition'd for a trial , which they could not do upon any account but scandalum magnatum and that in a matter which lay only before the parliament , to whom he had reveal'd it . yet for that he was tried , and found guilty , as wi. williams the speaker afterwards for licensing his narrative , by order of parliament . he was to undergo the same whipping oats and johnson did . before he went out he had strong bodings of his death , and chose a text for his funeral sermon in the ... of job , there the wicked cease from troubling , and there the weary are at rest . saying , he was confident they had such a particular malice against him , he should ne're return alive : confirm'd the truth of all his former evidence , and took a last farewel of his friends . after the sentence was executed on him , in his return home , one francis stab'd him into the eye with a sort of a tuck in the end of his cane , which touching his brain , h● was hardly ever sensible after , but dy'd of the wound in a few hours , not without great suspicion of poison , his body being swoln and black , and full of great blains all over . the murderer ●led , but was pursu'd by the rabble , who had torn him to pieces , had not the officers rescu'd him . he defended and justified the fact while in newgate , saying , he had the greatest men in the kingdom to stand by him ; to whom after his trial , and being found guilty upon clear evidence , great applications were made , which had been successful for his pardon , had not jeffreys himself gone to whitehall , and told the king he must die , for the rabble were now throughly heated . attempts were made to bribe mr. dangerfield's wife , that she might consent to the pardon of her husbands murderer ; but she too well deserv'd to be related to him , to sell his blood ; and had an appeal ready against him , had he been pardon'd . so the poor state-martyr was hang'd , as coleman was before him . mr. dangerfield's body was conveyed to waltham-abby , with several coaches attending it , and there handsomly buried . he has left one daughter behind him , who , if she lives , will be the true child of her father . his character . the worst of his enemies have own'd he was a man of wit , courage and business ; all which he reconcil'd the best of any one ; he had as much address , as perfect and great a presence of mind , in whatever exigences , as can be met with . he was the best companion , the best friend in the world , and as generous an enemy . he did nothing but what lookt very handsom ; and there was a charm in the meanest , and something most bewitchingly pleasant in the most indefensible of his actions . he could do almost every thing , and 't is hard to say what he did with the greatest grace . in a word , all that knew him must say , that he wanted nothing but an estate to have made him as compleat a gentleman as most in england . an elegy upon mr. thomas . dangerfield . go then mount on ! wing through the midway air , and godfreys hovering shade shall meet thee there , a thousand martyrs thou , a wound all o're , thy mighty mind leaps out at every pore , my rising heart boils high , the ungrateful world shall see something immortal , something worthy thee , larger within the noble image grows , free , like thy blood , the uncall'd satyr flows , but not one tear to affront thy pious grave , russel and generous essex died less brave ; love , pity , friendship , all their claims begin , but vengeance drowns 'em all , and roars aloud within , and thou hell 's ehud by black rome decreed , hallow'd and blest to do the glorious deed ; if his dear name can ought of passion move , if there are any stings in blood or love , ev'n at hell gates i 'll reach and stab thee there ; n●r can so just a rage be too severe . tho' my wild satyr means a nobler wound . others i strike , thee but at the rebound . like him we 'll tell 'em to their teeth 't is true , defie a stab , and give the devil his due . and if you bright exalted names above , know any thing but how to sing and love , look down dear sharer of my soul , and see a vengeance worthy of thy friend and thee . a friend's revenge may thy black murtherers feel , oh may my pen dart groves of poison'd steel , till through their lustful veins the venom rolls , and with a double rot consumes their very souls . none , none ! shall 'scape the just and deadly blow , none that these grand intrigues of murder know , from conclaves down to little kings below , let laureats belch a pocky heroe's fame , when candied o're with some cramp hebrew name , as th●ir good-fellow catholick jews before nick-name a calf jehovah , and adore . no well-wrote story , no romance can yield , a greater , nobler name than dangerfield ; nothing he wants , tho' fate no title brings , that single name 's above an earl's , a duke's , a king 's . when ease and plenty their brisk forces joyn , or the high veins are swoln with lusty wine : when we on honours lofty turrets go , and look with scorn ore little crouds bel●w , ev'n fools and cowards bold and witty grow . when jeffreys on the bench , ketch on the gibbet sits , some take ev'n them for courages and wits . nay nobler souls than those , if fortune frown , oft broke and conquer'd meanly tumble down . if fate unjust success to tyrants give , ev'n the heroick brutus dares not live . but greater he 's still what he was before , nay greater yet , is all himself and more . tho' man ungrate he ever yet has known , tho' they forsake him , he 's not yet alone . for some too honest , and for some too brave , how shou'd he thrive when neither fool nor knave ? he 's not alone , another spirit attends , a nearer comfort than a thousand friends . heavens ! see how bravely he maintains his ground ! tho' with whole hells of devils baited round ; charge on , charge thicker yet ! he stands , he stands ! the blest above look down , and clap their hands ; envy the ungrateful world so great a bliss , and almost wish to change their place for his . unbrib'd he stands , with hopes of victory , knowing his greatest conquest was to die . thus the brave lion , when base hounds pursue , and seize on every pass and avenue ; tho' from within his mighty genius call , and knells of sudden thunder bode his fall , walks careless on , walks on and looks about , terrour and death , thro' all the ignoble rout , and sells his life so dear , tho' pleas'd to die , 't is hardly worth the while for them to buy . nothing his equal temper ere could move , no , tho' a very jeffreys sate above . had some good heathnish pilate been preferr'd , to fill the place , he had at least been heard , but he so fair a measure must not find , for justice now 's grown deaf as well as blind . ju●●ice is deaf , but yet her mouth 's so wide , so loud she yells as deafens all beside . if she 's return●d from heav'n , as all must say , sure she call'd in at billingsgate by the way , raving , her collar from her neck she tore , knowing another would become it more . thus the gay mad-man twists straw-wreaths , & then he knows not why , tears 'em to dust again . ah mystick fate ! who can thy methods know ? jeffreys above , and dangerfield below ! but since nor friend nor poet can invent , deeper damnation for his punishment , may he be jeffreys still and ne're repent . and now the fatal day begins to dawn , the curtain of the last sad scene is drawn ; pale let it ever rise with doubtful light , hardly distinguisht from preceding night . may birds obscene and ominous round it stray , may troubled ghosts keep dismal holiday . curse on ea●h hour — but hold , for he looks down , and over his calm face has drawn a frown . forgive bright soul ! the starts of a distracted mind ; the poet now the christian leaves behind . withdraw that just , that now unusual frown . blest be the happy day that brought thy crown : thy radiant crown of martyrdom , which brings , a thousand joys more than the crowns of kings ; a thousand joys without a thousand stings . soon rose the sun so great a day to see , soon rose the sun , but not so soon as he . a brighter sun's assistance down he calls ; he draws all heav'n within his dusky walls . so laught the apostles at hell's baffled rage , and sung in spite of fetters and a cage . around heav'n● battlements bright legions wait , and crouding seraphs open wide the gate . one who of martyrs has peculiar care , is sent to whisper in his soul , prepare ; or else his guardian friend had made him know , that long expected message — he must go , for sure he knew the worst their rage could do ; he knew , he saw it all , and scorn'd it too . pray on great soul ! and like thy master be , for those that now begin to murder thee ; thy master thus , thus thy lord jesus dy'd ; he must be scourg'd before he 's crucifi'd . tho' milder jews far more good nature have ; they forty stripes , jeffreys four hundred gave . far more had he at first from virtue fell ; ten times a fitter friend for rome and hell ; ten times less ●han this torment would alone , for ten times worse , and ten times more attone : blood might ha' done ▪ had not fair tears done more , and penitence washt him whiter than before . nay were i papist too — i 'd say those precious showrs which from him fell , might rescue ev'n a jeffreys out of hell. but this is mercy , t●nder mercy all : one death is for a dangerfield too small . all hell had doubly sworn he should not live , ●nd they 'll as soon repent a● they 'll forgive . high rampt great lucifer above his throne , where monarch absolute he reigns alone , ●haking the scaly horrour of his tail , he swore this last plot could not , should not fail . a pursuivant was sent , nor far he sought , but soon their engine to the presence brought . the milder furies started when he came , the ghosts div'd down thro' seas of melted flame , and heard and felt new torments at his name ; th' old dragon only smil'd , and thus began , dear part of me ! dear something more than man ! let parry , clement , ravilack combine , and cram their souls , great murderer into thine . i love a man that 's resolute , and brave , not silly conscience : , or customs slave . safety you 're sure of , that at least is due ; nor must we ( sir ) forsake such friends as you . go then and prosper ! thus i thee inspire vvith sparks of my own noble gen'rous fire ! chuse what you like ! rewards you need not fear ! be chancellor or observator here . go on , and act a deed so worthy me , that hell may both admire and envy thee ! away he comes a double francis now , half devil , half papist ravell'd on his brow ; two strings to 's bow , for fear one should not do , stelletto's sometimes fail , take poison too . against such powerful reasons who'll presume to speak ? these , these , are the two keys of rome ; these to blest peter's successors were given , opening hell to themselves , to others heav'n . poison which o're so many a convert brings , poison the safest pill for resty kings . not all the reasons in strong box e're pent , can ch●llenge half so much of argument . steel , that can sometimes work as great a cure , vvhere patients th' operation can endure . steel , which tho' so unlike it , poison apes , drest in as many neat , convenient shapes . a knife , when the french harry is to die , anon a sword , a razor by and by . but now , since holy church requires it , 't will turn coward , and sneak into canes to kill . close by the heroe now hell's viceroy stood , and views him crusted o're with wounds and blood who all unmov'd , tho' all one clod of gore , his masters characters undaunted wore ; such marks he wore as scythians ne're invent , at which all but a francis would relent . he hell and his great master does invoke , then with a gen'rous fury gives the stro●e . wretch , well thou aim'dst , too well thou 'st struck his head , thou 'st pierc'd his eye , or else he 'd lookt thee dead . tho' wounded all , tho' like great sampson blind , ah could he too like him his enemies find , no friend , no devil should have repriev'd at all , he 'd crusht thy pois'nous soul away , & kill'd thee with his fall , run monster , for thy cursed life , and see if vengeance cannot run as fast as thee . the very rabble's mov'd , the unthinking croud ; th' unweildy clock's wound up , and strikes a●oud . tho' hag-rid now so long , yet 't is not ●am'd : revenge they name , but ah 't is only nam'd ah had their clacks but held , heav'n had lockt dow● , and with kind thunder fir'd the ungrateful town . pity the bloudy stain was washt with ●lood , it like a noble canker shou'd have stood . consuming , rotting , poys'ning great and small cottage and pallace , beams and stones , and all . 't is well at last he merits their esteem : now , now they love , yes now they pity him . revenge they with unknown good nature cry , with unsuspected ingenuity ! but to please fools ' twan't worth the while to dye . yes brutes ! at last no doubt you 'l think him brave , o he 's done well ; his death will charges save . revenge , revenge runs through the opening town , revenge they cry and hunt the murd'rer down . the beast was earth'd indeed but 't was in vain : ( cain fled , but god had set a mark on cain , ) close , close they hunt and lug him out again . may conscience and the rabble him attend , while we our duty pay to such a friend . some tears e'ne by religious leave are due , some tears , and some well meaning curses too . can mothers weep when their soft infants bones kind papists crush against the kinder stones . when the dear pledges from chast nuptials born , are for their milder hounds in pieces torn : sleeping and smiling from their quiv'ring breast are broacht on pikes , and sent to longer rest . can man himself restrain unmanly cries , when his dear other self is rape't before his eyes . nay can he groans , curses , tears themselves forbear , to see his babes hang in their mothers hair ? all this have the good catholicks done before : all this they now prepare agen , or more . and he the handsel of their malice trys : to see if yet their hand be in , he dies . tare off his useless plaisters you that can , you that have more , or less than hearts of man , look there he floating lies , o're flown , and drown'd in tides of poyson'd gore roll'd from the weltring wound . all o're beside it dropt in gentle rains , but here burst down in seas and hurricanes what dire convulsions shake that beauteous frame , none of its self is lest besides the name . how ghastly horror rears its dismal throne , where once sat charms that cou'd be there alone . dreadful distortions rack that bloated face , and gone are every beauty , every grace . his gloomy eye-ball rolls in mortal pain ; and feels for the departed light in vain . where are those eyes that cou'd so well inspire loves soft , fair , charming ▪ harmless , lambent fire blood flows without as poison flows within and half bears up his black distended skin . where manly friendship reign'd and softer love , blood , blood is all below , and horror all above . pitty be gone , and nobler rage succeed ! others besides a dangerfield shall bleed . bring forth the prisoner , let him , let him live , for i no more than jeffreys can forgive . o for an age of torment ! might he lye like titius rack't , like the keen vulture i· jove 's own ambrosia , can't be half so good as his broy'ld flesh , nor nectar as his blood. but what 's one mouth ? loose him , and cry 't is he ! lose him among the well-oteeth'd mobile ! the 'yl quarter him , not by the arm , or leg , but into atoms tare hells scanderbeg . what a bare hanging ! such a death were fit for some well meaning harmless jesuit , one who poor soul knows but their little things , burning proud cities , poys'ning stabbing , kings . he hath a deed well worth damnation done , and perfected those strokes they but begun hanging ! why they almost deserv'd that curse who dared but think that he deserv'd no worse . the best , the bravest thing for which almost i cou'd be foolish and forgive his ghost , is that he triumphs in the blood he spilt , and bravely stands and glory's in his guilt . hes hit me full and i 'd no worse invent , no , no , 't was pitty he shou'd e're repent . but ye who hallow with deserv'd applause , a better martyr for a better cause . you who to fate , and fortune scorn to yield who still dare own you 're friends to dangerfield . and you dear partner of his joy and grief , the worthiest him , the best , the tend'rest wife , who most , who best adore his memory , who only i must grant lov'd more than me . bring his dear all which at your bottom lies , his fair remains which i shall ever prize , whose fathers vigorous soul plays round her eyes all , all in a full ring together come , and join your prayers and curses round his tomb. curst be the wretch who did him first ensnare , too mean to let his name have here a share . a double curse for them that thought it good , such a wife shou'd sell such a husband's blood. still double , double , till i 'm out of breath , on all that had a hand , a finger in his death , my curse , a friends , a wives , an orphans too , for all of this side damning is their due . the little plagues of egypt to begin : ashwe'nsdays curses for each lesser sin . with whate're angry heaven since could find to bait and lash impenitent mankind . gouts , feavers , frenzies , claps , consumptions , cramps , whatever may put out their stinking lamps : may kind abortions in some lucky hour , the fruit and hope of their vain lust devour : or if they 're born , may the unwholesome fry , creep only like young toads abroad , and dye . heartily thus let 's curse , and if vain pitty move , straight think agen on manly rage , and love . swear by his blood , and better while we live , this on our selves if we his blood forgive , and may who e're his murd'rers death deplore , feel all these curses and ten thousand more . dangerfield's ghost to jeffreys . revenge ! revenge ! my injur'd shade begins to haunt thy guilty soul , and scourge thy sins : for since to me thou ow'st the heaviest score , whose living words tormented thee before , when dead , i 'm come to plague thee yet once more . don't start away , and think thy brass to hide , but see the dismal shape in which i dy'd ! my body all deform'd with putrid gore , bleeding my soul away at every pore ; pusht faster on by francis , less unkind ; my body swoln , and bloated as thy mind . this dangling eye-ball rolls about in vain , never to find its proper seat again , the hollow cell usurpt by blood and brain : the trembling jury's verdict ought to be murder'd at once , by francis , and by thee . the groans of orphans , and the pond'rous guilt of all the blood that thou hast ever spilt ; thy countreys curse , the rabbles spite , and all those wishes sent thee since thy long wisht fall ; the nobles just revenge , so bravely bought , for all the ills thy insolence has wrought : may these and more , their utmost force combine , joyn all their wrongs , and mix their cries with mine . and see , if terror has not struck thee blind ; see here a long , a ghastly train behind ! far , far , from utmost west they crowd away , and hov'ring o're , fright back the sickly day . had the poor wretches sinn'd as much as thee , thou shou'dst not have forgot humanity : who ' ere in blood can so much pleasure take ? tho' an ill judge wou'd a good hang-man make . each hollows in thy ears , — prepare ! prepare for what thou must , yet what thou canst not bear ! each , at thy heart a bloody dagger aims , upward to gibbets point , downward to endless flames . mr. noise . among those who suffer'd innocently for lea's plot , this poor young gentleman was one , tho' omitted in due place , who tho' he lost not his life immediately by it , was yet put to such extremities , as both injur'd his reason , and ruin'd his fortunes . he was born of a good family not far from reading in barkshire ; and being a younger son , was bound apprentice to a linnen-draper in london . in which capacity he was a great promoter of the apprentices address , intended to be presented to the king for redress of grievances , and further prosecution of the popish plot. a crime , which those concern'd , cou'd never pardon , and which was now lookt on , both by himself , and all his friends , as the cause of these his troubles . lea swore against him that he was concern'd in this plot , which he absolutely denying , tho' no other witness came in against him , and he was ne're brought to a trial , he underwent a long and severe imprisonment , loaded with irons , and kept from his friends , so long till his trade was ruin'd before he was set free , and he himself then rendred so unfit for business , that he was forc'd entirely to leave it off , and betake himself to travel : where , never quite recovering himself , he in a little time after fell sick and dy'd . and here 't will not be improper to remind my readers , that about this time things running very high for popery and arbitrary power , the consideration thereof was very afflicting to mr. noise : yet notwithstanding all this , he was silent a long while , and minded onely the proper business of his calling , resolving not to concern himself with state-affairs , as deeming them above his sphere and condition ; which silence and resolution he had still kept , notwithstanding the great and ineffable evils he saw impending over us ( which were much the more apparent upon the prorogations and dissolutions of so many parliaments , in so dangerous and so critical a juncture ; ) but that casually reading one of the vveekly intelligences , he happen'd therein to meet with something , entituled , an address from the loyal young men apprentices of the city of london , to his majesty : the title ( he thought ) concern'd him , as being a loyal apprentice of the same city , and therefore he deliberately read it over . at first it seem'd to bear a fair aspect , as it was a tender of thanks to his majesty for his most gracious declaration ; but considering that this declaration contain'd in it , several severe reflections on the proceedings of the late parliaments , terming them arbitrary , illegal and unwarrantable ; mr. noise dreaded the co●sequence of such reflections , as believing , that 〈◊〉 stood not with modesty , for apprentices to charge the great senate of the nation with arbitrary , illegal and unwarrantable proceedings ; and resolv'd what in him lay , to vindicate himself and fellow-apprentices ( which is thought to have been the cause of all his sufferings before-related ) and to satisfie the whole world , that the far greater part of the apprentices of london , have too great a veneration for parliaments ( which under his majesty are the bulwarks of our lives , liberties and properties ) for to be concern'd in any thing tending to reproach , or reflect upon them ; he advis●d with several sober persons about it , who did not disapprove of his design , but advice therein they would not give : wherefore mr. n●ise thinking to petition the lord mayor would be the most modest and proper way to demonstrate a dislike of , and detestation to all such actions , he caused the following petition to be drawn up and presented , viz. to the right honourable — lord mayor of london , the humble address of many thousand loyal apprentices of the same city , whose names are hereunto subscribed . in all humility sheweth , that , as we are justly sensible of our happiness , in being born under the enjoyment of the protestant religion , so excellent a government , and so gracious a king , to whose service we shall ever be ready to sacrifice our lives ; so have we continually applyed our selves to discharge our duties in our proper callings , without presuming to intermeddle in affairs beyond our sphere or concernment . but being fully satisfied , both by his majesties frequent proclamations , the vnanimous votes of several parliaments , and the notoriousness-of fact , that for divers years past , th●re hath been , and still is a devilish plot carryed on by the papists against the sacred life of our soveraign ( whom god preserve ) and to subvert the protestant religion , and the government established : in which horrid practices the conspirators have always appear'd most active and insolent during the intervals of parliaments ; and from thence , and the continuing hopes of a popish successor , take occasion with greater confidence to push on their fatal designs . observing likewise , that among the many late addresses , there hath been one promoted in the names of some few of our condition in this honourable city , which now is represented as the act and sence of the generality of apprentices , although the far greater part never joined therein , as fearing lest the same might seem of a tendency dishonourable to parliaments , whose constitution we reverence , and humbly apprehend their counsels highly necessary in such a juncture . wherefore , though out of an awful respect , we presume not to approach his sacred majesty , yet we cannot but think it our duty , to declare to your lordship ( the chief magistrate under him of this honourable city ) and to all the world , that we shall never be behind any of our fellow-apprentices in demonstrations of loyalty t● his sacred majesty , even to the last drop of our ●lood , whenever his majesties service shall require it , against any traytors or rebels whatsoever . and also to assure your lordship , that as we do ( and through god's grace ever shall ) abhor popery , and all its bloody traiterous practices . so we do utterly disapprove and dislike any such proceedings from private persons , as tend to reproach parliaments ; but do unanimously , with one heart , and with one voice , express our satisfaction in , and thanks for , the humble petition and address of your lordship and the common-council presented to his majesty in may last , and since approved of in common-hall , for the assembling and sitting of a parliament . that the god of heaven may ever bless and preserve his sacred majesty , and your lordship , and this great and honourable city ; and grant that your successors , in this weighty trust , may imitate your lordships piety and zeal for the protestant religion , and his majesties service , shall ever be the daily prayers of us his majesties humble , faithful , loyal , and obedient subjects . printed for thomas goodwill , an. . this name is composed of fourteen letters , taken out of the names of the chief managers . this address was sign'd by about thirty thousand hands ; and when those twenty persons that presented it had subscribed their names to it , they sent mr. noise and mr. dunton ( two of the said presenters ) to mr. s — to know when they might have leave to present it to my lord mayor , which being granted in a few days , the twenty presenters went in a body together to mr. s — who introduc'd 'em to my lord. to whom mr. b — y made a brief speech as follows . may it please your lordship , the occasion of giving your lordship this trouble , is humbly to lay at your lordships feet , an address to your lordship , subscribed by many thousand loyal apprentices of this city . we do humbly acknowledge to your lordship ▪ that the presumption we may seem guilty of in this matter ( considering our present stations ) requires a far greater apology than we are able to make . but the principal reasons that incited us , thus to address our selves to your lordship are to demonstrate our loyalty to his sacred majesty ; our zeal for the protestant religion ; and the veneration and esteem we have , and ought to have for parliaments . neither indeed , my lord , could we think these sufficient motives to stir us up to this publick application ( which better becomes graver heads than ours ) had not some few of our fellow apprentices lately presented his majesty with an address ( which seemed to be a gratulation for the dissolution of the two last parliaments ) which they now report to have been the act of the majority of apprentices of this honourable city ; although the far greater part ( as may by the subscriptions to this address appear to your lordship ) were never concerned therein . and although ( by reason of our present condition ) we think it an unpardonable crime to approach his sacred majesty about matters relating to the state ; yet we deem it our bounden duty to declare to your lordship and the whole world , that we utterly disclaim any proceedings ( especially from persons in our own condition ) that may seem to reflect upon parliaments , the greatest senate of the nation . and that the generality of apprentices of this city have a venerable esteem for parliaments ; which m●y the better appear to your lordship upon reading the address it self . and i dare be bold to affirm to your lordship , ( by the information i have had from those who were employed to take subscriptions to this address ) that there is not one subscriber to it , who is either journey-man , tapster , hostler , water-man , or the like ; but all persons of our own rank ●nd condition . which address , in the name of all the subscribers thereunto , i humbly offer to your lordship , and beg your lordships favourable reception of it . then his lordship commanded the address to be read , which being read mr. b — y proceeded thus . i have one thing more to say , my lord , i understand that there is a common notion about town that this address hath been carried on by faction , and that none but dissenters have been concerned in it . i can assure your lordship of the contrary : for that i know many of the subscribers who are of the church of england ; of which church i boast my self an unworthy member . then his lordship was pleased to express himself to this effect . gentlemen , this is a surprize to me ; and therefore i cannot tell what to say to it . but for as ●uch as i have heard your address read ; and at first reading can find no●hing in it ▪ but what becomes loyal and obedient subjects , i do accept of i● . i only desire the names of you that are the presenters . then we told him , that our names are those , which were next to the address it self ●t some distance from the rest of the subscribers . then he ordered the● all to be called over , and so we answered to our names . and then his lordship desired he might have an account of our abodes , which we also gave him . then his lordship advised us to go home , and give evidence of our loyalty by our peaceable demeanour , and conformity to the laws of the land ; and to lay the foundation of our future happiness , by being dutiful to our masters , and diligent in our business , that so in time we might become good citizens . so they returned again in five coaches to russells , and supped there altogether , and so every one went home . the twenty presenters of this address , were mr. b — y , mr. a — h , mr. s — ns , mr. m — d , mr. b — th , mr. evans , mr. batty , mr. p — le , mr. d — n , mr. noise ( one of the persons who first set this design afoot ) mr. c — ll , mr. s — s , mr. s — y , mr. h — ing , mr. b — w , mr. p — tell , mr. s — th , mr. b — n , mr. mal — s , mr. r — t s . a letter sent august . . thus subscribed . to the truly loyal , and protestant apprentices of london , that were the principal managers of the late address to my lord mayor . go on heroick souls , and faithful be unto your god , your king , your liberty . let your unbyast actions give the lie to such as scandalize your loyalty . to caesar render what 's to caesar due : earth merits , heaven expects no more from you . those rights defend , which your brave sires sent down inviolable as the throne or crown . tell supple parasites , and treacherous knaves , you 're humble subjects , not degenerate slaves . bow low , but scorn to creep ( for that 's as well ) nor for a mess of broth your birth-rights sell. pass by th'affronts that hell and rome can send ; comfort yourselves , when 't is at worst , 't will mend but when the church is shook by potent foes , for her defence your bodies interpose . of popish mercy never run the risque : a crowned serpent grows a basilisk . vindicate then the gospel and the laws ; the cause is heaven's , heaven will espouse the cause undauntedly prop up your churches walls , and joy to fall beneath it , if it falls . to perish thus , who would not be content , . when mouldring temples are his monument ? the introduction to the western transactions , and general observations upon them . i am sensible 't is a very invidious thing to defend any action which has had the publick stream and cry long against it ; with which even men of sense , and sometimes religion too , tho' pride or shame perhaps seldom lets 'em own the very truth on 't , are commonly hurried away as well as others . but this is , 't is hoped , for the general , an age of confession and ingenuity ; and since so many of the greatest men upon earth have gone before , in acknowledging some notions too far strain'd , and others mistaken , 't will be no real disgrace , but an honour to follow them , when so much in the right . and if once principles and notions are chang'd , or limited , we shall necessarily have other thoughts of things and persons than we had before ; and that action we call'd rebellion , and those men we thought rebels , while we had a wrong slavish notion of obedience ; when once that 's regulated , and we believe with all the world , and all ages and nations , that we are to obey only the lawful commands of superiours , and submit only to such unjust ones as will not much damage the commonwealth ; but resist and defend our selves , when all we have dear , our religion , liberty , and lives are visibly and undeniably attack'd and invaded , either without all form of law , or what 's worse , the wrested pretence of it . then we think truly , that such men are so far from being rebels , that they are the worthy true defenders of their faith and country : and such an action so far from rebellion , that 't is highly meritorious , and praise-worthy . most men being now satisfied in these points , unless those whom insuperable interest or prejudice have poison'd and rooted incorrigibly in the contrary belief . and the truth and reasonableness of them having been undeniably prov'd by many worthy persons from the law of nations , the ends of all government , and the constitution of our kingdom , and the practice of former ages , both popish and protestant : all the question now must be about matter of fact , whether things were then brought to that extremity that 't would probably be too late to make any defence for religion and property , if 't were not then made ; and whether or no the fundamental contract were then actually violated ? this is plain , that the protestant religion , and all our liberties were then most eminently in danger , publick leagues being long before made between his brittannick majesty and the king of france for their extirpation : that he who had been voted in parliament the main head of the popish cause , was now grown the head of the kingdom ; or indeed the popish deputy here , as he is since the king of france's in our neighbouring island ; that for being reconciled to rome , he was actually a traytor ; and besides , of a religion whose oaths could not be depended upon , as we were then , and long before to be , and have since sufficiently felt and experienced . that on this account , he hardly could keep his contract , as 't was plain he actually did not , publickly and notoriously violating those laws he swore to maintain , both before and after he had done it , by going to mass himself , setting up mass-houses , and encouraging popery . as for many grievances and oppressions , he was then as really guilty of 'em as ever after , tho' not in such large , and frequent , and various instances ; some of 'em are those very same which the parliament inserted among the proofs and reasons of the abdication , particularly the issuing out quo warranto's for cities and corporations ; the great cause and counsellor of which no doubt he was , even before he actually , i mean publickly , reigned . in a word , the securing the protestant interest in all europe , that , and their own liberties in england , was the main cause why many , and most engaged in this design . if these were in no danger , and not violated , they were rebels : if the safety of 'em could be expected any other way but by the sword , they were no better . whether things were in that condition , or no , at that time , god and the world must be judges . if it were so , they were not rebels : if the case was not so bad , and the mystery of iniquity not so far reveal'd , as it has been since , yet preventive physick is necessary , especially when death is unavoidable without it . if a prudent man is to meet mischief rushing upon him , and not stay for 't till it overwhelms him , and take the same course against a certain consequence , as an actual evil , why then , i think 't will be very hard to hang people in one world , and damn 'em in another , for having as little a foresight , and great a faith as their neighbours . others there were who embark't in that action , because they really thought , how much mistaken soever they might be , that the duke of monmouth was the king's legitimate son ; which such as had a personal love for him might more easily believe . now , altho' many , who engaged on the former account only , did not believe this , nor know any thing of his intention of being proclaim'd king , nor approved of it when 't was done ; and tho' had he been able to make out his title , or let his pretensions alone , he had not wanted in all likelyhood , a sufficient assistance from the nobility and gentry , none of whom for those reasons coming in to him ; yet on the other side , 't is hardly doubted that these men , who thought he had a right , were really obliged to follow the dictates of their conscience , though mistaken , and do whatever lay in their power , to the utmost venture of their lives , to fix him on his father's throne , to which they verily believed he had a proper right and title . and these men too , acting on the same reasons with the foremention'd , for deliverance of their country , as well as defence of him whom they thought their king ; the earnest zeal , and concern and love which most of 'em manifested for the protestant religion , being besides so conspicuous in their lives and deaths , i know not how they can , without impudence , be branded with the infamous name of rebels ; nor think 't will be any arrogance to honour 'em with the just , and dear-bought title of martyrs . one thing there is very observable in most , if not all of those who laid down their lives in this cause , both in england and scotland , that , besides that extraordinary divine courage and chearfulness with which they dy'd , they had expressions plainly boding that great deliverance which providence has since that miraculously accomplished for these kingdoms . 't would be endless to give almost all the innumerable instances of it : mr. nelthrop says , [ god had in his wonderful . providence made him and others instruments , not onely in what was already fallen out , but he believed , for hastning some other great vvork , he had yet to do in these kingdoms . ] mrs. gaunt says , [ god 's cause shall revive , and he 'd plead it at another rate than yet he had done , against all its malicious opposers . ] and speaks yet more strangely of those then uppermost , and likely to be so , [ that tho' they were seemingly fixt , and using their power and violence against those they had now got under 'em , yet unless they could secure jesus christ , and all his holy angels , they should never do their business , but vengeance would be upon 'em ' ere they were aware . ] capt. ansley , whose speech is as pretty a neat thing , as close , and christian , and couragious , as perhaps any that ever was made by man in his condition , after he had said [ he did not repent what he had done , but if he had a thousand lives , would have engag'd 'em all in the same cause ; ] adds just after , [ though it has pleased the wise god , for reasons best known to himself , now to blast our designs , yet he will deliver his people by ways we know not , nor think of . ] rumbold said just the same . mr. hewling says , [ i question not , but in his own time , god will raise up other instruments to carry on the same cause they dy'd for , for his own glory . ] mr. lark , [ that he was confident god would revenge their bloods . ] now it will be very harsh to say , all these , and several more , to the same purpose , were nothing but enthusiasm , since spoken by persons of all sexes and ages in twenty different places , in the most calm and serene tempers , and the persons not wild or fanciful ; and their words miraculously made good by the event , which shews god honour'd 'em with being prophets as well as martyrs . to proceed to the persons who suffer'd in this cause here , and in the west , and other places , chiefly under jeffrey's insulting cruelty . his dealing with 'em is not to be parallel'd by any thing but the new french dragoons , or the old cut-throats and lords chief-justices of the poor albigenses or waldenses at merindol and cutrices . had the great turk sent his janisaries , or the tartar his armies among 'em , they 'd scaped better . humanity could not offend so far to deserve such punishment as he inflicted . a certain barbarous joy and pleasure grinn'd from his brutal soul through his bloody eyes , whenever he was sentencing any of the poor souls to death and torment , so much worse than nero , as when that monster wisht he had never learnt to write ▪ because forc'd to set his name to warrants for execution of malefactors . jeffreys would have been glad if every letter he writ had been such a warrant , and every word a sentence of death . he observ'd neither humanity to the dead , nor civility to the living . he made all the west an aceldama ; some places quite depopulated , and nothing to be seen in 'em but forsaken vvalls , unlucky gibbets , and ghostly carcases . the trees were loaden , almost as thick with quarters as leaves . the houses and steeples covered as close with heads as at other times frequently in that country with crows or ravens . nothing could be liker hell than all those parts , nothing so like the devil as he . caldrons hizzing , carkases boyling , pitch and tar sparkling and glowing , blood and limbs boyling , and tearing , and mangling , and he the great director of all ; and in a word , discharging his place who sent him , the best deserving to be the late king 's chief justice there , and chancellor after , of any man that breath'd since cain or judas . some of the more principal persons who fell under his barbarous sentences , 't is thought worth the while to treat distinctly and partic●larly of , throwing the re●t together after 'em , and onely reprinting the former account , if any are lest out , it being necessary to hasten , to prevent shams . if the book be accepted , and come to another edition , they shall be inserted ; and if any faults or mistakes found , acknowledged and regulated . and the first whom we shall make especial remarks on , are the hewlings . if any one would see true pure popish mercy , let 'em look on these two gentlemen , the onely sons of their virtuous and sorrowful surviving parents ; the comforts , props , and hopes of their name and family , carefully educated , virtuously disposed both of them ; after all repeated applications , if but for one of their lives , barbarously executed . a particular care was taken by their father in their education , forming their minds by his own example , and constant instructions and prayers , as well as other pains of ingenuous masters , to the strictest rules of piety and vertue . nor was their pious and very tender mother less careful in that particular . the elder , mr. benjamin hewling had tutors in the mathematicks , and other parts of philosophy ; a course of which he went through successfully enough , and so as to render him as compleat in his mind , as nature had form'd his ●ody : after which he went to holland , as his brother mr. william hewling , from whence this last returned with the duke : both of 'em had commands in the army ; the elder had a troop of horse , the younger was a lieutenant of foot , and discharged their places with much more conduct and bravery , than could be expected from such young soldiers , being entirely satisfied in the cause they fought for , since 't was ●o less than the interest of all that was dear to 'em in this world or t'other . the eldest had particularly signaliz'd himself in several skirmishes , and was sent with a detachment of his own troop , and two more , to myn-head in somersetshire to bring cannon to the army , at the very instant the duke engaged the kings forces at fatal sedgmore ; and came not up till after the field was entirely lost ; to whose absence , with so considerable a party of the dukes horse , and the most resolved men of all he had , the loss of the day was principally owing . finding all things in disorder , and the rout beyond recovering , he was forc'd to disperse his troops , every one shifting as they could for themselves . he and his brother kept together , where , what befel 'em after , their friends have given an exact account , which is here following inserted . an account of the behaviour of mr. william and benjamin he●lings before , and at their execution ; with several letters to divers of their relations . the gracious dealings of god , manifested to some in dying hours , have been of great advantage to those living that heard the same , giving them an occasion thereby to reflect on their own state , and to look after the things of their peace , before they be hid from their eyes ; as also a great encouragement to strengthen the faith of those that have experienced the grace of god to them . to that end it is thought necessary , by parents especially , to preserve to their children that remain , those blessed experiences that such have had , which god hath taken to himself . here therefore is presented a true account of the admirable appearances of god towards two young men ; mr. benjamin hewling , who dyed when he was about years of age , and mr. william hewling , who dyed before he arrived to years : they engaged with the duke of monmouth , as their own vvords were , for the english liberties , and the protestant religion , and for which mr. vvilliam hewling was executed at lyme the th of september , . and mr. ben. hewling at taunton the th of the same month ; and however severe men were to them , yet the blessed dispensation of god towards th●m was such , as hath made good his word , that out of the mouths of babes he hath ordained strength , that he may still the enemy and the avenger . then , reader , would you see earthly angels , men that are a little too low for heaven , and much too high for earth ) would you see poor frail creatures trampling this world under their feet , and with an holy , serene smiling at the threats of tyrants , who are the terrors of the mighty in the land of the living ? would you see shackled prisoners behave themselves like judges , and judges stand like prisoners before them ? would you see some of the rare exploits of faith in its highest elevation , immediately before it be swallowed up in the beatifical vision ? to conclude , would you see the heavenly jerusalem pourtrayed on earth ? would you hear the melodious voices of ascending saints in a ravishing conso●t ready to joyn with the heavenly chorus in thei● de●igh●ful hallelujahs ? then draw near , come and see ! if thou be a man of an heavenly spirit , here is pleasant and suitable entertainment for thee ; and after thou hast conversed a while these excellent spirits , it may be thou wilt judge as i do , that dead saints are sweeter companions ( in some respects ) for thee to converse with , than those that are living : and when thou shalt see the magnifice●● acts of their faith , their invincible patience , their flaming love to christ , their strange contempt and undervaluings of the world their plainness and simplicity in the profession of the gospel , their f●rvent and brotherly love to each other , their ravishing pr●spects , ( as it were on the top of mount pisgah ) ●f the heavenly canaan , their swan-like songs and dying speeches . and reader , you know the first lisping of little children , and last farewels of dying saints are always most sweet and charming : those fore-tasts of the rivers of pleasure , the transporting glimpses they had of the crown of glory ; i say , when you see and read these exemplary truths , wonder not that the pious hewlings long'd so vehemently to be in a better world , though they were to pass through a thousand deaths , or the fiery tryal to it . [ but to come to our intended matter . ] after the dispersing of the dukes army , they fled and put to sea , but were driven back again , and with the hazard of their lives got on shore , ( over dangerous rocks ) where they saw the country fill'd with soldiers ; and they being unwilling to fall into the hands of the rabble , and no way of defence or escape remaining to them , they surrendred themselves prisoners to a gentleman , whose house was near the place they landed at , and were from thence sent to exeter goal , the th of july , where remaining some time , their behaviour was such , that ( being visited by many caus'd great respect towards 'em , even of those that were enemies to the cause they engaged in ; and being on the th of july put on board the swan frigate , in order to their bringing up to london ; their carriage was such , as obtained great kindness frome the commander , and all other officers in the ship , and being brought into the river , captain richardson came and took them into his custody , and carryed them to newgate , putting great irons upon them , and put them apart from each other , without giving liberty for the nearest relation to see them , notwithstanding all endeavours and entreaties used to obtain it , tho in the presence of a keeper ; which though it did greatly increase the grief of relations , god , who wisely orders all things for good to those he intends grace and mercy to , made this very restraint , and hard usage a blessed advantage to their souls , as may appear by their own words , when after great importunity and charge , some of their near relations had leave to speak a few words to them before the keeper , to which they replied , they were c●ntented with the will of god whatever it should be . having been in newgate three weeks , there was order given to carry them down into the west , in order to their tryal ; which being told them they answer'd , they were glad of it ; and that morning they went out of newgate , several that beheld them , seeing them so chearful , said , surely they had received their pardon , else they could never carry it with that courage and chearfulness . altho this must be observed , that from first to last , whatever hopes they received from friends , they still thought the contrary , never being much affected with the hopes of it , nor cast down , nor the least discouraged at the worst that man could do . in their journey to dorchester , the keepers that went with them have given this account of them , that their carriage was so grave , serious and christian , that made them admire to see , and hear what they did from such young men. a near relation that went into the west to see the issue of things , and to perform whatever should be necessary for them , gives the following account : at salisbury , the th of august , i had the first opportunity of converse with them : i found them in a very excellent composure of mind , declaring their experience of the grace and goodness of god to them in all their sufferings , in supporting . and strengthning , and providing for them , turning the hearts of all in whose hands they had been both at exon , and on ship-board , to shew pity and favour to them ; although since they came to newgate they were hardly used , and now in their journey loaded with heavy irons , and more inhumanely dealt with . they with great chearfulness profess'd , that they were better , in a more happy condition than ever in their lives , from the sense they had of the pardoning love of god in jesus christ to their souls , wholly referring themselves to their wise and gracious god to chuse for them life or death ; expressing themselves thus : any thing what pleases god what he sees best so be it : we know he is ab●e to deli●er , but if not , blessed be his name , death is not terrible now , but desireable . mr. benjamin hewling particularly added , as for th● world , there is nothing in it to make it worth while to live , except we may be serviceable to god therein . and afterwards said , oh! god is a a strong refuge , i have found him so indeed . the next opportunity i had was at dorchester , where they both were carried , there remaining together four days : by reason of their strait confinement our converse was much interrupted ; but this appear'd , that they had still the same presence and support from god , no way discourag'd at the approach of their tryal , nor of the event of it , whatever it should be . the th of september mr. benjamin hewling was order'd to taunton to be tryed there : taking my leave of him , he said , oh! blessed be god for afflictions ; i have found such happy effects , that i would not have been with out them for all this world. i remained still at dorchester to wait the issue of mr. william hewling , to whom after tryal , i had free access , whose discourse was much fill'd with admirings of the grace of god in christ , that had been manifested towards him , in calling him out of his natural state , he said , god by his holy spirit did suddenly seize upon his heart , when he thought not of it in his retired abode in holland , as it were secretly whispering in his heart , seek ye my face , enabling him to answer his gracious call , and to reflect upon his own soul , shewing him the evil of sin , and necessity of christ , from that time carrying him on , to a sensible adherence to christ for justification and eternal life . he said , hence he found a spring of joy and sweetness , beyond the comforts of the whole earth . he further said , he could not but admire the wonderful goodness of god , in so preparing him , for what he was bringing him to , which then he thought not of giving him hope of eternal life before he called him to look death in the face , so that he did chearfully resign his life to god before he came , having sought his guidance in it ; and that both then , and now the cause did appear to him very glorious , notwithstanding all he had suffer'd in it , or what he further might . although for our sins god hath with-held these good things from us . but he said , god had carry'd on his blessed work on his soul , in and by all his sufferings ; and whatever the will of god were , life or death , he knew it would be best for him . after he had received his sentence , when he returned to prison , he said , methinks i find my spiritual comforts increasing , ever since my sentence . there is no condemnation to them that are in christ jesus , it 's god that justifies , who shall condemn ? when i came to him the next morning ( when he had received news that he must die the next day , and in order to it was to be carried to lyme that day ) i found him in a more excellent rais'd spiritual frame than before : he said , he was satisfi'd god had chosen best for him ; he knows what the temptations of life might have been ; i might have lived and forgotten god , but now i am going where i shall sin no more . oh! it 's a blessed thing to be free from sin , and to be with christ. oh! the riches of the love of god in christ to sinners ▪ oh! how great were the sufferings of christ for me beyond all i can undergo ? how great is that glory to which i am going ? it will soon swallow up all our sorrow here . when he was at dinner , just before his going to lyme , he dropt many abrupt expressions of his inward joy , such as these : oh! the grace of god , the love of christ ; oh , that blessed supper of the lamb , to be for ever with the lord ! he further said , when i went to holland , you knew not what snares , sins and miseries i might fall into , or whether ever we should meet again : but now you know whither i am going , and that we shall certainly have a most joyful meeting . he said , pray give my particular recommendations to all my friends , with acknowledgements for all their kindness . i advise them all to make sure of an interest in christ , for he is the only comfort when we come to die . one of the prisoners seemed to be troubled at the manner of the death they were to die ; to whom he replied , i bless god i am reconciled to it all . just as he was going to lyme , he writ these few lines to a friend , being hardly suffer'd to stay so long . i am going to launch into eternity , i hope and trust into the arm of my blessed redeemer , to whom i commit you and all my dear relations ; my duty to my dear mother , and love to all my sisters , and the rest of my friends . william hewling . as they passed through the town of dorchester to lyme , multitudes of people beheld them , with great lamentations , admiring at his deportment at his parting with his sister . as they pass'd upon the road between lyme and dorchester , his discourse was exceeding spiritual , ( as those declar'd who were present ) taking occasion from every thing to speak of the glory they were going to . looking out on the country as he pass'd , he said , this is a glorious creation , but what then is the paradice of god to which we are going ? 't is but a few hours , and we shall be there , and for ever with the lord. at lyme , just before they went to die , reading john . . he said to one of his fellow-sufferers , here is a sweet promise for us . i will not leave you comfortless , i will come unto you . christ will be with us to the last . one taking leave of him , he said , farewel till we meet in heaven ; pres●ntly i shall be with christ : oh! i would not change conditions with any in this world ; i would not stay behind for ten thousand worlds . to another that ask'd him how he did now ? he said , very well , he bless'd god. and farther asking him , if he could look death in the face with comfort now i● approach'd so near ? he said , yes , i bless god i can with great comfort ; god hath made this a good night to me , my comforts are much encreas'd since i left dorchester : then taking leave of him , said , farewel , i shall see you no more . to which he replied , how ! see me no more ? yes , i hope to meet you in glory . to another that was by him to the last , he said , pray remember my dear love to my brother and sister , and tell them , i desire they would comfort themselves that i am gone to christ , and we shall quickly meet in the glorious mount sion above . afterwards he prayed for about three quarters of an hour with the greatest fervency , exceedingly blessing god for jesus christ , adoring the riches of his grace in him , in all the glorious fruits of it towards him , praying for the peace of the church of god , and of these nations in particular , all with such eminent assistance of the spirit of god , as convinced , astonish'd , and melted into pity the hearts of all present , even the most malicious adversaries , forcing tears and expressions from them ; some saying , they knew not what would become of them after death ; but it was evident he was going to great happiness . when he was just going out of the world , with a joyful countenance , he said , oh! now my joy and ●omfort is , that i have a christ to go to , and so sweetly resign'd his spirit to christ , the th of september , . an officer who had shewed so malicious a spirit as to call the prisoners devils , when he was guarding them down , was now so convinced , that he after told a person of quality , that he was never so affected , as by his chearful carriage and fervent prayer , such as he believ'd was never heard , especially from one so young ; and said , i believe had the lord chief justice been there , he could not have let him die . the sheriff having given his body to be bury'd , although it was brought from the place of execution without any notice given , yet very many of the town , to the number of about , came to accompany him ; and several young women of the best of the town , laid him in his grave in lyme church-yard , the th of septemb. . after which his sister writ this following letter to her mother . although i have nothing to acquaint my dear mother withal , but what is most afflictive to sense , both as to the determination of gods will , and as to my present apprehension concerning my brother benjamin , yet remaining ; yet there is such abundant consolation mixt in both , that i only wanted an opportunity to pay this duty ; god having wrought so glorious a work on both their souls , revealing christ in them , that death is become their friend . my brother william having already with the greatest joy , declared to those that were with him to the last , that he would not change conditions with any that were to remain in this world , and he desired that his relations would comfort themselves , that he is gone to christ. my brother benjamin expects not long to continue in this world , and is exceeding willing to leave it when god shall call , being fully satisfied that god will choose that which is best for him and us all ; by these things god doth greatly support me ; and i hope you also , my dear mother , which was and is my brothers great desire ; there is still room for prayer for one ; and god having so answer'd though not in kind , we have encouragement still to wait on him . honoured mother , your dutiful daughter . hannah hewling . when i came to taunton to mr. benjamin hewling , he had received the news of his brothers being gone to die with so much comfort and joy , and afterwards of the continued goodness of god increasing it to the end . he express'd to this effect , we have no cause to fear death , if the presence of god be with us ; there is no evil in it , the sting being taken away ; it 's nothing but our ignorance of the glory that the saints pass into by death , which makes it appear dark for our selves or relations , if in christ ▪ what is this world , that we should desire an abode in it ? it's all vain and unsatisfying , full of sin and misery : intimating also his own chearful expectations soon to follow , discovering then , and all along great seriousness , and sense of spiritual and eternal things , complaining of nothing in his present circumstances , but want of place of retirement to converse more uninterruptedly with god and his own soul , saying , that his lonely time in newgate was the sweetest in his whole life . he said , god having some time before struck his heart ( when he thought of the hazard of his life ) to some serious sense of his past life , and the great consequences of death and eternity , shewing him , that they were the only happy persons that had secured their eternal states : the folly and madness of the ways of sin , and his own thraldom therein , with his utter inability to deliver himself ; also the necessity of christ for salvation : he said it was not without terror and amazement for some time , the fight of unpardon'd sin , with eternity before him . but god wonderfully opened to him the riches of his free-grace in christ jesus for poor sinners to flee to , enabling to look alone to a crucified christ for salvation : he said this blessed work was in some measure carried on upon his soul , under all his business and hurries in the army ; but never sprung forth so fully and sweetly till his close confinement in newgate . there he saw christ and all spiritual objects more clearly , and embraded them more strongly ; there he experienced the blessedness of a reconciled state , the excellency of the ways of holiness , the delightfulness of communion with god , which remained with very deep and apparent impressions on his soul , which he frequently express'd with admiration of the grace of god towards him . he said , perhaps my friends may think this summer the saddest time of my life ; but i bless god it hath been the sweetest and most happy of it all ; nay , there is nothing else worth the name of happiness . i have in vain sought satisfaction from the things of this world , but i never found it ; but now i have foundrest for my soul in god alone . o how great is our blindness by nature , till god open our eyes , that we can see no excellency in spiritual things , but spend our precious time in pursuing shadows , and are deaf to all the invitations of grace and glorious offers of the gospel ! how just is god in depriving us of that we so much slighted and abused ! oh! his infinite patience and goodness , that after all , he should yet sanctifie any methods to bring a poor sinner to himself : oh! electing love , distinguishing grace ; what great cause have i to admire and adore it ! he said , what an amazing consideration is the sufffering of christ for sin , to bring us to god ; his suffering from wicked men was exceeding great ; but alas , what was that to the dolours of his soul , under the infinite wrath of god ? this mystery of grace and love is enough to swallow up our thoughts to all eternity . as to his own death , he would often say , he saw no reason to expect any other ; i know god is infinitely able to deliver , and i am sure will do it , if it be for his glory , and my good ; in which , i bless god , i am fully satisfied ; it 's all my desire that he would choose for me , and then i am sure it will be best , whatever it be ; for truly , unless god have some work for me to do in the world for his service and glory , i see nothing else to make life desirable : in the present state of affairs , there is nothing to cast our eyes upon but sin , sorrow and misery : and truly , were things never so much according to our desires , it 's but the world still , which will never be a resting-place . heaven is the only state of rest and happiness ; there we shall be perfectly free from sin and temptation , and enjoy god without interruption for ever . speaking of the disappointment of their expectations in the work they had undertaken , he said with reference to the glory of god , the prosperity of the gospel , and the delivery of the people of god , we have great cause to lament it ; but for that outward prosperity that would have accompanied it , it s but of small moment in it self ; as it could not satisfie , so neither could it be abiding ; for at longest , death would have put an end to it all : also adding , nay perhaps , we might have been so foolish , as to have been taken with that part of it , with the neglect of our eternal concerns ; and then i am sure our present circumstances are incomparably better . he frequently express'd great concern for the glory of god , and affection to his people , saying , if my death may advance gods glory , and hasten the deliverance of his people , it is enough ; saying , it was a great comfort to him , to think of so great a priviledge as an interest in all their prayers . in his converse particularly valuing and delighting in those persons where he saw most holiness shining ; also great pity to the souls of others , saying , that the remembrance of our former vanity may well cause compassion to others in that state . and in his converse prompting others to seriousness , telling them , death and eternity are such weighty concerns , that they deserve the utmost intention of our minds ; for the way to receive death chearfully , is to prepare for it seriously ; and if god should please to spare our lives , surely we have the same reason to be serious , and spend our remaining days in his fear and service . he also took great care that the worship of god , which they were in a capacity of maintaining there , might be duly perform'd ; as reading , praying , and singing of psalms , in which he evidently took great delight . for those three or four days before their deaths , when there was a general report that no more should die ; he said , i don't know what god hath done beyond our expectations ; if he doth prolong my life , i am sure it is all his own , and by his grace i will wholly devote it to him . but the th of september , about ten or eleven at night , we found the deceitfulness of this report , they being then told they must die the next morning , which was very unexpected , as to the suddenness of it ; but herein god glorified his power , grace , and faithfulness , in giving suitable support and comfort by his blessed presence , which appeared upon my coming to him at that time , finding him greatly composed ; he said , tho' men design to surprize , god doth and will perform his word , to be a very present help in trouble . the next morning when i saw him again , his cheerfulness and comfort were much increased , waiting for the sheriff with the greatest-sweetness and serenity of mind ; saying , now the will of god is determined , to whom i have referr'd it , and he hath chosen most certainly that which is best . afterward with a smiling countenance , he discours'd of the glory of heaven , remarking with much delight the third , fourth , and fifth verses of the th of the revelations , and there shall be no more curse ; but the throne of god , and of the lamb , shall be in it , and his servants shall serve him , and they shall see his face , and his name shall be in their foreheads , and there shall be no night there , and they shall need no candle nor light of the sun , and they shall reign for ever and ever . then he said , oh , what a happy state is this ! shall we be loth to go to enjoy this ! then he desired to be read to him , cor. . for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolv'd , we have a building of god , a house not made with hands , eternal in the heavens ; to the tenth or eleventh verses . in all , his comforts still increasing , expressing his sweet hopes and good assurance of his interest in this glorious inheritance , and being now going to the possession of it , seeing so much of this happy change , that he said , death was more desireable than life ; he had rather dye than live any longer here . as to the manner of his death , he said , when i have consider'd others under these circumstances , i have thought it very dreadful , but now god hath call'd me to it , i bless god i have quite other apprehensions of it ; i can now chearfully embrace it as an easie passage to glory : and tho' death s●parates from the enjoyments of each other here , it will be but for a very short time , and then we shall meet in such enjoyments as now we cannot conceive , and for ever rejoyce in each others happiness . then reading the scriptures , and musing with himself , he intimated the great comfort god convey'd to his soul in it ; saying , o what an invaluable treasure is this blessed word of god ; in all conditions here is a store of strong consolation . one desiring his bible , he said , no , this shall be my companion to the last moment of my life . thus praying together , reading , meditating , and conversing of heavenly things , they waited for the sheriff , who , when he came , void of all pity or civility , hurried them away scarce suffering them to take leave of their friends . but notwithstanding this , and the doleful mourning of all about them , the joyfulness of his countenance was encreased . thus he left his prison , and thus he appear'd in the sledge , where they sat about half an hour , before the officers could force the horses to draw , at which they were greatly enraged , there being no visible obstruction from weight or way . but at last the mayor and sheriff hall'd them forwards themselves , balaam-like driving the horses . when they came to the place of execution , which was surrounded with spectators , many that waited their coming with great sorrow , said . that when they saw him and them come with such chearfulness and joy , and evidence of the presence of god with them , it made death appear with another aspect . they first embraced each other with the greatest affection ; then two of the elder persons praying audibly , they joyn'd with great seriousness . then he desired leave of the sheriff to pray particularly , but he would not grant it , only ask'd him if he would pray for the king : he answered , i pray for all men . he then requested they might sing a psalm ; the sheriff told him , it must be with the ropes about their necks ; which they cheerfully accepted , and sung with such heavenly joy and sweetness , that many present said , it both broke and rejoyc'd their hearts . thus in the experience of the delightfulness of praising god on earth , he willingly closed his eyes on a vain world , to pas● to that eternal employment , sept. . . all present of all sorts were exceedingly affected and amazed . some officers that had before insultingly said , surely these persons have no thoughts of death , but will find themselves surprized by it ; after said , that they now saw he and they had something extraodinary within that carried them through with such joy . others of them said , that they were so convinc'd of their happin●ss , that they would be glad to change conditions with them . all the souldiers in general , and all others , lamenting exceedingly , saying , that it was so sad a thing , to see them so cut off , they scarce knew how to bear it . some of the most malicious in the place , from whom nothing but railing was expected , said , ( as they were carried to their ●rave in taunton church , voluntarily accompanied by most of the town ) that these persons had left a sufficient evidence , that they were now glorified saints in heaven . a great officer in the king'● army has been often heard to say , that if you would learn to die , go to the young men of taunton . much more was utter'd by them , which shew'd the blessed and glorious frames of their hearts ( to the glory of divine grace ) but this is what occurs to memory . mr. benjamin hewling , about two hours before his death , writ this following letter , which shew'd the great composure of his mind . mr. hewlings last letter a little before his execution . taunton , sept. . . honoured mother , that news which i know you have a great while feared , and we expected , i must now acquaint you with ; that notwithstanding the hopes you gave in your two last letters , warrants are come down f●r my execution , and within these few hours i expect it to be pe●formed . blessed be the almighty god that gives comfort and support in such a day ; how ought we to magnifie his holy name for all his mercies ▪ that when we were running on in a course of sin , he should stop us in our full career , and shew us that c●rist whom we had pierced , an● out of hi●●ree grace enable us to look upon him with an e●e of faith ▪ believing him able to save to the utmost all such as come to him . oh admirable lo●g suffering and patience of god , that when we were dishono●ring hi● name , he did not take that time to bring honour to himself by our destruction . but he delighteth not in the death of a sinner , bu● had rather he should turn to him and live : and he has many ways of bringing his own to hims●lf . blessed be his holy name , that through affliction he has taught my heart in some measure to be comformable to his will , which worketh patience , and patience worketh experience , and experience hope , which maketh not ashamed . i bless god i am not ashamed of the cause for which i lay down my life ; and as i have engaged in it , and fought for it ; so now i am going to s●al it with my blood. the lord still carry on the same cause which hath been long on foot ; and tho' we die in it , and for it , i question not but in his own good time he will raise up other instruments mor● worthy to carry it on to the glory of his name , and the advancement of his church and people . honoured mother , i know there has been nothing left undone by you , or my friends , for the saving of my life , for which i return many hearty acknowledgments to your self and them all ; and it 's my dying request to you and them , to pardon all undutifulness and unkindness in every relation . pray give my duty to my grandfather and grandmother , service to my vnkles and aunts , and my dear love to all my sisters ; to every relation and friend a particular recommendation . pray tell 'em all how precious an interest in christ is when we come to die , and advise them never to rest in a christless estate . for if we are his , it 's no matter what the world do to us , they can but kill the body , and blessed be god the soul is out of their reach , for i question not but their malice wishes the damnation of that , as well as the destruction of the body ; which has too evidently appeared by their deceitful flattering promises . i commit you all to the care and protection of god , who has promised to be a father t● the fatherless , and a husband to the widdow , and to supply the want of every relation . the lord god of heaven be your comfort under thes● sorrows , and your refuge from these miseries we may easily foresee coming upon poor england , and the poor distressed people of god in it . the lord carry you through this vale of tears with a resigning submissive spirit , and at last bring you to himself in glory ; where i question not but you will meet your dying son ben hewling . their characters . they were both of very sweet and obliging tempers , as h●s appeared in their history , it being a very hard matter for their worst enemies , when they once knew 'em well , not to honour and love ' em . mr. benjamin , the elder , reconciled the lamb and the lion exactly . in the field he seem'd made only for war , and any where else , for nothing but love. he , without flatterry , deserv'd to be call'd a very fine man , of a lovely proportion , extreamly well made , as handsom a meen , & good an air , as perhaps few in england exceeded him : his picture is pretty like him . the younger , mr. william , somewhat taller , and more slender . his face fresh and lively , as his spirit , being master of an extraordinary vivacity and briskness of temper . both of 'em vertuous , pious and couragious far above their years , and indeed , seem'd to be men too soon , one of 'em not being twenty , the eldest but two and twenty when they dy'd ; verifying that common observation , that whatever is perfect sooner than ordinary , has generally a shorter period prefix'd it , than what 's more base and ignoble . mr. christopher battiscomb . he was another young gentleman of a good family , and very great hopes , and of a fair estate , which lay in dorsetshire , somewhere between dorchester and lyme . he had studied sometime at the temple , and having occasions in the country about the time of my lord russel's business ; he was there seiz'd , on suspicion of being concern'd in 't , and clapt into the county goal at dorchester , where he behaved himself with that prudence and winning sweetness , and shew'd so much wit , and innocent pleasantry of temper , as extreamly obliged both all his keepers and fellow-prisoners , and even persons of the best quality in that town . 't is indeed a genteel well-bred place , as almost any in england , at such a distance from london . the streets are fair and large , and buildings pretty regular ; two sweet plentiful rivers running by it . it stands on a chalky hill , but wants not store of good water . the market-house is a pleasant little pile , that very much sets off the town . there are three churches in 't , and one in its adjoyning parish . 't is endowed with several alms-houses , a good grammar-school well enough provided , which has had the happiness of ingenious masters , and by their care , produced no inconsiderable number of good scholars . there are two or three fine old roman fortifications near the town , which camden and speed take notice of . the people on 't are generally civil and gallant enough , if not a little on the extream that way . they knew how to value such a gentleman as mr. battiscomb , and made him such frequent visits in the prison , till the place it self was so far from being scandalous , that there was generally all the conversation , and where you might be sure to meet the best company in the town of both sexes . mr. battiscomb had the happiness not to be displeasing to the fair sex , who had as much pity and friendship for him as consisted with the rules of decency and vertue ; and perhaps their respect for him did not always stop at friendship , tho' it still preserved the other bounds inviolable . pity is generally but a little way from love , especially when the object of it is any thing extraordinary . but after he had been there some time , and nothing could be prov'd against him which could any ways affect him , he was at length , almost unwillingly deliver'd from this sort of happy slavery . and when the duke landed , appear'd with him , and serv'd him with equal faith and valour , till the rout at sedgmoor , when he fled with the rest , and got up as far as devonshire , where he was seiz'd in a disguise , and brought to his old palace , the prison at dorchester . he behav'd himself there the second time in the same courteous obliging manner as he did at the first , tho' now he seem'd more thoughtful , and in earnest than before , as knowing nothing was to be expected but speedy death ; tho' his courage never droop't , but was still the same , if it did not increase with his danger . at his tryal , jefferyes rail'd at him with so much eagerness and barbarity , that he was observ'd almost to foam upon the bench. he was very angry with him , because he was a lawyer , and could have been contented all such as he should be hang'd up without any trial ; and truly , 't was no great matter whether he or the rest had had that formality or no. mr. battiscomb was as undaunted at the bar , as in the field , or at execution . how he demeaned himself in prison before his death , take this following account verbatim , as 't was written by his friends . tho' that which occur'd most remarkable after his sentence , must not be omitted . several young ladies in the town , among whom one , who is particularly mention'd in the poem , went to jeffreys to beg his life , who repulst 'em at such a bruitish rate , as nothing with one spark of humanity would have been guilty of , and in a manner even too uncivil to be mentioned . the particulars may be seen in the petition of the widows and orphans of that country . the account given of him by his relations . he was observed to be always serious and chearful , ready to entertain spiritual discourse , manifesting affection to god's people and his ordinances ; he seem'd to be in a very calm indifference to life or death , referring himself to god to determin it , expressing his great satisfaction as to some opportunities of escape that were slipt , saying , that truly he sometimes thought the cause was too good to flee from suffering in it , tho' he would use all lawful means for his life ; but the pro●idence of god having prevented this , he was sure it was best for him , for he said , be blest god he could look into eternity with comfort . he said , with respect to his relations and friends , to whom his death would be afflictive , that he was willing to live , if god saw good ; but for his own part , he thought death much more desirable . he said , i have enjoyed enough of this world , but i never found any thing but vanity in it , no rest or satisfaction . god , who is an infinite spiritual being , is the only suitable object for the soul of man , which is spiritual in its nature , and too large to be made happy by all that this world can afford , which is all but sensual . therefore methinks , i see no reason why i should be unwilling to leave it by death , since our happiness can never be perfected till then , till we leave this body , where we are so continually clogg'd with sin and vanity , frivolous and foolish trifles . death in it self is indeed terrible , and natural courage is too low to encounter it ; nothing but an interest in christ can be our comfort in it , he said , which comfort i hope i have ; intimating much advantage to his soul by his former imprisonment . the day he went from dorchester to lyme , after he had received the news of his death the next day , he was in the same serious cheerfulness , declaring still the same apprehension of the desirableness of death , and the great supports of his mind under the thoughts of so sudden passing through it alone from the hope of the security of his interest in christ ; taking leave of his friends with this farewel , tho' we part here we shall meet in heaven . passing by his estate going to lyme , he said farewel temporal inheritance , i am now going to my heavenly , eternal one . at lyme , the morning that he died , it appeared that he had the same supports from god , meeting de●th with the same cheerfulness ; and after he had prayed a while to himself , without any appearance of reluctancy , yielded up his spirit , sept. . . a poem on a lady that came to my lord chief justice , to beg mr. battiscomb's life , sister to one of the sheriffs in the west , which he denied . harder than thine own native rocks ! to let the charming silvia kneel , and not one spark of pity feel : harder than sensless stones and stocks ! ye gods ! what showers of pearls she gave ? vvhat precious tears ? enough to save a bleeding monarch from the grave . by every hapless virgin curst : vvinter blasts not more unkind ; deaf as the rugged northern vvind ; by some welsh wolf in murders nurst . hast thou eyes ? or hast thou none ? or are they worse than marble grown ? since marbles weep at silvia's moan . rebels stiff , and supple slaves , all the frantick vvorld divide , one must stoop , and to'ther ride ; cringing fools and factious knaves ; tho' falling on the losers part , gently death arrests my heart , and has in hony dipt his dart. life farewel , thou gaudy dream , painted o're with griefs and joys , vvhich the next short hour destroys ; and drowns them all in lethe's stream : vvhat blest mortal would not die , might he with me embalmed lye , in pre●ious tears from silvia's eye ? his character . all that knew or saw him , must own , mr. battiscomb was very much a gentleman . not that thin sort of animal that flutters from tavern to play-house and back again , all his life made up of wig and crevat , without one dram of thought in his composition ; but one who had solid worth , well drest and set out to the world. his body made a very handsom and creditable tenement for his mind ; and 't had been pity it shou'd have liv'd in any other . he was pretty tall , well made , i think inclining to black ; not altogether unlike mr. benjamin hewling , as he has bin thought to resemble the duke of monmouth . he was witty , brave , exactly honourable , pious , and virtuous : and if ever that character belong'd to any man , it did eminently to mr. battiscomb , that he liv'd universally belov'd , and dy'd as generally lamented . mr. william jenkyns . his father was sufficiently known , and his circumstances hard enough , being seized only for his opinion , and clapt up close in newgate ; where the inconvenience of the place , and want of the exercise he formerly enjoy'd , quickly kill'd him , as he used to say before his confinement , 't would certainly do if ever it happen'd . thus was he requited by that very person for whom with mr. love , he ventured his life so deeply , and so hardly escaped with it . 't was his inhuman treatment which edg'd and animated his son ; and the revenge of his fathers blood may be presum'd to have gone very far in pushing him on to engage his life and fortune in this undertaking , he having given funeral rings for his father with this posie , vvilliam jenkyns , murder'd in newgate . he was his fathers only son , who had taken care to have him educated suitable to his ingenuous birth and inclinations he improved ●●fficiently in all useful learning , and was now about one or two and twenty . he and several young gentlemen rode down from london a little before the duke landed , and were taken on suspition , and laid up in ilchester goal , till the duke himself came and relieved them . he continued in his army till the rout , when , if i mistake not , he got to sea and was forc'd back again with the h●wlings , or some others . he was condemned at the bloody assizes in dorchester . a friend discoursing to him at dorchester about his pardon , and telling him the doubtfulness of obtaining it , he replyed , well , death is the worst they can do , and i bless god , that will not surprize me , for i hope my g●eat work is done . at taunton being advised to govern the airiness of his temper , telling him , it made people apt to censure him , as inconsiderate of his condition ; to which he answer'd ; truly , this is so much my natural temper , that i cannot tell how to alter it ; but i bless god i have , and do think seriously of my eternal conce●ns ; i do not allow my self to be vain , but i find cause to ●e chearful , for my peace is made with god , through jesus christ my lord ; this is my only ground of comfort and cheerfulness , the security of my interest in christ ; for i expect nothing but death , and without this i am sure death would be most dreadful ; but having the good hope of thi● , i cannot be melancholy . when he heard of the triumphant death of those that suffered at lyme , he said , this is a good encouragement to depend upon god. then speaking about the mangling of their bodies , he said ; well , the resurrection will restore all with great advantage ; the th . chapter of the first of corinthians is comfort enough for all believers . discoursing much of the certainty and felicity of the resurrection at another time , he said , i will ( as i think i ought ) use all lawful means for the saving of my life , and then if god please to forgive my sins , i hope i shall as chearfully embrace death . upon the design of attempting an escape , he said , vve use this means for the preserving our lives , but if god is not with us , it will not effect it ; it is our business first to to seek to him for direction and success , if he sees good , with resigning our lives to him , and then his vvill be done . after the disappointments , when there was no prospect of any other opportunity , he spake much of the admirableness of god's providence in those things that seem most against us , bringing the greatest good out of them ; for , said he , vve can see but a little way , god is only wise in all his disposals of us ; if we were left to chuse for our selves , we should choose our own misery . afterwards discoursing of the vanity and unsatisfyingness of all things in this world , he said , it is so in the enjoying , we never find our expectations answer'd by any thing in it , and when death comes it puts an end to all things we have been pursuing here : learning and knowledge ( which are the best things in thi● world ) will then avail nothing ; nothing but an interest in christ is then of any worth . one reading to some of his fellow-prisoners , jer. . . i will shew mercy unto you , that he may have mercy upon you , and cause you to return to your own land ; he said , yes , we shall , but not in this world , i am perswaded . september the th . at night , after he heard he must die the next morning , he was exceedingly composed and chearful , expressing his satisfaction in the will of god : the next morning he was still more spiritual and chearful , discovering a very sweet serenity of mind in all that he said and did : whilst he was waiting for the sheriff , reading the scriptures , meditating and conversing with those about him of divine things , amongst other things , said he , i have heard much of the glory of heaven , but i am now going to behold it , and understand what it is . being desir'd to disguise himself to attempt an escape , he said , no , i cannot tell how to disturb my self about it , and methinks it is not my business , now i have other things take up my thoughts ; if god saw good to deliver me , he would open some other door ; but seeing he has not , it is more for the honour of his name we should die , and so be it . one saying to him that most of the apostles died a violent death , he replyed , nay , a greater than the apostles our lord himself died , not only a shameful , but a painful death : he further said , this manner of death hath been the most terrible thing in the world to my thoughts , but i bless god , now am i neither afraid nor ashamed to die . he said , the parting with my friends , and their grief for me , is my greatest difficulty ; but it will be but for a very short time , and we shall meet again in endless joys , where my dear father is already enter'd , him shall i presently joyfully meet . then musing with himself a while , he with an extraordinary seriousness sung these two verses of one of herbert's poems : death is still working like a mo●e , digging my grave at each remove , let grace work so on my soul , drop from above . oh come ! for thou dost know the way , or if to me thou wilt not move , remove me where i need not say , drop from above . he then read the d of isaiah , and said , he had heard many blessed sermons from that chapter , especially from the th verse , all we like sheep have gone astray , we have turned every one to his own way , but the lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all ; seeming to intimate some impress made on his soul from them , but was interrupted ; then he said , christ is all ; when the sheriff came , he had the same chearfulness and serenity of mind in taking leave of his friends , and in the sledge , which seemed to increase to the last , ( as those present have affirmed ) joyning in prayer , and in singing a psalm with great appearance of comfort and joy in his countenance , insomuch that some of his enemies ( that had before censured his chearfulness for unthoughtfulness of his danger , and therefore expected to see him much surprized ) now professed they were greatly astonished , to see such a young man leave the world , and go through death as he did . mr. jenkyn's letter to mrs. scot on the th of september , . dear sister , the news which came in my brothers letter of the d instant to mr. dewy did not at all surprize me , for indeed i expected no other ; and seeing all hopes of saving my life are blasted , i thought my self bound to write a line or two to so near a relation as your self , wherein i might take my leave of you , and bid you farewel , till we shall meet again in glory , and never be separated more : as for my own part , tho such a sort of death as i am like to suffer , be that which i always dreaded when at a distance , i have sometimes thought of it , yet i ●hank my god now it draws near , even but a few hours off , i find my self supported under the thoughts of it , and hope by his strength , who will never forsake his own , i shall be enabled chearfully to undergo it with glory to his name , and comfort to my own , and the souls of others that are more nearly concerned for me ; and as i have made it my own endeavour to submit to the will of god in this sad dispensation without murmuring or repining , i hope you have been sensible of your duty in the same respect , which is , patiently to submit to his will , and eye his hand in this severe stroke : and though god has been pleased to deny success to your endeavours for the saving of my life , yet i am satisfied nothing has been wanting on your parts ; and for all the trouble you have been at on my account , tho i do not live to shew my gratitude , yet i render you my dying thanks , and beg your prayers for my support in the last moments of my life . if you receive this before my death , the certain time of which i have not notice of , pray remember my love to my brother , and thanks for all kindnesses ; and as for my young relations , my prayer for them shall be , that they may see more happy days than i have done , and die a more peaceable , i can't say more happy death . and now , dear sister , i take my leave of you , and commi● you to the protection of that god , who hath made every thing beautiful in his time , and will shew you the meaning of this providence which now we do not understand , to whom , i trust i am now going , and into the enjoyment of whose presence i doubt not but ere long you will meet , dear sister , your affectionate brother , william jenkyn . mr. jenkyn's letter to his mother on the th of september , at at night , taunton . dear and honoured mother , i have even now received the news of execution to morrow , which , tho i have so short notice of , yet i hope i am prepared for it , and by god's strength enabling me , i shall joyfully be carryed through it : the kindness you have been pleased to shew in your great concern for me since i have been under this trouble , as well as the duty i owe to so near a relation as your self , engages me to acquaint you with my present condition for your satisfaction , which truly is such , that i must beg you to accept this present letter for my last farewel : and tho this sad providence cannot but be grievous to so near and affectionate a relation as your self , yet i hope it already has , and still does ; yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness to your self and me , who have been severely exercised with it : as for my own part , i hope i can truly say , that god has by this providence weaned m● from the world , and made me willing to leave , an● to be dissolved , that i may be with christ , which i● far better : and now i am come to die ; i hope i ca● truly say , i have nothing else to do but to die ; an● having fought a good fight , and finished my cours● i am now in expectation of that crown of rewar● which god the righteous judge of the whole earth , h● promised to all those that love his appearing ; and 〈◊〉 it is my great work to be now every moment fitting 〈◊〉 self for my great and last change ; so 't is the 〈◊〉 which belongs to you , and the rest of my dear relation● to resign me up into the hands of that god , whose 〈◊〉 am , and to whom i am going , and not repine at 〈◊〉 righteous will , which we ought quietly to submit 〈◊〉 i bless god i die with a clear conscience , and thou●● i have deserved much worse at the hands of god 〈◊〉 my past sins than i am like to undergo , yet i coun●● with respect to man , i die a martyr for the prot●stant religion , and meerly for doing my duty in opp●sing of that flood of popery which seem'd to be just ove●whelming the church and interest of christ in the●● nations ; and i wish that the prudentialists of ou● age , that have withdrawn their helping hand fro● so glorious a design , do not within a few days 〈◊〉 the smart they have deserved by this their basenes●● but being now just leaving the world , it 's grievous to look back on these things ; wherefore dear and honoured mother , i take leave of you also , hoping that i shall again meet with you in that place of happiness , where all tears shall be wiped away from our eyes , and we shall sorrow no more . i have nothing more to say , but to return you my dying thanks for all the trouble and care you have been at for the saving my life , which though god has not thought fit to make successful , yet my thankfulness is equally due to you for your endeavours , as if he had ; therefore i shall end with the subscribing my self , dear and honoured mother , your thankful and dutiful son , william jenkyn . mr. jenkyn's letter to mrs. gourden on the th of september , . at morning , taunton . dear sister , tho you are at a great distance from mine eye , yet you are very near my heart , so that to leave the world before i have wrote a line or two to bid you farewel , and comfort you under this sad providence , would be uncomfortable to me : i hope you have by this time learnt how to welcom evil as well as good tydings , and submit to the wise disposer of all things , who knows what is good for us , better than we do for our selves : tho i question not but the new● of my death , especially in such a violent manner , a● within a few hours i am to suffer , it will be afflictive to you ; yet i would beg you to consider the happiness which i am gone to , but a few years sooner taken out of a wicked and troublesome world unto the quire of triumphant martyrs in glory , which place of happiness , though i have not deserved by any thing of my own merits , yet for the merits of my mediator and saviour , who has purchased more for me , than can enter into my heart to conceive , i doubt not but i have a mansion prepared for me in that place , where the wicked cease from troubling , and the weary are at rest . and now , dear sister , i have nothing more to do in this world , but to be preparing and fitting my self for this place of rest , which within a few hours i am going to . i therefore leave you and yours to the protection and blessing of god , who is able to keep and support you under this and all other his afflictive providences , and bring a good issue out of them ; and who will in his own good time conduct you safe to that place of happiness , where you will meet alone for christ sake , dear , dear sister , your loving and affectionate brother , william jenkyn . pray remember my love and respects to my brother , and all that enquire after me . his character . he was a very promising and ingenious young gentleman ; he had a great deal of ready wit , and an extraordinary briskness and gaity . he was a very good scholar , had run ●hrough a course of philosophy ; but his p●rticular inclination was to the mechanical part of it , wherein he had a very happy genius , and performed many pretty things . he wrote ●ery good clean latin. he was indifferent tall , ●retty thin , a fair complexion , his nose a ●ittle inclining to one side , being hurt in his in●ancy . he led a sober , vertuous life , and dy'd 〈◊〉 happy death at taunton , september . . lady lisle . had those persons who suffer'd about monmouth's business , fell only into the hands of ●annibals , some of 'em , at least , had scaped bet●●r than they did from jeffreys . those more ●●me and civil creatures would have spared the 〈◊〉 and withered , though they had devoured the ●●ung and tender . but no age , no sex made ●●y difference here ; and as those who were just ●●me into the world , children and girls of ten 〈◊〉 a dozen years old were refused pardon , so those ●ho were half out of it , would not be suffered 〈◊〉 tumble into the grave intire , tho , as juvenal ●●ys of priam , they had scarce blood enough lest to singe the knife of the sacrifices . an instance of this was my lady lisle , of such an age , that she almost slept on her very tryal , condemned for as small a matter as has been known , by one of those dormant laws , made only in terrorem , but hardly ever executed only for corresponding with nelthrop , an out-law'd person , and , as was pretended , giving him shelter at her house , and hicks , who brought him thither . for hicks , he was not then convicted , nor in any proclamation , and so 't is a question whether she could even in rigour of law , deserve death on his account . for nelthrop , he himself says in his last speech , [ that he was wholly a stranger to th●t worthy lady , ; neither did she , as he verily believes , know who he was , or his name , till he was taken ] for this she was found guilty , and lost her head at winchester . her case was thought so hard , that the honourable court of parliament have now reverst her judgment . at h●r death she made the following speech . the last speech of the lady alicia lisle . gentlemen , friends and neighbours , it may be expected that i should say something at my death , and in order thereunto i shall acquaint you , that my birth and education was 〈◊〉 near this place , and that my parents 〈◊〉 me in the fear of god , and i now die of 〈◊〉 ●e●ormed protestant religion ; that if ever 〈◊〉 should return into this nation , it would be a very great and severe judgment ; that i die in expectation of the pardon of all my sins , and of acceptance with god the father , by the imputed righteousness of jesus christ , he being the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes ; i thank god through jesus christ , that i do depart under the blood of sprinkling , which speaketh better things than that of abel ; god having made this chastisement an ordinance to my soul. i did once as little expect to come to this place on this occasion , as any person in this place or nation ; therefore let all learn not to be high-minded , but fear : the lord is a soveraign , and will take what way he sees best to glorifie himself in , and by his poor creatures ; and i do humbly desire to submit to his will , praying to him , that i may possess my soul in patience . the crime that was laid to my charge , was for entertaining a nonconformist minister and others in my house ; the said minister being sworn to have been in the late duke of monmouth's army ; but i have been told , that if i had denied them , it would not at all have affected me ; i have no excuse but surprize and fear , which i believe my jury must make use of to excuse their verdict to the world. i have been also told , that the court did use to be of counsel for the prisoner ; but instead of advice , i had evidence against me from thence ; which though it were only by hear-say , might possibly affect my jury ; my defence being but such , as might be expected from a weak woman ; but such as it was , i did not hear it repeated again to the jury ; which , as i have been informed , is usual in such cases . however , i forgive all the world ; and therein all those that have done me wrong ; and in particular , i forgive colonel penruddock , although he told me , that he could have taken these men before they came to my house . and i do likewise forgive him , who desired to be taken away from the grand jury to the petty-jury , that he might be the more nearly concerned in my death . as to what may be objected in reference to my conviction , that i gave it under my hand , that i had discoursed with nelthrop ; that could be no evidence against me , being after my conviction and sentence : i do acknowledg his majesties favour in revoking my sentence ; i pray god to preserve him , that he may long reign in mercy , as well as justice ; and that he may reign in peace ; and that the protestant religion may flourish under him . i also return thanks to god and the reverend clergy , that assisted me in my imprisonment . alicia lisle . mr. richard nelthrop . his name is often enough met with in wests and rumseys plot , and good reason too , he being not near to answer for himself . as to what he was accused , outlawed , and executed for , his being concern'd in a design for the assassination of the king and duke , he solemnly avers , as may be seen below in his speech , [ that he was always highly against it , and detested any such thing , was never in the least concern'd in it , neither in purs● or person ; never knew of any arms bought for that intent , nor did believe there was any such design . ] than which , what words could be more full and satisfactory ? he went away in the heat of swearing , and return'd with the duke of monmouth , thinking it his duty , as he says , to hazard his life for the preservation of the protestant religion and english liberties ; but as to the duke of monmouth's being declar'd king , he was wholly passive in it . he was at first committed to salisbury prison , where he had several disputes with a learned and good man , whose opinion then differ'd from his , concerning the lawfulness of defending our selves by arms against illegal violence , which was his firm judgment . thence he was brought to london , and imprison'd in newgate . he rejected there with scorn some offers made him of saving his own life by taking away other mens ; and tho' he was under inexpressible trouble during his close confinement there , which at length arose to distraction , and the impair of his reason ; yet 't is remarkable that he , as bateman before him , before he came to die , after sentence was very calm and lively again , the entire exercise of his judgment and understanding returning , with more joy and comfort than he had before pain and misery . he writ one letter to his parents , another to his children , here inserted , together with his last speech at his execution the th . of octob. . at in the morning , he wrote the letter to his parents , &c. wherein he speaks much of his brother , and fellow-sufferer mr * ayloff , if i mistake not , whom he says , [ he could embrace with more joy in the field of suffering , than ever he could have done , had he met him in the field , crown'd with victory and laurels . ] mr. richard nelthrop's letter to his parents , brothers and sister . dearest parents , and ever loving brothers , and tender hearted and beloved sister , through the infinite goodness of god , the nearer i approach my end , the more joy and comfort i find in my suffering estate , ( that i may so call it : ) i can through mercy say , that i have found more true delight and content this night , than in all the days and nights of my whole life ; and i hope the lord will continue it , that his name may be glorified by me the meanest and poorest of all his servants , but through free-grace faithful unto the end : my soul is ravished , i can hardly write , and my comforts are more unspeakable than my terrors were . i did this evening see my dearest brother and companion ; his face was to me as that of an angel , and he gave me that comfort , that i cannot but say my love to him is beyond what i ever had to my dearest relations . when god comes , every thing hath a beauty and lustre upon it , here is a● answer of prayers , and such an answer , as dearest relations , must engage you all to be constant in the performance of that duty , which like jacob's ladder , though it stand upon the earth , yet it reache● up to heaven : here 's the love of god made ma●if●st to a poor sinner at the last hour , like the thief upon the cross , he that never knew before what the love of god was to his soul , finds it now filled with it , and running over . now ●less the lord , o my soul ! yea , all that is within me , bless his holy name for this dispensation . ●ow light appears out of darkness in the face of jesus ; now all worldly joy and comforts seem to me ( as they are ) things not hard to part with ; father , mother , brothers , sister , wife , children , house and lands are ( as my dear saviour saith ) to be parted with for him , or we are not worthy of him : i bless his name , i find no reluctancy to do it ; he hath brought me to his foot stool , and i can say heartily , the will of the lord be done in this matter . i never before but saw a beauty in worldly comforts , but now those seem so faded by the greater lustre and beauty , that i see in god in christ jesus , that i am astonished where i have been wandring all my days , spending my time and my mony for that which is not bread. o strive to get a taste of this love of god in christ jesus ! and it will perfectly wean you from this deceitful foolish world. what is worldly honour and riches ! o set not your hearts upon them , but get a treasure in heaven , that your hearts may be there also . o lose no time ! for if you ever knew the sweetness of it , you would never be at rest till you found him whom your soul loved ; it will be more , yea infinitely more than all worldly injoyments can afford you , tho' in their greatest perfection ; it will make your life sweet , and your death most comfortable : it is the bread which this world knoweth not of , and therefore maketh little or no inquiry after it . dearest relati●ns , whilst you and my other dear friends are like aaron and hur , holding up the hands of moses , i am through grace , getting victory over the amalekites . i can embrace my dear and beloved brother and companion with more joy in the field of suffering , than ever i could have done , had i met him crowned with the laurels of victory : oh the mercy to die with such a ●riend , and such a valiant souldier of jesus , who hath kept his garments clean . i now begin to pity you that stay behind , who have many temptations to conflict with ; for a little , yea a very little time , and my warfare will be accomplished ; and if god continue his love and influence upon my soul , it will be both short and sweet . i have little of this world about me , i leave you all the legacy of what was ever dearest to me , the best of wives , and five poor children , who must pass through an evil and sinful world ; but i have committed them to god , who hath commanded to cast our fatherless children and widows upon him . dear parents , brothers , sister , all adieu , my time draws on , my paper is finished , and your dying child and brother recommends you all to him who is all-sufficient , to the god of peace that brought again from the dead our lord jesus , the great shepherd of the sheep , through the blood of the everlasting covenant , who will make you perfect in every good work to do his vvill , working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight , through jesus christ , to whom be glory for ever and ever , amen . richard nelthrope . from the palace of newgate , octob. the th . . two of the clock in the morning . mr. richard nelthrope's letter to his children . my dear children , the providence of god hath so ordered it , that your poor and ever-loving father is taken from you in such a manner as may cast both worldly loss and reproach upon you ; but i charge you let not this be a stumbling-block to you in the way of god , but that you remember your creator in the days of your youth : that you never neglect a day without reading the holy scripture , wherein you 'll find your duty both to god and man ; there you 'll find the way to everlasting life ; there you 'll find christ jesus instructing you , and dying for you . seek first the kingdom of heaven , and all other things will be added to you : after your duty to god almighty , mighty , your dying father charges and conjures you , as you 'll answer it at the great day of appearance of our dearest saviour , that you be dutiful and loving to the best of mothers , as long as god shall continue that great mercy to you : hearken to her voice , and be obedient to the words of her mouth , for she 'll be faithful to your souls and bodies ; ●nd remember that obedience to parents hath the promise of this life , as well as of eternal life . pay a great duty and obedience to your grandfather & grandmother , uncles and aunt , who all of them have not only testified the greatest love to your dying father , but from whom , if you carry your selves as becomes you , you may expect both the good things of this world , and advice and counsel for what is beyond all temporal blessings . diligence in your lawful callings to which god shall in his providence appoint you is both commendable , and a duty ; but let not the eager pursuit of the things of this world justle out the time allotted for better things : prayer will bless what you get in your employments , and so at once you obtain gods blessing upon worldly mercies , and find god manifesting himself to you in his dear son , christ jesus , in pardon of your sins , and receiving worldly things in the covenant . your tender years in which i leave you in this wicked and deceitful world , may render you subject to many temptations ; but i commit you to the father of the fatherless , who is able to preserve you both in soul & body ; your poor father hath no legacy to leave you , but the blessing of the great jehovah , which he begs for you upon the bended knees of his soul. the lord god bless you with the dew of heaven , and if he sees good , give you jacob's portion , food and raiment ; and if the lord bless you with any temporal goods , remember they are talents , employ them well to the masters use : no duty so acceptable to god as charity , that 's it which your saviour exalts so far , that he saith , come ye blessed of my father , inherit the kingdom , for i was an hungry and ye fed me , naked and ye clothed me , sick and in prison , and ye visited me . i die and leave you , but if you keep close to god and his ways , he will never leave you , nor forsake you . the sum of the whole is , fear god and keep his commandments . do that to all others , that you would they should do to you , is the golden rule of the gospel , and will be a great preservative to you from offending either god or man. eternity calls me away , and i have neither time nor opportunity to add more : your duties may be various in the world , as servants , as masters , as husbands , as wives , as parents : there is no condition of life but hath its comforts and its troubles ; the lord fit you for whatsoever condition he calls you to , whether honour or dishonour , riches or poverty ; but remember whatsoever it be , it is gods providence orders and governs the world. dear james , as thou art the eldest , strive to be the best , and a good example to the rest , a dutiful and a loving son. whatever thou or the rest have lost by me , god can make up in this life . my dear babes , who have been all pledges of my love , by the best and most affectionate wife ; i do once more beg it of you , as my last request , that you obey , love and honour her , who hath been the greatest worldly blessing to your father , and will never think any thing too much to do for you . my dear children , farewel , i must now take my leave both of you , and all worldly comforts : i trust and hope i am going to the eternal inheritance where sin and sorrow cease ; and that i may meet you at the right hand of my blessed saviour , is the dying prayer of , dear children , your affectiona●e and loving father , richard nelthrope . newgate , . octob. . mr. nelthrope's last speech . the great and inexpressible trouble and distraction i have been under since i came into trouble , especially since my close confinement in newgate , hath so broken my reason , that for many vveeks last past , till the day my sentence was passed , i have not had any composure of mind , and have been under the greatest trouble imaginable : since my dearest vvife hath had the favour granted her of coming to me , i am at present under great composedness of mind , thro' the infinite goodness of the lord. as to what i stand outlawed for , and am now sentenced to die , i can with comfort appeal to the great god , before whose tribunal i am to appear , that what i did was in the s●●plicity of my heart , without seeking any private advantage to my self ; but thinking it my duty to hazard my life for the preservation of the protestant religion and english liberties , which i thought invaded , and both in great danger of being lost . as to the design of assassinating the late king , or his present majesty , it always was a thing highly against my judgment , and which i always detested ; and i was never in the least concerned in it , neither in purse nor person , nor never knew of any arms brought for that intent , nor did i believe there was any such design , or ever heard of any disappointment in such an affair , or arms , or time or place , save what after the discovery of the general design , mr. west spoke of , as to arms bought by him : and as to my self , i was in the north when the late king was at new-market , and the first news i had of the fire , was at beverly in yorkshire . as to my coming over with the late d. of monmouth , it was in prosecution of the same ends ; but the lord in his holy and wise providence hath been pleased to blast all our undertakings ; tho there seemed to be a very unanimous and zealous spirit in all those that came from beyond the seas : and as to the d. of monmouth's being declared king , i was wholly passive in it , i never having been present at any publick debate of that affair , and should never have advised it , but complained of it to col. holmes and captain patchet . i believe the lord gray and mr. f — the chief promoters of it . as to the temptation of being an evidence , and bringing either into trouble or danger the meanest person of his life , upon the account for which i suffer , i always abhorred and detested the thoughts of it , both when in and out of danger , and advised some very strongly against it ; except when under my distraction in prison , that amongst other temptations did violently assault me ; but through the goodness of my dearest god and father , i was preserved from it , and indeed was wholly incapable , and could never receive the least shadow of comfort from it , but thought death more eligible , and was some time asore , out of my distracted and disquieted condition , wholly free from it ; though not without other temptations far more criminal in the sight of men . i bless the father of all mercies , and god of all consolations , that i find a great resignedness of my will to his , finding infinitely more comfort in death , than ever i could place in life , tho in a condition that might seem honourable , every hour seeing the will of god in ordering this affair more and more cleared up to me . god hath given , god hath taken , blessed be his holy name , that hath enabled me to be willing to suffer , rather than to put forth my hand to iniquity , or to say a confederacy with those that do so . i am heartily and sincerly troubled for what hath happened , many mens lives being lost , and many poor distressed families ruin'd ; the lord pardon what of sin he hath seen in it . he in his wonderful providence hath made me and others concerned , instruments , not only for what is already fallen out , but i believe , for hastening some other great work he hath to do in these kingdoms ; whereby he will try and purge his people , and winnow the chaff from the wheat ; the lord keep those that are his , faithful unto the end . i die in charity with all the world , and can readily and heartily forgive my greatest enemies , even those that have been evidences against me ; and i most humbly beg the pardon of all that i have in the least any way injur'd ; and in a special manner humbly ask pardon of the lady lisle's family and relations , for that my being succoured there one night with mr. hicks , brought that worthy lady to suffer death : i was wholly a stranger to her ladiship , and came with mr. hicks ; neither did she ( as i verily believe ) know who i was or my name , till i was taken : and if any other have come toany loss or trouble , i humbly beg their pardon ; and were i in a condition , i would , as far as i was able , make them a requital . as to my faith , i neither look nor hope for merey , but only in the free-grace of god , by the application of the blood of jesus , my dearest and only saviour , to my poor sinful soul. my distresses have been exceeding great as to my eternal state , but through the infinite goodness of god , tho , i have many sins to answer for , yet i hope and trust , as to my particular , that christ came for this very end and purpose , to relieve the oppressed , and to be a physician to the sick. i come unto thee , o blessed jesus ; refuse me not , but wash me in thine own blood , and then present me to thy father as righteous ! what tho' my sins be as crimson , and of a scarlet dye ? yet thou canst make them as white as snow . i see nothing in my self but what must utterly ruine and condemn me , i cannot answer for one action of my whole life , but i cast my self wholly upon thee , who art the fountain of mercy , in whom god is reconciling himself to the world , the greatest of sins and sinners may find an all sufficiency in thy blood to cleanse 'em from all sin . o dearest father of mercy , look upon me as righteous in and through the imputed righteousness of thy son ; he hath payed the debt by his own own offering up himself for sin , and in that thy justice is satisfied , and thy mercy is magnified . grant me thy love , o dearest father , assist me and stand by me in the needful hour of death , give thy angels charge over my poor soul , that the evil one may not touch nor hurt it . defend me from his power , deliver me from his rage , and receive me into thine eternal kingdom , in and through the alone merits of my dearest redeemer , for whom i praise thee : to whom with thy self and holy spirit be ascribed all glory , honour , power , might and dominion , for ever and for ever , amen . dear lord jesus , receive my spirit , amen . r. nelthrope . newgate , octob. . . mrs. gaunt . one of the great reasons why mrs. gaunt was burnt , was 't is very possible , because she lived at wapping ; the honest seamen and hearty protestants thereabouts , being such known enemies to popery and arbitrary government , that the friends of both gave all who oppose it the name of wappingers , as an odious brand and title . she was a good honest charitable woman , who made it her business to relieve and help whoever suffer'd for the forementional cause , sparing no pains , refusing no office to get them assistance , in which she was the most industrious and indefatigable woman living . among others whom she had thus relieved , who were obnoxious persons , was one burton , whom with his wife and family , she had kept from starving , for which ( may the very name of 'em be register'd with eternal infamy ) they swore against her , and took away her life : tho , she says in her speech , there was but one witness against her as to any mony she was charg'd to give him , and that he himself , an outlawed person , his outlawry not yet revers'd , he not being outlawed when she was with him , and hid him away . that which she writ in the nature of a speech , has a great deal of sense and spirit , and some strange expressions which were mention'd in the introduction to all these matters : which she concludes with these words addrest to her enemies , [ from her that find● no mercy from you . ] were my pen qualified to represent the due character of this excellent woman , it would be readily granted , that she stood most deservedly entituled to an eternal monument of honour in the hearts of all sincere lovers of the reformed religion . all true christians ( tho' in some things differing in persuasion with her ) found in her a universal charity and sincere friendship , as is well known to many here , and also to a multitude of the scotch nation , ministers and others , who for conscience sake were formerly thrust into exile . these found her a most refreshing refuge . she dedicated her self with unwearied industry to provide for their supply and support , and therein ( i do in●ine to think ) she out-stripped every individual person ( if not the whole body of protestants in this great city . ) hereby she became exposed to the implacable fury of bloody papists , and those blind tools who co-operated to promote their accursed designs . and so there appeared little difficulty to procure a jury ( as there were well-prepared judges ) to make her a sacrifice as a traytor to the state. her judges the king's councel , the solicitor general , the common serjeant ; &c. rackt their invention● to draw burton and his wife to charge mrs. gaunt , with the knowledge of his being in a plot , or in the proclamation , but nothing of that could be made out , nor is here any sort of proof that mrs. gaunt harbour'd this ungrateful wretch , or that she gave him either meat or drink , as the indictment charges her ; but notwithstanding that , her jury brought her in guilty . the sentence was executed upon this excellent woman upo● friday then following , being the d. october . when she left her murderers the following memorial . newgate , d . of october , . mrs. gaunt's speech , written the day before her sufferings . not knowing whether i should be suffer'd or able , because of weaknesses that are upon me through my hard and close imprisonment , to speak at the place of execution ; i writ these few lines to signifie , that i am well reconciled to the way of my god towards me , though it be in ways i looked not for ; and by terrible things , yet in righteousness ; having given me life , he ought to have the disposing of it , when and how he pleases to call for it ; and i desire to offer up my all to him , it being but my reasonable service ; and also the first terms that jesus christ offers , that he that will be his disciple must forsake all and follow him , and therefore let none think hard , or be discouraged at what hath happened unto me ; for he doth nothing without cause , in all he hath done to us , he being holy in all his ways , and righteous in all his works ; and 't is but my lot in common with poor desolate sion at this day . neither do i find in my heart the least regret for what i have done in the service of my lord ●nd master jesus christ , in succouring and securing any of his poor sufferers , that have shewed favour to his righteous cause : which cause , though now it be fall'n and trampled upon as if it had not been anointed , yet it shall revive , and god will plead it at another rate than ever he hath done yet , and reckon with all its opposer● and malicious haters ; and therefore let all that love and fear him , not omit the least duty that comes to hand or lies before them , knowing that now it hath need of them , and expects they shall serve him . and i desire to bless his holy name , that he hath made me useful in my generation to the comfort and relief of many desolate ones , and the blessing of those that are ready to perish has come upon me , and being helpt to make the heart of the widdow to sing . and i bless his holy name , that in all this , together with what i was charged with , i can approve my heart to him , that i have done his will , tho' it does cross man's will , and the scriptures that satisfie me are , isaiah . . hide the outcasts , bewray not him that wandereth . and , obad. . . thou shouldst not have given up those of his that did escape in the day of his distress . but man says , you shall give them up , or you shall die for it . now who to obey , judge ye . so that i have cause to rejoyce and be exceeding glad , in that i suffer for righteousness sake , and that i am accounted worthy to suffer for well-doing , and that god has accepted any service from me , which has been done in sincerity , tho' mixed with manifold infirmities , which he hath been pleased for christ's sake to cover and forgive . and now as concerning my fact , as it is called , alas it was but a little one , and might well become a prince to forgive ; but he that shews no mercy , shall find none : and i may say of it in the language of jonathan , i did but taste a little hony , and lo i must die for it . i did but relieve an unworthy , poor , distressed family , and so i must die for it . well , i desire in the lamb like gospel-spirit , to forgive all that are concerned , and to say , lord , lay it not to their charge ; but i fear he will not : nay , i believe when he comes to make inquisition for blood , it will be found at the door of the furious judge ; who , because i could not remember things through my dauntedness at burton's wife and daughters vileness , and my ignorance , took advantage thereat , and would not hear me , when i had called to mind that which i am sure would have invalidated their evidence ; though he granted something of the same nature to another , yet denyed it to me . my blood will also be found at the door of the unrighteous jury , who found me guilty upon the single oath of an out-law'd man ; for there was none but his oath about the mony , who is no legal witness , though he be pardoned , his outlawry not being recall'd ; and also the law requires two witnesses in point of life : and then about my going with him to the place mentioned , 't was by his own words , before he was outlaw'd , for 't was two month 's after his absconding ; and though in a proclamation , yet not high treason , as i have heard ; so that i am clearly murder'd by you . and also bloody mr. a. who has so insatiably hunted after my life ; and though it is no profit to him , through the ill will he bore me , left no stone unturn'd , as i have ground to believe , till he brought it to this ; and shewed favour to burton , who ought to have died for his own fault , and not bought his life with mine ; and capt. r. who is cruel and severe to all under my circumstances , and did at that time , without all mercy or pity , hasten my sentence , and held up m● hand , that it might be given ; all which together with the great one of all , by whose power all these , and a multitude more of cruelties are done , i do heartily and freely forgive , as against me ; but as it is done in an implacable mind against the lord christ , and his righteous cause and followers , i leave it to him who is the avenger of all such wrongs , who will tread upon princes as upon mortar , and be terrible to the kings of the earth : and know this also , that though ye are seemingly fixt , and because of the power in your hand are writing out your violence , and dealing with a despiteful hand , because of the old and new hatred ; by impoverishing and every way distressing of those you have got under you ; yet unless you can secure jesus christ and all his holy angels , you shall never do your business , nor your hands accomplish your enterprizes ; for he will be upon you ere you are aware ; and therefore , o that you would be wise , instructed and learn , is the desire of her that finds no mercy from you , elisabeth gavnt , postscript . svch as it is , you have it from her , who hath done as she could , and is sorry she can do no better ; hopes you will pity and cover weakness , shortness , and any thing that is wanting ; and begs that none may be weakned or humbled , at the lowness of my spirit ; for god's design is to humble and abase us , that he alone may be exalted in this day ; and i hope he will appear in the needful time , and it may be reserves the best wine till last , as he hath done for some before me ; none goeth to warfare at his own charge , and the spirit bloweth , not only where , but when it listeth ; and it becomes me , who have so often grieved , quenched , and resisted it , to wait for and upon the motions of the spirit , and not to murmur ; but i may mourn , because through want of it , i honour not my god , nor his blessed cause , which i have so long loved and delighted to love ; and repent of nothing about it , but that i served him and it no better . a brief account of mr. roswell's tryal and acquittal . about the same time , mr. roswell , a very worthy divine was tryed ▪ ●or treasonable words in his pulpit , upon the accusation of very vile and lewd informers ; and a surry jury found him guilty of high treason , upon the most villanous an improbable evidence that had been ever given , notwithstanding sir john talbot ( no countenancer of dissenters , ) had appeared with great generosity and honour , and testified , that the most material witness , was as scandalous and infamous a wretch a lived . it was at that time given out by those who thirsted for blood , that mr. roswell and mr. hays should die together ; and it was upon good ground believed , that the happy deliverance of mr. hays , did much contribute to the preservation of mr. roswell ; tho' , it is very probable , that he had not escaped , had not sir john talbot's worthy and most honourable detestation of that accursed villany , prompted him to repair from the court of king's bench , to king charles ii. and to make a faithful representation of the case to him ; whereby , when inhuman bloody jeffryes came a littl● after in a transport of joy , to make his report of the eminent service he and the surry jury had done , in finding mr. roswell guilty ; the king ( to his disappointment ) appeared under some reluctancy , and declared , that mr. roswell should not die . and so he was most happily delivered . the earl of argyle . we must now take a step over into scotland that poor country , which has been harass'd and tired for these many years to render them perfect slaves , that they might help to enslave england , to prevent which , and secure the protestant religion , which 't was grown impossible to do , but by arms ; this good lord embark'd from holland about the same time with the duke , and arrived in scotland with what forces he could make ; to which were added some others who joyn'd him ; which after several marches and counter-marches , were at length led into a boggy sort of a place on pretence , or with intention to bring him off from the other army then upon the heels of 'em , where they all lost one another , dispers'd and shifted for themselves ; the e. being taken by a country-man , and brought to edinburgh , where he suffer'd for his former unpardonable crime — requiring care shou'd be taken of the protestant religion , and explaining his taking the test conformable thereto ; for the legality of which he had the hands of most of the eminent lawyers about the city . he suffer'd at edinburgh the th of june , . his speech has a great deal of piety and religion , nor will it be any disgrace to say , 't was more like a sermon . — 't is as follows . the earl of argyle's last speech , june . . job tells us , man that is born of a woman , is of few days and full of trouble ; and i am a clear instance of it . i shall not now say any thing of my sentence , or escape about three years and a half ago ; nor of my return , lest i may thereby give offence , or be tedious : only being to end my days in your presence , i shall , as some of my last words , assert the truth of the matter of fact , and the sincerity of my intentions , and professions that are published . that which i intend mainly now to say , is , to express my humble , and ( i thank god ) chearful submission to his divine will ; and my willingness to forgive all men , even my enemies , and i am heartily well satisfied there is no more blood spilt , and i shall wish the stream thereof may stop at me : and that ( if it please god ) to say , as to zerubbabel , zech. . . not by might , nor by power , but by my spirit , saith the lord of hosts . i know afflictions spring not out of the dust : god did wonderfully deliver and provide for me , and has now by his special providence brought me to this place ; and i hope none will either insult , or stumble at it , seeing they ought not ; for god almighty does all things well , for good and holy . ends , tho we do not always understand it . love and hatred is not known by what is before us , eccles. . . and . , , . afflictions are not only foretold , but promised to christians ; and are not only tolerable : but desirable . we ought to have a deep reverence and fear of god's displeasure ; but withall , a firm hope and dependance on him for a blessed issue , in compliance with his will ; for god chastens his own , to re●ine them , and not to ruine them , whatever the world may think , heb. . . to . prov. . , . tim. . . tim. . , . math. . . to . matth. . . to . we are to imitate our saviour in his sufferings , as pet. . . and pet. . . to . we are neither to despise our afflictions , nor to faint under them ; both are extreams . we are not to suffer our spirits to be exasperated against the instruments of our trouble ; for the same affliction may be an effect of their passion , and yet sent by god to punish us for sin : tho 't is a comfort when we may say to them , with david , psal. . . not for my transgession , nor for my sin , o lord. nor are we , by fraudulent , pusillanimous compliances in wicked courses , to bring sin upon our selves : faint hearts are ordinary false hearts ; choosing sin rather than sufferings , and a short life with eternal death , before temporal death and a crown of glory : such seeking to save a litle , loses all ; and god readily hardens them to proceed to their own destruction . how many , like haza●l , king. . . run to excesses they never thought they were capable of ! let rulers and others read seriously , and weigh prov. . . to . chr. . . to . prov. . , . and prov. ● ▪ . and avoid what is bad , and follow what is good for me , i hope by gods strength to joyn with job , chap. . . and the psalmist , psal. . . and . and shall pray , as psal. . . to . and psal. . . to . and luke . , . and shall hope , as psal. . , . i do freely forgive all that directly or indirectly have b●●n ●he cause of my being brought to this place , first or last ; and i pray god forgive them . i pray god send truth and peace in these three kingdoms ; and continue and increase the glorious light of the gospel , and restrain the spirit of prophanity , atheism , superstition , popery , and persecution , and restore all that have back-slidden from the purity of their life or principles ; and bless his whole people with all blessings , spiritual and temporal , and put an end to their present trials . and i intreat all people to forgive me wherein i have offended , and concur with me to pray , that the great , good , and merciful god would sanctifie my present lot , and for jesus christ his sake pardon all my sins , and receive me to his eternal glory . it is suggested to me , that i have said nothing of the royal family ; and it remembers me , that before the justices at my trial about the test , i said , that at my death i would pray , that there should never want one of the royal family to be a defender of the true , ancient , apostolick , catholick , protestant faith ; which i do now : and that god would enlighten and forgive all of them that are either luke-warm , or have shrunk from the profession of it . and in all events , i pray god may provide for the security of his church , that antichrist , nor the gates of hell may never prevail against it . colonel rumbold . at the same place died colonel richard rumbold , jun. . . most of what occurr'd considerable in his defence and speech , you have had already in the business of the assassination . two or three passages more there are worth remarks in the same , as arguments of his sense and courage . [ for this cause , he says , were every hair of his head and beard a life , he 'd joyfully sacrifice 'em all . ] that he was never antimonarchical in his principles , but for a king and free parliament ; the king having power enough to make him great , and the people to make 'em happy . ] that [ he died in the defence of the just laws and liberties of the nations ] that [ none was markt by god above another ; for no man came into the world with a saddle on their backs , nor others booted and spurr'd to ride upon 't . ] and being askt if he thought not his sentence dreadful , answer'd , [ he wisht he had a limb for every town in christendom . ] the last speech of col. richard rumbold , at the market-cross of edinburgh , with several things that passed at his tryal , jun. . at the same place died colonel richard rumbold , about eleven of the clock he was brought from the castle of edinburgh , to the justices court , in a great chair , on mens shoulders ; where at first he was asked some questions , most of which he answer'd with silence ; at last said , he humbly conceived , it was not necessary for him to add to his own accusation , since he was not ignorant they had enough already to do his business ; and therefore he did not design to fret his conscience at that time with answering questions . after which , his libel being read , the court proceeded in usual manner ; first asking him , if he had any thing to say for himself before the jury closed ? his answer was , he owned it all , saving that par● , of having designed the king's death ; and desired all present , to believe the words of ● dying man ; he never directly nor indirectly intended such a villany ; that he abhorred the very thoughts of it ; and that he blessed god , he had that reputation in the world , that he knew none that had the impudence to ask him the question ; and he detested the thoughts of such an action ; and he hoped all good people would believe him , which was the only way he had to clear himself ; and he was sure that this truth should be one day made manifest to all men. he was again asked , if he had any exception against the jury ? he answered no ; but wished them to do as god and their consciences directed them . then they withdrew , and returned their verdict in half an hour , and brought him in guilty . the sentence followed ; for him to be taken from that place ●o the next room , and from thence to be drawn on a hurdle , betwixt two and four of the clock , to the cross of edinburgh , the place of execution , and there to be hang'd , drawn and quartered . he received his sentence with an undaunted courage and chearfulness . afterwards he was delivered into the town-magistrates hands ; they brought to him two of their divines , and offered him their assistance upon the scaffold ; which he altogether refused , telling them , that if they had any good wishes for him , he desired they would spend them in their own closets , and leave him now to seek god in his own way . he had several offers of the same kind by others , which he put off in like manner . he was most serious and fervent in prayers the few-hours he lived ( as the sentinels observed , who were present all the while . ) the hour being come , he was brought to the place of execution , where he saluted the people on all sides of the scaffold , and after having refre●hed himself with a cordial out of his pocket , he was supported by two men , while he spoke to the people in these words : gentlemen and brethren , i● is for all men that come into the world once to die , and after death to judgment ; and since death is a debt that all of us must pay , it is but a matter of small moment what way it be done ; and seeing the lord is pleased in thi● manner to take me to himself , i confess , something hard to flesh and blood , yet , blessed be his name , who hath made me not only willing , but thankful for his honouring me to lay down the life he gave , for his name ; in which , were every hair in this head and beard of min● a life , i should joyfully sacrifice them for it , as i do this : and providence having brought me hither , i think it most necessary to clear my self of some aspersions laid on my name ; and first , that i should have had so horrid an in●ention of destroying the king and his brother . [ here he repeated what he had said before to the justices on this subject . ] it was also laid to my charge , that i was antimonarchical . it was ever my thoughts , that kingly government was the best of all , justly executed : i mean , such as by our ancient laws ; that is , a king , and a legal free chosen parliament . the king having , a● i conceive , power enough to make him great ; the people also as much property as to mak● them happy ; they being as it were contracted to one another . and who will deny me , that this was not the just constituted government of our nation ? how absurd is it then for men of sense to maintain , that though the one party of this contract breaketh all conditions , the other should be obliged to perform their part ? no ; this error is contrary to the law of god , the law of nations , and the law of reason . but as pride hath been the bait the devil hath catched most by , ever since the creation , so it continues to this day with us . pride caused our first parents to fall from the blessed estate wherein they were created ; they aiming to be higher and wiser than god allowed , which brought an everlasting curse on them and their posterity . it was pride caused god to drown the old world. and it was nimrod 's pride in building babel , that caused that heavy curse of division of tongues to be spread among us , as it is at this day , one of the greatest afflictions the church of god groaneth under , that there should be so many divisions during their pilgrimage here ; but this is their comfort that the day draweth near , whereas there is but one shepherd , there shall be but one sheepfold . it was therefore in the defence of this party , in their just rights and liberties , against popery and slavery — [ at which words they beat the drums : ] to which he said ; they need not trouble themselves , for he should say no more of his mind on that subject , since they were so disingenuous , as to interrupt a dying man , only to assure the people , he adhered to the true protestant religion , detesting the erroneous opinions of many that called themselves so ; and i die this day in the defence of the ancient laws and liberties of these nations : and though god , for reasons best known to himself , hath not seen it fit to honour vs , as to make vs the instruments for the deliverance of his people ; yet as i have lived , so i die in the faith , that he will speedily arise for the deliverance of his church and people . and i desire all of you to prepar● for this with speed . i may say , this is a deluded generation , vail'd with ignorance , that though popery and slavery be riding in upon them , do not perceive it ; though i am sure th●re was no man born marked of god above another ; for none comes into the world with a saddle on his back , nei●her any booted and spurr'd to ride him ; not but that i am well satisfied , that god hath wisely ordered different stations for men in the world , as i have already said : kings having as much power as to make ●hem great , and the people as much property as to make them happy . and to conclude ; i shall only add ●y wishes for the salvation of all men , who were created for that end . after ending these words , he prayed most fervently near three quarters of an hour , freely forgiving all men , even his greatest enemies , begging most earnestly for the deliverance of sion from ●ll her persecutors , particularly praying for london , edinburgh , and dublin , from which the streams run that rule god's people ●n these three nations . being asked some hours before his execution , ●f he thought not his sentence dreadful ? he answered , he wished he had a limb for every town in christendom . a brief account of the last speech of mr. john king at the place of execution at edenburgh , on the th . day of august . . men and brethren , i do not doubt but that many that are spectators here , have some other end , than to be edified by what they may see and hear in the last words of one going to eternity ; but if any one of you have ears to hear , ( which i nothing doubt but some of this great gathering have ) i desir● your ears and attention , if the lord shall help and permit me to speak , to a few things . i bless the lord , since infinite wisdom and holy providence has so carved out my lot to dye after the manner that i do , not unwillingly , neither by force : it 's true , i could not do this of my self , nature always having an inclination to put the evil day far off , but through grac● i have been helped , and by this grace yet hope i shall : 't is true , through policy i might have shunned such ● hard s●ntence , if i had done some things ; but though i could i durst not , god knows , redeem my life with the los● of my integrity and honesty . i bless the lord that since i have been apprehended and made a prisoner , god hath very wonderfully upholden me ; and made out that comfortable word , fear not , be not dismayed , i am with thee , i will strengthen thee , i will uphold thee by the righ● hand of my righteousness , isaiah . . i than● the lord he never yet gave me leave so much a● to have a thought , much less to seek after an● shift that might be in the least sinful : i did always , and yet do judge it better to suffer affliction with the people of god , than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season ; therefore i am come hither to lay down my life ; i bless the lord i dye not as a fool dyeth , though i acknowledge i have nothing to boast of in my self : yea i acknowledge i am a sinner , and one of the chiefest that hath gone under the name of a professor of religion ; yea amongst the unworthiest of those that have preached the gospel ; my sins and corruptions have been many , and have defiled me in all things ; and even in following and doing of my duty , i have not wanted my own sinful infirmities and weaknesses , so that i may truly say , i have no righteousness of my own , all is evil and like filthy rags ; but blessed be god that there is a saviour and an advocate , jesus christ the righteous , and i do believe that jesus christ is come into the world to save sinners , of whom i am the chief , and that through faith and his righteousness i have obtained mercy ; and that through him , and him alone , i desire and hope to have a happy and glorious victory over sin , satan , hell , and death ; and that i shall attain unto the resurrection of the just , and be made partaker of eternal life . i know in whom i have believed , and that he is able to keep that which i have committed unto him against that day . i have according to my poor capacity , preached salvation in his name ; and as i have preached , so do i believe , and with all my soul have commended it , and still do commend to all of you the riches of his grace , and faith in his name , as the alone and only way whereby to come to be saved . it may be many may think ( but i bless the lord without any solid ground ) that i suffer as an evil-doer , and as a busie body in other mens matters ; but i reckon not much upon that , having the testimony of my own conscience for me . it was the lot of our blessed saviour himself , and also the lot of many of his eminent precious servants and people to suffer by the world as evil-doers : yea i think i have so good ground not to be scar'd at such a lot , that i count it my non-such honour ; and oh what am i that i should be honoured so , when so many worthies have panted after the like , and have not come at it : my soul rejoyceth in being brought into conformity with my blessed lord , and head , and so blessed a company in this way and lot ; and i desire to pray that i may be to none of you this day upon this account a stone of stumbling , and a rock of offence ; and blessed is he that shall not be offended in christ and his poor followers and members , because of their being condemned as evil-doers by the world. as for these things for which sentence of death hath past against me , i bless the lord my conscience doth not condemn me , i have not been rebellious , nor do i judge it rebellion for me to have endeavoured in my capacity what possibly i could for the born-down and ruined interest of my lord and master , and for the relief of my poor brethren afflicted and persecuted , not only in their liberties , priviledges , and persons , but also in their lives ; therefore it was that i joyned with that poor handful ; the lord knows , who is the searcher of hearts , that neither my design nor practice was against his majesty's person and just government , but i always studied to be loyal to lawful authority in the lord , and i thank god my heart doth not condemn me of any disloyalty ; i have been loyal , and i do recommend it to all to be obedient to higher powers in the lord. i have been looked upon by some , and represented by others to be of a divisive , and factious humour , and one that stirred up division in the church , but i am hopeful that they will all now give me their charity , being within a little to stand before my judge , and i pray the lord forgive them that did so misrepresent me ; but i thank the lord whatever men have said against me concerning this , that on the contrary , i have often disswaded from such way● and practices , as contrary to the word of god , and of our covenanted and reformed religion ; and as i ever abhorred division , and faction in the church , as that which tends to its utter ruin , if the lord prevent it not . so i would in the bowels of my lord ●●d master , if such an one as i am may presume to ●erswade , and exhort both ministers and professors ; if there b● any consolation in christ , if any comfort of love ; if any fellowship of the spirit , if any bowels and mercies that you be like minded , having the same love , being of one accord , of one mind in lowliness of mind ; let each esteem others better than themselves , phil. . . harmoniousness and honesty in the things of god , can never enough be sought after , and things that tend to the prejudice and hurt of christs interest , can never enough be fled from and avoided . and as i am come hither willingly to lay down my tabernacle , so also i die in the belief , and faith of the holy scriptures , and in the faith of the apostles , and primitive christians , and protestant reformed churches , and particularly the church of scotland , whereof i am a poor member : i shall but say a few words . first , all you that are profane , i would seriously exhort you that you return to the lord by serious repentance ; if you do , iniquity shall not be your ruine ; if you do not , know that the day of the lords vengeance is near and hastneth on ! oh know for your comfort , there is a door of mercy yet open , if you be not despisers of the day of salvation . and you that have been , and yet are , reproachers and persecutors of godliness , and of such as live godly ; take heed , oh take heed , sad will be your day , when god arises to scatter his enemies , if you repent not for your ungodly deeds . secondly , all those who are taken up with their own private ●●terests , and if that go well they care the less ●or the interest of christ , take heed and be zealous , and repent , lest the lord pass the sentence , i will spew you out of my mouth . thirdly , for the truly godly , and such as are lamenting after the lord , and are mourning for all the abominations of this city , and are taking pleasure in the very rubbish and stones of zion , be of good courage , and cast not away your confidence , i dare not say any thing to future things , but surely the lord has a handful that are precious to him , to whom he will be gracious ; to these is a dark night at present , how long it will last the lord knows ! oh let not the sad disasters , that his poor people meet with , though very astonishing , terrifie you , beware of snares that abound . cleave fast to your reformed religion , do not shift the cross of christ , if you be called to it , it is better to suffer than sin , accoun● the reproaches of christ greater riches than all the treasures of the world. in the last place , let not my death be grievous , to any of you , i hope it will be more profitable both for you and me , and for the church and interest of god , than my life could have been . i bless the lord , i can freely and frankly forgive all men , even as i desire to be forgiven of god , pray for them that persecute you , bless them tha● curse you . as to the cause of christ , i bless the lord i never had cause , to this day , to repent for any thing . i have suffered , or can now suffer for his name . i thank the lord who has shewed mercy to such a vile sinner as i am , and that ever he should advance me to so high a dignity , as to be made a minister of his blessed and everlasting gospel ; and that ever i should have a seal set to my ministry , upon the hearts of some in several places and corners of this land : the lord visit scotland with more and more faithful pastors , and send a reviving day unto the people of god ; in the mean time be patient , be stedfast , unmovable , always abounding in the work of the lord ; and live in love and peace one with another , and the lord be with his poor afflicted groaning people , that yet remain . now i bid farewel to all my friends , and dear relations ; farewell my poor wife and children , whom i leave in the good hand of him who is better than seven husbands , and who will be a father to the fatherless . farewell all creature comforts , welcome everlasting life , everlasting glory , welcome everlasting love , everlasting praise : bless the lord , o my soul , and all that is within me . sic subscrib . john king . august th . . tolbooth , circa horam septimam . a brief account of the last speech of mr. john kidd , at the place of execution at edinburgh , on the th . day of august , . right worthy and well beloved spectators and auditors . considering what bodily distempers i have been exercised with , since i came out of the torture , viz. scarce two hours out of my naked bed in one day , it cannot be expected , that i should be in a case to say any thing to purpose at this juncture , especially seeing i am not as yet free of it ; however i cannot but reverence the good hand of god upon me , and desire with all my soul to bless him for this my present lot. it may be there are a great many here that judge my lot very sad and deplorable . i must confess death it self is very ●e●rible to flesh and blood , but as it is an out-let to sin , and an in-let to righteousness , it is the christians great and inexpressible priviledge , and give me leave to say this , that there is something in a christian condition , that can never put him without the reach of insufferableness , even shame , death , and the cross b●ing included . and then if there be peace betwixt god and the soul , nothing can damp peace with go● through our lord jesus christ , this is a most supporting ingredient in the bitterest cup , and under the sharpest , and firiest tryal he can be exposed unto , thi● is my mercy , that i have something of this to lay claim unto , viz. the intimations of pardon , and peace betwixt god and my soul. and as concerning that , for which i am condemned , i magnifie his grace , that i never had the least challenge for it , but on the contrary , i judge it my honour , that ever i was counted worthy to come upon the stage upon such a consideration ; another thing that renders the most despicable lot of the christian , and mine sufferable , is a felt and sensible presence from the lord , strengthening the soul when most put to it , and if i could have this for my allowance this day , i could be bold to say ; o death where is thy sting ! and could not but cry out welcome to it , and all that follows upon it : i grant the lord from an act of soveraignty may come , and go as he pleases , but yet he will never forsake his people , and this is a cordial to me in the case i am now exposed unto . thirdly , the exercising and putting forth his glorious power , is able to transport the soul of the believer , and mine , above the reach of all sublunary difficulties , and therefore seeing i have hope to be kept up by this power , i would not have you to look upon my lot , or any other that is or may be in my c●se , in the least deplorable , seeing we have ground to believe , that in more or less he will perfect his power and strength in weakness . fourthly , that i may come a little nearer to the purpose in hand , i declare before you all , in the sight of god , angels and men , and in the sight of that son and all that he has created , that i am a most miserable sinner , in regard of my original and actual transgressions . i must confess they are more in number than the hairs of my head. they are gone up above my head , and are past numbring ; i cannot but say as jacob said , i am less than the least of all god's mercies , yet i must declare to the exalting of his free grace , that to me who am the least of all saints is this grace made known , and that by a strong hand , and i dare not but say , he has loved me , and washed me in his own blood from all iniquities , and well is it for me this day , that ever i heard or read that faithful saying ; that jesus christ came into the world to save sinners , of whom i am chief . fifthly , i must also declare in his sight , i am the most unworthiest that ever opened his mouth to preach the unsearchable riches of christ in the gospel . yea , the sense of this made me altogether unwilling to fall about so great a work , until by the importunity of some , whose names are precious and savoury to me and many others , i was prevailed with to fall about it , and yet i am hopeful , not altogether without s●me fruit ; and if i durst say it without vanity , i never found so much of the presence of god upon my spirit , as i have found in exercises of that nature , though i must still confess attended with inexpressible weakness , and this is the main thing for which i must lay down my tabernacle this day , viz. that i did preach christ and the gospel in several places of this nation ; for which i bless him ( as i can ) that ever such a poor obscure person as i am , have been thus priviledged by him , for making mention of his grace as i was able . in the next place , though to many i die desired , yet i know , to not a few my death is not desired , and it is the rejoycing of my heart , that i die in the faith of our lord jesus christ , who has loved me , and given himself for me , and in the faith of the prophets and apostles , and in this faith of there 's not a name under heaven by which men can be saved , but the name of jesus , and in the faith of the doctrine and worship of the kirk of scotland , as it is now established according to the word of god , confession of faith , catechisms larger and shorter , and likewise i joyn my testimony against popery , perjury , profanity , heresie , and everything contrary to found doctrine . in the close , as a dying person , and as one who has obtained mercy of the lord to be faithful , i would humbly leave it upon godly ministers to be faithful for their lord and master , and not to hold their peace in such a day , when so many way● are taken for injuring of him , his n●me , way , sanctuary , ordinances , crown and kingdom , i hope there will be found a party in this land , that will continue for him , and his matters , in all hazzards , and as faithfulnes●●s called for in ministers , so professors would concern themselves that they countenance not , nor abet any thing inconsistent with former principles and practices . let the land consider how neutral and indifferent we are grown in the matters of god , even like ephrai● long ago , a cake not turned . as concerning that which is the ground of my death , viz. preaching here and there in some corners ; i bless my god. i have not the leas● challenge for it ; and tho' those that condemned me are pleased to call such preachings rendezvouses of rebellion , yet i must say this of them , they were so far from being reputed such in my eyes , that if ever christ had a people , or party , wherein his soul took pleasure , i am bold to say , these meetings were a great part of them ; the shining and glory of god was eminently seen amongst these meetings , the convincing power and authority of our lord went out with his servants in those blasphemously nick-nam'd conventicles : this , i say , without reflection upon any ; i have a word to say farther , that god is calling persons to repentance , and to do their first work : o that scotland were a mourning land , and that reformation were our practice , according as we are sworn in the covenant . again , that christians of grace and experience would study more streightness and stability in this day , when so many are turning to the right hand , and many to the left ; he that endureth to the end shall be saved ; he has appointed the kingdom for such as continue with him in his temptations . next , if ever you expect to h●ve the form of the house shewed you in all the laws thereof , goings out thereof , and comings in thereof ; then think it no shame to take shame to you for all that has been done , sitting down on this side jordan , is like to be our bane . oh! when shall we get up and run after him , till he bring us into the promised land , let us up and after him with all our heart , and never rest till he return . i recommend my wife and young one to the care and faithfulness of the god of abraham , isaac , and jacob ; the god that has fed me to this day , and who is the god of my salvation , their god and my god , their father and my father , i am also hopeful , that christians , friends and relations , will not be unmindful of them when i am gone . lastly , i do further bear my testimony to the cross of christ , and bless him that ever he counted me worthy to appear for him in such a lot as this : glory to him that ever i heard tell of him , and that ever he fell upon such a method of dealing with me as this ; and therefore let none that loves christ and his righteous cause be offended in me . and as i have lived in the faith of thi● , that the three kingdoms are married lands , so i die in the faith of it , that there will be a resurrection of his name , word , cause , and of all his interest therein , tho' i dare not determine the time when , nor the manner how , but leave all these things to the infinitely wise god , who has done , and will do all things well . oh that he would return to this land again , to repair our breaches , and take away our back-sliding , and appear for his work : oh that he were pacified towards us : oh that he would pass by scotland once again , and make our time a time of love , come lord jesus , come quickly . himself hasten it in his own time and way . the lord is my light and life , my joy , my song , and my salvation ; the god of his chosen be my mercy this day , and the inriching comforts of the holy ghost keep up and carry me fair through , to the glory of his grace , the , edification of his people , and my own eternal advantage . amen . sic subscrib . john kid . august th . . tolbooth , ante horam septimam . ☞ thus reader , having given thee a faithful account of the behaviour and dying speeches of the most eminent persons who suffered in scotland , i shall return again for london , where the last person of quality that suffered , was the duke of monmouth , whose expedition and sufferings , &c. you have in the following pages . james duke of monmouth . the last person with whom we shall conclude this mournful tragedy , and the greatest in it , is the late james d. of monmouth ; one indeed , who , if he had been a little less , might have been at this time one of the greatest men both in england and the world. by reason of some passages in his life , not so defensible ; 't was thought , at first , better to draw a veil before that unfortunate prince , and say nothing at all of him . but what allowances are made for custom and education , god only knows . i remember a shrewd answer given to an objection of this nature , where , said one , shou'd he learn any better ? but however , where there has been any time to think soberly of past actions , or none of that nature reiterated , charity is oblig'd to judge favourably . and besides , the good west-country-men wou'd be very angry if they shou'd not find their master that they lov'd so well , and suffer'd so much for , among the rest of these noble hero's . none can deny but he was a great general , a man of courage and conduct , and great personal valour , having signaliz'd himself both at mons and maestricht ; so as to gain an high and just reputation . he was all along true and firm to the protestant interest in and out of parliament , tho abhorring any base way of promoting it , as well as his friend my l. russel . this intended as a character rather , or very short compendium , than any history of his life . he was all along the peoples darling , whose hearts were entirely his by his courtesie and affability , as other persons lo●● 'em by their sourness and haughty pride . after russel's death he went into flanders , whence had he prosecuted his d●sign , and gone as 't is said he intended , into the emperour's service , how many lawrels might he have won , and how many more would now have been growing for him ? but his fate was otherwise — he came over into england , an exact account of whose enterprize another place of this book presents you , as 't was compiled by one present in all that action . after the defeat of his army at sedgemoor , he fled with my l gray , who was first taken , and he himself a little after brought up to london , and on his attainder , in parliament , beheaded on tower hill. 't is said , a certain brave old officer , who then came over with him , and since with the prince , offer'd with a small of party of horse , to have ventur'd thro' all the guards , and took him off the scaffold . but they cou'd not be got together ; his time was come . providence had design'd other things , that our deliverance should be more just , an● peaceable , and wonderful , and that the glory thereof shou'd be reserved for their sacred majesties king william and queen mary , whom god grant long to reign . the thing i shall in the next place do , that i may leave out nothing material relating to the western affair , is to insert the late duke of monmouth's declaration , as it was taken from a copy printed in holland the year . the declaration of james duke of monmouth , and the noblemen , gentlemen , and others , now in arms for the defence and vindication of the protestant religion , and the laws , rights and priviledges of england . as government was originally instituted by god , and this or that form of it chosen and submitted to by men , for the peace , happiness and security of the govern'd , and not for the private interest and personal greatness of those that rule : so that government hath always been esteemed the best , where the supream magistrates have been invested with all the power and prerogatives , that might capacitate them , not only to preserve the people from violence and oppression , but to promote their prosperity ; and yet where nothing was to belong to them by the rules of the constitution , that might enable them to injure and oppress them . and it hath been the glory of england above most other nations , that the prince had all intrusted with him that was necessary , either for the advancing the wellfare of the people , or for his own protection in the discharge of his office ; and withall stood so limited and restrained by the fundamental terms of the constitution , that without a violation of his own oath , as well as the rules and measures of the government , he could do them no hurt , or exercise any act of authority , but through the administration of such hands as stood obnoxious to be punished , in case they transgressed : so that according to the primitive frame of the government , the prerogatives of the crown , and the priviledges of the subject , are so far from justling one another , that the rights reserved unto the people , tended to render the king honourable and great , and the prerogatives setled on the prince were in order to the subjects protection and safety . but all humane things being subject to perversion as well as decay , it hath been the fate of the english government to be often changed ▪ and wrested from what it was in the first settlement and institution . and we are particularly compelled to say , that all the boundaries of the government have of late been broken , and nothing left unattempted for turning our limited monarchy into an absolute tyranny . for such hath been the transaction of affairs within this nation for several years last past , that though the protestant religion and liberties of the people were fenced and hedged about by as many laws as the wisdom of man could devise for their preservation against popery and arbitrary power , our religion hath been all along countermined by popish counsels , and our priviledges ravished from us by fraud and violence . and more especially , the whole course and series of the life of the d. of y. hath been but been one continued conspiracy against the reformed religion and the rights of the nation . for whosoever considers his contriving the burning of london , his instigating a confederacy with france , and a war with holland , his fomenting the popish plot , and encouraging the murther of sir ed. godfrey to stifle it ; his charging treason against protestants , and suborning witnesses to swear the patriots of our religion and liberties out of their lives , his hireing execrable villains to assassinate the late earl of essex , and causing those others to be clandestinely cut off , in hopes to conceal it , his adviseing and procuring the prorogation and dissolution of parliaments , in order to prevent their looking into his crimes , and that he might escape the justice of the nation ; such can imagine nothing so black and horrid in it self , or so ruinous and destructive to religion and the kingdom , which we may not expect from him . the very tyrannies which he hath exercised since he snatched the crown from his brothers head , do leave none under a possibility of flattering themselves with hopes of safety , either in their consciences , persons , or estates : for in in defiance of all the laws and statutes of the realm , made for the security of the reformed protestant religion , he not only began his reign with a bare-faced avowing himself of the romish religion ; but hath called in multitudes of priests and jesuits , for whom the law makes it treason to come into this kingdom ; and hath impowered them to exercise their idolatries . and besides his being daily present at the worship of the mass , hath pubickly assisted at the greatest fopperies of their superstition . neither hath he been more tender in trampling upon the laws which concern our properties , seeing in two proclamations , whereof the one requires the collecting of the customs , and the other the continuing that part of the excise which was to ●xpire with the late kings death ; he hath violently , and against all the law of the land , broken in upon our estates . neither is it any extenuation of his tyranny , that he is countenanced in it by an extrajudicial opinion of seven or eight suborned and forsworn judges ; but rather declaring the greatness and extent of the conspiracy against our rights , and that there is no means feft for our relief but by force of arms ; for advancing those to the bench that were the scandal of the bar , and constituting those very men to declare the laws , who were accused and branded in parliament for perverting them , we are precluded all hopes of justice in westminster hall : and through packing together by false returns , new illegal charters , and other corrupt means ; he doth at once deprive us of all expectations of succour where our ancestors were wont to find it ; and hopes to render that which ought to be the peoples fence against tyranny , and the conservator of their liberties , the means of subverting all our laws , and of establishing of his arbitrariness , and confirming our thraldom . so that unless we could be contented to see the reformed protestant religion , and such as profess it , extirpated ; popish superstition and idolatry established , the laws of the land trampled under foot ; the liberties and rights of of the english people subverted ; and all that is sacred and civil , or of regard ( amongst men of vertue or piety ) violated ; and unless we could be willing to be slaves as well as papists , and forget the example of our noble and generous ancestors , who conveyed our priviledges to us at the expence of their blood and treasure ; and withall be unmindful of our duty to god , our country and posterity ; deaf to the cries and groans of our oppressed friends ; and be satisfied , not only to see them and our selves imprisoned , robbed , and murthered , but the protestant interest throughout the whole world betrayed to france and rome ; we are bound as men and christians , and that in discharge of our duty to god and our country , and for the satisfaction of the protestant nations round about us , to betake our selves to arms. which we take heaven and earth to witness , we should not hav● done , had not the malice of our enemies deprive● us of all other means of redress ; and were not the miseries that we already feel , and those which do further threaten us , worse than the calamities of war. and it is not for any personal injuries , or private discontents , nor in pursuance of any corrupt interest , that we take our swords into our hands ; but for vindicating our religion , laws and rights , and rescuing our country from ruin and destruction , and for preserving our selves , wives and children , from bondage and idolatry . wherefore before god , angels and men , we stand acquitted from , and do charge upon our enemies , all the slaughter and devastations that unavoidably accompany an intestine war now therefore we do hereby solemnly declare and proclaim war against j. d. of y. as a murtherer , and an assassinator of innocent men , a traitor to the nation , and tyrant over the people . and we would have none that appear under his banner to flatter themselves with expectation of forgiveness , it being our firm resolution to prosecute him and his adherents , without giving way to treaties or accommodations , until we have brought him and them to undergo what the rules of the constitution and the statutes of the realm , as well as the laws of nature , scripture and nations , adjudge to be punishment due to the enemies of god , mankind , their country , and all things that are honourable , vertuous and good . and though we cannot avoid being sensible that too many have , from cowardise , covetousness and ambition , co-operated to the subverting our religion , and the enslaving their country ; yet we would have none from a despair of findin● mercy , perservere in their crimes , nor continue t●e ruin of the kingdom : for we exclude none from the benefit of repenance , that will joyn with us in retreiving that they have been accessory to the loss of ; nor do we design revenge upon any , but the obstinate , and such as shall be found at this juncture yielding aid and assistance to the said j. d. of y. and that we may both govern our selves in the pursuit of this glorious cause , wherein we are ingaged , and give incouragement to all that shall assist us in so righteous and necessary an undertaking ; we do in the presence of the lord , who knoweth the secrets of all hearts , and is the avenger of deceit and falshood , proclaim and publish what we aim at ; and for the obtaining whereof , we have both determined to venture , and are ready to lay down our lives . and though we are not come into the field to introduce anarchy and confusion , or for laying aside any part of the old english government ; yet our purposes and resolutions are , to reduce things to that temperament and ballance , that future rulers may remain able to do all the good that can be either desired or expected from them , and it may not be in their power to invade the rights and infringe the liberties of the people . and whereas our religion , the most valuable thing we lay claim unto , hath been shaken by unjust laws , undermined by popish counsels , and is now in danger to be subverted ; we are therefore resolved to spend our blood for preserving it to our selves and posterity ; nor will we lay down our arms , till we see it established and secured beyond all probability of being supplanted and overthrown , and until all the penal laws against protestant dissenters be repealed , and legal provision made against their being disturbed by reason of their consciences , and for their injoying an equal liberty with other protestants . and that the meekness and purity of our principles , and the moderation and righteousness of our end , may appear unto all men : we do declare , that we will not make war upon , or destroy any for their religion , how false and erroneous soever : so that the very papists , provided they withdraw from the tents of our enemies , and be not found guilty of conspiring our destruction , or abettors of them , that seek it , have nothing to fear or apprehend from us , except what may hinder their altering our laws , and indangering our persons in the profession of the reformed doctrine , and exercise of our christian worship . our resolution in the next place is , to maintain all the just rights and priviledges of parliament , and to have parliaments annually chosen and held , and not prorogued , dissolved , or discontinued , within the year , before petitions be first answered , and grievances redressed . and seeing many of the miseries , under which the nation doth groan , arise from displacing such out of the number of judges , as would not , for promoting popish and arbitrary designs , wrest and misapply the laws ; and from constituting corrupt and mercenary men in their rooms , on purpose to stretch the laws beyond the reason and intention of them , and to declare that for law which is not : we can neither with silence pass over the mentioning of them , nor should we have peace in our selves , if we did not endeavour to prevent the like mischief in time to come . for by reason of ill mens being advanced to the bench , and holding their places only durante bene placito , many persons have been condemned in exorbitant fines for no crimes , or for very small ones : many statutes made for the safety of the subject , particularly the habeas corpus act , have been wickedly eluded to the oppression of the innocent and loyal men. the popish lords that were impeached in parliament , for a most hellish conspiracy , have , to the subverting the rights of the house of commons , and trampling on the rights of the house of lords , been discharged and se● free . the imposing a mayor and sheriff upon the city of london by fraud and violence , have been justified , and those who in discharge of their duty opposed it , illegally prosecuted , and arbitrarily punished . london , and other cities and corporations , have been robb'd of their charters , upon unrighteous judgments of pretended forfeitures . sir thomas armstrong executed without being allowed the benefit of a trial : coll. algernoon sidney condemned to die , upon the deposition of one scandalous witness : and that loyal and excellent person , the late william l. russel murthered for alledged crimes ; in reference to which , if all had been true , which was sworn against him , yet there was nothing which according to law could have reached his life . upon the considerations aforesaid , we further declare , that we will have care taken for the future for debarring ignorant , sca●dalous and mercenary men from the administration of justice , and that the judges shall hold their places by the antient tenure of quamdiu se bene gesserint ; and do leave it to the wisdom of a parliament to settle some way and method for the approbation of such as shall be advanced to the degree and dignity of judges . and for as much as the invasion made on the rights of cities , burroughs and towns corporate , by the seisure of their charters , whether by surrender or upon pretence of fo●feiture , have been wholly arbitrary and illegal ; we likewise therefore declare , we will , to our utmost , endeavour to see them repossessed in what they formerly had and could legally lay claim to , and that we do esteem all judgments given against the● , and all surrenders made by a corrupt and perju●ed party amongst them , null and void in law ; and do hold and declare their old charters , notwithstanding the new ones lately granted , to be good and valid ; and accordingly we do invite and incourage all honest burgesses and freemen to reassume the rights and priviledge● , which by vertue of the said old charters belonged to their several and respective corporations , and to deliver themselves from those late parasites and instruments of tyranny set up to oppress them . moreover , for the restoring the kingdom to its primitive condition of freedom and safety , we will have the corporation and militia acts repealed , and all outlawries of treason against any person whatsoever , upon the late pretended protestant plot , reversed ; and also all other outlawries , banishments , warrants , judgments , imprisonments , and injurious proceedings , against any other persons , upon any of the penal statutes made against protestant dissenters , made null and void . and we will have new laws enacted for placing the election of sheriffs in the freeholders of the several counties , for settling the militia in the several shires , and for preventing all military standing forces , except what shall be raised and kept up by authority and consent of parliament . and whereas several gentlemen , and others , who have been worthy and zealous asserters of the protestant interest , and laws of the kingdom , are now in custody in divers places within the realm , upon most unjust accusations , pretences , proceedings , and judgments ; we do hereby further declare their said imprisonments to be illegal , and that in case any violence shall be offered to them , or any of them , we will revenge it to the utmost upon such of our enemies as shall fall into our hands . and whereas the said j. d. of y. in order to the expediting the idolatrous and bloody designs of the papists , the gratifying his own boundless ambition after a crown , and to hinder inquiry into the assassination of arthur earl of essex ; hath poisoned the late king , and thereby manifested his ingratitude as well as cruelty to the world , in murthering a brother who had almost ruined himself to preserve and protect him from punishment : we do therefore further declare , that for the aforesaid villanous & unnatural crime , and other his crimes before mentioned , and in pursuance of the resolution of both houses of parliament , who voted to revenge the kings death in case he came to an untimely end , we will prosecute the said j. d. of y. till we have brought him to suffer what the law adjudged to be the punishment of so execrable a fact. and in a more particular manner his grace the duke of monmouth being sensible of the barbarous and horrid parricide committed upon his father , doth resolve to pursue the said j. d. of y. as a mortal and bloody enemy , and will endeavour a● well with his own hand , as by the assistance of his friends and the law , to have justice executed upon him . and the said james duke of monmouth , the now head and captain general of the protestant forces of this kingdom , assembled for the end aforesaid , from the generousness of his own nature , and the love he bears to these nations , whose wellfare and settlement he infinitely preferrs to whatsoever may concern himself , doth not at present insist upon his ●itle ; but leaves the determination thereof to the wisdom , justice and authority of a parliament legally chosen and acting with freedom : and in the mean time doth profess and declare by all that is sacred , that he will , in conjunction with the people of england , imploy all the abilities bestowed upon him by god and nature , for the re-establishment and preservation of the protestant reformed religion in these kingdoms , and for restoring the subjects of the same to a free exercise thereof , in opposition to popery , and the consequences of it , tyranny and slavery . to the obtaining of which end , he doth hereby promise and oblige himself to the people of england , to consent unto and promote the passing into laws all the methods aforesaid ; that it may never more be in the power of any single person on the throne , to deprive the subjects of their rights , or subvert the fundamental laws of the government designed for their preservation . and whereas , the nobility , gentry and commons of scotland are now in arms upon the like motives and inducements that we are , and in prosecution of ends agreeable with ours ; we do therefore approve the justice of their cause , commend their zeal and courage , expecting their , and promising our assistance , for carrying on that glorious work we are jointly engaged in ; being obliged , for avoiding tediousness , to omit the recounting many oppressions under which the kingdom hath groaned ; and the giving a deduction of the several steps that have been taken for introducing of popery and tyranny : we think fit therefore to signify , both to our countrymen and forreigners , that we intend a larger testimony and remonstrance of the grievances , persecutions , cruelties and tyrannies we have of late lain under ; and therein a more full and particular account of the unparallell'd crimes of the d. of y. and we make our appeal unto god , and all protestant kings , princes , states and peoples , concerning the justice of our cause , and the necessity we are reduced unto of having our recourse to arms. and as we do beseech , require and adjure all sincere protestants and true english men to be assisting to us against the enemies of the gospel , rights of the nation , and liberties of mankind : so we are confident of obtaining the utmost aid and succour which they can yield us , with their prayers , persons and estates , for the dethroning the said tyrant , &c. nor do we doubt being justified , countenanced and assisted by all protestant kings , princes and common-wealths who either regard the gospel of jesus christ , or their own interest : and above all , our dependance and trust is upon the lord of hosts , in whose name we go forth , and to whom we commit out cause , and refer the decision betwixt us and our enemies in the day of battel . now let us play the men for our people , and for the cities of our god , and the lord do that which seemeth good unto him . ☞ thus reader i have given you a copy of the duke of monmouth's declaration ( which was disperst in the west of england in the year . ) but it not being the part of an historian , to make remarks , i have satisfied my self , with barely inserting it , leaving every reader to make what reflections on it he thinks fit . what follows concerning the late lord jefferys , should have been printed in his life , next to the word bribed in page but was there omitted . jeffreys prosecuted mr. baxter for his paraphrase upon the new testament , and sent him to prison ; he coming out by an habeas corpus , was fain to abscond in the country ( in constant pain ) till the term. then his oft waitings at the bar ( where he could not stand ) and then to be ragingly treated by jeffreys and withins , and called rogue and knave , and not suf●ered to speak one word of answer for himself , and his counsel being reviled that offered to speak for him , was far harder to him , than his imprisonment . and then going from the bar , he only said , that his predecessor thought otherwise of him . jeffrys reply'd , there was not an honest man in england that took him not for a knave , not excepting the king that had given him another testimony in words . in the next page follows an abstract of monmouth's true speech . a brief abstract of his true speech . i repent in general of all my sins , and am more particularly concerned for what ●lood hath been spilt on my account , and the rather seeing the issue is such as i fear will prove of fatal consequence to the reformed protestant religion . instead of being counted factious and rebellious , the very opposing of popery and arbitrary power , now arising and appearing plain enough , would sufficiently have protected my cause ; besides , several other most hainous and notorious crimes ( such as the unhappy fate of the earl of essex , and my father of ever blessed memory , and others now covered over with jesuitical policy ) should have been detected and avenged . i have lived , and shall now die in the faith of this that god will work a deliverance for his people , and then will be discovered the great and horrid and scarcely to be parallell'd villanies our enemies have been guilty of ; but now you see my case is desperate , yet know that i die a martyr for the people , and shall rather pity the state , that their false and covetous minds have brought themselves and me to ; then discover who are the persons concerned in my overthrow , and i heartily forgive all that have wronged me , even those that have been instrumental in my fall , earnestly praying for their souls . and i hope king james will shew himself to be of his brothers blood , and extend his mercy to my children , even as he was wont to his greatest enemies , they being not capable to act , and therefore not conscious of any offence against the government . his elegy . come mortals , come , now set your selves to weep , is not your glorious m — gone to sleep ? send us some tears , you indians , from your shore , for it 's our grief that we can mourn no more . we want some mourners from the utmost coast of all the earth , that grief may not be lost . when britain hath set down and mourn'd her fill , she ought to send for other mourners still : created things , come set your selves to mourn , since lovely m — from the world is torn . should you not mourn , and tell your children so , that ages hence may mourn and sorrow too , 'cause we have lost so great a good as this , who was our flow'r and mourning europe's bliss ? the sun did mourn the morning of that day , and with the clouds of darkness did array his glorious face , that mortals might not see his royal rays , while they did murther thee . o lovely mon — glory of our land , who for god's word did like a pillar stand . all things , but devils , seemed then to weep , nor could the earth almost in silence keep ? methought all joy would vanish from the earth , and pleasantness would stop with mon — 's breath . methought the sun might now be angry grown , and would no more on earth be seen or known . we fear'd the heavens now disturbed were , and for the earth would take no further care . all good men griev'd to see that fatal blow , whilst floods of tears did from the heavens flow . but that black blow , instead of proving three , like russel's fate , five bloody stroaks they see . ye ages all , let this recorded be , and let all mankind m — mourn for thee . could we but draw those blessed looks of his , as when we saw him walking hence to bliss , when from the tower he did the hill ascend , where troops of angels did his soul attend : one would have thought to see him in that throng , that he to bliss already did belong . his countenance all others did out-shine , and made his very foes to grief incline . no sooner was his soul arriv'd in bliss , where he receiv'd a better crown for this ; but phoebus and the earth began to shine , and pleasant looks towards us do incline . the clouds and tears were wip't from heavens face , and glorious brightness did again take place . now ●appy soul we leave thee to thy rest , to live , in joys that cannot be exprest . argile and the duke of monmouth being now both safe in their graves , king james was so pufft up with a petty victory over a few clubmen , and so wrapt up with a conceit , that he had now conquer'd the whole nation ( so that now believing himself impregnable ) he resolves to be reveng'd upon the western people for siding with his capital enemy monmouth , and to that purpose , sends down his executioner in ordinary jeffryes , not to decimate according to the heathen way of mercy , but with the b●som of his cruelties , to sweep the country before him , and to depopulate instead of punishment , at what time acquaintance or relation of any that fell in the field , with a slender circumstance tack'd to either , was a crime sufficient for the extirpation of the family . and young and old were hang'd by clusters , as if the chief justice had designed to raise the price of halters ; besides the great number of those that upon bare suspition were transported beyond sea , and there sold for slaves ; and the purchase mon● given away to satisfie the hunger of needy papists . — after ages will read with astonishment the barbarous usage of those poor people ; of which among many instances this one may seem sufficient , whereby to take the dimensions of all the rest : that when the sister of the two hewlings hung upon the chief justices coach , imploring mercy on the behalf of her brothers , the merciless judge to make her let go , caus'd his coach-man to cut her hands and fingers with the lash of his whip . nor would he allow the respite of the execution but for two days , tho' the sister with tears in her eyes offer'd a hundred pound for so small a favour . and whoever shelter'd any of those forlorn creatures , were hurried to the slaughter-house with the same inexcrable out-rage , without any consideration either of age or sex ; witness the execution of the lady lisle at winchester . as for argil● and the duke , tho' they might die pityed , yet in regard they had declared open hostility , it was no more than they were to expect upon ill success . we shall now , to compleat our western martyrology , ( and that we may not be too tedious ) proceed to give the particular cases of those that were condemn'd and executed in the west , with their christian behaviour and dying speeches , as their plain country friends have preserv'd ' em . the dying speech and behaviour of mr. matth. bragg . and we being with mr. matthew bragg , who was a gentleman , and descended from an ancient and good family ; he was bred an attorney , in which he practised the law : his case being this , he hapned to be upon the road riding home to his house , being come from a gentleman's house for whom he kept courts . he , as before , being met with by a party of horse belonging to the duke of monmouth , who were going to search the house of a roman catholick for arms , who lived two or three miles from the place they met him , they required him to go with them , and shew them the way , he knowing the country better than they did ; he desired to be excused , telling them , it was none of his business , and besides had no arms. but hi● excuses signified nothing , they forced him amongst them , where they went ; when being come , a party enter'd the house and searcht it : mr. bragg never dismounted , they being then satisfied , took him along with them to chard , where then the duke of monmouth was . being there , after having set up his horse where he used to do , often having occasion there , he was much tampered with to engage in the design , but he refused it , but the next morning made haste out of town , not seeing the duke at all ; calling for his horse it was told him , that it was seized for the duke's service . so then he took his cane and gloves , and walked to his own house , which was about five or six miles , and was no more concern'd in the affair , than that after the duke's defeat at kings-sedge-moore , some busie person informeth , and requireth a warrant from a justice of peace for the said mr. bragg , who obliged himself to enter into a recognizance to appear at the next assizes , the said justice accounting the matter in it self but trivial ; and indeed all men did judge him out of danger . at dorchester he appeared in court to discharge his bail , on which he was presently committed , and the next day being arraigned , pleading not guilty , put himself on the trial of god and his country , which found him and more of , guilty ; the lord chief justice often saying , if any lawyer or p●rson came under his inspection , they should not escape ; the evidence against him was the roman catholick , whose house was search'd , and a woman of ill fame , to whom the lord chief justice was wonderfully kind ; but his evidence which were more than twenty , to prove his innocence , signifyed nothing ; the jury being well instructed by my lord chief justice . being thus found guilty , sentence was presently pronounced , and execution awarded , notwithstanding all the interest that was made for him , as before recited . thus being condemned on saturday , and ordered to be executed on monday , he spent the residue of his little time very devoutly , and much becoming a good christian , and a true protestant of the church of england , all which availed nothing with this protestant judge : he was frequently visited by a worthy divine of the church of england , who spent much time with him , and received great satisfaction from him . the said divine told me , that his deportment , behaviour and converse was so much like an extraordinary christian , that he could not in the least doubt but this violent passage would put him into the fruition of happiness . he wisht and desired a little longer time , out of no other design , but throughly to repent him of his sins , and make himself more sensible of , and fit for to receive the inheritance that is prepared for those that continue in well-doing to the end . when he came to the place of execution with great courage and resolution , being , as he said , prepared for death , he behaved himself very gravely and devoutly . being asked , when he was on the ladder , whether he was not sorry for his being concerned in the rebellion ? he replyed , that he knew of none that he was guilty of ; and prayed them not to trouble him ; adding , he was not the first that was martyr'd ; he was so much a christian as to forgive his enemies . and after some private devotions he suddenly was translated , as we have all hopes to believe , from earth to heaven . the only favour of this protestant judge , was to give his body to his friends , in order to its interment amongst his ancestors . the behaviour of mr. smith constable of chardstock . another eminent person that suffered with him at the same time and place , was one mr. smith , who was constable of chardstock , who having some monies in his hands that belonged to the militia , which came to the knowledge of some of the dukes friends , they obliged him to deliver it to them , which he was forced to deliver ; and for this was indicted for high t●eason , in assisting the duke of monmouth . to which he pleaded not guilty . the evidence against him were the same with those that had been against mr. bragg . the said mr. smith informed the court and the jury , what little credit ought to be given to the evidence . the lord chief justice thundred at him , saying , thou villain , methinks i see thee already with a halter about thy neck ; thou impudent rebel , to challenge these evidences that are for the king. to which the prisoner reply'd very boldly , my lord , i now see which way i am going , and right or wrong i must die ; but this i comfort my self with , that your lordship can only destroy my body ; it is out of your power to touch my soul. god forgive your rashness ; pray , my lord , know it is not a small matter you are about , the blood of man is more precious than the whole world. and then was stopped from saying any more . the evidences being heard , a strict charge was given the jury about him . to be short , the jury brought him in guilty ; so that he with the rest received the sentence of death all together , and were executed on monday ; but by particular order from my lord , he was ordered to be first executed . the day being come for execution , being monday , he with a courage undaunted , was brought to the place , where with christian exhortations to his brethren that suffered with him , he was ordered to prepare , being the first to be executed , where he spake as followeth : christian friends , i am now as you see lanching into eternity ; so that it may be expected i should speak something , before i leave this miserable world , and pass through those sufferings , which are dreadful to flesh and blood ; which indeed shall be but little , because i long to be before a just judge , where i must give an account , not only for the occasion of my sufferings now , but for sins long unrepented of , which indeed hath brought me to this dismal place and shameful death . and truly , dear country-men , having ransacked my soul , i cannot find my small concern with the duke of monmouth , doth deserve this heavy judgment on me ; but i know , as i said before , it is for sins long unrepented of ; i die in charity with all men ; i desire all of you to bear me witness , i die a true professor of the church of england ; beseeching the lord still to stand up in the defence of it . god forgive my passionate judges , and cruel and hasty jury ; god forgive them , they know not what they have done . god bless the king ; and though his judges had no mercy on me , i wish he may find mercy when he standeth most in need of it : make him , o lord , a nursing father to the church ; let mercy flow abundantly from him , if it be thy will , to those poor prisoners , to be hereafter tryed ; and lord , if it be thy holy will , stop this issue of christian blood , and let my guiltless blood be the last spilt on this account . gentlemen , all farewel , farewel all the things of the world : then singing some few verses of a psalm , and putting up some private ejaculations to himself , said , o lord , into thy hands i commend my spirit , and so submitted to the executioner , sept. . . the behaviour and dying speech of mr. joseph speed of culliton . at the same time and place , as he came near the place of his execution , he spying his country-man and friend , called him , and said , i am glad to see you here now , because i am not known in these parts ; being answered by his friend , i am sorry to see you in this condition : he replies , it is the best day i ever saw ; i thank god , i have not led my life as unchristian-like as many have done , having since the years of always had the checks of conscience on me , which made me to avoid many gross and grievous sins , my course of life hath been well known to you , yet i cannot justifie my self ; all men err . i have not been the least of sinners , therefore cannot excuse my self ; but since my confinement , i have received so great comfort , in some assurance of the pardon of my sins , that i can now say , i am willing to die , to be dissolved , and to be with christ , and say to death , where is thy sting ? and to grave , where is thy victory ? being ask'd by some rude soldiers , whether he was not sorry for the rebellion he was found guilty of ? he couragiously reply'd . if you call it a rebellion , i assure you i had no sinister ends in being concerned ; for my whole design in taking up arms under the d. of m. was to fight for the protestant religion , which my own conscience dictated me to , and which the said duke declared for , and had , i think , a lawful call and warrant for so doing , and do not question , that if i have committed any sin in it , but that it is pardoned : pray , mr. sheriff , let me be troubled no farther in answering of questions , but give me leave to prepare my self ( those few minutes i have left ) for another world , and go to my jesus , who is ready to receive me : then calling to his friend , who stood very near him , said , my dear friend , you know i have a dear wife and children , who will find me wanting , being somewhat incumber'd in the world , let me desire you as a dying man to see that she be not abused ; and as for my poor children , i hope the father of heaven will take care of them , and give them grace to be dutiful to their distressed mother ; and so with my dying love to all my friends , when you see them , i take leave of you , and them , and all the world , desiring your christian prayers for me to the last moment ; then repeating some sentences of scripture , as , colossians , chap. . v. , . if you then , &c. and praying very fervently , said , i thank god i have satisfaction ; i am ready and willing to suffer shame for his name : and so pouring forth some private ejaculations to himself , and lifting up his hands , the executioner did his office : t●e soldiers then present , said , they never before were so taken with a dying m●n's speech ; his courage and christian-like resolution , caused many violent men against the prisoners , to repent of their tyranny towards them ; some of whom in a short time died full of horror : and thus fell this good man , a true protestant , and one that held out to the end . an account of those that suffer'd at bridport and lime . at bridport one john sparke , who was a very good man , and behaved himself with a great deal of christian-like courage to the end : his speech and his devotions , &c. must be omitted , not being possible to take them , by reason of the rudeness , &c. and the shortness of the time allowed him by the souldiers . next place was lime , where many of note died particularly , col. holmes , who was the first of those there executed , near the same place where they landed , when they came ashore with the duke of m. being brought to the place after some difficulty ; for the horses that were first put into the sledge would not stir , which oblige-those concerned to get others , which they did from the coachman , who had that morning brought them to town ; when they were put into the sledge , they broke it in pieces , which caused the prisoners to go on foot to the place of execution ; where being come , as i told you before , the colonel began thus at the foot of the ladder ; he sa● down with an aspect altogether void of fear , but on the contrary with a kind of smiling countenance , so began to speak to the spectators to this purpose , that he would give them an account of his first undertaking in the design , which was long before in london ; for there be agreed to stand by and assist the d. of m. when opportunity offer'd ; in order to which he went to holland with him , and there continued , until this expedition , in which god had thought fit to frustrate his and other good mens expectations : he believed the protestant religion was bleeding , and in a step towards extirpation , and therefore he with these his brethren , that were to suffer with him , and thousands more had adventured their lives and their all to save it ; but god almighty had not appointed 'em to be the instruments in so glorious a work ; yet notwithstanding he did verily believe , and doubted not , but that god would make use of others , that should meet with better success , tho the way or means was not yet visible , but of this he did not doubt : he also was satisfied of the d's title , so that matter did not afflict him on account of his engaging on his score : and going on further with a discourse of this nature , he was asked by a person , why he did not pray for the king ? he with a smiling countenance answer'd , i am sorry you do not yet understand the difference between speaking and praying : and having ended his discourse , he then prepared himself by prayer for his dissolution , which was very devout and pious for half an hour ; which was as follows . colonel holme's last prayer . most glorious , most great , and most merciful god , there is none in heaven or in earth that is like unto thee ; heaven is thy throne , and the earth is thy footstool ; who shall say unto thee , what doest thou ? here we are poor deplorable creatures come to offer up our last prayers , and services unto thee ; we beseech thy favourable ear to our prayers , and the comfort of thy holy spirit , at this time ; we praise and magnifie thy name , for all the dispensations of thy providence towards us , especially for this thy providence , in bringing us to this place and at this time to suffer shame for thy name : help and assist all of us to submit to thy will patiently . pardon all our sins , remove them out of thy presence as far as the east is from the west , and accept of us in the merits of thy son jesus christ ; thou who art the searcher of hearts , and try●r of reins , let there not at the moment of death be the least spark of sin indwelling in us , nor the strivings of flesh and blood , that may hinder us from a joyful passage unto thee : give us patience also under these sufferings , and a deliverance to all others from undergoing them , and in thy good time work a deliverance for poor england , let thy gospel yet flourish among them , hasten the downfall of antichrist , we trust the time is come ; prevent , o lord , this effusion of christia● blood ; and if it be thy will , let this be the last ; lord , bless this town , let them from the highest to the lowest set the fear of god before their eyes : bless all sorts and conditions of men in all ranks and qualities , pardon all their sins , give them all true repentance , and the grace of thy holy spirit ; fit and prepare us for the chearful fulfilling of thy holy will ; let the comforter be still with us ; be merciful to all our friends , and relations , and acquaintance ; forgive our enemies , accept of our thankfulness for all the mercies and favours afforded us , and hear and graciously answer us in these our requests , and what else thou knowest needful and expedient for us , and all for our redeemer the lord jesus christ his sake ; who died for us , that we might reign with him for ever and ever ; to whom with thee and thy blessed spirit of grace be ascribed , as is most due , all honour , glory , and praise , both now and for ever . after having ended his prayer , he took occasion to speak to his suffering brethren , taking a solemn leave of them , encouraging them to hold out to the end , and not to waver , observing that this being a glorious sun-shining day , i doubt not , though our breakfast be sharp and bitter , it will prepare us , and make us meet for a comfortable supper , with our god and saviour , where all sin and sorrow shall be wiped away ; so embracing each of 'em , and kissing of them , told the sheriff , you see i am imperfect , only one arm , i shall want assistance to help me upon this tragical stage ; which was presently done , and execution suddenly followed . now follows the execution of mr. sam. larke . mr. sampson larke , who was a very eminent , pious man , and had lived in that town , but little b●fore ; many years he was there well acquainted , and all people that knew him had a value for him , behaving himself with that humility and circumspection , as no body could have any other occasion but to value him : he design'd to have spoken somewhat on a portion of sc●ipture , and was beginning , having mentioned the place he intended to speak upon , but was interrupted and told the work of the day being great , they should want time , so then he stopt and reply'd , he could make application where he should not meet with interruption : and so apply'd himself to prayer , which he performed with great devotion and zeal for a quarter of an hour , to the great satisfaction of the auditors ; and so taking leave of his suffering brethren , he mounted the stage , which was to be the last act he made in this world ; being on the ladder , he saw some of his friends and neighbours , weeping and mourning for him , to whom he spake , pray weep not for me , i am going to a place of bliss and happiness , wherefore pray repair to your houses , and ' ere you get thither , i doubt not , but i shall be happy with my god and saviour , where all tears shall be wiped away , and nothing shall remain but hallelujahs to all eternity . there was also mr. william hewling of london , a young gentleman under twenty , who came over with the duke of m. he seemed to be in a calm , and composed frame of spirit , and with a great deal of courage and seriousness , he behaved himself . there is already something said of his converse and discourse , which amongst others is printed ; therefore we shall say no●hing more of him , but that in all manner of appearance he di'd a good christian , a true protestant , and doubtless now enjoys the benefit of it . there were several worthy men more there executed , viz. mr. christ. ba●tiscomb , dr. temple , capt. madders , capt. marthews , captain kid , &c. in all twelve , who all of them died with that courage and resolution as became christians , and such who eminently had adventured their lives and fortunes , in defence of what was most dear to them ; and namely our religion , which though god did not think fit to desend and secure it , yet in his wisdom we hope it will be in some measure secured by other instruments , the glory of the same being only due to him . so that now leaving this place , we proceed to other parts of the country , where with the like butchery were only five executed , amongst whom was one mr. taylor of bristol , who had command in the dukes army , where he behaved himself very stoutly to the last ; after the army was dispersed , he among others was taken , received sentence of death at dorchester , and here brought for the completion of the same , and from thence we hope was translated to heaven ; he spent his time between the sentence and execution very devoutly , in confirming and strengthning those that were to be his fellow-sufferers ; and made it his business to bring them to a willingness to submit to , and a preparedness for death : the day being come , and he brought to the place of execution , he thus spoke , my friends , you see i am now on the brink of eternity , and in a few minutes shall be but clay ; you expect i should say something , as is usual in such cases ; as to the matter of fact i die for , it doth not much trouble me , knowing to my self the ends for which i engaged with the duke of m. were both good and honourable . here being stopp'd , and not suffer'd to proceed further , he then comforted his fellow-sufferers , desiring them to joyn with him in singing an hymn , which he himself composed for the occasion as followeth . a hymn made by mr. joseph tyler , a little before his execution . . o lord , how glorious is thy grace , and wondrous large thy love ; at such a dreadful time and place , to such as faithful prove ! . if thou wilt have thy glory hence , though a shameful dea●h we die , we bless thee for this providence , to all eternity . . let these spectators see thy grace in thy poor servants shine ; while we by faith behold thy face , in that bless'd son of thine . . though men our bodies may abuse , christ took our souls to rest ; till he brings forth the joyful news , ye are my fathers blest . . appear for those that plead thy cause , preserve them in the way , who own king jesus , and his laws , and dare not but obey . . o god confound our cruel foes , let babylon come down ; let england's king be one of them , shall raze her to the ground . . through christ we yield our souls to thee , accept us on his score ; that where he is , there we may be , to praise thee ever more . after the hymn sung he prayed devoutly , for half an hour ; after prayer he gave great satisfaction to all present of his assurance of heaven , had many weeping eyes for him , and was much lamented in the town , tho' a stranger to the place ; so unbuttoning himself , said to the executioner , i fear not what man can do unto me ; i pray thee do thy work in mercy , for i forgive thee with all my heart , and i also pray to god to forgive thee ; don 't mangle my body too much ; and so lifting up his hands to heaven , the executioner did his office. there was also one william cox that died with him , who also died very couragiously , despising the shame , in hopes and expectation of a future better estate . he and his two sons were some of the first that came to the duke of monmouth , an● all taken , and all condemned together : the father only suffered , the sons by providence were preserved . when he was going to execution he desired leave to see his sons , then in another prison in the town , to whom he gave his blessing ; and though he was going to be executed , yet had that satisfaction to hope that god would preserve them , which was so . some further passages relating to mr. sampson larke with his prayer at the same time and place when executed . imme●iately after colonel holmes was executed , this g●od man was ordered to prepare to follow ; accordingly going to d●liver some few words to the people , some whereof were formerly of his congregation , but being told he could not expec● much time , because it was so late , and so many to be executed afte● him ; so he suddenly concluded and said , i will now speak a few words to him , whic● i am sure will hear me : and so began his praye● as followeth : blessed lord god , we thine unworthy creatur● now here before thee , cannot but acknowledge from th● bottom of our hearts our own unworthiness ; we mu●● confess we have been grievous sinners , and have broug●● forth the evil fruit of it in our lives , to the gre●● dishonour of thy name , for which we have deserved thy heavy wrath and indignation to be poured forth upon us , not only in this life , but in that which is to come . o let us bless god for our sufferings and afflictions ; as for our mercies , we bless thee in particular for this ; o sanctifie it to us ; let us be effectually convinced of the vanity of the world , and of our own sinfulness by nature and practice , and to see that to be sin which we never saw before ; o lord , make us sensible of the absolute necessity of the righteousness of christ to justifie us , and let him be now made much more dear and precious to our souls than ever , that so we may be wrought into a more heavenly frame , and raised to a higher degree of spirituality , and so made more meek and humble ; and let us judge charitably of others , that differ from us in opinion and judgment . and now , o lord , though by thy most righteous judgment we most justly deserve these sufferings , and such an ignominious death , for our sins against thee , not for treasons against the kingdom , let us be in a preparedness for it . pardon all our sins , help us quietly to submit to thy holy will ; speak peace to all our souls . look in mercy , o lord , on this poor nation , especially on this town , and every particular person in it , let them all mind those things which concern their peace , before they are hid from their eyes . comfort my dear and distressed wife , be a husband unto her , deliver her out of the paw of the lyon , and the paws of the bear. look upon all thy poor afflicted ones , all prisoners and captives , work deliverance for them if thou seest it good ; but thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven . and now lord , with humble meekness and submission i submit to thy will , depending upon on the merits of my saviour , to whom with thy blessed self and spirit be ascribed all honour and praise both now and for ever . amen . then mounting the ladder , he called to some of the town who weeped for him , but were at some distance , go home to your own houses , pray do not weep for me , and before you get up yonder hill , i shall be with my heavenly father in fulness of joy and pleasure for evermore . and so advising those before him to leave off those cruel sentiments they had taken of him , besides some heavenly discourses with some of his friends , he was turned off , to the great grief of the good people of the town , especially those of his own congregation . to give him nothing but his due , he was a man mighty charitable , relieving and visiting the poor and needy , preached in season and out of season , and made it his business to go about doing good , and to put poor souls in a way for eternal life ; he was an old christian , as well as aged in years ; he was a general loss , especially to his dear and tender wife : but all our losses are nothing to be compared to that glory that he now enjoys . mr. sampson larke's letter to a friend just before his execution . my dear friend , i am ready to be offered , and the time of my departure is at hand ; i have through grace fought a good fight , have finished my course , have kept the faith , and am in hopes of the crown of righteousness prepared for me , and all god's faithful ones : the experiences i have had of the promises , hath given me comfortable hopes that he will carry me to the full end of my journey , with his name , and that truth of his , which i have made profession of . my great crime is for my being a preach●r of the gospel , and here i am to be made a sacrifice , where i have mostly preached christ 's gospel . i think my judges have devised this punishment for my hurt , but i trust god will turn it to my good ; the great trouble i have , is for those good hearts that i must leave behind me : but this is my comfort , knowing that all such as fear god , he will be a father to them . my dear wife is greatly troubled , but through mercy much supported , and something quieted ; if any of you have opportunity to give her help , i hope you will do it . as for our confessing our selves guilty , it was expresly as to matter of fact , and not of form ; and this i did with some freedom , and the rather , because all my worthy brethren that went before me took that way , and the many ways having been used to have a further discovery , yet nothing of that kind by any but only by captain jones . since our sentence , some wretched men have been with us to draw from us a confession of our being rebels , that we might have their absolution . i bless god , he has hitherto helped me to be faithful , and i hope he will not leave me in ●he most needful time . i must conclude , being ready to be called away ; my dear love to all my christian friends , and especially those in the goal . the lord be with you all , amen . your dying friend , in hopes of eternal life , through jesus christ amen . sampson larke . from the house of my blessed bondage in dorchester , sept. . . an account of those executed at sherborn . at sherborn , in the same county , were executed twelve , who all died couragiously , especially one mr. glisson of yeovel , in the county of somerset , his extraordinary deportment and carriage at the place of execution , was so very considerable , as gave great satisfaction to his friends , and amazement to his enemies . he declared to the world that he died a true protestant , and had not ingaged with the duke of monmouth , but judged it high time to stand up for the defence of the same , though god almighty had thought fit to frustrate his designs , and to bring him to that place to seal the same with his blood. also john savage , and richard hall of culliton , in the county of devon , suffered at the same time and place ; in their particular conversation , they valued those most that they saw most of piety in , and pitied others that they saw not so well prepared ; saying , that the remembrance of our vanity may cause compassion towards such as were in such a condition ; exhorting all to be serious , and to consider their latter end , which deserved the greatest attention of mind ; the way to die comfortably , being to prepare for it seriously ; and if god should miraculously preserve us from this death now before our eyes , it should be the duty of us all to spend the remaining part of our time , in such a manner as now , when we see death just at the door . at the hour of execution their chearfulness and comfort was much increased , saying , now the will of god will be done , and be hath most certainly chosen that for us which is best ; with many other such like christian expressions , too tedious here to be inserted , because we design to keep to our first intentions , and not to swell this t●eatise too big . upon the whole , af●er they had with much earnestness recommended their souls to the all-wise god by prayer , they all with much content and satisfaction , submitted themselves to the executioner , not doubting of a happy translation , and accordingly were executed and quartered ; before the rest of the executions in this county , as at weymouth , pool , shafton , wimborne , &c. not being there , we shall pass over , and only give you particular touches , which we saw to our perfect knowledge , and so we retu●n to culliton in the county of devon , where john sprague and william clegg , both of that town , were condemned at exon , and there brought to be executed . before they were brought into the place , a messenger came from the prisoners with a request to the vicar of the parish , to desire his company and assistance in this their extremity , and to administer those spiritual helps that were suitable to men in their circumstances . accordingly the said minister came very readily , and did demand of them , vvhat they had to desire of him ? the dying persons answered , they desired his prayers ? accordingly he prayed with them a considerable space of time . and after that , he asked of them several questions , for to give him and the world satisfaction of the prepared condition they were in , in order to their lanching into eternity , especially about the doctrine of non-resistance . john sprague very soberly and moderately replied , but whether satisfactory or not , we leave to the reader ; he believed that no christian ought to resist a lawful power ; but the case being between popery and prostantism , altered the matter ; and the latter being in danger , he believed that it was lawful for him to do what he did , ●hough god in his providence had thought fit to bring him to this place of execution . after reading a chapter out of the corinthians , and singing a psalm suitable to the occasion , he very vehemently and fervently recommended his soul to the all-wise god by prayer , for near half an hour , to the great satisfaction of all that heard him ; then his wife and children coming to him weeping bitterly , he imbraced them in his arms , saying , vveep not for me , but weep for your selves , and for your sins , for that he had that quiet satisfaction , that he was only going to be translated into a state of bliss and happiness , where we should sin and sorrow no more , but that all tears should be wiped away , wishing them to be diligent in the service of god. then recommending his wife and children to the protection of the almighty god , who had promised to be a husband to the vvidow , and a father to the fatherless , who was faithful and able to make up their loss in him , in that which should be bett●● for them , than he could be ; desiring god to be a refuge for them to fly to for security , and preservation from the troubles that seemed to threaten this poor nation ; the which if they did conscientiously perform , though death here made a separation , he doubted not of meeting them in heaven at last . and so the executioner did his office. during which time his brother-sufferer , vvilliam clegg was all the time on his knees , praying to himself with a seeming zeal ; suddenly after which his turn being come to follow his brother , he only told the people , that his fellow-sufferer has spoken what he thought was necessary , and they were also his sentiments . and so submitted to execution . an account of those executed at axminster and honiton . at axminster one also was executed , his name mr. rose , he was a gunner , that landed with the duke of monmouth , he had a great resolution , and not at all started with the fear of death . he said , that he defy'd death , and all them that were the occasion of it . he was very couragious and died so . he spent some time in private prayer , and was not allowed time , because there was to be execution at honiton ; so that his execution being over , we past on to honiton , where four were executed , one of which was a chyrurgeon , his name , if i do not mistake , was mr. pott , who behaved himself with that extraordinary christian courage , that all the spectators were almost astonished , he being but young , about twenty , his prayers being servent , his expressions so pithy , ●nd so becoming a christian of greater age , that drew pity and compassion from all present ; a rude fellow , just before he was to be executed , called for a bottle of wine , and so began the kings health to one of the guard ; which he perceiving , poor soul , said he , your cup seemeth to be sweet to you , and you think mine is bitter ; which indeed is so to flesh and blood ; but yet i have that assurance of the fruition of a future estate , that i doubt not but this bitter potion will be sweetned with the sugar of the loving kindness of my dearest saviour , that i shall be translated into such a state , where is fulness of joy and pleasure for evermore . before i conclude , one mr. evans a minister ought not to be omitted , who did all along in the time of his confinement in prison , behave himself with that devotion and strictness , that became a christian of great eminency , as indeed he was ; he spent much of his time in preaching and praying to his fellow prisoners , exhorting them to hold out to the end ; he at last by appointment being condemn'd , was executed by himself ; at which time and place he behaved himself with great courage and devotion , and with a great willingness and chearfulness , he submitted to execution . there might have been much more said of this worthy man , but because we will keep to our design , shall be omitted . many others , who were also very eminent , suffered in this county , for asserting and endeavouring to secure the protestant religion . the case of mr. simon hamling . thus having finished what we have to say at present , shall only add the case of one mr. simon hamling at taunton , to shew that sometimes innocency will not protect . mr. hamling was formerly an inhabitant of the place , but of late years had lived two or three miles from thence ; he was a very honest , worthy , good christian , but was a dissenter , and indeed in the judgment of some fiery men , that might be crime enough , as did too sadly appear in divers cases . but to our purpose : mr. hamling living in the country , hearing of the duke of monmouth's being in town , he there came to speak with his son , who lived in that place ; where being come , he gave him advice , which was , that as he expected his blessing , and countenance , he should not at all concern himself in the matter , but submit to the vvill of god in all things . and having thus advised his son , he returns home ; and two days after came again to town on a market day with his wife , to buy provisions for his family , and returned to his house again . and this was all the times he was in town , whiles the duke was there . but after the business was over , he was brought in on suspicion , being a dissenter , that was crime enough , except coin appear'd to a justice of that town , who usually did commit or dismiss as that appear'd . this man was arraign'd at taunton , pleaded not guilty . the matter above is the truth of this case ; the evidences were two profligate rascals , that had incouragement from the justice , they ●sually doing what he put them on . the prisoner had many to prove this fact , and his honesty ; but this did not avail , the jury found him guilty , with two more , who were presently sentenc'd , and next morning executed for to be examples to others . it is said , that the justice did make application to our famous protestant judge , and hinted some mistake concerning him . to which , as i have been informed , he should reply , you have brought him on , if he be innocent , his blood be upon you . which was a very fine reply from a merciful judge ; but nothing else could be expected , as the whole treatise evinceth : the tender mercies of the wic●●d being cruel . this man behaved himself very worthily at the place of execution , and did at the last declare his crime to be the same as is above mentioned , and not otherwise . thus fell this pious christian ; a man , by all sober people that knew him , beloved ; and disrespected by none but loose villains , which at last took away his life . there was one mr. gatchett executed with him , his crime , being a constable of the hundred , he was surprized by a party of the dukes , and shewed a warrant to bring in provisions and other necessaries for the use of the army , which if he had not obeyed , was threatned to have his house burnt , &c. so that he was obliged to do what he did for his own preservation ; but this was not sufficient , for being found guilty he was also executed at the same time and place . the case of mr. thomas lawrence . mr. thomas lawrence at dorchester , had also very hard measure . he had the managing of an estate belonging to a person of quality , who had a barn in the parish of lyme , where the duke landed . the day after his landing , a party came and took away three horses from off this estate , which he having the trust and care of , makes application to the duke for them , adding , that he ought not to suffer any of his masters goods to be wanting , but must endeavour to recover them again . so mov'd hard to the duke for the horses , but all would not prevail ; but at last had one , and was forced to leave two . this was look'd on as an abetting , being judg'd to be by consent . after the defeat was given , he was had before a justice of the peace , who bound him over to the assizes , where appearing , he was committed ; pleaded not guilty on his trial , which he pleaded to very honestly ; yet was found guilty , and sentenc'd to die . my lord was excellent at improvement , 't was thought he would , if possible , have brought in the gentleman that owned the estate , who was very rich . this honest mr. lawrence was to be sacrific'd , and his execution order'd to be at warham ; but my lord's favourite got a reprieve for him by the help of four hundred pound . two hundred pound being actually paid , the other secur'd by bond. i promised before i conclude , to give some account of the barbarous and cruel whippings which were executed on many good , honest , and sufficient persons , both men and women , in the counties of dorset , devon , and somerset , by the severe and cruel sentence of the lord chief justice ; some for such small crimes , as an impartial man may judge they deserved none at all : more especially one mr. stayle of thorncomb in devonshire , his sufferings were so hard , that it caused many to pity him ; he was a good liver , well beloved among his neighbours , and a true protestant . also one mrs. brown of lyme , suffered very dear in that nature ; she only jokingly said unto the officer of the excise , i will pay , my excise to king monmouth ; which being sworn before this severe ju●ge , she was found guilty of a misdemeanor , was sentenc'd to be whipt in several market towns , which accordingly was done . but this cruelty was not only extended to those of riper years , and able better to endure those painful sufferings , but even to children . a poor boy of weymouth in the county of dorset , having got some pamphlet relating somewhat to satisfie the people that the duke of monmouth came to secure the protestant religion , had the hard fortune to take his trial before this harsh judge ; i think he was about ten or twelve years of age ; he had the flesh of his back so cut with the whipping , that i heard he died with the same ; but whether he is dead , or not , never was such cruelty in all this world , and now we may see how just the lord is , he that all that time had no mercy for any , but those that appeared loose villains , is pitied but by few . capt. madders last prayer at the same time and place . capt. madders at the time of the duke's landing was a constable at crewkern , in the county of somerset , and so diligent and active for the king in his office , that when two gentlemen of lyme came there , and brought the news of the duke's landing , and desired horses to ride post to acquaint his majesty therewith , he immediately secured horses for them , the town being generally otherways bent , and assisted them so far as any called loyal in those times could do , which was represented to the lord chief justice , in expectation thereby to save his life . but an enquiry being made about his religion , and retu●ned by a very worthy gentleman of those parts that he was a good protestant , an honest man , had a very good character amongst his neighbours : o then , says he , i 'll hold a wager with you he is a presbyterian , i can smell them forty miles . though moderately i now say , they can smell him two hundred miles west ; then surely he must dye , because he was , and had the character of an honest man , a good christian , and a brave tradesman . but to be short , i could say a great deal more of him , being intimately acquainted , with him , and was with him to the very last . being brought to the place of execution , he was the last man except one executed , and he behaved himself , whilst the rest were executing , with great zeal ; and lifting up his hands and eyes , would often say , lord , make me so willing and ready to the last . and god did hear his prayers ; for though he seemed to the spectators to be somewhat unwilling to dye , yet at the last he dyed with as much assurance and christian resolution as any ; for after his publick prayer , he came once down the ladder , and prayed again privately , then mounted the ladder again ; the sheriff saying , mr. madders , if you please you may have more liberty ; he answered , no , i thank you , mr. sheriff , now i am ready , i am , willing , and desire to be dissolved , and to be with christ. oh! you cannot imagine what comfort and refreshment i have received in a few minutes ; my comforts are so great that i cannot contain my self . so blessing and praising of god , he was translated , as i hope ( we have no grounds to imagine the contrary ) from earth to heaven , repeating rev. . . blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection , on such the second death hath no power . his publick prayer was as followeth . o eternal and ever blessed lord god , look down upon me a miserable sinner with an eye of pity and compassion , in and through my dear redeemer the lord jesus christ. o lord , i acknowledge my self a great and grievous sinner ; i have sinned against the clearest light and the dearest love ; i have deserved to have been spurned from thy presence , and from the glory of thy power , and that thou shouldest now say unto me , i will have no more to do with such an unworthy wretch , such a polluted filthy creature as thou art , and hast been : but , o lord , there is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared ; and thou hast promised , that if a sinner turn from his wickedness , thou wilt have mercy on him ; and tho' his sins were as scarlet , thou wouldest make them white as wool : fulfil , o lord , thy gracious promise unto me , a poor supplicant , in this my last hour of my life ; purge and cleanse me from all sin and filthiness , give me true repentance ; and if there lyes any sin not yet repented of , o lord bring it to my conscience , mind and memory : but i hope , o lord , thou hast heard ●y prayers , my sighs and groans ; i hope and trust thou hast pardoned all my sins , and wilt immediately receive my soul. look down in mercy on my dear wife and family , be thou a comfort , and all in all unto them . now , lord , i am coming to thee , assist me to last moment ; comfort my distressed soul ; do mor● for me than i am able to ask for , or think of ; but what thou knowest to be needful and necessary for me , in and through the merits of my dear redeemer , the lord jesus christ , to whom with thee and thy blessed spirit of grace be ascribed the kingdom , the power , and the glory , for ever and ever . amen . the dying words of captain kidd , executed at the same time and place . this gentleman was the last ●xe●●●ed at that time ; as soon as captain madders was ●urned off , he began to prepare to follow , and calle● to his guards and those present , do you see this ? ( pointing up to eleven that were dead before him ) do you think this is not dreadful to me , th●t eleven of twelve of us , that but a few hours since came down together , are dead and in eternity ? and i am just going to follow them , and shall immediately be in the same condition . says one to him , it must be dreadful to flesh and blood. says he , well gentlemen , i will assure you , i am so far concerned , that methinks i bethink their happiness , that they should be so long before me in bliss and happiness : but i 'll make haste to follow ; i am satisfied this is the best day that ever i saw : the day of a mans death is said to be better than the day of his birth : and truly so i find it as to my flesh , for i shall be presently free from sin and sorrow ; i am satisfied god hath done his best for me : i might have lived and have forgotten god , but now i am going where i shall sin no more : 't is a blessed thing to be free from sin , and to be with christ : o how great were the suff●rings of christ for us , beyond all that i can undergo ! how great is that glory to which i am going ! th●n taking his leave of the people then present , he prayed some small time very devoutly , and with seeming great joy and comfort , the executioner did his office. there was executed also at the same time divers others , as mr. william hewling , dr. temple , mr. matthews , with some others . the ●as● sp●ech of dr. temple of nottingham , at the place of execution . doctor temple was one of them that landed with the duke , and was his chief physician and chyrurgeon ; he lived in nottingham , but minding to see other parts of the world , ( as i have heard ) goe● for holland , where he came acquainted with the duke of monmouth , concerning which he thus spoke , just as he was going off the ladder . christian friends , and dear countrymen , i have somewhat to say , and not very much , before i depart from you , and shall be seen no more . and , first , as to my engagment with the duke of monmouth . secondly , how far i was concerned : and , thirdly , i shall leave all of you to be judges in matt●r of fact : and so for the first , as a dying man i now declare , that when i entred my self with the duke of monmouth , to be his chyrurgeon , it was on no other account but to serve him in the west-indies ; where i kn●w no other design whatsoever , but to possess himself of some of those islands , until i had been at s●a two days , wherein one privately told me , we are absolut●ly bound for england , and i should take it from him it was true : it much surprized me , but knowing no way to avoid it , or to get on shore , though it was at that time contrary to my inclinations , if i could have avoided it ; i would not l●t others see that i had that dissatisfaction within me . after our landing at lyme , i knew it was never the nearer to attempt my escape , the country being so beset ; on the other hand , if the duke of monmouth did win the day , i might have raised my fortunes as high as i could expect : these were the arguments that flesh and blood did create in my breast for self-preservation . while i was with the said duke , i did him as much service as i could , and faithfully : after it pleased god to disperse that army under his command , i endeavour'd to secure my self , but by providence was taken at honiton , from thence committed to exon , and after remov●d to dorchester , where i received my sentence , and am now as you see , just going to execution : the lord prevent all of you from such ignominious deaths ; and i advise you all , that you never take any great thing in hand , but what you have a warrant for from the lord : i assure you i had no satisfaction in this ; but this i am sure , that if i have done any thing amiss in it , it is pardoned : i bless god i have that satisfaction , i di● a professor of the church of england , i desire pardon of all those i have any ways wronged or abused , as i freely forgive all those that have wronged or abused me ; i am in charity with all men . lord have mercy upon me , give me strength to go through these pains , & give me full assurance now at this last moment : come , lord jesus , come quickly . also one samuel robbins of charmouth in the county of dorset , that was executed , or rather murthered , at warham , in the said county : i cannot pass him by in silence , his case being so ex●raordinary hard , that to speak moderately betwixt the king and his case , i do say this , that i verily believe nev●r man suffered innocenter ; as i hope you will be satisfied in after you have heard his crime , and on what small grounds he was guilty , or so supposed by my lord chief justice . he used generally in the summer to use the craft of fishing , to get a competent maintenance for his family , and happened to be out at sea a-fishing before lyme , that day the duke came in to land ; and was commanded on board one of the duke's ships , he not knowing who they were , and they bought his fish of him ; after which they told him that was the duke of monmouth , pointing at him , and that he was just going to land : he desired to go on shore , which was refused , and told , that as soon as the duke was landed he should have his liberty ; so accordingly he came on shore , and was never after with him , or ever took up arms under him : i leave the reader to judge whether this was high treason or no. this was all he was guilty of , except that he was a good honest men , a zealous christian a man of a very good life and conversation , as i think his neighbours will attest it , in most towns and parishes where he lived : but alas he had a good book in his house when taken , called , the solemn league and covenant : this was the high treason he must be guily of , which was aggravated to the lord chief justice , by one or two hot spirits his neighbours . but to be short , he received his sentence of death with great ●ourage , and not at all dismayed , saying very often in prison before , if it pleased god to call him now ( to glorifie his name by this providence of his ) to death , he should be ready ; but ( said he ) i am as innocent of any thing i have done against any man that may deserve this punishment , as the child now unborn . when he came to the place of execution , he very chearfully declared his innocency to the spectators , as before , and so praying very devoutly for some time , he was executed : his prayer i have no exact copy of . also one mr. charles speake of london , a gentleman of good extraction , being son to the worshipful george speake esq near illminster in the county of somerset , where he was executed : his case also was extraordinary hard ; but there may be two great reasons given why he was executed ; the first was , because he came from that good pious family , which always have been opposers to popery , and suffered deeply for their courage that way . secondly , the said mr. charles speake had purchased some great place in the kings bench-or common-pleas , which was very profitable to him ; so that by his fall there being a forfeiture , much money may be made of it ; all intercession could not avail with the l. c. j. for his life . he h●ppened to be at illminster at the time of the dukes being there , which was the greatest crime he was guilty of ; the validity of his evidence i leave to those in the west , which know how far it was carried that way . he was a fine courteous loving gentleman ; and notwithstanding his youth , he acted the part of an old christian soldier at his death , preparing himself to undergo those pains , saying very often , they were nothing to his deserts from god almighty ; but as for what i am accused of , and sentenc'd for , i hope you will believe i am not so guilty , as my judge and accusers have endeavour'd to make me : if it had pleased god , i should have been willing to have lived some time longer , but god's time being come , i am willing , i will be contented to drink this bitter cup off . being at the place of execution , the croud was so great , that i suppose he was shorter than otherwise he would have been ; but alas ! how could it be ? for on every side of him , as well as up and down the town , the inhabitants were weeping and bewailing him : oh ' t is the worst day that ever we saw in this town ! must this good gentleman die here ? oh! yet save his life , i am ready to die for him , and the like . he prayed very heartily for near an hour , and sung a psalm , and so we hope was translated to heaven , there to sing everlasting praises and hallelujahs . his father and mother you may easily judge were not a little concerned about him ; but their adversaries malice ended not here , but father and mother must be brought in , and how many thousands of pounds it cost them , i think is too well known in london ; and most parts of the kingdom have heard in the publick letters their names mentioned . some may think they were concerned with the duke , but i never heard there was so much made appear against them , as could have made them been brought in guilty of high misdemeanours : had not the good gentleman and his lady been vertuous people , abho●ring the debaucheries of the times , and of such a competent estate , able to spare ten or twelve thousand pounds ; the hard usage this honest brave gentleman and his vertuous lady had , and their sufferings , to relate th●m , would be to large ; and besides , it is so well known in most places , in the west , that i shall , without saying any more , proceed . and next for mr. parret , who was executed at taunton ; if i mistake not , he said he was a londoner , and a brewer . when he came to the place of execution , he seemed a man almost unconcerned at death . after some time , he began to deliver himself somewhat low in voice to the people , and after rising by degrees , he seemed more like a minister in a pulpit preaching devoutly , than a prisoner just going to execution ; but i being then not well , could not tarry to see his end. but the character i had , was , that he desired all not to be faint-hearted because of their fall , and to think that there was no hopes remaining . he said , he verily believed god would yet work out deliverence for them , and at the time they were in the greatest extremity , that would be god's opportunity . put your whole trust and confidence , and dependence on the lord , and he will never leave you nor forsake you : and much more ; but having no more exact copy , i shall not enlarge , but come to some other . a further account of the behaviour of mr. christopher battiscomb , of his l●st speech and prayer , immediately befor● he suff●red at lyme , th . septemb. . which account should have been inserted after the figures . in p. . he was a true protestant to the last , well beloved among the gentry of that country : but it was his fortune to be concerned with the duke of monmouth , and was very faithful to him to the last , during the time of the bloody assizes at dorchester , where he received his sentence of death ; he was divers times sent for to the chamber of the then l. c. j. and promoted with offers of life to betray some gentlemen , which he always refused , saying , he scorned to purchase his life by such indirect means ; and he accordingly chose death rather than life ; seeing it could not be purchased , but by such unworthy means . the day being come , he prepared himself , and received the holy sacrament , walking down to the place of execution , with much chearfulness and christian courage , when he was mounting the ladder , smiled , and said , i am not afraid of this , i am going to a better place , from a poor and miserable world , to a celestial paradise , a heavenly jerusalem ; i might have chosen , whether i would have undergone this death , if i had hearkned to the l. c. j. but it was upon such unworthy terms , that should i have accepted of my pardon , it would have been troublesome to me ; i die a true protestant ; i am in charity with all men : god preserve this nation from popery ; the lord bless you all : so taking his leave of them he knew , after prayer , he launched into eternity . a further account of mr. john sprage of lyme , which should have been inserted after the word souldiers , in pag. . but was there omitted through the printers mistake . with mr. john sprage there were executed twelve in the county of dorset ; mr. john sprage of lyme , a man more fit to die than he that condemned him was fit to live : he was a zealous christian , and a man that in a manner lived in heaven while on earth ; he was but of an ordinary estate in this world : but to be short , his praise , his worth , his fame , will never die in those places where known ; he went about doing good , even in his worldly employments , as i have been credibly informed ; hardly any thing coming that way , but what his spiritual meditations were upon . he was apprehended near salisbury , brought to dorchester , where i saw him several times , and was conversant with him before his tryal ; he carried himself very moderately to all ; some of divers principles in matters of religion , he continually prayed with them , advising and instructing them to those holy duties which were necessary to salvation : being asked , how he could endure those hardships he had undergone , since his being taken ? says he , if this be all , 't is not so much ; but my friend , if you were to take a journy in those ways you were not acquainted with , you would ( i hope ) desire advice from those that had formerly used those ways , or lived near by them : yes , says he : then said he , the ways of affliction which i have lately travelled in , i had advice many a time from a minister , who hath often told his congregation of the troublesomness of the road , and of the difficulty of getting through ; and has given me , and hundreds of others to understand the pitts and stones in the way , and how to avoid them ; he has been a man used to those roads many years ; i have taken his advice ; i am got thus far on comfortably , and i trust shall do so to the end ; i am not afraid to fight a duel with death , if so it must be : now i thank god i can truly say , o death where is thy sting ? and o grave , where is thy victory ? two or three days after their sentence , they were drawn to execution , but were very rudely and opprobriously dealt with , to the shame of those that then had the charge over them , their rigor unto them was more like turks than christians . but to conclude , being come to the place of executition , he prayed very devoutly with them all , but by the rudeness of the guards , there could be no copy taken to be said to be true : all of them dyed very couragious , especially this stout christian champion , who spake to them in these words , ( looking on the souldiers ) saying , little do you think that this very body of mine , which you are now come to see cutt in pieces , will one day rise up in judgment against you , and be your accuser , for your delight in spilling of christian blood ; the heathens have far more mercy : o 't is sad , when england must outstrip infidels and pagans ! but pray take notice , don't think that i am not in charity with you ; i am so far , that i forgive you and all the world ; and do desire the god of mercies to forgive you , and open your hearts , and turn you from darkness to light , and from the power of satan to the lord jesus christ ; and so farewell . i am going out of the power of you all ; i have no dependence but upon my blessed redeemer , to whom i commit my dear wife and children , and all the world. a further account of the behaviour of collonel holms in lyme , and at the place of his execution , which should have been inserted after had followed , in pag. . he with eleven more were brought from dorchester to lyme , six in a coach , and six in a cart , as he was drawn through the town , he chearfully beholding the people , advised them not to be discouraged at their severe deaths ; for that though it was their hard fortunes to lose the day , in so good a cause , yet he questioned not , but it would be revived again , and by such means as he nor they could not imagine ; god i hope and trust will never let this nation to fall into popery , being brought to the inn where they stopped , near two hours , until the butchers had prepared every thing for the slaughter , they were visited by a very worthy divine , and vicar of that town , who offered them those spiritual helps , usually in those occasions , which some of them embraced , and others not ; their principles being different from the church of england : the jaylor speaking to coll. holmes to knock off his irons , he said , great men of state wear chains , and 't is accoun●ed for their honour , but though there is a vast difference , betwixt those golden ones and mine , yet i take mine to be more honourable , as that good apostle said , he accounted it an honour to suffer shame for his masters name ; the sledge being in readiness they prepared to enter it ; but alas ! who shou'd draw such men to execution though men were so bloody ? the very beasts refused to draw them ; and instead of going forward they went backwards , and could by no means make them do it , which so inraged some persons , that they took the coach horses out of the coach , and placed them to the sledge ; but presently the sledge broke in pieces ; then spake this worthy good man : pray gentltmen you see all your strivings will not do , to draw us to execution , i verily believe there is more in it than you are aware of ; pray read about the prophet , that went out of gods way , his beast saw that he could not . give us leave , and we will walk to the place ; being there come , the collonel prepared first to mount that tragical stage , the heads of his speech you have before ; imbracing his fellow sufferers , and kissing them , and giving them some ghostly comforts ; he desired help of the sheriff to go up the ladder , having but one arm , and the gallows higher than ordinary , which was granted : and in a short time after the executioner did his office. collonel holmes in his prayer not mentioning the king , he was charged as before ; to which he replyed , he prayed for him in general , praying for all mankind . thus fell the valiant and good christian coll. holmes ; his dying words we have now found come to pass , he was much lamented by all that saw him , except by some , that 't is feared , are delivered up to a seared conscience . the last speech of henry boddy executed at bath . while he was in prison , especially after sentence , he behaved himself mighty humble , meek , and was much in meditation , which was observed by several divines , especially one who attended him to his last , his name mr. simpson . his poor wife coming to see him at wells , and to make her interest with some friends , if possible to save his life ; but finding it lost labour , and that she could by no means prevail , she died there for grief , before her husband was executed , to his great grief . when he came to the place of execution , he delivered himself to the people in these words : good people , i am come here to pay a debt due to nature , which every one , one time or another , must pay , though not in this manner , or nature . i am condemned as a traitor and rebel against my king , which were things i always hated and abhorred ; and therefore give me so much time as to deliver my self to you ; and what i say , i hope you will believe me at this time , being just going to give an account , not only for every idle word , but for all things i have done since i have had a being . i was born in lyme regis in the county of dorset , and bred up a seaman from my infancy ; i have had the honour to serve his majesty king charles the second , in his wars with the dutch and french , divers times . i always thought it to be the duty of every true english man to stand up in his countries quarrel with foreigners , to maintain our ancient priviledges and honour of ou● nation . i served him faithfully : and as for any undertaking now with the late duke of monmouth , for which i am now come to suffer death ; as for my designs , i am sure they were good , for i did believe him to be my soveraign's son and heir ; but if otherwise , i have done amiss , and am sorry , and hope the lord hath pardoned it . while i was in arms , i am sure there 's none can say i have personally wronged them . i desire all your prayers for me to the last . i am no orator , therefore if you please ( speaking to the minister ) do these last spiritual services for me , as for to pray with me , and for me . the minister being much taken with him , desired leave of the sheriff to ask him some questions , which being granted ; the minister said unto him , i must make bold with you , but not to hold you too long before i pray , but to satisfie my self and the people on w●at ground you stand ; i mean , as concerning your ●v●rlasti●g state . now pray resolve me a few things : first , whe●her you d● own tha● doctrine of non-resistanc● , own●d by the church , tha● it is not lawful on any account wha●soever , to take up arms against the king ? o sir ! as to that i answer , could i have been satisfied he had been my law●u● prince , i should not have done it . but , said the minister , he is , and you are not to be judge ; exc●pt you own those things , some people wil● hardly have charity for you after you are dead . what matters that ? said he , would you have me , now you put me so close to it , to lye ? no , i will not . i say , if he was my lawful king , i was misled in my judgment , and have com●●tted a great error ; but lord , i hope thou hast washed away all my sins , in and through the blood of my dear redeemer , in whose alone merits i hope for mercy . i desire ●o be asked no more questions . then the minister prayed very devoutly near half an hour ; after which , lifting up his hands and eyes to heaven , he quietly submitted to death . mr. john hicks's last speech , . i suppose the spectators here present may expect i should speak something before i leave this sanguinary stage and passage through my bloody sufferings , by which my immortal spirit will be speedily transported into an invisible and eternal world , and i conclude that they have different resentments hereof . some resent them ●ith much joy , high exultation and triumph , others with equal grief and sorrow ; that to th● one i am a most pleasant spectacle , that they behold me with high complacency and delight ; but to the other i am a mournful and unpleasant one , and they behold me with no less pity and compassion . concerning the first , i can say , i freely and heartily forgive them , and heartily pray that god would most mercifully and graciously prevent their mourning through misery , not only here , but eternally hereafter . concerning the other , i will say , weep for your own sins , and for the sins of the nation , for the highest rebellions that ever were committed against the great and eternal god ; lament bitterly for those sins that have been the meritorious cause of the late terrible judgment , that which i fear will cause god to break in upon this nation with an overflowing deluge of judgments , which are far more tremendous and dreadful . as for sympathizing with me , in drinking this bitter cup appointed for me , i return you most humble and hearty thanks , earnestly desiring god to come unto you , and fill your soul● with all celestial comforts and spiritual consolations . something i must say to purge and clear my self from a false accusation laid to my charge ; as that i was engaged with col. blood in rescuing col. mason near boston , when he was sent down with a guard from london to york , to be tryed for high treason ; and that i was the man that killed the barber of that city ; ●nd that also i was with him when he stole the crown . now as i am a dying man , and upon the very brink of a very stupendous eternity , ( the ●●uth and reality whereof i fi●mly believe ) without any reservation or the least equivocation , i do declare in the presence of the all-seeing god , that impartial judge , before whom in a very little time i must appear , i never saw nor conversed with mr. thomas blood , from , till after he stole the crown , which was in , or . nor was ever engaged with him in any of his treasonable plots or practices . 't is true , i being involved in great trouble of another nature , ( of which i have given to the world a narrative , and which is notoriously known in the country where i then lived , by some that were enemies to me for my preaching ) i was perswaded to apply my self to mr. blood , to procure by his intercession his late majesties gracious favour : accordingly he brought me into his royal presence ; while i was there , his majesty carried it with great clemency , without expressing one word of that which i am now charged with . mr. blood continued with his majesty a little longer than i did ; then he told me that he had granted me a pardon , which i did thankfully accept of , knowing it would free me from all penalties and troubles that i was obnoxious to ; and were occasioned to me by my non-conformity . then engaging him to take out my pardon ; he told me , that he got it out with several others that had been engaged with him in several treasonable designs and actions ; at which i was troubled , supposing it might be imputed to me thereby ; yet , god knows , i have often since reflected upon it with great regret and dissatifa●tion . if mr. blood did inform the late king to make himself the more considerable , and to bring as many of his party as he could to accept of their pardons , that h● might be rendered utterly incapable of plotting any further mischief against his government , or any other ways that i was engaged with him in any of his treasonable attempts ; i now appeal to god , as a dying man , concern●ng it , that he hath done me an irreparable w●ong . i also in the same manner do declare , that i was never ingaged with any party in plotting or designing , or contriving any treason or rebellion ag●inst the late king ; and particularly , that i was altogether unco●cerned in , and unacquainted with that for which my lord russel and others suffer'd , and as much a stranger to any against the present king. and whereas it is reported of me , that at taunton i perswaded the late duke of monmouth to assume the title of king , i do once more solemnly declare , that i saw not the said duke , nor had any converse with him 'till he came to shipton-mallet , which was thirteen days after he landed , and several days after he had been at taunton . and 't is as false , that i rid to and fro in the west to stir up and perswade men to go into his army , and rebel against his present majesty ; for i was i● the east country when the duke landed , and from thence i went directly to him , when he was at shipton mall●t , not one man accompanying me from thence . but hitherto as i lived , so now i die , owning and professing the true reformed christia● ( commonly called the protestant ) religion , which is founded on the pure written word of god only , and which i acknowledge likewise to be comprehended in the article of the doctrine of the church . this religion i have made a reasonable and free choice of , and have heartily embraced , not only as it protests against all pagan and mahometan religion , but against the corruption of the christian ; and i humbly and earnestly pray to god that by his infinite wisdom and almighty power , he will prevent not only the utter extirpation but diminution thereof , by the heighth and influence of what is contrary thereto ; and for that end the lord make the professors of it to live up more to its principles and rules , and bring their hearts and conversations more under the government and power of ●he same . i die also owning my ministry , non-conformity , for which i have suffer'd so much , and which doth now obstruct the king's grace and mercy to be manifested and extended to me : for as i chose it not constrainedly , so i appeal to god as a dying man , not moved from sullenness or humour , or factious temper , or erroneous principles of education , or from secular interests , or worldly advantages , but clearly from the dictates of my own conscience , and as i judged it to be the cause of go● , and to have more of divine truth in it than that which is contrary thereto ; so now i see no cause to repent of it , nor to recede from it ; not questioning but god will own it at the last judgment-day . if no more had been required after the late king's restauration to qualifie ministers for publick preaching , than was after the first restauration from the time of charles the first , probably i might have satisfied my self therewith , and not scrupled conformity thereto ; but the terms and conditions thereof by a particular law made in . being not only new , but so strict and severe that i could never have satisfaction in my own conscience , after all endeavours used for a complyance therewith , and a conformity thereto : to say nothing of the covenant , which i never took , but the giving my assent and consent , have been too difficult and hard for me to comply with . and i very well remember , that about fourteen years ago , entring into a discourse with mr. patrick heldore , an irishman , who was contemporary with me in dublin , concerning conformity , which he much endeavour'd to persuade me to ; i urg'd the severity of the forementioned conditions against it , and after some debates and reasons with him , i told him i did believe they were contrived and designed on purpose to prevent our publick preaching , and to keep us out of the church : to which he ingenuously reply'd , he judged it was so : for , said he , a bishop in ireland ( whose name i have forgot ) told me the very same . but though i could not wade through and conquer this difficulty , yet i censure not those that did it ; and i believe after all the hottest disputes , and most vehement debates , and violent contests between conformist and non-conformist , there are of both parties will be glorified in heaven hereafter . according to the th . article of the church of england , a visible church is a congregation of faithful men , in the which the pure word of god is preached , the sacraments of the lord duly administred , according to christ's ordinance , and all those things that of neccessity are requisite and necessary to salvation ; so with such a church have i held the most intimate communion , and with such ( did i live ) could hold it : i would not therefore be so incorporated with any church , as to exclude me from , and render me uncapable of holding communion with other churches ; i was never strongly bound up to any form of ecclesiastical government , but that under which a pure and undefiled religion doth flourish , and that which contains and really practises holiness , and advances the kingdom of god in the world , that can i approve of , and willingly live under , were i to live . i did approve of the ancient and present form of civil government , english monarchy i am fully satisfy'd with , and do also declare , that it is not warrantable for any subject to take up arms against , and resist their lawful soveraigns and rightful princes : and therefore had i not been convinced by several things that i have read and heard , to believe that the late d. of monmouth was the legitimate son of his father charles the second , i had never gone into his army , judging that without this , i could not be freed from the guilt of rebellion , which i always resolved to keep my self clear from : and tho' his father deny'd he was marry'd to his mother , i thought it might be answer'd with this ; that kings and princes , for state reasons , often cannot be fathomed by their subjects , affirming and denying things which otherwise they would not do , and make even their natural affections to truckle and stoop thereto . i exhort all to abhor all treasonable plots , and pretences of all rebellion , with the highest detestation , and to take the plain text of sacred scripture to walk by , in honouring and obeying , and living in subjection to rightful kings , and not readily to receive , or suddenly to be impress'd with evil reports and defamations of them , also not ra●hly to be propagators of the same . i desire god to forgive all mine enemies , and to give me an heart to forgive them , which are many , some mighty , an● all most malicious : particularly barter of lisnel , who bet●ayed me , ●nd proved such a tr●ytor to james d. of monmouth his old and in●ima●e friend . i am grievously affl●cted that i should prove the occasion of the gre●t sufferings of so many persons and families : but this h●th fallen under the just and wise orde●ing of divine providence , as david's going to abime●ech , when he proved the occasion of the d●ath of a●l the persons , men , women , and children in the city : but who shall say unto god , what doest thou ? the care of my most dear wife and a great many children , i cast upon god , who i hope will be better than the best of husbands unto her , and the best of fathers unto them : god knows how just and legal right my wife hath unto her estate ; to him therefore i commit her , to defend her from the violence and oppression of men , particularly from a most inhumane and unnatural broth●r : but no wonder if he will lay violent h●nd● upon his sisters estate , that hath so often laid them on his own father . i die a deeply humbled , self-judging and self-condemning sinner , loathing and abhorring my many an● great iniquities , and my self for them , earnestly desiring full redemption from the bonds of corruption , under which i have groaned so many years , longing for a most perfect conformity to the most holy and glorious god , the only infinite pure being ; thirsting for a permit diffusion of his grace through all the powers and faculties of my soul , panting after pe●f●ct spiritual life and liberty , and a consummate love to my dearest jesus , who is an all comprehensive good , and to be satisfied with his love for ever : a vigorous and vehement zeal for the protestant religion , with a belief i had of the dukes legitimacy , hath involved me in this ignominious d●ath ; yet blessed be god , that by sincere repentance and true faith in the blood of jesus , there is p●ssage from it to a glorious eternal life , and from these bitter ●orrows to the fulnes● of sweetest joys that are in his presence , and from these sharp bodily pains to those most pure pleasures , that are at his right hand for evermore : and blessed be god , that such a death as this cannot prevent and hinder christ's changing of my vile body , and fashioning it like his glorious body , in the general resurrection day . i am now going into that world , where many dark things shall be made perfectly manifest and clear , and many doubtful things fully resolved , and a plenary satisfaction given concerning them ; all disputes and mistakes concerning treason , rebellion , and schism , shall be at an end and cease for ever : many things that are innoc●nt , lawful and laudable , which have foul marks and b●ack characters stampt and fix'd upon 'em here , they shall be perfectly purified and fully cleansed from there ; where at one view , more shall be known of them , than by all wrangling debates , and eager disputes , or by reading all polemical books concerning them here . i greatly deplore and bewail the greedy appetite , and insatiable thirst , that professing protestants have ●fter the blood of their brethren , and the high pleasure they take in the effusion thereo● ▪ but what will not men do , when they are either judicially blinded , or their secular worldly interest insensibly insinuates and winds it self into their religion , is so twisted and incorporated with it , that it animates and acts it , is the life and soul , the vital form and power , and made wholly subservient thereunto ? i bless god for all my sufferings , and particularly for this last ; for the benefit and fruit of it , by god's sanctifying of them to me , have been great ; hereby i have been effectually convinced of the vanity of the world , and my own sinfulness by nature and practice , and to see that to be sin which i never saw before ; and to be more throughly humbled for what i know to be sin , not only of commission , but of omission also : hereby i have been brought to a more thorough , deep , inward sense and feeling of the absolute necessity of the righteousness of christ to justifie me , and he hath been made much more dear and precious to my soul , than ever he was before . hereby my soul hath been more refin'd from the drofs of sensuality , wrought into a more heavenly frame , raised up to a higher pitch of spirituality ; hereby i am made more meek and humble , and so judge more charitably of others that differ from me in opinion and judgment : so though by gods most righteous judgment i have been apprehended , and most justly and deservedly undergo this suffering for my sins , yet i hope they have wrought for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory , fitting and preparing me , making me a better qualified subject for , and far more meet to be a partaker of the same . ●y the grace and strength of god , i will not purchase my life by the death and blood of my protestant brethren , but choose to die rather than be a betrayer of them ; the impetuous and violent assault of this , i dreaded more than death it self . blessed be god i was not exposed unto it , and conquered by it , as some have been : having such full bo●ily vigour and strength , being in such perfect he●lth , notwithstan●ing my age , predominating in me , it hath made it more difficult to die , than if i had been clogged and incumber'd with infirmities , made to bow and stoop under them by p●evailing diseases and distempers , gradually worn out therewith , which many times makes men weary of life , and to desire to die ; and this in conjunction with many things ( which i forb●ar to mention ) highly gratifying and pleasing to sense , which i must leave for ever , strengthens and heightens the difficulty , and begets a g●eater regret and reluctancy in my will , to have the earthly tabernacle of my body dissolved , and my soul to dislodge and quit the same . but now when the black and gloomy shades of death do overspread me , i can say to the glory of gods most free and powerful grace , true faith in some measure hath changed the difficulty into a facility , and easiness of dying : it hath very much subdued the reluctancy of my will against it ; for it makes future things present , and invisible things visible , and doth realize and substantiate the same to me ; and as by it i penetrate and pierce into eternity , and behold invisible and immortal things , so hereby , blessed be god , i have obtained a greater victory over sense : the world , is crucified to me , and i to the world , and all the most pleasant and delightful objects therein , all finite , fa●●ing creatures , comforts and enjoyments , are become minute and small , despicable and contemptible to me , in comparison thereof , being infinitely c●ntained and comprehended therein : shall my soul clasp and cling about these mortal and perishing things ? shall it cleave and be glued to them ? shall it be confin'd and captivated into what is kept in the narrow boun●s of time , and in this lower world ? shall it earn●stly desire and thirst for muddy streams , yea rivers of flesh-pleasing good ; when by an eye of faith i can look into the indeficient , inexhaustible purest fountain ; the immense , immensurate ocean of divine good ; hoping to drink thereof , to swim and bathe my soul therein for ever and ever ? and when i consider how long my ears have been bound up , and tyed to their innumerable and horrid oaths , and cursed blasphemies , and mine eyes to see the profanation of the day of god ; and when i beheld such an overflowing flood of most prodigious impiety , such an inundation of most monstrous iniquity , and so much hell upon earth , and that there is so much decay of holy zeal , and true piety , and christian religion among the professors of it , such seeming incurable breaches and divisions , such expiring love and charity and parting 's among 'em ; it hath powerful influence on my soul to reconcile it more to death , and makes it electively , and from choice to leave this present world , and to take up my abode in that which is unseen and future , where there shall be nothing but perfect love and holiness ; a sinless state , and serving god with all unweariedness , and perfection , with the highest complacency and delight that immortal souls can be capable of : there is perfect peace and concord , the innumerable company of angels , and the spirits of just men made perfect , all fastned together with indissolvible and uninterrupted chains of most pure love , and all continually wrapt up in , and transported with the highest admiration of god's love , his infinite and incomprehensible excellencies and perfections , singing halelujahs to him without ceasing , and triumphing in his praise for ever and ever . the consideration also , that i know so little of these sublime , profound , and divine mysteries ; of the most glorious mystery of salvation by jesus christ ; that i am so uncapable to fathom the depth of the providences of god , whose ways are in the sea , and whose paths are in the deep waters , and whose footsteps are not known , and particula●ly in the late stupendous and amazing one ; and that i am so ignorant of the nature of angels and spirits , with their offices and operations , and of their high and glorious ex●ellencies ; and that i am so little acquainted with the nature of my own soul , as at present dwelling in , and united to my body , and as disunited and separated from it ; how without corporeal organs , it shall most vivaciously and vigorously pe●form all its proper functions and offices , and more than ever strongly and indefatigably serve the lord jesus , most fervently and abundantly love him , and delight in him , every way , much more obtain the supream and highest end of its creation and being ; and this makes me much more willing to die , that i may have the knowledg thereof , with innumerahle other things , that i am now either ignorant of , or do but imperfectly know , and so be made happy by a plenitude of fulness of injoying intellectual pleasures , which are of all other most suitable , sweet and satisfactory to immortal souls . and also i see that he that departs from iniquity makes himself a prey ; and so many plunging themselves into the ways of iniquity , lest they should be accounted odious and vile , which makes them so much degenerate not only from christianity , but from humanity it self , as if they were scarce the excrement of either ; contemning even that most noble , generous , heroick spirit that dwelt in many heathens , who accounted it most honourable and glorious to contend for their rights and liberties , yea , to suffer death , and the worst of deaths , in defence of the same ; and judge them accursed and most execrable in the world that do so ; and not only so , but , for their own profit and advantage , have many of them inslaved their posterity by it , and are most industrious and laborious , most fierce and furious to destroy them , whereby they are become as unnatural as children that seek the ruine of their parents that begot them , and brought them forth ; or them that lay violent hands upon themselves , dashing out their own brains , cutting their own throats , hanging and drawing themselves , ripping up their own bellies , tearing out their own bowels , they being in different senses children and members of that body politick they design and attempt the destruction of ; and when i know not how long the duration and continuance of these things shall be , or a conclusion or end by god shall be put thereto , who by divine and unerring wisdom governs the world ; why shall my soul be unwilling to take its flight into the unseen and eternal world ? where no sullied , sordid or impious thing , most incongruous and unbecoming nature , shall be seen and found , and where i shall behold no narrow conclusive contracted soul there , habitually preferring their private before a publick good , but all most unanimously and equally center in one common universal good and where the sighs , and groans , and cries of the afflicted and persecuted , shall be heard no more for ever . i earnestly exhort all most highly to prize and value time , and diligently improve it for eternity ; to be wise , seriously and seasonably to consider of their latter end : for by the irrepealable and irreversible law of heaven we must all die , yet we know not how , where , or when . live with your souls full of solicitude and care , with a most deep concernedness , and most diligent industriousness , whilst you have time and opportunity , and the means of grace , health , and strength , make sure of these two great things , viz. . what merits for you a right and title to eternal life and glory , and the future unchangeable blessedness , as the redeemers most precious blood and righteousness ; that thereby a real application and imputation may be unto you by sincere believing . ( . ) that that which makes you qualified subjects for it , is the great work of regeneration , wrought in your souls , being renewed in the spirit of your minds , the divine nature being imprest upon them , repairing of the depraved image of god in you ; th●t being transformed into his own likeness , thereby in the world you may mind an● savour more the things of the spirit than the things of the flesh , celestial and heavenly more than terrestrial and earthly , superiour more than inferiour things : and therewith have a holy life and conversation conjoyned , that results and springs from the same , as fruit from the root , and acts from the habits . let all , in order thereto , seriously consider these few texts of sacred scripture , let them predominately possess you ; let them be deeply and indelibly transcribed upon your souls ; let them be assimilated thereunto , and made the written epistles , the lively pictures thereof , matth. . , . blessed be the pure in heart , for they shall see god. vers. . for i say unto you except your righteousness exceed the righ●eousness of the scribes and pharisees , ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven . john . . jesus answered and said unto him , verily , verily , i say unto thee , except a man be born again , he cannot see the kingdom of god. cor. . , , . know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of god , &c. gal. . , , to . now the works of the flesh are manifest , which are these , adultery , &c. james . . of his own will begat he us with the word of truth , that we should be a kind of fi●st fruits of his creatures . pet. . . blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ , which according to his abundant mercy , hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of jesus christ. vers. . wherefore gird up the loyns of your minds , &c. colos. . , . if ye then be risen with christ , seek those things that are above : set your affections on things above , not , &c. gal. . . and they that are christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts , &c. eph. . . and you hath he quickned , who were dead in trespasses and sins , rev. . . blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection , on such the second death hath no power . rom. . . there is therefore now no condemnation , &c. pet. . . but as he that hath called you is holy , so be ye , &c. vers. . being born again , not of corruptible seed , &c. psal. . . but know that the lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself , &c. i shall mention now no more , the whole bible abounds with these texts , with what a renovation and change of our carnal and corrupt hearts and natures , there must be , with holiness of life and conversation , before we can be capable of a future and blessed immortality , and of inheriting the kingdom of god for ever and ever . amen . a letter written by mr. john hicks , octob. . the day before his death . my dear nephew , i am yet in the land of the living , though in the mouth of death ; i have been concern'd for you , next to my own children ; before i die , i thought fit 〈◊〉 write two or three lines to you , a● a manifestation of my great love to you : i earnestly desire the welfar of you here , and to eternity hereafter ; next to my own wife and children , you will want me when i am gone ; but i hope the lord will take care of you ; make it your business to walk with him , to serve him faithfully ; flee youthful lusts , and remember your creator in the days of your youth ; be deeply concern'd to have your heart ▪ and nature chang'd , and an interest in christ secur'd unto you . death comes suddenly , you know not when , where , nor how you shall die : let time therefore be most precious to you ; fill it up with work and duty ; live by faith more than by sense ; and this will stand by you when you come to ●ie : seek the things which are above , and set your affections upon them ; have your conversation in heaven , whilst you are upon ea●th ▪ when you see your parents , give my dear love to them and their children ; the lord grant that we may meet in his everlasting kingdom : when you see any of your cousins , give my dear love to them , and be not asham'd of my sufferings . i wrote last saturday was a seven-night to my brother george , but whether he is at london or worcester , i know not ; i wrote to him , to desire him to petition the king , that some favour and mercy might be shewed me , if he thought fit . things that are made to aggravate my crime , i am clear from ; as that i perswaded the duke of monmouth to assume the title of king at taunton , when i was not there with him , or in thirteen days after he came into england ; and that i rode to and fro in the west , to perswade people to go in to his army , when i was in the east , and ca●● from thence to hi● in the west ; but my non-conformity cuts me , and obstructs the king's mercy from being extended t● me , as i am told ; but the will of the lord be done ; the life to come is infinitely better than this : many more things are laid to my charge , which i am no more guitly of than your self . if your vncle be in town , go speedily to him , and give him my dear love. i pray for you , who am , your most affectionate uncle , j. h. octob. . . a letter to his wife , sept. . . my dearest love , i hope you received a few lines from me , by the way of london ; once more i write to you , by your faithful and trusty friend w. d. who hath been at exon. if there be need for it , he knows many of my dear and faithful friends there , who wish you would come and live among them ; and if your estate fail , i think i● very advisable so to do ; i hope god will stand by you , and defend you : my dear , se● me in god , as i must you . i must now bid adieu to all earthly and worldly comforts , and all the pleasant and delightful objects of sense . i bless god for all present mercies and comforts hitherto i have had ; what will be after this day , i know not , but the will of the lord be done . my dear , be very cautious not to speak one word , lest it be wrested to a wrong sense , which may ruin● you ; i have not writ what i would of this nature , take the advice of friends , and of what i send by our friend . o let not the everlasting arms of god be with-drawn from you one moment ; and let him strengthen you with all might , according to his glorious power , and to all patience and long-suffering , with joyfulness ! pray hard for victory over passion , and be much in private closet prayer with god ; and often read the holy bible , and other good books ; the lord continually guide , direct and counsel you . my dear , i return you a thousand thanks for all the love you have shew'd me and my children , and particularly for the high and great demo●stration you have given hereof in this day of my distress . i hope my daughters will be as dutiful to you , and be as much concerned for your comfort and welfare , as if you had travelled with them , and brought them into the world ; god bless my dear little ones and them together , i shall die their most affectionate and praying father ; god i hope , will uphold , support , and comfort me at the last hour , and enable me to overcome the temptations i shall violently be assaulted with before i die . god by his infinite and freest mercies in jesus christ , pardon all the neglect of relative duties , ( which i have bitterly lamented and bewail'd before god , with all the sins i am guilty of ) for the sake of our dearest lord and redeemer . the lord make you grow in all grac● more than ever , and make this great affliction so humbly purifying and spiritualizing to you as w●ll as me , that it may work for us both a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory . let him take your soul into his most dearest embraces , and lodge it in the bosom of his love here , and make us to meet in the full and everlasting fruition and enjoyment of him hereafter . though it be da●gerous for you to vindicate that i die for , yet be not too much cast down for it : i will say no more as to that . my hearty and affectionate respects to all my dear friends ; i need not name them ; i hope to meet them , with your self , to inherit eternal life , through the merits of christ's death . farewel , my dear , farewel in the lord , until we meet to be married to him for ever . my heart is as full of love to thee , as it was the first day i married thee ; and if god spar'd my life , it should have been as fully manifested until death : therefore i rest , your most affectionate and endeared husband , j. h. sept. . . another letter . my dearest love , i received your letter by mr. skinner ; i bless god that you and my babes are well ; the lord continue their lives to be a blessing and comfort to you , and enable you to see them well educated in the fear of god ; and when god takes me away , let him be a husband to guide , direct , succour , comfort and support you , and to lodge your soul in the bosom of his love ; and let him be a father to them , and their portion for ever . monday last my brother went to london to try what could be done for me ; what the success will be , i know not : i desire the lord every day to prepare me for death , and carry me above the fear of it , by the discoveries of his everlasting love unto my soul , and clearing up my right and title to everlasting life ; and by sealing up to me the pardon of all my sins , through the most precious blood of jesus chr●st . let u● pray hard and much for each oth●r : when i leave this world , it shall be with prayer fo●●hee ; if god give me life how shall i study to be a comfort to thee , and to live up to my marriage as well as baptismal ●ovenant ! to all my friends tend●r my affectionate respects : i hope their prayers will one way or other be heard for me ; let the almighty be your pro●●ctor , supporter and comforter . there be two books i do recommend to you to read when you are retir'd , as well as in your family : pierce's preparation for death , and fox's red●mption of time. now let our soul● meet together in one most blessed god , in our dearest jesus , and sweetest saviour ; let them clasp and cling about him , and be sick for the love of h●m ; and that we may meet to enjoy him fully to et●rnity , and be satisfied with his love for ever . a thousand loves , if i had them , i would send to thee , next to my dearest lord jesus , and the things that are heavenly , spiritual and immortal : i love thee : what i can spare for thee , is convey'd to thee and my dear children , from thy most affectionate and faithful husband , and their most loving father , j. h. another letter . my most dear love , i hope you have received my last ; once more , as a dead a●d living man ( through difficulty ) i write to you , though i yet do not know when or where i shall die , but expect death every day ; when that message is brought to me , i hope , through the grace and streng●h of christ , it will be no surprize to me ; that neither my lips , flesh , nor heart will tremble when i hear it ; i know the cause for which i suffer ; god hath and has singled me out from many of my brethren ( which i never have been without some apprehensions of for above these twenty years ) to lay down my life ; how far it is for his cause , will be judged at the last day : i bless god , who hath kept me from all temptations to conformity ; though it has brought me to ruine and destruction in this world , it will be no fit season for you to vindicate that for which i am call'd to supper , be silent , and leave it to god ; i advise you to all prudence in this case : have your own reserv'd thoughts , and let them concerning me , support and comfort you ; if there never happen a time for you to glory in my sufferings , it will be hereafter ; do you but walk with god ( though through prudence you must hold your tongue ) and be not asham'd you had such a husband ; i thank god that gave it me , whose courage and publick spirit for the protestant religion , the civil liberties of his country , even true english liberties , hath in this ignominious way , brought me to the conclusion and end of my time . mourn not , my dear , as one without hope , let the world know you have something from me , something from your self as a christian , but ten thousand times more from god to comfort and support you ; see christ by an eye of faith , infinitely more lovely and beautiful than my self ; let him be married to your soul ; let him be the chiefest of ten thousand , and more dear and precious to you ; it is not long we shall be separated , before we shall see one another in a spiritual enjoyment , separated from all fleshly pleasures and delights , yet i●finitely m●re sweet and satisfying to immortal spirits , as you and i us'd to see s●re●ms from the fountain and the largest streams in the ocean ; so let us see one another in god , the ever-flowing and over-flowing fountain of all good , the fathomless and boundless ocean of good. se●k much the things which are above ; live with your affections set upon them ; and have your conversation in heaven whilst you are upon earth . i continue yet to pray for you , as for my se●f , and shall con●inue to do it until i die ; in my last prayers you shall be interested with my dear babes , whom i hope god will take into covenant with him , and number them among his adopted ones , and of that incorrup●ible inheritance which is in heaven : i hope god will spare your life to see them educated , and guide and assist you therein , and theirs to be a blessing and comfort to you : co●sider your condition is not single and alone , this country affords a multitude of the like sad and deplorable instances ; let this make you more to possess your soul with patience and humility , calmly and quietly to submit to the good will of god. i have left a paper behind me for you to read , and our friend can tell with what difficulty i write it , therefore must have many defects and imperfections , which must be over-looked and mended ; preserve ●he two bibles for my dear james and betty : what shall i say more , my dearest ? i must break off with my heart full of love to thee ; and subscribe my self , thy most dear and affectionate husband till death , j. h. octob. . . captain abraham ansley's last speech . i am come to pay a debt to nature ; 't is a debt that all must pay , though some after one manner , and some after another : the way that i pay it , may be thought by s●me few ignominious but not so by me ; having long since , as a true engli●hman , ●hou●ht it my duty to venture my ●ife in defence of the protestant religion against popery and arbitrary power : for this same purpose i came from my house to the d. of m's army : at first i was a lieutenant , and then a captain , and i was in all the action the f●ot was engaged in , which i do not repent : for had i a thousand lives , they should all have been engaged in the same cause , although it has pleased the wise god ( for reasons best known to himself to blast our designs ; but he will deliver his people by ways we know nor think not of : i might have saved my life , if i would have done as some narrow-soul'd persons have done , by impeaching others ; but i abhor such ways of deliverance , choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of god than to enjoy life with sin. as to my religion , i own the way and practice of the independent church , and in that faith i die , depending on the merits of our saviour jesus christ , for my eternal salvation : his blessing be with you all . farewell to thee , poor england , farewell . abraham ansley . mr. annesley's last letter . sir , i now send you my last farewel , being going to lay down my life with joy , and assurance of life eternal ; for which , blessed be the holy one of israel , who never leaves nor forsakes those that put their trust in him , and give you many thanks for your kindness to me , the lord make it up to you ; by pouring upon you a daily portion of his most holy spirit , and deliver you from your bonds . my enemies have done what they could to afflict this body ; but blessed be the most high , who has given me strength , patience , and courage to endure all they can lay upon me . the grace of our lord jesus christ and the fellowship of his holy spirit ●ttend you ; which is the prayer of your dying friend , but living brother in christ jesus , abraham ansley . from taunton castle , sept. . . mr. josias askew's letter to his father . honoured father , i not having an opportunity to make my gratitude known to you for all your endeavours for the saving a poor , vain , perishing , and troublesom life : and seeing it is all in vain , i would desire you both to acquiesce in the will of god , and rejoyce with me for this happy day of my departure ●rom this state of pilgrimage , home to the possession of those heavenly mansions , which my god and fa●her hath provided for me , in and through my lord jesus christ : it is ●n him alone i put my trust and confidence , and the●efore can boldly s●y , who is he that condemneth ? it is christ that dy●d , yea rather , that is risen again , and is set down at the right hand of god , making intercession for all those that have a well grounded confidence in him . my time is but short , and by reason of company i am disturbed ; therefore i conclude with my last breath , begging of god , that he would keep you constant in his fear , in this day of great temptation , and at last receive you to his glory , where we shall once more unite , in praising , without interruption or distraction , world without end , amen : until which time , the grace of god the father , the love of god the son , the comfortable refreshings of god the holy ghost , be with you , all you●s , and the whole israel of god , both now and for ever : which i● the hearty prayer of your son , josias askew pray remember me to all with joy. another letter to his friend . madam , you have been a partaker with me in my trouble● i would also make you partaker with me in my joys ; se●ing my wedding day is come , the day of the bridgroom is at hand , and i am this day to be stript of my rags of corruption , to be cloathed upon with the white robe of his righteousness and purity , and to be married to my husband , and to be given to the embraces of my lord jesus christ , for ever and ever . learn not to repine at the holy determination of an infinite wise god , but rest satisfied in his will , knowing that he doth all things for the best to them that fear him : weep not for me , who am only changing this world of temptation , of troubles and affliction : it hath pleased god to call me a little before you , but you must soon follow after ; keep therefore the fear of god before your eyes , and then you will have cause to rejoyce , and not to mourn ; when at the time of departure , you may have cause to say with me , i have run my race , i have finished my course , i have kept the faith , henceforth is laid up for me a crown of glory which fadeth not away ; which that you may be able to say , is the hearty prayer of your friend and servant , josias askew . the account his friend gives of him . to prevent your further trouble in suing for a pardon , i think it convenient ●o l●t you know , i do not question , but my dear cousin hath had his pardon sealed by the king of kings , and is in everlasting blessedness , singing hallelujahs , salvation , glory and honour to him that sits upon the throne , and to the lamb for ever and ever : for god did so carry him through to drink that bitter cup with so much courage and chearfulness to the last , as was to the admiration of all spectators , notwithstanding the terrible sight he s●w at the place of suffering , and so vehemently , as he was tryed by the adversary , yet it did not in the least discompose him , or alter his countenance ; for he continued with a smiling countenance to the last , and was transported above measure : i want words to express it , he was like one wrapt up in heaven , with his heart there , and his eyes fixed thereon . i could wish you had been there , it would have driven away all cause of sorrow from your heart , to see his deportment , and hear the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth : he remembreth his duty to you both , and left p●ul's blessing with you , grace , mercy and peace ; his love to his dear sister ; he desires her not to be troubled for him , for he hath made his peace with god , and was assured he should go to eternal happiness ; he would have written more to you and to his sister , but that he had so short a time after sentence that he wanted opportunity ; when he went out of prison , he said , gentlemen , now i am going , and it is the time i much longed for ; i would not change with him that passeth sentence upon me , for a world. i was with him to the last , and seeing his courage , did very much encourage me , though i never saw such a sight with my eyes . the behaviour of john holway before , and at the place of his execution at warham , in the county of dorset . he lived in lime where the duke landed , and appeared in arms at that time , until his captain left him ; then took up arms under the duke of monmouth , and went with him , until the kings proclamation came forth , that all that would lay down their arms before some justice of the peace , in four days after , and take a certificate for their so doing , they should be acquitted , and have his majesties pardon , which this person did , though one day too late ; which blot my lord chief justice hit , being very good at it , and passed the sentence of death on him . before his tryal he was not much concerned at his case , and thought himself almost out of danger : but to be short , he received his sentence with much courage and resolution , and by the means of one mr. tiller , who was to suffer with him , was brought to that setled frame of spirit , as is fit for one in that condition : as he was riding in the cart , toward the place of execution , the troopers , being just behind the cart , he told them , they shewed like brave fellows , but , said he , if i were to have my life for fighting the best five of you , i would not question it . at the place of execution he said not much , but that he thought his and other mens blood would be revenged on time or another , and said , forgive me , have mercy on my poor soul , pardon all my sins , and the like , and so the executioner did his office. the last speech and prayer of mr. matthews at the place of execution . he was much concerned the morning before he died , to see his wife weep , and to be in such a passion for him , which drew tears from his eyes ; and taking her in his arms , said , my dear , prithee do not disturb me at this time , but endeavour to submit to the will of god ; and although thy husband is going from thee , yet i trust god will be all in all unto thee ; sure my dear , you will make my passage into eternity more troublesome than otherwise , if you thus lament and take on for me ; i am very sensible of thy tender love towards me , but would have you consider , that this separation will be so much for my advantage , as your loss cannot parallel . i thank god i am willing to die , and to be with my jesus ; be satisfied , the will of god must be done : thy will be done , o god , in earth as it is in heaven ; so embracing her , took his last farewell of her , and prepared to go to the place of execution , where being come , he with a very modest , sober , composed frame of spirit stood while he saw several executed before him ; his turn being come , he thus spake : dear countrimen , i suppose we are all of one kingdom and nation , and i hope protestants ; o i wonder we should be so cruel and blood-thirsty one towards another ; i have heard it said heretofore , that england could never be ruin'd but by her self , which now i fear if a doing . lord have mercy on poor england ; turn the hearts of the i●habi●●nts thereof , cause them to love one another , and to for●et one anothers infirmities . have me●cy , o lord , on me ; give me strength and patience to fulfil thy will ; comfort my dear and sorrowful wife , be a hu●b●nd unto her , stand by her in the great●st trouble and affliction ; let her depend upon thy p●ovidence● ; be merciful to all men ; preserve this nation from popery ; find out yet a way for its deliverance , if it be thy good will , and give all men hearts to be truly than●ful ; comfort my fellow sufferers that are immediately to follow ; give them strength and comfort unto the end : i forgive all the world , even all those that have been the immediate hastners of my death : i am in charity with all men. and now , blessed lord jesus , into thy hands i commend my spirit . our father which art in heaven , hallowed be thy name ; thy kingdom come ; thy will be done in e●rth as it is in heaven ; give us this day our daily bread ; forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us ; and lead us not into temptation ; but deliver us from evil ; for thine is the kingdom , the power and the glory , for ever and ever , amen . after which going up the ladder , he desired the executioner not to be hard to him , who answered , no , and said , i pray master forgive me : to which he said , i do wi●h my whole heart , and i pray god forgive thee ; but i advise thee to leave off this bloody trade . the executioner said , i am forced to do what i do , it 's against my mind . so lifting up his hands to heaven , the executioner did his office. the behaviour and dying words of mr. roger satchel , who was executed at weymouth in the county of dorset . this gentleman , at the time of the dukes landing at lyme , lived at culliton , about five miles west of that town , and was supposed to be concerned in the design with the duke . he always was a great admirer of him , which got him many enemies among the gentry of that county : he always hated the name of a papist ; and as it fell out , he did foresee popery advancing , as his words to divers of his neighbours can testifie . as for his disposition , he was of a very generous and heroick spirit . but to proceed , no sooner had he the news of the dukes being landed , but he sets himself to work to serve him , desiring all he knew to joyn with him , and was one of the first that went to him to lyme , and was with him to the end : but after the rout , travelling to and fro , to secure himself , was at last taken at chard by three moss troopers , under no discipline , who made it their business to ruine their neighbours in those parts ; they are so well known , i need not say any more : he was from thence carry'd to ilchester , and so secured in ilchester goal ; and at the bloody assizes at dorchester , took his tryal , and received his sentence with the rest : great application was made for him ; but my l. c. justice jeffreys ears were deaf , and so was order'd to be executed at weymouth . after sentence , two of his friends came to him , and told him , there was no hope . he answer'd , my hope is in the lord. after which he spent most of his time , before execution , in prayer and meditation , and conferring with many good persons . the morning being come , he prepared himself , and all the way drawing to execution was very devout . being come to the place , there was a minister , i think , of that place , who sung a psalm , and prayed with them , and would have some discourse with this person , which he avoided as much as possible ; but he asked him , what were his grounds for joyning in that rebellion ? who answered , had you , sir , been there , and a protestant , i believe you would have joyned too ; but do not speak to me about that , i am come to die for my sins , not for my treason against the king , as you call it . so pointing to the wood that was to burn his bowels , he said , i do not care for that ; what matters it what becomes of my body , so my soul be at rest . so praying to himself near half an hour , and advising some he knew never to yield to popery , he was turned off the ladder . he was a couragious bold spirited man , and one of great reason , just and punctual in all his business , and one that did much good amongst his neighbours . there was at the same time and place one mr. lancaster executed , whose courage and deportment was such , that he out-braved death , and in a manner challenged it to hurt him , saying , i die for a good cause , and am going to a gracious god. i desire all your christian prayers ; 't is good to go to heaven with company . and much more he spake concerning the duke of monmouth , whom he supposed at that time to be living ; and so praying privately for some small time , he was turned , or rather leaped over the ladder . if i mistake not , he said he was born or lived in bridport . the last speech of mr. benjamin sandford at the place of execution at bridport . he with nine more were brought from dorchester to bridport to be executed . coming to the place of execution , he held up his hands to heaven , and turning himself to the people , said , i am an old man you see , and i little thought to have ended my days at such a shameful place , and by such an ignominious death ; and indeed it is dreadful to flesh and blood , as well as a reproach to relations , but it would have been a great deal more , if i had suffered for some felonious account . says one to him , is not this worse do you think than felony ? he answered , i know not any thing that i have done so bad as felony , that this heavy judgment should fall upon me , except it be for my sins against my god , whom i have highly provok'd , and must acknowledge have deserved ten thousand times more ; lord ! i trust thou hast pardoned them ; seal my pardon in the blood of my saviour ; lord look upon , and be with me to the last moment . there was also executed at the same time one john bennet , a poor man , but pious and of good report with his neighbours in lyme where he lived . i have heard , that when he was on trial , a certain person inform'd his lordship that the prisoner , then at the bar , had alms of the parish : and that his lordship should reply , do not trouble your selves , i will ease the parish of that trouble . in prison , and at the place of execution , he behaved himself so to all , that many of his enemies pitied him , and would , if it had lain in their power , ( as they said ) have saved him . his son being then present , offered to have died for him , and was going up the ladder , if it might have been suffer'd . he prayed some short time , and so was translated , as we have hopes to think , from this troublesome world into celestial joy and happiness . next follows many excellent hymns made by several worthy persons that were prisoners for the sake of christ. triumphing songs with glorious tongues , let 's offer unto him ; that loved so to undergo the product of our sin. leaving his throne from heaven came down , sinners for to redeem from hell and wrath and second death , christ underwent great pain . his side was gor'd , his hands were bor'd , his feet were nailed down , and all was for the redemption of sinful wicked man. o how straitned , prest and pained was christ to be baptized , and in affliction to be plunged , his body sacrificed . let god be blest for jesus christ who is our splendid king , hallelujahs sweet with spirit meet , high praises to him sing . for blood , for wounds , for love , whose bounds extended unto all : for scoff● and smites , for jeers , for flouts which upon christ did fall . now christ , haste unto us again , thy scepter for to sway , thy kingdom come , thy will be done . come jesus , come away . with glorious bands and shi●ing trance of angels in the skye , which forth shall sing triumphing songs with sweet hallelujah . set up thy standerd , and prepare war against babylon : for her destruction draweth near . as here we read her doom . lord , blow the trumpet , and awake , the nations round about , ●tir up the spirit of the medes , which did old babel rout . for babel must drink of that cup which sion deep did wound , jerusalem did first begin , and so the cup goes round . but babel must drink up the dregs of wrath which do remain , with which no mixture she shall have to mitigate her pain . for 't is the vengeance of our god , and of his temple too , the vials that fill up his wrath , the three last trumpets wo. when jacob as a battle ax in great jehovah's hand , shall break down all , those mountains tall , that in his way do stand . o then let us rejoyce , because the time appointed is , that babel shall be seen to fall , and sion shine in bliss . our lord draws near , as doth appear by signs by him fore-told ; then virgins come , meet your bridegroom , his wondrous works behold . the night grows dark ' be still and hark what is the brid●grooms voice ; that when the 〈◊〉 comes swiftly by , it may your 〈◊〉 ●ejoyce . your light grows dim , arise and trim your lamps from all their soyl ; and see your light shines clear and bright , supply'd with gospel-oyl . some virgins now do sleepy grow ; and don't their vessels fill ; nor fear a want , when oyl grows scant , and none be found to sell. and at mid-night , all in a fright , oyl-shops they cannot find ; and none will spare , out of his share , and so they are left behind . thus foolish sleep , in dangers deep , and think their lord delays ; but his own bride ●ath surely spi'de some of his glorious rays ; and will not sleep , unless she keep her watch-light● burning still , with oyl in store , laid up therefore , let him come when he will. and though her garments had some rents , and spots not perfect white ; yet they 'll be cleans'd , or quickly chang'd for rayments of delight . with her bridegroom , she 〈◊〉 find room in chambers of his love ; when the unwise , he will de●pise , and them from him remove . the behaviour and dying words of mr. gatchill executed at taunton . the said mr. gatchill was a constable of the hundred ; he was surprized by a party of the dukes , and shewed a warrant to bring in provisions and other necessaries for the use of the army , which if he had not obeyed , was threatned to have his house burnt ; so that he was obliged to do what he did for his own preservation . but this was not sufficient , for being found guilty , he was executed . as he was drawn to execution , he looked on the people , a●d said , a populous town , god bless it . just b●fore he was executed , he spake , that the crime he was accused of , and condemned for , was high treason ; but he did not know himself to be guilty of it ; and that what he did he was forced to do . and further said , i am so well known to you , that i do verily believe you have charity to think that what i speak is true . as for the niceties of the law , i do not well understand them . and much more to the same effect he spake . and so after prayer with his suffering brother , mr. simon hambling , he was executed . there was also executed at taunton mr. john hucker , a very worthy gentlman of that town . he had some ill friends in the duke's army , that cast aspersions on him , as though he was the person that was a traytor to the duke , by firing a pistol in sedgmoor ; but i have strictly examined many on that point , and can find it to be nothing but the worst of an enemies malice , to wound him after his death in his reputation , which he always valued highly when living . to be short , he has left the character amongst his neighbours , of an honest man , a good christian , and one that was true to the interest of the duke , and sealed it with his blood. the following letter my bookseller received from mr. robert hucker now living in taunton , which i thought proper to print word for word , than so my reader may see what care i have taken to have all the accounts i give concerning mr. hucker well attested . mr. dunton , taunton , feb. th . / . looking over the advertisements to the athenian mercury , i found your intention of making some additions to the book , called the bloody assizes ; and finding others that suffered with my father , their relations have printed their last letters ; i have here sent you a letter written by my father but some hours before he was executed ; the main reason why i consented to have it printed , was , that persons mouths may be stopt from their false and lying accusations ; he carried himself like a christian under confinement ; but when he came to look death in the face , it was with so much courage , that it was to the astonishment of the beholders ; for there was many a weeping eye amongst both officers and souldiers for him , and those his fellow-sufferers . i crave a line from you of the receipt of this , with which you will oblige , sir , your unknown friend and servant , robert hucker . direct to me in taunton . mr. john huckers letter to his friend a little before his execution . i was in hopes to have had liberty to speak a few words at the place of execution , till a few minutes since ; but now am persuaded the contrary : therefore excuse these abrupt-lines . i bless god , i am now reconciled to this contemptible death ; it was long ere i could ; but now god hath done it for me , and i thankfully submit to it from the hands of the wise god , whom i have offended : and therefore desire to accept my punishment , knowing he doth all things well without any wrong to his creatures . i had lately some discourse with two persons , whereof one was of quality concerning the things laid to my charge ; i was told , that it was three things ; one was , that i was an enemy to , or against the protestant religion ; that i was troublesome , and had acted vigorously in elections of members for parliament ; and upheld the meetings . i own my self a protestant , and die an asserter of that religion , and i pray god i do not prove a better friend to it than those that have so industriously endeavoured the taking away my life , and that they see it not when it 's too late . as to the meetings , i bless god i ever was at any of them , and that i was any way instrumental to the upholding of them , and am troubled that i have , i fear , sinfully deprived my self of them , and do believe , if ever the ordinances of god were rightly administred , and the gospel effectually preached , it was in those meetings that were held in taunton ; the lord bless the seed that was there sown . as to elections of members for parliament , i judge it my birthright ; and therefore was industrious in it ; but i hope never did ( i am sur● never intended ) troublesomness to any in it , but especially to my superiors : i had ever a venerable and due esteem of magistrates , as the ministers of god , and they administring an ordinance of god. i also lye under a reproach of being unfaithful to an interest that i owned , which i utterly deny and disown . i pray god bless and forgive my violent enemies that hav● industriously sought the taking away my life . it 's the hearty prayer of ▪ john hvcker . from taunton-castle a little before he suffered , sept. th . . an impartial account of k — s cruelties , with other barbarities in the west : never printed before . sent to the compiler of this history , by one that was an eye and ear witness to all the matter of fact. when k — k came first into taunton , he came with two cart-loads of men bloody , and their wounds not drest , just as they were hauled into bridgwater prison , they were guarded with granadeers with naked swords and bagonets . he also brought with him into taunton , a great drove of foot , chain'd two and two together . he hanged nineteen on the cornhill immediately , not suffering either their wives or children to speak to 'em , or to take their leave of ' em . as they were executing , he k — caused the pipes to play , drums an● trumpets to sound , that the spectators might not hear the cries and groans of the dying men , nor the cries of their friends . he caused their bowels to be burnt , and their quarters to be boyl'd in pitch , and hang'd all about the town . k — hanged one on the vvhite heart sign-post three times , to try if he wou'd own he had done amiss ; but he affirmed ( to this effect ) that if it was to do again , he wou'd engage in the same cause ; so k — would have him hang'd in chains ; and so he was , till king vvilliam came , to the deliverance of this nation from popery and slavery . when jenkins , hewlings , &c. were to die , before they came out of the b — l , there was a great fire made on the cornhill , that so they might see the fire that was to burn their bowels . some that k — caused to be hanged , he caused also their bodies to be stript , and their breasts to be cleav'd asunder , in the place where he caused the executions to be done ; you might have gone up to the ankles in blood ; he also caused the hearts of the poor executed men to be thrown into the fire with a great shout , saying , here is the heart of a traytor . a captain of vv — was hang'd , and the rope broke , wh●reby he hoped to have saved his life ; but they took from a market-horse a ring-rope , and hanged him again . at the assizes when the prisoners were brought before the bar , jeffreys said , if any man pleaded not guilty , he should die . one not concerned in monmouth's business , when asked , said , not guilty my lord : jeffreys said , take him jaylor , and let him be executed another time . an honest man was hanged for sparing for monmouth's horse three pennyworth of hay . a constable also was hanged for executing of monmouth's warrant . and many hundreds were put in the castle-hall , by which it was feared they would infect the town . frances burges was taken upon maidendown , by the persuasion of sir — was hang'd by fastning a rope to a chamber-window , and set upon a hoget , and so hang'd . the executioner was one s — of st. thomas parish , exon. there was , by good report , several scores died in ilchester by infectious diseases , and in their irons , and hand-bolt ; for if they were not hard-hearted , and us'd the extreamest rigor imaginable , the keepers were not counted good subjects : one of vvelinton that was to be hanged them , was saved , supposed by order of sir — and one of crookern hanged in his stead ; this is true , and so it was at other places : but 't were endless to record all the cruelties exercised by k — and jeffreys , after monmouth's defeat . now that which remains , is to give an account of hundreds that had fled and hid themselves up and down in holes and rocks , whose friends make all application to some great person or other to procure their pardons ; some to this , some to others , that they thought favourites with the king ; but the rewards must be ascertain'd before any application could be made , ( for pardons were just as they were in rome ) according to the ability of the person , from half a crown to sixteen thousand guinea's ; any tooth good barber . divers lists being sent up , and the rewards ascertain'd , which amongst many of them put together , did amount to considerable sums . so that it was now , who could find a friend to relieve his distressed relations , which were forced to wander up and down in caves and desarts , for fear of being taken . but this misfortune attended the agents , that unless my lord chancellour were used by his creatures that were allowed by him so to do , other applications commonly met with disapointments . to conclude , the solemn , serious , dying declarations , and christian courage of the vvestern sufferers , have always , out-weighed with me , the evidence of those flagitious witnesses , who swore these persons out of their lives . and i did & do most stedfastly believe , that the only plot in that day , was the same , which the almighty has at length owned , and most signally prospered , in the hand of our gracious august and rightful soveraign king william ; i mean the rescuing the protestant religion and the laws and liberties of england , from a most impetuous torrent of popery and tyranny ; wherewith they were very dangerously threatned . and methinks it should even convert a tory ( unless his brains were pick'd out of his skull , by him who pickt the guineas out of his pocket ) when he cast his eye upon that apposite and emphatical expression in the observator , vol. number . to deal freely with the trimmer , i have more faith , in the words of one dying traytor , under the stroke of iustice , than of twenty living . thus have we given you an account of what happened in the west ( in the year . ) being in every point truth ; we shall next give a short touch of the civilities the poor sufferers received from the city of exon , which deserves an everlasting remembrance : most sorts of provisions , as hot broth , boyled meat , roast meat , divers sorts of pies , were daily sent into the prison ; the persons that sent them unknown to them . also if any person was sick , there should be a nurse to attend him : also a physitian and chyrurgion to attend , when occasion was . 't is said , he that giveth to the poor , lendeth to the lord ; the lord return them an hundred fold . thus reader , by the help of god , we are come to an end of our long journey , from the yea● . to . the way all along has been full of dirt and blood , and therefore no wonder if the wheels have driven somewhat heavily . 't will be worth thy while as well as mine , to look back on the d●fferent stages we have taken , which is one of the g●eatest pleasures of a traveller , who finds delight in reflecting even on that which formerly gave him pain and trouble . he who first broke the way was sir edmundbury godfrey , according to his own prophesie , that he should be the first martyr . mr. arnold was like to follow him , but that intended stroke not coming home enough , they resolv'd to lay the foundation firmer , and so struck lower , and began with stephen colledge at oxford , who before his death , said , that it wou'd not stop there , nor his death satisfie those who thirsted after blood , as appeared plain enough when they had got a plot and plotters to their minds , who made it their business , as walcot tells cartwright , to invite men to their meetings , to importune 'em to their meetings , as it appears , to talk madly and treasonably at those meetings , and because they were a little too brave to do the same by them , after ●ll to deliver them up to be hang'd for coming thither . by which design many of the boldest patrons of their country and religion were destroyed , essex went first , to whose death an infamy was added greater than that of those who publickly suffer'd . russel follow'd but too closely after him , who says in his speech , he wishes the rage of hot men , and particular juries , might be stopt with his blood , which he would offer up with much the more joy , if he thought he should be the last were to suffer in such a way . ] about the same time dyed walcot , and some others . col. sidney came after , one of the first that ever lost his head by innuendo's , and who dy'd as he was told , because else the plot must have dy'd . holloway came next , brought from ●other world to be hang'd in this ; whose ingenuous confession no doubt did his business , there being too many bold truths in 't , which some men cou'd not bear , for him ever to expect a pardon . but how many lies beside there might be in his confession , or others , 't is impossible to know , unless we knew , not only whose hands they came through , but how they were there used . and as he from another world , so armstrong was brought from another country , to be paid for all his service to the royal family , in their exile and afterwards . and tho' he was not hang'd first , and try'd afterwards , yet what 's much the same , was hang'd without ever being try'd at all . next to this we took a view of the design of that unfortunate gentleman who landed in the west , and of those who embarkt in it , and how far they were justifiable ; where follows a particular account of some of the most eminent amongst 'em , and a more general one of the rest : which tho' it might have perhaps been more accurate , yet 't was thought better to keep near those loose papers already publish'd on that matter , of which this book is a sort of a second edition ; and to give that account in the same inartificial dress which 't was delivered in by some honest country men , who were personally present at most of the actions and sufferings there mention'd . and among all these , nothing is more remarkable than what we have taken particular notice of , the strong perswasion and belief in which almost all of 'em dy'd , that god would accomplish the great work of delivering their country and religion some other way , tho' he was not pleas'd to accept of their endeavours . at the return from the western circuit , that london might have a little sprinkling of their mercy , the pious and prudent mr. cornish was sacrificed ; all whose time of preparation for that which must be call'd his trial , was from saturday to monday , whose courage and constancy at his death , and that dreadful storm which spoke the displeasure of heaven in such loud language after 't was over , were as much the wonder of england , as the next and last merited their pity , poor bateman , who had entirely lost his reason by his imprisonment , and the accidents thereof . but besides all these , and some others , there were some who had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings , were expos'd in the pillory , and worse than whipt to death , tho' sometimes even that not thought sufficient , without actual assassination . upon the intire review of all this dreadful scene of blood and horror , especially that relating to the western affairs , what can be a more natural and useful reflection , than for us hence to learn , by wound● of our own , yet green and bleeding , the true undissembled kindness of prevailing popery , and popish councils , and what all protestants , of what character or denomination soever , must expect thence , when rampant and powerful ? how can we choose but see , unless we have winkt our selves quite blind , that the hand of the same joab has been in all this ? that 't was the famous d. of y. who was at first as deep in godfrey's murther , as in the fire of london ; the same who was at helm all along after , and as good as manag'd the executioners axes and halters for so many years . 't was he who was so near at essex's murther , and who hindred so carefully my l. russel from his pardon ; who was the staff , the hop● , the moses , the gideon of the popish plot and party , and the eager and inveterate enemy to the very name of a true protestant . he who shew'd so mu●h mercy to the poor ▪ west-country men , women and children , destroying so many hundreds in cold blood , and hardly sparing one man that cou'd write and rea● , by his l. chief-hangman jeffreys lastly , he who was falling upon his own best friends , who are now sensible they lov'd him to a fault , and carried their loyalty to such a heighth for his service , ●s is now better forgotten ; since no party can entir●ly clear themselves even of that imputation . he who f●ll upon them , and our religion and laws , ●nd whatever was dear to us , with the greatest and most open violence ; and because he cou'd not have his will , and be a french king in england , resolv'd to leave us to the mercy of his own unkennel'd irish , and go to france to be there as absolute a slave as he here would have made us . and yet this is the self-same person whom some are yet so zealous for , and they have not yet had enough of him . but whilst these haters of themselves , as well as their religion and country , must be left to man's justice and god's vengeance , let 's address the conclusion of these papers to all true honest men , of good principles , and firm to the protestant religion , and perswade them to pray heartily for k. william and q. mary , and fight for 'em as heartily too , as all these martyrs no doubt would gladly have done : if some of them should not be entirely satisfied with whatever has happen'd in this great change , yet to remember at the lowest the duty of subjects ; to think all the nation may see more than they ; to pay allegiance where they find protection ; to reflect on our almost too happy condition , compar'd with that of germany and ireland , and wherever the french and popish arm 's and counsels prevail ; to honour the memory of these martyrs who suffered for their vigorous appearance against them ; and lastly , to thank god sincerely and in good earnest , that we may now , if occasion be , defend our religion and liberties with our swords , which they could only do by laying down their lives . finis . an impartial history of the life and death of george lord jeffreys . late lord chancellour of england the fourth edition with large additions . london , printed for iohn dunton at the raven in the poultry , . to george lord jeffreys . late lord chancellour of england . my lord , i know not to whom i could more properly dedicate a treatise of this nature , than to your lordship , who lately was lord chief justice of england , and have set such remarkable copies to inferiour magistrates . what is here offered may serve as a mirrour , in which future administrators of publick justice would do well to look ; for you may remember , my lord ( if your lordships present afflictions have not made you forget as much law as you ever learnt ) common law ●uns much upon presidents : and if a man happen to have none of the best physiognomies , there is no reason why he should streight grow angry , and fling stones , to break all the looking-glasses he meets with , only because they represent the true figure of the object . my lord , the following treatise is a true account of your lordships life and actions ( most of which are ready to be attested upon oath ) of your unheard of cruelties and barbarous proceedings in your whole western circuit : in which all may see at what dear rates our western martyrs puchased their religion , and how that it cost those glorious sufferers tha● so lately went off the stage ( under your lordships sentence ) both whippings and cruel impriso●ments , ●nd the most exquisite tortures which none could invent or inflict but your lordship ( whose good nature is sufficiently experienced ) nor any endure but they whose gallant and noble souls were born up with heavenly cordials , and a power from on high . but , my lord , rest assured , that their bl●od still cries for vengeance , and will be a lasting monument of your lordships c●uelties , whilst history can speak or transmit to incredulous posterity the remarkables of elapsed ages ; for hang , draw and quarter , and try men afterwards , ( witness sir thomas armstrong's death , &c. ) has been your peculiar talent . but you lordship will now ●t last do well to remember that king alfred caused fourty four judges in one year to be hang●d as murderers , for their false judgments . i hope your lordship will pardon this present address , seeing 't is a priviledge we modern authors hold by prescription , to put any great body's name in the front of our book : princes have not been able to exempt themselves or their families from the persecution of dedications ; nor ever was there ( i humbly conceive ) any rule made in your lordships court to forbid them . suffer then , i beseech your lordship , this address to remain a monument to posterity , of the sentiments this age has of your lordships conduct and merits ; and witness to all the world how much its author is , your lordship 's most humble servant , james bent . a poem to the memory of george lord jeffreys . i cannot hold , hot struggling rage aspires , and crowds my free-born breast wit● nobl● fires ; whilst prudent fools squeak treason through the nose , and whine a quivering vote in sneaking prose , my muse soars out of reach , and dares despise what e're below atte●pts to tyrannize . tho i by some base nero shou●d be clad in such a gown as the old christians had , in clouds of satyr up to heaven i 'de roul , for he could burn my shell , but not my soul. tho nature her auspicious aid refuse , revenge and anger shall inspire my muse : nature has given me a complaining part , and murder'd protestants a resenting heart . then room for bloody jeffreys , or he 'll swear by all the aps from st. cadwalladar ; prutus hur creat cranfather , if hur enquire , and adam's cranfather was prutus sire ; famous ap sh●nkin was hur elder brother , some caledonian sycorax hur mother : or some she de'il more damn'd than all the rest , at their bla●k feast hur lustful sir● comprest : thence do i th●nk this c●codemon rose , whose wrathful ey●s his inward baseness shows ; his shape is all inhum●n and uncouth , but yet he 's chiefly dev●l about the mouth ; with care this brat was nurs'd , for fear it shou'd grow tame , and so degen'rate into good : with city charte●s he was wrap'd about , and acts of parliament for swadling-clout : as he grew up , he won a noble fame , for which squire ketch hath sworn him publick shame . and won't it be a pretty sight to see 't , the hang man , rope , and bloody jeffreys meet ? jeffreys who cherisht spite , as all can tell ; jeffreys who was the darling brat of hell. oft with success this migh●y blast did bawl , where loudest lungs ▪ and biggest words win all ; and still his clenched arguments did end with that home-thrust , he is not caesar's friend . sometimes that jaded ears he might release , good man ! he has been fee'd to hold his peace . hear him , but never see him , and you 'd swear he was the cry●r , not the counseller : he roars , as if he only chanc'd to find justice was now grown deaf as well as blind , this d●my fi●nd , this hurricane of man was sent to butcher all i' th' west he can : 't was him the popish party wisely chose to splutter law , and the dinn'd rabble pose : they have a thousand tongues , yet he can roar far louder , tho they had a thousand more , unto long winded cook he scorns to go , but pleads , his majesty will have it so . he 's for all mischief set , by nature bred ; he rails at all before him , and is fed hyaena like , by tearing up the dead . th'unluckiest satyrist alive , that still writes his own character in all that 's ill . of all the world most fit a vice t' expose , that all its cause , effects and motions knows , stranger to none can no advantage lose . big with conceit the empty shape looks great . his own dear self obligingly doth treat : rewards his soul in any garb will lap , his ductile soul will put on any shape : vice hath his patronage , and there 's no fear but hell in time may his protection share , the rather'cause the god of gold is there . he courts loud rumour , but l●ts truth alone , conscious of guilt , he shuns being justly known , and by 's oft changing flyes a definition . learn'd , but in ill ; ingenious , but in spite ; virtuous by accident , by chance a wit ; modest , when beat ; in suffering valiant ; honest , when forc'd ; and moderate when in want ; true , but for interest ; civil , but for dread ; devout for alms ; and loyal but for bread . thy mushroom greatness i dare now arraign , for all thy hectoring now will be in vain . here , take this pass , ere we for ever part ; then run , and then farewell with all my heart . the lawyers yelling in their feign'd debate . and the fleec'd client's wisdom , all too late ; the keeping cully's jealousie and care , the slighted lover's maggots and despair ; a womans body every day to dress , a fickle soul , little as theirs , or less ; the courtiers business , th' impudence o' th' stage , and the defeated father peter's rage ; a clock ●ork spouse with loud eternal clack , a shop i' th' change still ty'd to what d' ye lack : worse than these last , if any curses more ovid e're knew , or fiercer oldham's store ; 'till not one part in body or soul be free , may all their barbed vengeance show'r on thee : pres●'d with their weight , long may'st thou raving lye , en●ying an halter , but not dare to dye : and when condemn'd thou dost thy clergy plead , some frightful fiend deny thee power to read ; madness , despair , confusion , rage and shame attend you to the place from whence you came : to tyburn thee let carrion horses draw , in jolting cart , without so much as straw ; jaded , may they lye down i' th' road , and tyr'd , and ( worse than one fair hanging , twice bemir'd ) may'st thou be maul'd with pulchers sexton 's sermon 'till thou roar out hemp-sake , drive on car-man . pelted and curst i' th' road by every one , e'ne to be h●ng'd may'st thou the gauntlet run . not one good woman who in conscience can cry out , — 't is pity , — troth , a proper man. stupid and dull , may'st thou rub off like hone , without an open , or a smother'd groan : may the knot miss the place , and fitted be to plague and torture , not deliver thee ; be half a day a dying thus , and then revive like savage , to be hang'd agen . in pi●y now thou shalt no longer live , for when thus sati●fi'd , i can forgive . john carter . the life and death of george lord jeffreys . reader , think it not strange if i present you with the memorable life and actions of a person , so well known in this great kingdom : and peradventure fame has not been silent in other countreys , especially since he has been advanced to be a chief minister of state , and sat as it were steering at the helm of government . various indeed are the changes of worldly affairs , and the actions of human life , which have been more particularly exemplified in the rise and fall of the person , the subject of this discourse ; who from almost a mean obscurity , soar'd to the losty pyramid of honour ; where for a while , like an unfixed star he appeared to the eyes of the wondring nation , giving an imperfect lustre ; till by the sudden turn and change of unsteady fortune , he dropt headlong from his sphere , and lost at once his grandeur and his power . to let mankind see how little trust there is to be given to the smiles of flattering greatness , especially when attained by violent and pressing motions : i now proceed to trace this unfortunate favourite in the sundry capacities and stations that have hitherto made up the series of his life . he was born at acton near wrexam in denbighshire , in wales , about the year . his fathers name was — jeffreys , being reputed a gentleman in that country , though of no large fortune or estate ; however he lived very comfortably on what he had , improving his yearly income by his industry ; and gain'd by his plain and honest endeavours a good repute amongst the gentry of those parts ; insomuch that it was not long before he , upon the recommendation of some person of interest and ability , gain'd a wife of a good house ; and they lived very comfortably together in their rural habitation , being far from ambition , or striving for court-favour ; but contented with what god had blessed them with , and the fruits of their own industry , they found a solid happiness in that contentment . nor had they lived together any considerable time , but amongst other children , the fruits of wedlock , god was pleased to bestow on them the person who is intended the subject of this discourse , who was in due time baptized by the christian name of george ; whether he had godfathers , &c. it does not occur ; however , he under the care and diligence of his industrious parents grew up , and appear'd to all that studied him , of a very prompt and ready wit , active , and striving for preeminence , even among his compeers in his tender age , which lively demonstrated that an air of ambition was inherent to his person . as soon as he was capable to receive learning , he was put to a country school , where he was furnished with such education as that afforded , which was not extraordinary ; yet his natural parts set it off to the best advantage ; and growing to years of somewhat a ripe understanding , and not very tractable , his father by the advice of some of his confidents , caused him to be brought to london , and finding him not inclinable to any trade , but rather addicted to study , he entred him , or by his procurement he was entered into the free-school of westminster , where he profited much ; so that he was , by the care of the worthy master thereof , soon enabled to understand the languages , or at least so many of them as were convenient for the study of the law , which above other things he aimed at ; tho' his father seemed not very plyable to his desires ; for perceiving in his soul a more than ordinary spark of ambition , fearing it might kindle into a flame , and prove one day his ruine , he laboured to hinder the ways he conceiv'd most likely to bring it upon him ; and is reported to say , ( when he found he could not dissuade him from what he purposed , gently clapping him on the back , ) ah george , george , i f●ar thou wilt die with thy shoes and stockings on : what he meant by that expression , i determine not , but leave the reader to interpret . upon the coming in of king charles the second , and the restoring the face of affairs in the kingdom , the law reviv'd again , and began to flourish ; the practitioners liv'd in much credit and reputation , and many of them , purchased large estates , which served to wing the desire of this person with impatience ; and some say he was the rather incited to it by a dream he had whilst a scholar at westminster school ▪ viz. that he should be the chief scholar in that school , and afterward should enrich himself by study and industry , and that he should come to be the second man in the kingdom ; but in conclusion , should fall into great disgrace and misery . this is confidently reported ; and some say himself told it to sundry persons since , when he found the second part of it was fulfilled , by acquiring the chancellourship , and standing high in the favour of his prince . however , we find the latter part did not deter him from his purpose ; for having enter'd himself in the inner-temple house , one of the chief inns of court , after his performing such things as are conformable to the customs of the house , we find him call'd to the bar , by the interest he made with the benchers and heads of that learned society , earlier than had been usual , leaping over the heads of elder graduates . this happening about the twentieth year of the reign of king charles the second , and the city of london beginning to raise her self out of her ashes , more stately and magnificent than before she sunk in flames , a sacrifice to the revenge and malice of the papists , as by the late inscription on the monument , and upon record it appears : this great city , i say , regaining her trade , her priviledges and customs were kept up with great exactness , so that in the courts at guild-hall there was much business ; which being consider'd by this person as more beneficial than that at westminster , by reason of its frequency , and being carried on briefer , and with less difficulty ; which induced him to give his attendance , as also at hixes-hall , and other inferiour courts and places ; insomuch , that he being of a bold presence , and having naturally a fluent tongue , an audible voice , and good utterance , he had not pleaded often before he was very much taken notice of ; and gain'd so much credit with the people , that they prefer'd him before any of the younger sort of barristers ; by which means he found his stars begin to smile upon him ; so that he was in a manner courted to take fees , and had breviates thrust into his hand frequently in the middle of a cause by persons , when they perceived it went ill on their sides , and was like to go against them . thus flush'd with success , he now thought of nothing more than how he might climb ; nor did he want an opportunity ; for the next station we find him in , is that of common serjeant , to the great and honourable city of london ; and so much fortune favour'd him at this time , that alderman jeffreys the great smoaker , having often observ'd his discourse and actions , took such a liking to him , that being of the same name , tho' not in the least any relation , he back'd him with his purse and interest , which was not inconsiderable ; and thereby not only enabled him to carry on his grandeur , but to purchase as he found a conveniency or advantage , in order to his keeping it up in the world. these , i say , being the degrees by which he was climbing the slippery stair of honour , to contract a firmer alliance , he addressed himself to a brisk young widow , daughter to sir thomas bludworth , then one of the aldermen of the city , and who in the time of the dre●dful conflagration had the chair , as being then lord mayor ; and so far pr●vail'd upon the lady and her father , that he gain'd both their consents , and the contract was made , the nuptials solemnized , and soon after he had the pleasure to behold the fruits of her labour . sir john howel the recorder of london giving place , the recordership became vacant , which made this person lay hold of that opportunity , to use his own and the interest of his friends , to acquire that place of trust and honour : nor did his measures fail him , for by the powerful influence he had by this time gain'd over sundry persons , who were best able to promote him to what he so earnestly labour'd to arrive at , he was chosen and confirm'd recorder of the honourable city ; taking upon him the charge and care of the writings , papers , &c. that belong to so great a charge and trust , as that of a recorder of the city of london . by this means being become ( as himself declar'd ) the mouth of the city , and as we may term him , capital judge in the guild-hall , in controversies at the sessions held there , &c. and the power of breathing forth . sentences of punishment , being put into his hands , he found his ambition enlarg'd , aiming at nothing more than to become a court-favourite : nor was it long before an opportunity offer'd it self , to make him to be taken notice of : for so it happened , that some persons had imprinted a psalter , and entituled it ( the beter to shadow the injury they had done to the company of stationers , by invading their property ) the king's psalter , which occasioning a disput● , it was referred to a hearing before the council at whitehall , the king being present , and the company the better to make out their title and claim , carried with them this person as their counsel , who in the opening of the case , and making the complaint of the apparent injury done to the company , in printing what was really their propriety , he had this expression , viz. they h●ve teem'd with a spurious brat , which being clandestinely midwiv'd into the world , the better to cover the imposture , they lay it at your majesties door , &c. this , though the king might have taken it ( for sundry reasons ) as a reflection upon his royal person , yet he was so far from resenting it that way , that he only turned to one of the lords that s●t next him , and said , this is a bold fellow i 'll warrant him . and indeed the stationers had the matter declar'd by the honourable board in their favour . about this time the popish plot being discovered by dr. oates and others , the nation was for a while in a ferment , and matters run extremely high in disputes and controversies , and he sail'd with the current , declaring with much heat and violence against the priests , jesuits , and others of the conspirators and romish faction ; as appeared not only by his vehement expressions in pleading against 'em , but the alacrity and little concern that was visible in his countenance , when at any time , as recorder of london , he past sentence of death upon any of them ; which he frequently did with more or less reproach , and became in a manner the terror of that party . but no sooner he perceiving the wind tacking at court , and that there was some misunderstanding between king charles the second and his parliament , but he began to fall off , and grow cold in prosecuting the ends of the government , being frequently at court , and labouring as much as in him lay , to draw the magistracy of the city after him ; as appears more especially by one passage , viz. the king being recovered of an indisposition , that had for some time put the kingdoms in a fear and doubt of his life , the lord mayor and aldermen went to congratulate him upon his going abroad ; after which , and a favourable reception , it was proposed by this person , that they should in like manner wait upon his royal highness , then duke of york , who was not long before returned from flanders ; but perceiving no forwardness to be seconded , he only with his father-in-law stayed behind to gain that access . these and other proceedings created in the city a jealousie , that he had espoused an interest to their prejudice , which wrought so strongly in their conceits , that it was concluded in the council-chamber at guild-hall , that he should resign his recordership ; and accordingly they sent to him to deliver back the papers and writings they had entrusted him with , which accordingly was done , and sir george treby constituted recorder in his stead . this so netled him , that he now openly declar'd himself to be what before was only suspected , indulging his thoughts in nothing more , than how he might revenge it upon the dissenters to whose influence on the court of aldermen he attributed his dismission from the recordership , and used his endeavours to blacken them as much as he could : yet all his honour was not sunk : for he had prevailed for the removal of sir job charleton from the chief justiceship of the county palatine of chester , and by the importunity and interest of his party at court , gained it for himself ; and took the first possession of that charge in much splendour , paying at that time his father a visit with a numerous train , which , as 't is reported , put the old gentleman into such a fret , for the drinking up his cyder , and devouring his provisions , that he charged him with the undertaking to ruine him , by bringing a whole country at his heels , commanding him never to attempt the like prodigality again with hopes of success . many petitions being put up upon the dissolving the parliament in . by most of the counties , and burroughs , and corporations of england , for the speedy calling another , to redress the grievances of the nation ; and the king shewing some dislike of that manner of proceeding , this person further to endear himself to the interest of the court , declared in his station as vehemently against them , by saying , he abhorred that petitioning , &c. from which , and the discountenancing the petitioners as much as in him lay , he gain'd the name and epithet of an abhorrer ; and upon the burning the pope in effigies at temple-bar , upon the birth-day of queen elizabeth , amongst other figures , the arch-waggs had set one on horseback with his face to the tail , and a paper on his back , viz. i am an abhorrer . during these transactions , the parliament being called , met at westminster , and amongst others , this person was called before them , for attempting to intrench upon the rights and priviledges of the people , &c. and obliged at the bar of the commons house , ( after having been heard what he could say in defence of his proceedings by his council ) to make his acknowledgment upon his knees , and receive the reprimand of the speaker ; whereupon , with some sharp rebukes , as the censure of the house ; he was discharged . to comfort him in this affliction , that was not by a man of his haughty spirit a little stomacked , this parliament being dissolved , and a call of serjeants had at the kings-bench-bar , westminster , he was the first in the roll , and consequently the king serjeant ; and as it is usual to present the king with a ring on that occasion , the motto he agreed to was , a deo rex , a rege lex , viz. the king from god , and the law from the king. and now the popish party playing their cards with more security , edward fitz-harris , who had been impeached by the commons , and stood charged by them of high treason ; being nevertheless , upon the dissolution , tryed at the kings-bench-bar , this person was the principal stickler against him , and by his rhetorical and florid expressions , wrought so powerfully with the jury , who were somewhat in doubt what they should do in this case , that they found him guilty , and the impeachment in parliament set aside , he was executed as a traytor at tyburn : and soon after this , the dissenters losing of their esteem in the eyes of the court-party , and some justices of peace of middlesex being sharp upon them , this person was chosen chair-man at the sessions at hick's hall , where he had an opportunity to make them as he found his time , see the resentments of his anger ; but this place being held too low for a spirit winged with so large an ambition , he aimed at higher things , resolving like icarus to be near the sun , tho at the hazard of melting his waxen wings , dropping headlong into the sea of inevitable ruine : whereupon perceiving some hot contests in the city of london , about the election of magistrates and officers , he turned the edge of his fury that way , insomuch that a quo warranto came down against the charter of the honourable city of london , and in fine , after much pleading and arguments , pro & contra , the charter was surrendred , at least in consent , by those that were in power , and the king suspending the execution of the judgment obtained , caused such orders to be observ'd as he thought most convenient , which being so well known to the citizens of london , it would appear a presumption in me to enter upon particulars ; yet the chiefest cavil against the city was , taking the toll of markets , collecting mony to build cheapside conduit , &c. nor was it long after this , and the trial of several p●rsons for rioters , who attended the election of sheriffs and mayor , and the fines passing upon many worthy citizens , as rioters on that occasion ; in promoting which , this person as a counsellor by his florid rhetorick was mainly instrumental , by giving the court an account of their respective abilities , the better to settle the fines : but the lord chief justice saunders dying , he succeeded him as lord chief justice of the kings-bench ; in which station he was scarcely setled , but he admitted the popish lords to bail , that lay under an impeachment in parliament , and whose bailing had been refused by the judges his predecessors ; and now it was that he began more particularly to remember former affronts , an example of which take in the case of elias best a hop-merchant in thames-street , viz. it so happened when this person was recorder of london , that a jury , of which best was one having contrary to his mind , acquitted a party indicted at the sessions of peace in guild-hall , for printing and publishing a pamphlet , he in much heat declared , that they had gone contrary to their consciences , and stuck not to upbraid them with perjury ; for which , as an high affront put upon the juries of london , they prayed the court at the old-baily , that they might prefer an indictment against him ; and herein mr. best was the most active : but the lord chief justice scroggs then upon the bench , after it had been a long time argued and debated , told them , that the sessions being almost at an end , it could not be tryed , and therefore he would desire them to refer it to the next sessions , for the recorder being a person of quality , he could not suffer him to lie under the imputation of an indictment so long ; but in the interim , he resigning his recordership , the business fell , and came to nothing ; but soon after , it seems , mr. best had drank an health to the pious memory of stephen colledge departed , meaning the joyne● that was executed at oxford , for which he was indicted upon an information , and found guilty ; yet he being at large , thought fit to withdraw himself to avoid the rigour of the fine , &c. when so it fell out , that this person going the circuit as lord chief justice , accompanyed with a great many on horseback , mr. best came by , and asked one of the company what judge that was , who replyed , the lord chief justice jeffreys , and he unadvisedly told that party his name was best , and desired him to remember his service to his lordship ; upon notice of which , he immediately caused him to be fetched back , and committed him to york goal , from whence he was brought by habeas corpus to the kings bench , and imprisoned for a fine of l. &c. and other instances of the greatness of his stomach , tho' in another nature , is that which so remarkably happened at kingstone upon thames , at the midsummer assizes held there for the county of surrey , . at this assize being counsel in a case upon nisi prius , before sir richard weston , one of the baron● of the exchequer , and desiring to ingross all the questions , without suffering those on the other side to ask the witness what was convenient in carrying on , and managing the cause ; he was desired by the judges to hold his tongue , &c. upon which some words passing , this person told him , he did not use him like a counsellor , curbing him in the managing his breviate , &c. to which the judge fiercely replyed , ha! since the king has thrown his favours upon you , in making you chief justice of chester , you think to run down every body ; if you find your self aggrieved , make your complaint● here 's no body cares for it . and this person replying , that he had not been used to make complaints , but rather stopped those that were made : when being again commanded to hold his tongue , he sat down and wept for anger , &c. and here by the way it will not be amiss to let the reader have a taste of some passages that happened on the publick stage of business , in the jocular part of this great man's life , and the repartees he met with , of which i shall instance a few : once it happened upon a trial , that a plain country fellow giving evidence in the court , and pressing it home , moved this person , who was counsel on the other side , to pick a quarrel with the poor mans leather doublet , and amongst other interrogations , bawl'd out , you follow in the leather doublet , pray what have you for swearing ? the man upon this , looking steadily on him , replye● , truly sir , if you have no more for lying than i have for swearing ; you might wear a leather doublet as well as i. this bluntly retorted , moved at that time much laughter , and filled the town with the discourse of it . another time it so fell out , that some musicianers brought an action against a person , at whose wedding they had play'd , for the money they were promised or expected , when in the midst of the evidence , this person called to one of them , viz. you fidler , &c. at which the man seeming to be disgusted , he again , upon the parties alledging himself to be a musicianer , demanded what difference there was between a musicianer and a fidler . as much , sir , said he , as there is between a pair of bagpipes and a recorder . and he then being recorder of london , it was taken as a suitable rep●rtee . a country gentleman having marryed a city orphan , comes and demands her fortune , which was about l. but by all friends that he could make , could not procure it till he goes to jeffreys then recorder , and gave him guineas to be his friend to get out his wifes fortune , upon which jeffreys told him , that the court of aldermen would sit such a day ; the gentleman appearing , was call'd in , jeffryes being present , who ask'd him , sirrah , what 's your business ? upon which the gentleman told him , that he had married a city orphan , and desired he might have her portion out o' th' chamber ; upon which j●ffreys askt him , if he had askt the consent o' th' court of aldermen ? he told him , no : upon which , he call'd him rogue , rascal , sirrah , you should have ask't leave from the court for such a marriage . he told him , he understood not the custom o' th' city , and begg'd their pardon , being a country gentleman . upon this jeffreys abus'd him again ; but afterwards , gives him a note for his mony ; his publick railing upon him , being only to blind the court , that they might not suspect him bribed . being at a country assize as judge , an old man with a great beard , came to give evidence before him , and not doing it to his mind , he began to cavil with his beard , and amongst other expressions told him , that if his conscience was as large as his beard , he might well swear any thing . this so netled the old blade , that without any respect to his greatness , he briskly replyed , my lord , if you go about to measure consciences by beards , you lordship has none . many more of this kind might be mentioned , but not being greatly to the purpose , they are willingly omitted . which the reader will be apt to believe , if he examines his dealings with mr. moses pitt bookseller , which that i may set in their true light , i shall give 'em in mr. pitts own words , which are as follows . among several houses i built both in king-street , and duke-street , westminster , i built a great house in duke-street , just against the bird cages in st. james's park , which just as i was a finishing i lett to the lord chancellor jeffreys , with stables and coach-houses to it , for l. per annum . after which , when he the said chancellor came to see the house ( alderman duncomb , the great banker being with him ) and looking about him , saw between the house and st. james's park an idle piece of ground , he told me , he would have a cause-room built on it . i told him , that the ground was the kings . he told me , that he knew it was ; but he would beg the ground of the king , and give it me : he also bid me make my own demands , and give it him in writing , the which i did ; and unto which he did agree , and commanded me immediately to pull down the park-wall , and to build as fast as i could , for he much wanted the said cause-room . my agreement with him was , that he should beg of king james all the ground without the park-wall , between webbs and storeys inclusive ; which said ground is twenty five foot in breadth , and near seven hundred foot in length ( to the best of my memory ) for ninety nine years , at a pepper-corn per annum , which he the said lord chancellour was to make over the said king 's grant to me for the said number of years , without any alt●rations , with liberty to pull down , or build on the king's wall , and to make a way and lights into the king's park , according as i pleas'd . in consideration of my building on the said ground of the kings , and the said lord chancellor's enjoyment of it , during his occupation of the said house . all which the lord chancellor agreed to . for that purpose , sent for sir christopher wren , their majesties surveyor , and my self , and ordered sir christopher to take care to have the said ground measured , and a plat-form taken of it , and that writings and deeds be prepared for to pas● the great seal . sir christopher ask'd the said lord chancellor , in whose name the grant was to pass , whether in his lordships , or mr. pitts ? the chancellor reply'd , that the king had granted him the ground for ninety nine years , at a pepper-corn per annum , and that he was to make over the said grant to his landlord pitt's , for the same term of years , without any alteration , in consideration of his said landlord pitt building him a cause-room , &c. and his the said lord chancellor's enjoying the same , during his living in the said pitt's house ; and withal urg'd him the said pitt immediately to take down the king's park-wall , and to build with all expedition ; for he much wanted the cause-room , and that i should not doubt him ; for he would certainly be as good as his agreement with me . my witnesses are sir christopher wren , their majesties surveyor , mr. fisher de●eas●d , who belong'd to sir c. harbord , their majesties land surveyor , mr. joseph avis my builder , mr. thomas bludworth , mr. john arnold , both gentlemen belonging to the said lord chancellor , and several others ; upon which i had a warrant from mr. cook , out of the secretary of state 's office , in the lord chancellor's name , with king james's hand and seal , to pluck down the king's vvall , and make a door and steps , lights , &c. into the park , at discretion ; which said warrant cost me l. s. upon which , in about three or four months time i built the two wings of that great house which is opposite to the bird-cages , with the stairs , and tarrass , &c. which said building cost me about four thousand pounds , with all the inside-work : my work-men being imploy'd by the said lord chancellor to sit up the said house , and also offices , and cause-room , for his use ; for all which he never paid me one farthing . when i had finished the said building , i demanded of him several times my grant of the said ground from the king ; he often promised me , that i should certainly have it ; but i being very uneasie for want of my said grant , i wrote several times to him , and often waited to speak with him , to have it done ; but at last i found i could have no access to him , and that i spent much time in waiting to speak with him , altho i liv'd just against his door ; and also i consider'd , that he could not be long lord chancellor of england , king william being just come , i got into the parlour where he was , many tradesmen being with him that he had sent for , i told him , that i did not so earnestly demand my rent of him , which was near half a year due , but i demanded of him my grant from king james of the ground we h●d agreed for , in consideration of my building . he told me , that he would leave my house , and that he should not ●arry away the ground and building with him ; which was all the answer i could have from him . and the very next day he went into white-●all , and had the jesuite peter's lodging , where he ●ay till that tuesday morning king james first abdicated , and went away with sir edward hales , the said lord chancellor should have gone with them , but they dropt him , so that morning finding them to be gone , he was fain to shift for himself , and to fly with a servant , or at most two , with him , and soon after taken and sent to the tower , where he since died. but to return to the thrid of this discourse ; passing by his vehement and pressing discourse to the jury against william lord russel , on his trial at the old-baily , which some say greatly influenced them to find him guilty ; and add , that he did it out of a pique , in remembrance he was one of the members of the parliament before whom he was brought on his knees . we find him by this time trying of dr. titus oates upon two informations , upon the account of his swearing to the white-horse consult , and ireland's being in town ; and after a long debate , wherein many sharp repar●ees passed , the jury made a shift to find him guilty ; as to the circumstances , i refer you to the tryal ; but the sentence was severe , and of its effects few are ignorant ; wherefore i shall pass it over , as also that of mr. tho. dangerfield , another of the evidences in discovering the contrivance● , and carrying on of the popish plot , which the papists by these manner of proceedings accounted to be effectually stifled . and now before any thing remarkable happened , the kingdom was alarm'd by the landing of the late duke of monmouth at lyme in dorsetshire , and the earl of argyle in scotland ; but however these two unfortunate gentlemen miscarrying , and losing their lives , left a great many of their miserable followers to feel the severity of punishment ; and as for the gleaning the bloody fields in england , they came to the sifting of this person , who with others , going down with a commission to try them , all the indignities the dissenters had put upon him , came fresh into his remembrance , so that he made them find the laws more cruel than the sword , and wish they had fallen in the field , rather than have come to his handling ; for he breathed death like a destroying angel , and sanguined his very ermin● in blood : a large account of which you shall have in its proper place . but by the way , for the sake of the west-country reader , i shall here add a true and impartial narrative of the late duke of monmouth's whole expedition while in the west , seeing that was the prologue to that bloody scene that you 'll hear by and by , was acted by george lord jeffreys , ( the ●●bject of our present discourse . ) to begin then , may . old style , we left amsterdam about two of the clock , being sunday morning , and in a lighter sail'd for the tex●l , our vessels being sent before us thither ; but meeting with extream cross winds all the way , we arrived not till saturday night , and then went all on board . here our man of war with about guns ( where the dukes person was ) was under an arrest by order of the states of amsterdam , on the complaint of our envoy , they presuming we had been clear , but we broke through our arrest , and sunday morning at break of day , set sail for england . we had in all three ships ; that of guns carried most of our men , the other two were for our ammunition . we met with exceeding cross winds , most part of the time we spent on the seas , and arrived not at lyme till thursday , june . so that from amsterdam to lyme , we wanted but two days of three weeks . we landed without any the least opposition , and were received with all expressions of joy imaginable ; the duke , as soon as he jump'd out of his boat on land , call'd for silence , and then desir'd we would joyn with him in returning god thanks for that wonderful preservation we had met with at sea , and accordingly fell on his knees on the sand , and was the mouth of us all in a short ejaculation , and then immediately well armed , as many as we were , entered the town . friday , the whole day was spent in listing of men , which flock'd to us so fast , that we could scarce tend them with arms. the like on saturday also ; and then about ten of the clock at night , of our men were sent to bridport , about six english miles off , to storm that town betimes in the morning , which we did accordingly , taking many prisoners out of their lodgings ; and had not our soldiers been a little too eager of plunder , we had made a good day● work on 't ; but there lying about a wood some of the kings forces , we were forced to retreat , losing three or four men , and killing several of theirs , and taking eight prisoners ; this was the first action which he had . sunday also was spent in listing , and monday morning ; but in the afternoon we marched out of lime for axminster , a little town four miles off ; our party was near foot , and horse , though we landed not full an hundred men , and all these in the space of four days : about two miles from lime we espied the duke of albermarle , with about men , designing that night to quart●r in the same town , which we had news of in the way ; yet we marched on in good order , and came into the town , lined all hedges , planted our field-pieces , and expected nothing more than that we should give 'em battel , they being not an english mile from the town ; they made towards us as soon as they heard that we were there ; but the duke of albermarle finding his men to be all militia-men of the county of devonshire , and that they had no stomach to fight against monmouth , retreated , when he came within a quarter of an english mile of the town . he came from exon with these forces , intending to lay a siege against lime , presuming we could not be ready in so short a time ; but finding us so well prepared to receive him , he wisely retired , his men being in great disorde● and confusion , supposing we had pursued them , which was debated ; but the du●e said , it was not his business to fight yet , till his men had been a little disciplin'd , but rather to make up into the country as fast as possible , to meet his friends , not questioning , but there would have been in several parts of the kingdom some action , on the news of his success : but this in the end prov'd fatal to us ; for had we but follow'd them , we had had all their arms , several more men , and might have march'd in two days with little or no opposition , to the very gates of exon , the county-troops resolving not to fight us ; and several came to us that night with their arms. but missing this opportunity , we march'd on for taunton , lodging at several small towns by the way , which still-received us as kindly as possible , and all the way met with the loud acclamations of the country , praying god to succeed our arms. thursday we came to taunton , about twenty mile from lime . to give a particular account of our reception here , would be too tedious ; the streets throng'd with people we could scarce enter , all endeavouring to manifest their joy at his coming , and their houses , doors , and streets garnished with green boughs , herbs and flowers , all the emblems of prosperity . the next day , twenty six young gentlewoman , virgins , with colours ready made at the charge of the townsmen , presented them to his grace ; the captain of them went before with a naked sword in one hand , and a small curious bible in the other , which she presented also , making a short speech , at which the duke was ex●remely satisfied , and assured her , he came now in the field , with a design to defend the truths contained therein , and to seal it with his blood , if there shou'd be any occasion for it . nothing now could content the country , but he must be proclaimed king , which he seemed exceeding averse to ; and really i am of opinion , from his very heart . they said , the reason why the gentry of england ●oved not , was because he came on a common-wealth-principle ; this being the cry of all the army , he was forced to yield to it , and accordingly , saturday morning he was proclaimed : in the afternoon came out three proclamations , one setting a sum of mony on the kings head , as he had done before by the other . the second , declaring the parliament of england , a seditious assembly ; and if they did not separate before the end of june , to give power and authority to any that would attempt to lay hold of them as rebels and traytors . the third , to declare the duke of albermarle a traytor , ( who now lay within six miles of us , having had time to rally his men , ) if he laid not down his arms ; forthwith a message also was sent to command him , but he sent word , that he was a subject to james the second , the late kings brother , and that he knew no other lord. we tarried here till sunday morning , and then march'd fot bridgewater , seven miles from thence : we were now between four and five thousand men , and had we not wanted arms , could have made above ten thousand . we were received here as in other places , but did little more than read our declaration , which we did also in all other towns , the magistrates standing by in their gowns ; and likewise our proclamation , and so march'd forward for glassenbury ; from glassenbury design'd for bristol , three days march from that place , designing to attaque it : accordingly , we arrived at canshum bridge , a little town three miles english from bristol , intending to enter next morning , the duke of beauford being there with a garrison of about four thousand men , being he●e lodg'd in the town , we were on a sudden alarm'd with the noise of the approach of the enemy , being in no small confusion on this unsuspected news : the duke sent one up the tower to see whether he could discover them marching ; as soon as he came up , he saw them at the very entrance into the town fighting with our men. here we had a small skirmish , our men being in the fields adjoyning to the town refreshing themselves ; but it lasted not long , for before he could bring word , they were fled , being not above sixty horse-men ? they did us mischief , killed and wounded above twenty men , whereas we killed none of theirs , only took four prisoners , and their horses , and wounded my lord newburg , that it was thought mortal ; they came thither , thinking it had been their own forces ; and had not our undisciplin'd fellows been a little too eager , and suffer'd 'em to come a little farther on , they would have enter'd the town , and we must have had every man of them ; their infantry was following , but on their return came not forward . these forces being so near , and bristol , being so well mann'd also , the duke was loth to pass the bridge for bristol , though some gentlemen that came over with us , and were prescribed upon the account of the former plot , being bristol men , and knew the hearts of the townsmen , begg'd him heartily to proceed towards it , offering themselves to go in the head of them into the town , by some private ways which they knew , assuring him , they would make no resistance , but could not perswade him ; which had we been possessors of , we could not have wanted mony nor arms , the only things needful for us in that juncture ; for had we but had arms , i am perswaded we had by this time had at the least twenty thousand men ; and it would not then have been difficult for us to have march'd to london , with the recuit of bristol , the king not being able to make men for the gaining of so many kingdoms . but god saw it not fit for us , and over-ruled our consultations to our own ruin ; for this was in the top of our prosperity ; and yet all the while , not a gentleman more than went over with us came to our assistance . so we march'd on to bath , we lay before it in the afternoon , and sent in our trumpeter to demand the town , but they refused to give us entrance , having a strong garison , it being a stout people and a strong place . having no mind to spend time in laying sieges , we march'd on that day to a little town called phillips-norton , and there lay that night , being now sunday the th of june old-style ; saturday morning preparing for frome , we were drawing out our baggage for our march , and on a sudden were alarmed with the appearance of the enemy , who had entred the town , and had lined all the hedges , and began to fire on us : here he began the briskest rencounter we yet had , and for an hour or more we had a brisk skirmish ; but at last we beat them back , killing about thirty which lay in the place , and we lost about ten in all , and a few wounded : they retreating with their whole army , pitched within a mile of the town ; and we went out also and pitched near them , but out of musket-shot , playing cannon one on another for some hours ; they killed us but one man all the while , but with ours we did great execution , having the advantage of the ground ; so at last they retreated , and i have been told lost some hundreds of men in the bat●el , both killed and wounded : so we marched on for frome , a town where we were as beloved as at taunton , where we wanted for nothing but arms , which were by a stratagem taken from them a few days before our entrance . here came the unexpected news of argyle's being defeated , and likewise of the advance of the kings forces from london with considerable baggage , and thirty field-pieces . on this news , tog●ther with our want of mony and arms , ( not seeing which way to avoid these forces ) we were at a stand , and not a little non-plus'd . 't was at last agreed on , that we that came with the duke should get good horses that night , and so for pool , a little sea-port town not far off , where we were to seize a sip , and set forth for holland again , leaving our infantry to the mercy of the country . this was much like that resolution of the hollanders in the time of the civil war with spain , being as we then were , in despair of making better terms , and not daring to enter salisbury plain , because their horse being so much better than ours , their men being all disciplin'd , ours not , we could not face them in so plain and open a country , so that we retreated backward , in the mean time resolving to see what london would do , having a good opportunity offered them : the souldiers being call'd forth , and not two thousand men to be had for their defence if they had but attempted any thing ; this disheartned our men , and several of them coming home to their own country , having felt by experience the hardships of war , withdrew from us . we came well back again to bridgewater , and were received with wonted love ; we arrived here on friday the d of july , and resolved here to fortifie , so as to hold our ground till we heard from london . saturday in the afternoon news was brought of the approach of the kings forces within a mile and a half of the town where they had encamped , the duke went up into the tower and there took a view of them , and seeing them so careless , and their horse at some distance from the army , in a little town , the infantry being in sedge moore . he called a council on it , and it was concluded on , that we should fall on them in the dead of the night , accordingly having a guide to conduct us on in a private way , we march'd out at about of the clock in the night , and about one fell on them in their tents . there was a ditch between us , and the guide promised to conduct 'em over an easie fordable place , but our men seeing the enemy just before them , ran furiously on and lost the guide , so that while they endeavoured to recover over that place the enemy got on their legs , and put themselves in order , and now began as fierce a battel as perhaps ever was fought in england in so short a time ; our foot fought as well as ever foot fought , but not a horse came up ; had our horse but assisted , we must have beaten them out of the field . but our horses would not stand at the noise of drums and guns , so that we soon lost two of our pi●ces of ordnance , and we had but four in all , and then but one more in the field ; our foot flung most of their shot over , so that the men for the most part were killed in the rear , and that run , but the front stood still ; and had we done as much execution in the front as we did in the rear , the day had been our own ; but god would not have it , their time was not yet come : by this time their horses came up , and having six or eight hundred good disciplin'd men , well mounted and well arm'd , ours neither ; our foot having shot away all their ammunition , and our baggage being not then in the field , they were forced to retreat , being all in confusion . having no mony left , and our party thus unexpactedly repulsed , the duke seeing he could not hold it any longer , fled with my lord gray . the duke's party was said to be about three thousand foot , and a thousand horse ; we had more , at least five thousand men and horse , but not well arm'd , yet in the field . 't is said we lost not above three hundred , and they foot : but after when we were routed in our retreat lost a vast many more ; though they pursued not in some hours after . the most remarkable persons that were taken in this total rout , were colonel holmes , major perrot , the constable of crookborn , and mr. williams , servant to the late duke of monmouth . after the field was clear of the dukes men , the earl of feversham marched with five hundred foot and a party of horse and dragoons to bridgwater , where he found the dukes forces that were left there , fled and dispersed into several places : when his lordship having left these men in the town , under the command of colonel kirk , and hearing the late duke of monmouth was fled with about fifty horse , the greatest number of the dukes men that were left together , he sent out divers parties in pursuit of him and others that fled the field . when on the th of july , about five in the morning , some of the lord lumly's men seized the lord gray and another person near holt-lodge in dorsetshire , four miles from the west of ringwood ; and the said lord lumly making further enquiry among the cotts , was informed by one anna ferrant that two men went over a hedge , proving to be the out-bounds of many inclosures , some of which were overgrown with fern , others with pease and oats ; but guards being set upon the avenues , after divers attempts to escape , the brandenburgh , one of the parties observed to enter the ground , was taken on the th of july , about five in the morning , who confessing he departed from the late duke of monmouth about one of the clock that morning in the out-bounds , diligent search was made ; when about eleven of the clock the same morning he was found , by one henry parking , hid in a ditch , covered with fern , who calling others to assist him , the said late duke was in the end taken , and together with the lord gray , and the brandenburgh , with a strong guard brought by easie journies to whitehall , where they arrived on the th of july , and after some examination were committed to the tower , when on wednesday the th of july , the late duke of monmouth , pursuant to a warrant signed for his execution , upon his attaindure of high treason , was delivered to the sheriffs of london and middlesex , about ten in the morning , and conducted to a scaffold erected on tower-hill , where after about half an hours continuance , he laying down his head , had it stricken off by the executioner , the which , together with his body , being put into a coffin covered with velvet , were carried away in a velvet-covered hearse , in order to his interment . after the duke was beheaded , many prisoners taken , and those that fled by parcels up and down , secured in divers goals , in order to their prosecution , as was said , according to law ; which was the occasion of this great mans shewing his parts at that degree as he did , no one else fit to be made a tool for such a bloody tragedy as he acted . he went not only judge , but had a breviate under king james his hand , to command what troops he pleased to attend his commands from place to place . and was lieutenant general , as well as judge , and he gave daily the word and orders for going the rounds , &c. and ordered what party of troops he pleased to attend him . when major c — d who commanded the first regiment of guards , the dragoons , who were as his life-guard , when at the head of the troop following jeffreys from somersetshire to wiltshire , in order for london after the assizes , the major asked jeff●eys , if there would be any favour shewn to one mr. speake , who was not the speake intended ; jeffreys said , no , his family owed a life , he should die for his name-sake , because one of the family and name was guilty of being in the action , but was escaped , and therefore this being his brother , should die . jeffreys demanded of the major , how many he thought there was killed by the souldiers ? he replyed . quoth jeffreys , i believe i have condemn'd at many as that my self . — 't is to be remembred , that the fellow call'd tory tom ; at wells for his dirty sauciness was sent to the guard by this major ; when presently this tory tom petitioned some persons to intercede with the major , and sent the major a letter , desiring his liberty ; for that if he or any one should give tory tom an ill word to judge jeffreys , the judge would hang him right or wrong with the rest of the pr●soners , or condemn him at least ; so upon his submission the major discharg'd him , and did not leave him to the mercy of his own tory judge . the tryals in the west were deferred ( for some time after the fatal blow given to the d. of monmouth on tower-hill , which was the th . of july following ) because of my lords being at tunbridg ; but the latter end of august , he with a special commission of oyer and terminer , assisted with four other judges , set forward with a party of horse , he being made by special commission their general . the first place he came at was winchester , where were divers prisoners on suspicion ; but here began the tragedy ; for the lady lisle was there arraigned for high-treason , in harbouring mr. hicks and mr. nelthrope , that had been concerned with the duke ; the lady being on her tryal , the jury were dissatisfied once and again ; but my lords threats and other managery , so disposed the jury , that at last they brought the lady in guilty ; on which he pronounced the sentence of death on her , as usual in such cases ; but she had the favour of being beheaded ; their other prisoners were carried to salisbury ; and this was the most remarkable thing at that assizes . from thence they set forward for salisbury , where were many prisoners that had been pick'd up and down the country , then in the goal , the which , with those that were brought from winton , were ordered to be carried to dorchester , there not being evidence enough to accomplish what was then designed by my lord ; so that little of moment passed there , but to pursue the matter , proceeds from thence to dorchester , where he with his assistants , gown-men , and sword-men , arrived on the d. of september , on which day being thursday , the commission was read . friday morning was an excellent sermon preached before their lordships , by a worthy divine , chaplain to a worthy person of that country , much tending to mercy : it was observed , that while my lord chief justice was at church in prayers , as well as at sermon , he was seen to laugh , which was so unbecoming a person in his character , that ought in so weighty an affair as he was then entering upon , to have been more serious , and have craved the help and assistance of god almighty . the sermon being over , their lordships repaired to the court , which by order of the lord chief justice was hung with red cloth , a colour suitable to such a succeeding bloody tragedy , being accompanied by a numerous company of the gentry of that county , as well as the flower of the neighbouring counties of somerset and devonshire , and then proceeded to give his charge ; in which charge , by reason of the severity of his sentiments , and positions laid down to make discoveries of all such as were abettors , aidors or assisters to the late duke of monmouth , on pain of high treason , which was a great surprize to all the auditors , and so vehemently urged , and so passionately expressed , as seemed rather the language of a romish inquisitor , than a protestant judge ; and then adjourned until eight of the clock next morning , when was a bill found against thirty persons , charged for high treason , for aiding and assisting the late duke of monmouth ; who put themselves on their trials , notwithst●nding my lord's threatning , that in case any did put themselves on trial , and the country found them guilty , they should have but a little time to live . and at the same time insinuated , that it were better to plead guilty , if they expected any favour . these thirty being on trial , the evidences being sworn and examined before the jury : upon the whole , by the violent deportment of the lord chief justice , and sharpness of the jury , they found ●wenty nine guilty , though some of them were very hardly dealt with , and not so criminal as my lord and the country imagined . particularly amongst the twenty nine , were mr. matthew bragg of thor●comb , and joseph speed of culliton , in the county of devonshire , and mr. smith , constable of chardstock , in the said county , and george steward of culliton aforesaid . the circumstances of each of these , and the severity of their being found guilty , &c. shall be shewed in its proper place , before we take leave of this town , and proceed on in this western expedition . the said twenty-nine being found ( as before ) guilty , my lord immediately pronounced sentence of death on them all , as usual in cases of high-treason , and did the same night give a warrant to the sheriff , for the execution of thirteen of the twenty-nine on monday following ; which accordingly was done , notwithstanding great application was made to the lord chief justice by gentlemen of the best quality , in this and the neighbouring counties for a reprieve of mr. bragg , to all which he was deaf , and not to be prevailed upon ; though he was assured of his honesty , and true conformity to the church of england , yet it availed nothing . at last , it was only requested for ten days respite , yet that had no better effect ; but on monday , he with twelve more of that number , were accordingly executed at dorchester . in the mean time , this proceeding was designed to shorten business , and to wheedle the rest that were to follow to a confession , which without it , the tenth part of them could not be proved guilty . a method was also taken without president , to entrap many poor ignorant people , by a couple of officers that were sent into the goal , to call over , and to take the names of the prisoners ; on promise , if they confest , they might expect mercy , otherwise not ; which many did . and this was written so , that had they pleaded not guilty , these two were designed to have been evidences against them from their own confessions , which so disposed the remaining great numbers , that all except a very few , pleaded guilty , which put an end to any further trial. the only thing remaining , was the pronouncing of sentence on them , which were in number . who received sentence of death all at once . one mr. lawrence put himself on trial , but by the jury found guilty , whose case was hard , his circumstances being so small to be condemned to die ; and had actually suffered , had not application been made to my lord's favourites , and with the payment and securing of l. preserved him from execution . this matter being adjusted , and execution awarded to about eighty , which were executed , and their quarters sent up and down the country to the dread of their spectators , as well as the annoyance of the travellers ; his extraordinary whippings , though unmerciful , are not to be taken notice of ; so we leave this place , and proceed towards the city of exon : in their way thither , lying at an honourable gentlemans house , divers of the neighbouring parishes made their petitions to the lord chief justice in the behalf of some relations concerned . it happened , that through some disorder amongst his servants , some pistols were fired in the night , which gave him a suspicion , or at least he took it , of some design upon him ; on which at parting , he said , not a man of all those parishes that were of that vicinitude , if found guilty , should escape . and so we proceed and arrive at exon , where to the number of prisoners being in custody for assisting the said duke of monmouth , one amongst the rest , mr. fower acers pleading not guilty , he being found by the jury , the said lord chief justice immediately pronounced the sentence upon him , and immediate execution , which was done to terrifie the rest , who all pleaded guilty ; so that these unfortunate people had not time to have the fairness of trials allowed them , which is a right due by the laws of god and man. the remaining number he all condemned ; and here was a little sparing ; not so many order'd execution as was in the other county , but those that were executed , were hung up and down in most town● of the county , and their quarters and heads scattered up and down the high-ways and publick places . an extraordinary sentence of severe whipping was pronounced against mr. samuel staple of thorncomb in the said county ; but these are trifles , and we shall endeavour to pursue our design , and make as quick dispatch as we can , that time may not be lost , the king served , and this miscreants thirst quenched with protestant blood , which is always well-pleasing to inquisitors , and so proceed to the town of taunton . at which place being arrived , it was thought fit by the lord chief justice to be as expeditious as might be ; so that late in the afternoon the court sat , where the commission being read , he proceeded to give the charge , which was so very keen and full of sharp invectives , as if the country it self had not been able to make expiation to his lordship , to quench his thirst in the blood of those that ventur'd their all in defence of the protestant religion ; and here we enter upon the bloodiest part of the tragedy in this town , and at wells in the said county ; were more than prisoners . to begin at taunton : the next morning after the charge given , the assizes began , where some few put themselves on trial , who were found guilty , and immediately ordered to be executed ; of which number one mr. simon hamlin was one , who was a zealous worthy good man , and his case no way dangerous , but on the contrary , had he had to do with a judge of another stamp . to proceed to the rest : this first cruelty caused the rest to plead guilty in hopes of favour , which was only a few days to live , which those that pleaded had not . amongst these , at taunton were divers eminent persons that had been taken in the west , and carried to london , and brought down there to compleat the bloody tragedy in those parts : mr. parrot , mr. hewling , the elder , mr. lisle , mr. jenkins , mr. hucker , and divers others were very eminent . to take notice of every particular in this matter , will alter our design and swell the book to too great a bulk , being only designed for a pocket companion , and useful it may be to see the cruelty of men when in their power , and how the devil stirreth up his instruments , to pursue those that adventure for the cause of god and religion . here were in this county executed . the rest that were condemned were transported , except such as were able to furnish coin , and that not a little ; for an account was taken of mens abilities , according to which , the purchase for life must be managed by two of his favourites , who had a small share , the rest went into his lordships pocket ; according to the actions of rome , where sins of any kind may be pardoned for mony . this indeed was a glorious design in the eye of mother church , to root out heresie by executions and transportations , to make room for a pack ; here expedition must be made to conclude at wells , for that a great man being fallen , our great judge designing his chair , which in short , he had as the reward of so eminent and extraordinary a piece of service as he did for the advancement of the roman catholicks interest , which is cruel always where it prevails . thus we leave the town of taunton , after awarding execution to many there , and their quarters to be scatter'd up and down the county , and so we proceed to wells , where divers prisoners that had been carried from goal to goal , in expectation of evidence against them , were in carts removed to wells ; in which place , to finish this expedition , the same method as was at the former assizes , was also taken here by a severe charge , affronting the gentlemen of this county , as he had done in all the counties before , terrifying the juries ( when any pleaded ) to make them to bring in the persons guilty ; some of which being over-awed , and it is doubted , contrary to their judgments , which if so , the lord forgive them . here were many eminent and worthy persons that received the sentence of death , but the executions of the county being put together , as you , have before seen , we make no particular division of the number here , and the number at taunton , the whole being recited before : we shall therefore endeavour to be as brief as we can , to give you what we think material , and truly matter of fact ; my lord now being come to conclude this extraordinary commission , and in haste to be elevated , maketh all manner of dispatch to repair to the king then at windsor , to give an account of his transactions , and to receive the reward of his meritorious service in this butchering of protestants , which is so acceptable to his holiness , and his bigotted disciples , as nothing can be more ; and indeed , if you will believe them , a work that merits heaven at last , besides what temporal preferments are thought fit in this world. if this cruel judge were a true protestant , his case is much the worse , being made use of as a tool to destroy , and carry on popish designs . thus the affairs being ended , the country filled with heads and quarters of those that were executed , the rest that had not wherewith to purchase their lives , left in custody in order to transportation . i shall next add the charge given by the lord chief justice jeffreys , at the city of bristol , monday , september . . in his return from his western campaigne . gentlemen , i am , by the mercy of god , come to this great and populous city , a city that boasts both of its riches and trade , and may justly indeed claim the next place to the great and populous metropolis of this kingdom . gentlemen , i find here are a great many auditors , who are very intent , as if they expected some formal or prepared speech , but assure your selves , we come not to make neither set speeches , nor formal declamations , nor to follow a couple of puffing trumpeters ; for , lord , we have seen those things twenty times before : no , we come to do the king's business ; a king who is so gracious as to use all the means possible to discover the disorders of the nation , and to search out those who , indeed , are the very pest of the kingdom : to this end , and for this purpose are we come to this city . but i find a special commission is an unusual thing here , and relishes very ill ; nay , the very women storm at it , for fear we should take the upper hand of them too ; for by the by , gentlemen , i hear it is much in fashion in this city for the woman to govern and bear sway . but , gentlemen , i will not stay you with such needless stories , i will only mention some few things that fall within my knowledg ; for points or matters of law i shall not trouble you , but only mind you of some things that lately hath happened , and particularly in this city ( for i have the kalender of this city in my pocket ) ; and if i do not express my self in so formal or set a declamation ( for as i told you , i came not to make declamations ) or in so smooth language as you may expect , you must attribute it partly to the pain of the stone , under which i labour , and partly to the unevenness of this days journey . gentlemen , i may say , that even some of the youngest amongst us may remember the late horrid rebellion , how men , under colour of law , and pretext of justice , after they had divested a most gracious and most merciful prince of all his royal power , by the power of the sword ; they , i say , under colour of law , and pretext of justice , ( which added the more to the crime , that it was done under colour of such pretended justice ) brought the most mild and meekest prince ( next to our ever blessed saviour jesus christ , if we may but compare him to a man ) to die a martyr , the first blessed martyr , ( pardon the expression ; besides our most blessed jesu , who suffered for us on the cross , i say , besides that blessed son of god ) this , i say , was the first royal martyr ; not suffering him to speak for himself , or make his defence ; a liberty which is given to the vilest traitor ; and this was done ( not to descant on the number ) by forty one . the rebels not resting here , for rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft , divested the lineal , legal , and rightful heir of the crown of all his power and prerogative , till the mighty god of heaven and earth , god almighty , restored him to his just right : and he , as if begot in mercy , not only forgave all offences , and pardoned voluntarily , even all that had been in actual arms against him ( excepting those accursed regicides ) but also made it a crime for any one that should but remember , or upbraid any of their past crimes and rebellions . good god! o jesu ! that we should live in such an age , in which such a prince cannot be safe from the seditious contrivances of pardoned rebels ! had we not the rye conspiracy , wherein they not only designed to have murthered that most blessed ( for so now we may conclude him to be with god almighty ) and gracious king , but also his most ever dear and victorious brother ? had we not the bill of exclusion , which our most gracious king told us , he could not , without a manifest infringement of the royal prerogatives of the crown ( which are too sacred for us to touch ) consent to ? had we not the cursed counsel of achitophel ? kings are god's vicegerents on earth , and are indeed gods on earth , and we represent them . now when god almighty had of his infinite goodness , called this blessed prince unto himself , he sends a prince , who assures us he will imitate his royal brother and renowned predecessor in all things , especially in that of his clemency and mercy , and that too upon the word of a king. a king , i will assure you , that will not be worse than his word . nay ( pardon the expression ) that dare not be worse than his word . which of you all , that had a father murthered by another , ( and that deliberately too , under colour of justice , which added to the crime ; and your brother , nay your selves thrust out from your inheritanc● , and banished from your country ; nay , that sought your blood likewise ) would not when it was in your power revenge such injuries , and ruin such persecutors . but here our most blessed prince , whom god long preserve , hath not only forgiven , but will venture his life for the defence of such his enemies ? has he not ventured his life already , as far as any man ; for the honour of these kingdoms ? nay , i challenge this city to shew me any one man of it , that perchance may not be worth a groat , that has ventured his life so far for the safety of these kingdoms , as this royal prince hath done . good god! what an age do we live in ! shall not such a prince be secure from the sedition , rebellion , and plots of men ? he is scarce seated on his royal throne ( where god almighty grant he may long reign ) but on the one hand he is invaded by a condemned rebel , and arch-traytor , who hath received the just reward of his rebellion . on the other hand up starts a poppet prince who seduces the mobile into rebellion , into which they are easily bewitched ; for i say , rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft ; this man who had as little title to the crown as the least of you ( for i hope all you are legitimate ) being overtaken by justice , and by the goodness of his prince brought to the scaffold , he has the confidence ( good god! that men should be so impudent ) to say , that god almighty did know with what joyfulness he did die ( a traytor ) ; having for these two years last past , lived in all incontinency and rebellion , notwithstanding goodness of an indulgent prince so often to pardon him ; but it is just like him . rebellion ( as i told you ) is like the sin of witchcraft . for there was another which i shall not name , because i will not trample on the dust of the dead , but you may remember him by the words of his speech ; he tells you , that he thanks his god that he falls by the ax , and not by the fiery trial. he had rather ( he had as good have said ) die a traytor than a blessed martyr . great god of heaven and earth ! what reason have men to rebel ! but as i told you , rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft ; fear god and honour the king , is rejected by people for no other reason , as i can find , but that it is written in st. peter . gentlemen , i must tell you , i am afraid that this city hath too many of these people in it . and it is your duty to search them out : for this city added much to that ships loading ; there was your tyly's , vour roe's , and your wa●es , men starred up like mushrooms , scoundrel fellows , mere sons of dunghills : these men must forsooth set up for liberty and property . a fellow that carries the sword before mr. major must be very careful of his property , and turn politician , as if he had as much property as the person before whom he bears the sword ; though perchance not worth a groat . gentlemen , i must tell you , you have still here the tyly's , the roe's , and the wades : i have brought a brush in my pocket , and i shall be sure to rub the dirt where ever it is , or on whomsoever it sticks . gentlemen , i shall not stand complementing with you , i shall talk with some of you before you and i part : i tell you , i tell you , i have brought a besome , and i will sweep every mans door , whether great or small . must i mention particulars ? i hope you will save me that trouble ; yet i will hint a few things to you , that perchance i have heard of . this is a great city , and the magistrates wonderful loyal , and very forward to assist the king with men , mony and provisions , when the rebels were just at your gates : i do believe it would have went very hard with some of you if the enemy had entered the city , notwithstanding the endeavours that was used to accomplish it . certainly they had and must have great incouragement from a party within , or else why should their design be on this city . nay , when the enemy was within a mile of you , that a ship should be set on fire in the midst of you , as a signal to the rebels , and to amuse those within ; when if god almighty had not been more gracious unto you than you was to your selves ( so that wind and tyde was for you ) for what i know , the greatest part of this city had perished ; and yet you are willing to believe it was an accident . certainly , here is a great many of those men which they call trimmers . a whig is but a meer fool to these ; for a whig is some sort of a subject in comparison of these ; for a trimmer is but a cowardly and base-spirited vvhig ; for the vvhig is but the journey-man-prentice , that is hired , and set on in the rebellion , whilst the trimmer is afraid to appear in the cause ; he stands at a doubt , and says to himself , i will not assist the king until i see who has the best of it ; and refuses to entertain the king's friends for fear the rebels should get the better of it . these men stink worse than the worst dirt you have in your city ; these men have so little religion , that they forget that he that is not for us is against us . gentlemen , i tell you , i have the kalendar of this city here in my hand . i have heard of those that have searched into the very sink of a conventicle to find out some sneaking rascal to hide their mony by night . come , come , gentlemen , to be plain with you , i find the dirt of the ditch is in your nostrils . good god! where am i , in bristol ! this city it seems claims the priviledge of hanging and drawing amongst themselves : i find you have more need of a commission once a month at least . the very magistrates which should be the ministers of justice , fall out one with another to that degree , they will scarce dine with each other , whilst it is the business of some cunning men that lye behind the curtain to raise divisions amongst them , and set them together by the ears , and knock their logger-heads together ; yet i find they can agree for their interest . or if there be but a kid in the case : for i hear the trade of kid-napping is of much request in this city , they can discharge a felon , or a traytor , provided they will go to mr. alderman's plantation at the vvest-indies . come , come , i find you stink for want of rubbing . gentlemen , what need i mind you of these things ? i hope you will search into them , and inform me . it seems the dissenters and phanaticks fare well amongst you , by reason of the favour of the magistrates ; for example , is a dissenter , who is a notorious and obstinate offender , comes before them to be fined , one alderman or other stands up , and says , he is a good man ( though three parts a rebel ) well then , for the sake of mr. alderman , he shall be fined but s. then comes another , and up stands another goodman alderman , and says , i know him to be an honest man ( though rather worse than the former ) ; well , for mr. alderman's sake , he shall be fined but half a crown ; so manus manum fricat ; you play the knave for me now , and i will play the knave for you by and by . i am ashamed of these things : and i must not forget to tell you , that i hear of some differences amongst the clergy , those that ought to preach peace and unity to others : gentlemen , these things must be looked into . i shall not now trouble you any further , there are several other things , but i expect to hear of them from you . and if you do not tell me of some of these things , i shall remind you of them . and i find by the number of your constables , this is a very large city , and it is impossible for one or two to search into all the corners of it : therefore mind the constables of their duties , and call on them for their presentments ; for i expect every constable to bring in his presentment , or that you present him . so adjourn , &c. upon affidavits read , and other evidence against sir vv — the mayor , alderman l — and others , for kid-napping , there being bills privately preferred to the grand jury by j. — r. — and being found , he made the mayor , and the aldermen , concerned to go from the bench to the bar , to plead to the informations ; using many expressions , saying of the mayor : see how the kidd-napping rogue looks , &c. my lord after he had left bristol , being come to the king to give an account of his affairs in the west , the great seal being to be disposed of by the death of the late keeper , he kiss'd the king's hand for it , and was made lord chancellor , which was only an e●rnest of his des●rt for so eminent and extraordinary a piece of service ; so now that which remains , is to give an account of divers that had fled , and hid themselves up and down in holes and privacies , whose friends made all application to some great men or other to procure their pardons ; some to this , and others to such as they thought fovourites of the king ; but the rewards must be ascertained before any application could be made : divers lists being sent up , and the rewards ascertained , which amongst many of them put together , did amount to considerable , so that it was now who could find a friend to relieve his distressed relations , which were forced to wander up and down in caves and deserts , for fear of being taken : but this misfor●une attended the agents , that unless my lord chancellour were used , by his creatures , that were allowed by him so to do ; other applications commonly met with disappointments , which caused an emulation among the great men ; one supposing to have deserved the king's ear as well as the other , which caused other measures to be taken , though some were wheedled out of their mony . at last came out a general pardon , with exceptions , very few , if any of those that were solicited for , not being excepted , were of course pardoned ; but however , divers sums of mony having been paid , no restitution to be had , for from hell is no redemption . a worthy western gentleman's purchase came to fifteen or sixteen hundred guinea's , which my lord chancellour had . amongst the exceptions were a parcel of taunton girls , some of which were children of eight or ten years old , however something was to be made of them , if these ladies were judged guilty of treason for presenting the duke of monmouth with colours , &c. and for to preserve these from trial , they were given to maids of honour to make up their christmas box ; so that an agent of theirs was sent down into the country to compound with their parents , to preserve them from what might after follow , if taken ; so , that some according to ability , gave l. others l. all which however did not answer the ladies first expectations ; yet it did satisfie , and they were accordingly pardoned . thus we have given you an account of what hath happened on this occasion , being in every point truth : we might have farther enlarged , but that would have spoiled the design , and swoln our pocket companion to a volume too big . we shall therefore next proceed to give you a true and exact list of all them that were condemned , and suffer'd in the west , in the year . under the sentence of my lord chief justice jeffreys . with the names of the towns where every man was executed . bath . walter baker henry body gerrard bryant thomas clotworthy thomas collins john carter . philipsnorton . robert cook edward creaves john caswell thomas hayward john hellier edward beere henry portridge george pether thomas peirce john richards john staple john smith . froome . francis smith samuel vill alias vile thomas star philip vsher robert beamant william clement john humphrey george hasty robert man thomas pearle lawrence lott thoma● lott . bruton . james feildsen humphrey braden richard bole. wincanton . john howel richard harvey john tucker william holland hugh holland thomas bowden . shepton-mallet . stephen mallet joseph smith john gilham , jun. giles bramble richard chinn william cruise george pavier john hildworth john ashwood thomas smith john dorchester senior john combe john groves . pensford . roger cornelius john starr humphry edwards william pierce arther sullway george adams . henry russel george knight robert wine william clerk alias chick preston bevis richard finier . wrington . alexander key david boyss joshua french. wells · william mead thomas coade robert doleman thomas durston john sheperd abraham bend william durston william plumley . uivelscomb william ruscomb thomas pierce robert combe . tuton upon mendip . peter pran●e william watkins . chard . edward foote john knight williams williams john gervis humphrey hitchcook william godfrey abraham pill william davy henry easterbrook james dennett edward warren simo● cross. crookern ● . john spore roger burn●ll william p●ther james evory robert hill nicholas adams richard stephens rober● halswell john bushel william l●shly . somerton . william gillet thomas lissant william pocock christopher stephens george cantick robert allen joseph kelloway . yeovil . francis foxwell george pitcher bernard devereax bernard thatcher for concealing bovet , william johnson thomas hurford edward gillard oliver powel . netherstoe . humphrey mitchel richard cullverell merrick thomas . dunster . henry lackwell john geanes william sully . dulverton . john basely john lloyd henry thompson . bridgewater . robert fraunces nicholas st●dgell george lord jeffreys . joshua b●llamy william moggeridge john hurman robert roper richard harris richard engram john trott roger guppey roger hore isaiah davis . ratcliffe-hill at bristol . richard evans john tinckwell christopher clerk edward tippo● philip cumbridge john tucker alias glover . illminster . nicholas collins sen. stephen newman robert luckis william kitch thomas burnard william wellen john parsons thomas trocke robert fawne western hillary john burgen charles speake . stogersey . hugh ashley john herring . wellington . francis priest philip bovet robert reed . south-petherton . cornelius furfurd john parsons thomas davis . porlock . james gale henry edny . glasenbury . john hicks richard pearce israel briant william mead james pyes john bro●me taunton . robert perret abraham ansley benjamin hewling peirce murren john freake john savage abraham matthews william jenkins henry lisle john dryer . john hucker jonathan england john sharpe william deverson john williams john patrum james whittom william satchel john trickey . langport . humphrey peirce nicholas venton john shellwood . arbridg . isaac tripp thomas burnell thomas hillary john gill , senior thomas monday john butcher . cutherston . richard bovet thomas blackmo●e . minehead . john jones alias evens hugh starke francis barlet peter warren samuel hawkins richard sweet . evilchester . hugh goodenough samuel cox william somerton john masters john walrand david langwell osmond barr●t matthew cross edward burford john mortimer john stevens robert townsden . stogummer . george hillard john lockstone arthur williams , castlecary richard ash samuel garnish robert hinde . milton-port . archibald johnson james maxwel . keinsham . charles chepman richard bowden thomas trock lewis harris edward halswell howel thomas george badol richard evans john winter andrew rownsden john phillelrey . suffer'd in all besides those hanged and destroyed in c●ld blood. this bloody tragedy in the west being over , our protestant judge returns for london ; soon after which alderman cornish felt the anger of some body behind the curtain ; for it is to be noted , that he was sheriff when best prayed an indictment might be preferr'd , and was , as well as sheriff bethel , earnest in promoting it ; in alledging , that it was no ways reasonable that the juries of london should lie under such a reproach , &c. but passing this over , we now find this person arriv'd at the pinacle of honour ; the purse and mace were reserved for him , vacant by the death of the lord keeper north , and he advanced to the lord chancellourship of england : rais'd by this means , as one might think , above the envy of the croud ; and it might be wished , in so dangerous a heighth he had looked better to his footsteps ; for now being created baron of wem , we find him in a high commission , or ecclesiastical court , suspending rhe honourable lord bishop of london from performing the episcopal office and function of that see , and for no other default , than not readily complying with the kings letter in suspending dr. sharp , dean of norwich , for preaching a sermon in the parish church of st ▪ giles in the fields , at the request of the parishioners , shewing the errors and fallacies of the romish religion ; the better to confirm them in the faith and doctrine of the church of england . nor was it this good bishop alone that was aimed at ; for magdalen colledge in oxford was next attempted , and in that very mother of learning , and chief seminary of our church , such alterations made , as startled the kingdom ; by whose counsel i undertake not to determine ; but in the midst of liberty of conscience , as twice declared . the church of england had a test put upon her sons , which seemed such a paradox that has been rarely heard of , viz. to read the kings declaration for liberty of conscience in the churches , during the time of divine service , and a mark , and penalties threatned to the refusers ; which was evidently demonstrated , by the imprisonment of those pious patriots of their country , and pillars of the church : his grace the lord archbishop of canterbury , the lord bishop of bathe and wells , ely , peterborough , chichester , st. asaph , and bristol ; who for shewing their reasons , why they could not comply with this command , by way of humble petition , were sent to the tower , and afterwards tryed upon information of high misdemeanour , at the court of kings-bench ; where their innocency appearing in a large manner , they were acquitted , to the scandal of their accusers : yet orders were sent into all parts of england , to return and account to the lord chancellor , of those that refused to read the declaration , that they might be proceeded against , for a contempt of what their consciences would not permit them to do , and for a time they were extreamly hot upon it . much about this time there was a considerable suit depending before him in chancery , between a great heiress and others , which was sufficiently talk'd of in the world ; not without loud and deep reflections on his honesty and honour : for having given the cause for the young lady , he very speedily afterwards married her to his son ; with this remarkable circumstance , she being a papist , to make sure work , he married them both ways ; both by a priest of the church of rome , and a divine of the church of england . and here i think we may place the heighth and acme of his honour and happiness , where he 's not like to tarry long ; for on the news of the great preparations in holland , and that the prince of orange was certainly design'd for england , the determined councils cool'd , and then quite ceas'd , so that the church of england men , whose cause the prince had espoused , were restored again to the commissions and trusts they had ( by what justice i know not ) been lately deprived of ; and amongst other charters that were on this occasion restored , was that of the city of london ; and that which makes it more memorable , was , that it was brought to guild-hall by this person , tho he was not attended with the shouts and acclamations he expected , nor seem'd so florid or frolicksom as heretofore , which some looked upon as a bad omen ; and it 's reported , soon after he being ask'd by a courtier , what the heads of the princes declaration were ? he should answer , he wa● sure his was one , whatever the r●st were . when the late king james was secur'd at feversham , he desired to see his landlord , and demanded his name , who proved a person who had turned himself over to the kings bench for a fine , which fell upon him ( and captain stanbrooke in westminster , ) by the lord chancellours means at the board , which king james calling for a pen and ink , bid the gentlemen write the discharge as effectually as he would ; which he signed : adding that he was now sensible my lord chancellor had been a very ill man , and done very ill things . if he was thus censur'd by his master for his former services , he had a bad opinion of him . without prophecy any man might predict his service and interest was ceased ; and his life would have been like the scape goat , he must have born all their crimes , and been beheaded for his own , for no less indignation than death was couched in the words . thus may be seen what would have been his end . the court by this time beginning to scatter , and the prince of orange approaching , the king thought fit to withdraw himself , upon notice of which , the lord chancellor betook him self to wapping , disguised like a sea-man , in order to his escape to hamborough , in a collier ; but being * discovered , he was brought before sir j. chapman , lord mayor of the city london , in a strange disguise , very different from the habit in which he formerly appeared : and by reason of the lord mayors indisposition , he not being able to commit him , he offered to go to the tower , to be out of the hands of rabble , who there in great numbers with clubs and staves , threatned him with present destruction : but having a guard of the train'd-bands to conduct him , he got thither safe , and soon after was charged in custody by a warrant of commitment from the lords at white-hall , where he continued under much affliction a●d indisposition ; having since moved for his habeas corpus to be bailed , but was not able to attain it . he had not been in the tower , many days , but as 't is said ( whether true or no , i cannot affirm ) he had a barrel of oysters sent him , upon sight of which ; he said to the bearer , well then , i see i have some friends left still ; but upon opening the barrel , he he found them to be only friends that were impatient till they gave him a prospect of his future destiny , for verily the mighty present was nothing but a good able halter . now , as i s●id before , whether this passage be true or no. i cannot say , but this i am sure , ( if we consider his lordships life and cruelties ) the moral of it is ve●y good . the humble petition of the vvidows , and fatherless children in the west of england . we , to the number of a thousand and more , widdows and fatherless children , of the counties of dorset , somerset , and devon , our dear husbands and tender fathers , having been so tyrannously butcher'd , and some transported , our estates sold from us , and our inheritance cut off by the severe and harsh sentence of george lord jeffreys , now we understand in the tower of london a prisoner , who has lately , we hear , endeavoured to excuse himself from those tyrannical and illegal sentences , by laying it on information by some gentlemen , who are known to us to be good christians , true protestants and english-men . we your poor petitioners , many hundreds of us , on our knees have begg'd mercy for our dear husbands and tender parents , from his cruel hands , but his thirst for blood was so great , and his barbarism so cruel , that instead of granting mercy for some , which were made appear to be innocent , and petitioned for by the flower of the gentry of the said counties , he immediately executed ; and so barbarously , that a very good gentlewoman at dorchester , begging on her knees the life of a worthy gentleman , to marry him , and make him her husband ; this vile wretch having not common civility with him , and laying aside that honour and respect due to a person of her worth , told her , come , i know your meaning , some part of your petition i will grant , which shall be , that after he is hanged and quartered , you shall have tha● member you best like when living , and so i will give orders to the sheriff . these , with many hundred more tyrannical acts are ready to be made appear in the said counties , by honest and credible persons , and therefore your petitioners desire , that the said george j●ffreys , late lord chancellor , the vilest of men , may be brought down to the counties aforesaid , where we the good women in the west shall be glad to see him ; and give him another manner of welcome than he had there three years since . and your petitioners shall ●ver pray , &c. thus he continued for some months in the tower , his chronical indispositions , the stone , &c. encreasing very fast upon him . the ingenious dr. lower was his physician : but nature being now tired out by a tedious combat with his disease , and the guilt of his former bloody life , we hope it touched his conscience . he having besides , by his intemperate life , notoriously known , contracted an ill habit of body , he at last very happily for himself , if not his relations too , dy'd in the tower — the — morning , about nine of the clock , an. dom. . — thus , reader , you have seen the rise and fall of this unfortunate , great , ill man ; and so , at present after we have endeavoured at his character , we take our farewel . jeffreys's character . he was of stature rather above a middle sort than below it ; his complexion inclining to fair ; his face well enough , full of a certain briskness , tho' mixt with an air a little malicious and unpleasant . he was a man of tolerable sense , and had , as of necessity he must by so long practice , and going through such publick places , got some law , tho' as little as 't was , more than he had occasion to make use of ; since the dispensing power having as good as seated all law in the kings breast ; he by that found out a more compendious method of attaining it , than was formerly known . he had a pretty large stock of ill nature , and wit , in which lay his greatest excellency , tho' a very unenvy'd one . but in fine , his brow and his tongue were absolutely the two best accomplishments he was master of . — by the help of which , and that before mentioned , by his brisk , sudden , and sharp interrogatories , he sometimes put falshood , and perhaps oftner , the truth it self out of countenance . but that ill-favour'd wit which he had , lay all of the wrong side ; much like that of those unlucky animals , all whose wit lyes in tricks and mischief . he spoke many pleasant things , but very few handsom ones , disgracing all with intolerable railing , mean passions , and perfect billings-gate , and would commonly even upon the bench it self , fall into heats both as to words and actions , not only unworthy of a judge , but even of any prudent man. he seem'd , without wronging him , to have a great deal of baseness , and cruelty in his nature , having a particular delight and relish in cruelty and blood , and such things as give horrour and aversion to all the rest of mankind . he was in this case worse than even nero ; for whereas that monster had once so much good nature , or at least pretended it , that when he was to sign a warrant for the execution of a malefactor , he is said to have wish'd , he had never learn'd to write : jeffreys on the other side , then only seem'd in his element , when in the midst of destruction and murther . for his religion — what a sort of one 't was , his life past sufficiently tells us ; tho he and his good brother commissioner , the balswagger of chester , maliciously persuade th● world , that they were of the church of england ; that after they cou'd do it no more mischief with their live● , they might disgrace it by their deaths , pretending both to die in that communion . — but 't is mean to follow 'em any further , unless with a wish somewhat like that handsom one history leaves us , that all k. william and q. mary's enemies were as honourable bury'd , — or , in the inspired words of a great person , — so , o lord , let all thine enemies perish . a letter to the lord chancellor , exposing to him the sentiments of the people , with some pertinent advice in the conclusion . my lord , i 'de praise your lordship , but you 've had your share of that before , if not too much by far , and now a nobler field for curses are : yet i 'll not curse , but leave you to the crowd , who never baulk their rage , but speak aloud : in all the labrynth's of your crimes , they 'll track ye , worse than ten thousand furies they 'll attack ye . we talk not here of penal laws or test , nor how you king of terrours in the west , with more than human cruelty , opprest those whose shades now stab through your anxious breast . to these i leave you , each with brandish'd dart ; throughly revenge his quarrel at your heart . for me , i 'll only let your lordship see how they resent your chang'd felicity . now may you hear the people as they scoure along , not fear to damn the chancellor : the women too , and all the tender crew , that us'd to pity all , now laugh at you . the very boys , how do they grin and prate , and giggle at the bills upon your gate ! nay , rather than be frustrate of their hope , the women will contribute for a rope : and those fine locks that no bless'd spark might touch , on this account ketch may , they love my lord so much . oh for dispensing now ! ah ! now 's the time ! your eloqu●nce will hardly blanch the crime ; and all the turnings of your proteus-wit , with all your little tricks , won't help a bit : ev'n that fine tongue , in which your lordships trust is , now won't , altho sometimes it baffled justice : no ignoramus juries shall perplex ye , but with their billa vera's now they 'll vex ye . from their dire claws , no hiding hole you 'll find , they speak their own now , not a parties mind : not now as heretofore , when on the bench flattery , and daubing had such influence , and jeffreys for a gift would with the laws dispence . but granting all our laws be out of joint , why , yet they do not fear to gain the point : a high commission may the cause decide , your lordship by a butcher may be try'd , when by commission he is dignify'd . his power you must not doubt , if he be satisfy'd . this 't is they mean , 't is this they wou'd have done , but i wou'd chouse 'em ' ery mothers son , troth i 'de ' en hang my self , ' en quickly done . if you 've no halter , never make a pother , take but a greater , one's as good as to'ther : for lord ! should such a man as you submit to be the publick laughter of each grinning cit ! else my lord , take a razor , never fear , and cut your lordships throat from ear to ear. 't is feasible enough , you know who did it , cut both the jug'lar veins thro' if you can , else you 'll say essex was the stouter man. i am your lordships , in any thing of this nature . from the little house over against tyburn , where the people are almost dead with expectation of you . jeffreys elegy . i very well remember on a night , or rather in the peep of morning light , when sweet aurora with a smiling eye , call'd up the birds to wonted melody . dull morpheus with his weight upon me leant , half waking , and yet sleeping thus i dreamt . methoughts i saw a lawyer at his book , studying pecunia , but never cooke ; he scorned littleton and plowden too , with mouldy authors he 'd have nought to do . next stage i saw him on , was hicks's hall , and heard him mightily to roar and bawl , never did city cryer louder yaul . the people star'd at such a noise uncouth , who is 't , cries one , why , 't is the cities mouth . then straight i saw him plac'd , the more 's the pity , to be the speaking trumpet of the city knight and recorder he was made together , this man thought i , will live in any weather ; money came in , he then grew mighty rich , and to climb higher had a deadly itch. then presently a popish priest came to him , that square cap curr thought i will sure undo him . wilt thou now be prefer'd , come hither come , and be but reconciled unto rome , and for advancement thou maist rest upon her , none of her sons e're wanted wealth or honour . do but declare against the whiggs and say , thou hates the ill-contriv'd fanatick way . with that methoughts i saw him tack about , and straight he courted the curs'd romish rout , esteem'd it happiness enough to go , and kiss his holinesses stinking toe . next place i saw him in , was justice chair , who fled away because she saw him there . he with commission rid the land about , but still he aim'd to keep fair justice out , with angry look he brow-beat rightful cause , and his bold hand did sacrifice the laws , tore 'um or trampled on 'um with his paws . poor justice being frighted fled from earth , to heaven , whence she did derive her birth , to the eternal justice she did go , and made report what monsters sate below . inquisitor like spain in england sate , and at their pleasure steer'd the helm of fate , he rid the western circuit all around , but where he came no justice to be found ; he improv'd his talents martyrs to condemn , hang draw and qua●ter was his daily theam . he bid 'um to confess , if e're they hope to be reprieved from the fatal rope , this seem'd a favour , but he 'd none forgive , the favour was , a day or two to live ; which those had not that troubled him with tryal , his business blood , and would have no denyal ; his entrails brass , his very heart was steel , poor souls he made his judges courage feel , how valiant to condemn , when in his power , two hundred he could sentence in an hour , guilty or not , to him was all a case , on martyrs bodies did his honour raise , and to destroy by retail , thought it base . the blood of protestants for vengeance cry , and will i fear to all eternity . altho' kind death hath made him scape mans doom , and quietly hath hurl'd him in his tomb. then next methought i saw him placed higher , o whither will this canibal aspire ? the purse , the mace , and all the honour that belongeth to lord chancellour of state , made fat with treason , he did daily thrive , till to his highest pitch he did arrive . the church of england saw a traitor lurch , who went about to undermine their church , witness else maudlin colledge and the rest , he was the stoutest stickler for the test , but could not help it , 'cause he was so high . he soa●'d above the sight of humble eye , abhor'd petitioners as heretofore , such varlets still was banisht from his dore : now being on the top of fortune's wheel , the giddy goddess did begin to reel . a warning 't is to all depending on her , of ice is made the pinacle of honour , or glassie substance , brittle shining hew , that afar off doth make a golden shew , those that are low , admire it , and would climb , altho' they break their necks the very time , and now methoughts he hearing preparations , that were a forming in the neighbour nations , prepares for his own safety now in time , thinking the thunder would on him incline , therefore being ask'd what were the princes heads of 's declaration , feelingly he said , his head was one , aim'd at 'mongst many others , knowing in villany he 'd many brothers , with that betook him to his heels and run , thinking by bribes he could not ruin shun ; he took a colli●rs coat to sea to go ; was ever chancellour arrayed so ! but like to like , he 'd needs anticipate devil incarnate , or colier of state. he dealt in deeds of darkness , black as night , such a bl●ck habit needs must fit him right . brave sight to see him in a colliers skin , come pence a piece , my masters enter in . my lord mayor sounded , and was stricken dumb , to see his metamorphos'd lordship come . a countrym●n he flouted once i hear , ask'd what he had for swearing , t was too dear , you bumpkin in the leather jacket there ; to whom the hobnail quickly did reply , hadst thou no more for lying , than poor i have here for swearing , thou might quickly wear a lether one , inste●d of plush th●ed-bare . now had he seen my lord in colliers buss , bumpkin had past for prophet sure enough . the mobile and rout with clubs and staves , swore that his carcass ne're should lie in graves . they'd ●at him up alive within an hour , their teeth should tear his flesh and him devour ; limb him they would as boys on shrovetide do , some cryed i ●m for a wing an aro● , for what are you , i am for his h●ad , says one , for his brains says t'other , and i am for his sowse , his e●rs another , oh , cries a thi●d , i am for his ●u●tocks brave , nine pound of ●takes f●om them i mean to have ; i know the rogu● is fle●hy , says a sourth , the sweet br●●d● , lu●gs and heart , then nothing worth ; yes , quoth anoth●r , out no● good to eat , a heart of st●el wi●l n●'re prove tender meat . but we ●ust them dispose another way , a good rich lawy●r will a round sum pay , for such a set of loud and bellowing lungs , enough to serve a h●ndred stentors tongues . we 'll s●ll his heart to the pope to make a show , a relique on 't an● he 'll get money too . but whilst they were dividin● him in thought , the lord mayor ordered souldiers to be brought who resceud hi● from out the rabbles power , and straight away they took him to t●e tower , with much ado ●e there ●as brought at last , to think on all his wicked actions past . finis . an alphabetical table of the chief matters contained in thi● book . a. ansl●ys ( abraham ) last speech , — his last letter , p. . p. . argile ( earl ) his sufferings , — his last speech , p. . p. . armstrong , his sufferings and dying words , — his elegy , p. . p. . arnold , a brief account of his sufferings , p. . askews letter to his father , — another letter to his friend , p. . — the account his friend gives of him , p. . p. . author's sentiments concerning the western sufferers , p. . axminster and honiton , an account of those executed there , p. . b. batemans sufferings , p. . battiscomb , his life and sufferings , — he was executed at lime , in company of eleven persons , p. . — his last words , p. . p. . battiscomb , a further account of his behaviour , — a poem on a lady that came to j●ffreys to beg mr. battiscomb's life , p. . — his character , p. . p. . boddys last speech , p. . bragg , his dying speech and behaviour , p. . bridport and lime , an acco●nt of those that s●ffered there , p. . c. civilities of the citizens of exon to the western sufferers , p. . colledge , his l●fe , tryal , and last words , — the verses upon his picture , p. . — poem w●itten by himself , ibid. p. . cornishes , sufferings , — a hint at the occasion of his martyrdom , — passages before his death , p. . — an account of a poem made in his time , p. . — his character , ibid. p. . cox sufferings and triumphant death , p. . d. dangerfield , his life and sufferings , — his character , p. . — his elegy , ib●d . — his ghost to jeffreys , p. . p. . e. essex ( earl ) his life and martyrdom , — his character , p. . — his elegy , p. . p. . g. gaunts sufferings , — her dying speech , p. ● . — her postscript to the said speech , p. . p. . gatchets sufferings , p. . ga●chils behaviour and dying words , p. . godfrey ( sir edmondbury ) his life and martyrdom , — anagram upon his name , p. . — poem on his death , p. . p. . h. hamlings case , p. . hewlings ( both benjamin and william ) an account of their behaviour both before and at their execution , with several letters to divers of their relations , — the character of the two hewlings , p. . — a further account of mr. w. hewling , p. . — he is executed with dr. temple , mr. mathers , and some others , p. . p. . hicks ( john ) last speech , — his letter to his nephew the day before his death , p. . — his letter to his wife , p. . — another letter to his wife , p. . — another letter to his wife , p. . p. . hymns made by several sufferers , p. . holloway , his life , sufferings and dying words , p. . holway of lime , his behaviour before and at the place of execution , — his last words , p. . p. . holmes , his sufferings , — his dying words , p. . — his last prayer , p. . p. . holmes , ( coll. ) a further account of his behaviour , p. . hones accusation , — his dying words , ibid. p. . huckers letter to the bookseller concerning his father , — his letter to his friend , p. . p. . i. jeffreys ( late lord chancellor ) his life and death following , — dedication of his life to himself , following the title page , — poem to the memory of the lord jeffreys , following the dedication , — his birth and parentage , p. . — his behaviour at school , p. . — his father prophecies , that he 'll die with his shooes and stockins on , ibid. — his dream , p. . — his entring himself in the inner temple , p. . — his marriage and early son , p. . — he is made recorder of london , ibid. — hi● abhorrence of petitioning , p. . — his b●ing on his knees before the house of commons , p. . — his ill practices whilst recorder , p. . — his vehement discourse to the jury against the lord russel , p. . — his sordid treat . of m● . baxter , d d p. . — a narrative of monmouths whole expedition , while in the w●st , which was the prologue to jeffreys cruelties there , p. . — his secret villanies , p. . — his bloody practices in the west , p. . — the charge given by the lord jeffreys at bristol in his return from his w●stern campaign , p. . — he calls the mayor of bristol kidnapping rogue , p. . — he is made lord chancellor for his cruelties in the west , ibid. — how he raised money by procuring pardons , p. . — he is made baron of wem , p. . — what followed thereupon , ibid. — the p. of o●ange , approaching he flies to wapping in a disguise , p. . — he is taken and brought before the lord mayor , ibid. — is committed to the tower , p. . — the western widows petition against him , while in the tower , ibid. — he dies in the tower , p. . — his character , p. . — a letter sent to him there , p. . — his elegy , p. . p. . jenkins ( william ) his behaviour both before and at , his execution with several letters to divers of his relations , — his character , p. . p. . introduction to the new martyrology , shewing the reasons , why this work is undertaken , johnson , the accusation against him , — his address to all english protestants in the army , p. . — his character , p. . p. . k. k — s cruelties related by an eye and ear witness , who also gives an account of other western barbarities , p. . king ( john ) an account of his last speech at the place of execution at edenburgh , p. . kidd ( john ) his last speech at the place of execution at edenburgh , p. . kidd ( capt. ) his dying speech in the west of england , p. . l. larke ( sampson ) his sufferings , — his last words p. . — some further passages relating to mr. sampson larke with his prayer when executed , p. . — his letter to his friend , just before his execution , p. . p. . laurence ( thomas ) his case and sufferings , p. . lisle ( lady ) her sufferings , — her last speech , p. . p. . list of all them that were condemn'd and suffer'd in the west in the year , . jeff. life , p. . m. madders sufferings , — his last vvords upon the ladder , p. . — his last prayer , p. . p. . matthews last spe●ch and prayer at the place of execution , p. . monmouth ( ●uke ) his sufferings and death , — his declaration in the west , d d p. . — a brief abstract of his true speech , p. . — his elegy , p. . p. . monmouth and argile being both defeated , what followed thereupon , p. . n. nelthrope ( richard ) his sufferings , — his letter to his parents , brothers and sisters , p. . — his letter to his children , p. . — his last speech , p. . p. . noises sufferings , — he engages in the prentices petition to the lord mayor , p. . — a copy of the said petition , ibid. — an account of prentices that signed it , p. . — the speech that was made at presenting this petition , p. . — the lord mayors answer to the prentices speech , p. . — the names of the presenters of this petition , ibid. — a poem dedicated to 'em , p. . p. . o. oates , an account of his life , and sufferings , — his character , p. . p. . p. parrots sufferings , — his behaviour at the place of execution , ibid. — his last speech , ibid. p. . poem to the memory of those who suffered in the west , next the title page potts sufferings , courage and dying vvords , p. . r. review of what has been written in this new mar●yrology , p. . robins of charmouth his sufferings , — his last sayings , p. . p. . roses suff●●ings and courage , p. . rosw●lls tryal and acquittal , p. . rouses tryal and accusation , — his dying vvords , p. . p. . rumbold a brief 〈◊〉 of his sufferings , — a larger account of rumbolds sufferings with his last speech , and several things that past at his tryal , p. . p. . russel ( lord ) his life , tryal and martyrdom , — his elegy , p. . — his character , p. . — an account of his last speech , p. . p. . s. sandfords last speech at the place of execution , p. . sa●chels behaviour and dying vvords , p. . sherborn an account of those executed there , with their dying vvords , p. . sidney ( algernoon ) his sufferings , tryal and martyrdom , — his petition to his majesty , p. . — an account of the paper he delivered to the sheriffs on tower-hill , p. . — his epitaph , p. . — his character , ibid. p. . smith of char●stock , his behaviour and dying speech , p. . speak ( charles ) his sufferings and last words , p. . speed of culliton , his behaviour and dying speech , p. . sp●ague and cleg executed at culliton , with their dying words , p. . sprague ( john ) a further account of him , p. . t. temple , his last speech , p. . tylers suff●rings , — he is executed with some other persons , p. . — his l●st speech , ibid. — a hymn made by him a little before his execution , p. . p. . w. walcot his life , tryal and martyrdom , — an account of his speech , p. . — his last prayer , p. . p. . western transactions the introduction to 'em , with general observations upon 'em , — the lives and dying speeches of those that suffered in the west , p. . p. . vvhippings in the west , — mr. hale whipt , ibid. — mrs. brown whipt , ibid. — a poor boy of weymouth of years of ag● , was whipt till he had the flesh of his back so cut with whipping that he died . p. . p. . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e * this pious and couragious man , mr. ayloff suffer'd martyrdom in london , about the same time that mr. nelthrop did . here was a glorious instance of filial affection . notes for div a -e as i find 'em in his treatise , entituled , they cry of the oppressed , p. . * a●d behold thou art taken in thy mischief , because thou art a bloody man , sam. . ● . . the protestant martyrs: or, the bloody assizes giving an account of the lives, tryals, and dying speeches, of all those eminent protestants that suffered in the west of england, by the sentence of that bloody and cruel judge jefferies; being in all persons, besides what were hang'd and destroyed in cold blood. containing also, the life and death of james duke of monmouth; his birth and education; his actions both at home and abroad; his unfortunate sentence, execution and dying-words upon the scaffold: with a true copy of the paper he left behind him. and many other curious remarks worth the reader's observation. tutchin, john, ?- . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing t aa estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the protestant martyrs: or, the bloody assizes giving an account of the lives, tryals, and dying speeches, of all those eminent protestants that suffered in the west of england, by the sentence of that bloody and cruel judge jefferies; being in all persons, besides what were hang'd and destroyed in cold blood. containing also, the life and death of james duke of monmouth; his birth and education; his actions both at home and abroad; his unfortunate sentence, execution and dying-words upon the scaffold: with a true copy of the paper he left behind him. and many other curious remarks worth the reader's observation. tutchin, john, ?- . p. : ill., ports. printed by j. bradford, at the bible in fetter-lane, london : [ ?] by john tutchin. publication date conjectured by wing. title page contains eleven engraved portraits. reproductions of the originals in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng jeffreys, george jeffreys, -- baron, or - -- early works to . monmouth, james scott, -- duke of, - -- early works to . last words -- early works to . bloody assizes, -- early works to . martyrs -- great britain -- early works to . great britain -- history -- - -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images - pip willcox sampled and proofread - pip willcox text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the protestant martyrs : or , the bloody assizes , giving an account of the lives , tryals , and dying speeches , of all those eminent protestants that suffered in the west of england , by the sentence of that bloody and cruel judge jefferies ; being in all persons , besides what were hang'd and destroyed in cold blood. containing also , the life and death of james duke of monmouth ; his birth and education ; his actions both at home and abroad ; his unfortunate adventure in the west ; his letter to king james ; his sentence , execution and dying-words upon the scaffold : with a true copy of the paper he left behind him . and many other curious remarks worth the reader 's observation . portraits of the executed london : printed by j. bradford , at the bible in fetter-lane , the protestant martyrs or , the bloody assizes , &c. the most illustrious prince james duke of monmouth is not , for the illustriousness of his descent , inferiour unto any prince in europe , being descended from the loins of the most renowned monarch , king charles the second ; and also his eldest son : by which royal extraction he is descended from the incomparably wise and vertuous prince , the royal martyr charles the first and his illustrious consort henrietta maria de bourbon daughter of the great king henry the fourth of france : from which two ancient and illustrious stocks , he was ingrafted into all the royal families of europe , and hath concentred in his princely veins some of their royal blood ; being thereby allied to all those great personages that are of the most high and illustrious quality in europe ; viz. james duke of york , william of nassaw prince of orange , the lady madamoiselle queen of spain , and her sister madame de valois , daughter of the duke of oleance , and the late princess henrietta ; also to charles prince elector palatine of the rhine : his highness rupert , lewis the fourteenth king of france , now reigning ; and many other princes and potentates of europe ; which is abundantly sufficient to demonstrate the nobility of his birth , and the illustriousness of his extraction . but to render him yet more eminent , it pleased his royal father to dignifie him with severel magnificient titles , and to confer upon him the several great offices following , vz. duke of monmouth and bucclugh , earl of doucaster and dalkeith . lord scott of tindale , whinchester and askdale , lord great chamberlain of scotland , lord lieutenant of the east-riding of yorkshire , governour of his majesties town and cittadel of kingstone upon hull , chief justice in eyre , of all his majesties forrests , chaces , parks and warrens on the south-side of the river of trent . lord general of all his majesties land-forces , captain of his majesties life-guards of horse , chancellor of the university of cambridge , master of the horse to his majesty , one of the lords of his majesties most honourable privy-council , and knight of the most noble oder of the garter . all which places he discharged with so much honour and fidelity , that the most inveterare and implacable of his enemies notwithstanding all their noise and clamour against him , were not able to produce one single instance wherein he acted otherwise . besides his honour at home , he had likewise been highly honoured abroad , by having the honour to command an army in flanders as lieutenant-general under the french king , whose continual success and numerous victories in flanders may be chiefly attributed to the conduct and valour of the great monmouth . he was born at rotterdam , april . in the year . in the very heat of our unnatural broils . about the year . his mother was sent a prisoner to the tower of london , as appears by a warrant from the protector , july . . to barkstead , then lieutenant of the tower , whereby he discharged mrs. lucy barlow from her imprisonment . the officers found a grant when she was apprehended , signed charlet r. by which she had an anuity or yearly pensiod of five thousand livres granted to her for her life , with an assurance to better the same when it should please god to restore him to his kingdom , and it was subscribed by his majesties command edward nicholas . during her abode about london , the cavilears as the loyalists were then call'd , carried themselves towards her with a profound reverence and awful respect , treating her 〈…〉 person serving her on the knee . an english nurse was provided 〈…〉 and both for privacy , lodged at the house of mr. claes ghysen a merchant living at schiedam about a mile from rotterdam , his mother lodging at the same time at the house of mrs. harvey , mother to the famous doctor harvey , and lived in abundance of pomp and splendor , having a gentleman and other servants to attend her . some time after he had been there at nurse , his mother being desirous to see him , took her gentleman with her , who at a place where she called by the way to , to pay a visit , desired to be excused for some small time , from attending on her , till he had dispatched some extraordinary business which he pretended , promising to return again immediately , and having obtained her permission , away he went ; but like an ungrateful and treacherous villain , repaired immediately to mr. ghysens at schiedam , where the princely babe was nursed , and pretending to be sent for that purpose to his mother , carried him and the nurse both away . his lady waited his coming with abundance of patience , but at length night drawing on , and no gentleman appearing , she began to suspect her self to be abused , whereupon a gentleman offering to wait on her thither , she presently posted away , and being arrived , and finding her son gone , i want words wherewith to express her grief , and surprize ; she rent her apparel , tore the hair from off her head , and with whole showers of tears bewailed the greatness of her loss , and the deplorableness of her condition , yet suffered not grief to prevail so far , as to make her uncapable of endeavouring to right her self ; whereupon she presently gave order for the providing horses , which being ready , she presently posted away to maesland-sluce , riding all night , she suspected that he was carried thither , in order to be transported to england , there having been some inquiry made after him , she arrived there early in the morning , just as the sieur newport , one of the lords of the state , and the maesland were taking boat for the hague , those that were with her , advised her to make her application to him as the likelieft person to assist her , telling her that he could english , whereupon she addressed her self to him in that languish , discovering to him the condition of her self and son , and the relation they stood in to the king of england , with the circumstances of his stealing away , and pulling out a handful of gold , if money will do it , said she , i will spare for no charges ; imploring his help and assistance for the recovery of that royal treasure ; this occasioned abundance of people flocking about them to learn the occasion of her address , wherefore he advised her to go into some house and make no noise about it , lest she thereby prevent the accomplishing her desire , which she did , and he presently ordered a general search to be made , and that no ships should go off till they were searched , notwithstanding which they could make no discovery of him till about or days after , when he was found at loesdymen , where he had been all that time concealed , and having to her inexpressible joy recovered him , she took a stately house at boscal , where they resided for some time . upon his majesties going for scotland , in june . he was committed by his majesty to the care of his illustrious grandmother , who lived then at the par-le-roy in paris , and was by her committed to the care of one goff belonging to her majesty , charging him to provide a good careful nurse for him , which he did accordingly , commending to her majesty one mrs. miles ▪ a gentlewoman that belonged likewise to her majesty . the beauty and make of his person , and the majesty of his port and cerriage , even whilst an infant , plainly discover'd the greatness of his birth , and the largeness of his soul , and every succeeding year of his childhood , and afforded new promises and hopes that he would prove an illustrious branch of growing honour ; making an early discovery even at that tender age , not only of a great and princely spirit but also of an extraordinary goodness and sweetness of nature , seeming to have that even and well-biassed temper of mind radicated in his very nature , which other men with extraordinary industry and help of philosophy and religion hardly acquire , when arrived at years of maturity . nor were his inclinations to vertue more admirable than the desire he had to learn useful and solid arts , his genius rendring the study and exercises thereof , far more acceptable to him , than the vanity of the most exquisite divertisements . wherefore when he was about or years of age , he was taken from goff , and committed to the care of mr. ross , a gentleman , who after his majesty's restauration , went secretary to the honourable henry coventry esquire , ( in his embassy to sweden ) and sent to julen , a place about leagues from paris , there to be accommodated with learning , and fitted for those great employments which god and nature as well as his majesty had designed him for , in the future part of his life . he went there by the name of mr. crossts soon after his majesty's happy restauration ▪ he commanded mr. ross to turn away all his former servants , and entertain new ones more suitable to his quality ; and to demonstrate his paternal love , and to render his own happiness the more compleat , ordered him to be brought to court , that so he might always have him in his royal presence ; whereupon he was provided with gentlemen and pages to wait on him , together with a rich coach and stately horses , a coach-man , postillion , groom , and foot-men in good liveries , wherewith he set forward towards england . about july , . he came to calis , where he imbarked for england ; he landed at dover from whence he came by land to london , and not finding his majesty there , he presently repaired to hampton-court , where his mejesty then resided , by whom he was received and imbraced with all the demonstrations of joy imaginable ; and about the middle of august , he came with the court to white-hall , where his majesty was pleased to appoint him his lodgings in the privy gallery . soon after his majesty was pleased to make him a peer of this realm , by creating him duke of arkeny , which title was after changed for that of monmouth ; and the cap and robes being presented to him , in the ensuing parliament he took his seat in the house of peers . in april , . he was with the usual solemnity installed knight of the garter at windsor . this was followed by that which made his happiness yet more full and compleat , his majesty being pleased to consent to a contract of marriage between his grace and the only surviving child , and sole heir of the late earl of bucclugh , a lady reputed to be the greatest fortune , and to have the largest dowery in the three kingdoms , her incomparable vertues , and surprising beauty , being no way inferior to ( but rather exceeding ) her portion ; her mother , the countess of wembs , being consulted about the match , having received satisfaction from his majesty in whatsoever she proposed , she willingly gave her consent , and the marriage was speedily celebrated with extraordinary pomp and splendor , to the great content of his majesty , the queen's mother , and the whole court. soon after this , upon the resignation of the lord brandon gerard , his father king charles , created him captain of his life-guard , and admitted one of his majesty's most honourable privy-council . in the year . the french king lewis xivth . made great preparations for a war against the datch , in which king charles engaging , the duke was sent to command the english , whose gallantry and bravery was sufficiently admir'd by all present , where was the french king himself . he was attended by a numerous train of english volunteer gentlemen . with this vast army the french sat down before orsoy and rhinberg , which presently surrender'd : from thence they march'd to wisel , accounted an invincible city , which after days siege was deliver'd up ; also duysbury surrender'd , without venturing the brunt of a storm . this success of the fren●h so terrify'd the hollanders , that they abandon'd their towns as fast as the enemy approach'd to take possession of them ; nay , and of some they invite them to be masters ; for the city vtrecht , with the whole province , in which were nine fine cities besides vtrecht it self , receiv'd a french garrison : zutphen and arnheim follow'd the same fate ; and such a rapid progress was made by the arms of france , that by the th of june , they were advanc'd within leagues of rotterdam , and the same distance from amsterdam . never was any state nearer ruin than that of holland at this time ; and where the policy of england could be to assist them in such an expedition , has i believe been dearly experienc'd since ; for it was no small assistance they receiv'd from the succours under the d. of monmouth , which will more particularly appear in another campaign ; for this being ended , the duke took his leave of the french king , who highly extoll'd his conduct and personal bravery , and passing through flanders , arriv'd safely in england , and was joyfully receiv'd , especially at court ; but he was in solemn manner welcom'd home by his dutchess , who was soon after , august ●h . happily brought to bed of a son , which was christened charles , and died soon after . about november following , having taken leave of the king , he set out again for france , where he was received in a very splendid manner by the french king and the nobility ; and being arriv'd at calais , dec. th . he sent an express to his majesty , to acquaint him that the prince of orange was on the th sat down with his army before char eroy , and that there was great expectation in those parts , what would be the issue of that enterprize . the duke was highly welcom'd in all the places through which he pass'd , and return'd to england again before the opening of the campaign ; at what time he attended the king of france into the field , and is remarkably distinguish'd in history for his conduct and valour at the siege of maestrich , and came into england afterward with great applause . but the next year the scale turn'd , and the duke ( as general of his father 's forces ) commanded against the french in conjunction with the dutch , always behaving himself with singular conduct and personal bravery . what happen'd otherwise concerning him , is hardly material . he grew into love and favour with the people , which appear'd in the business of the walisea race , for which he was taken into custody ; he was also banish'd ; but we shall pass over all these things , and come nearer to the design in hand , which is the business of the west , in which we shall comprehend his death . king james iid . being ascended the throne , and the duke of monmouth then abroad , and being sufficiently stunn'd with the unexpected news of the death of king charles , having enter'd into a league with the earl of argyle , putting great confidence in his own courage , and a vain assurance of a popular affection and assistance , bore up himself against all pretended difficulties , and with three small ships , and between threescore and fourscore men , landed about the th of june at lyme in the west of england , while the parliament was sitting : a romantick kind of invasion , and scarce parallel'd in history ; yet with this handful of men , and afterward with the common people that join'd him , without arms , provisions , martial discipline , money , or any one place to retire to in case of accidents , did this brave unfortunate man bid fair for a crown . he landed , as was said before , at lyme in dorsetshire , where he increas'd his number to one hundred and fifty , from thence he march'd to taunton , where he was proclaim'd king , and men flock'd to him , and listed under him as fast , as if he had already been master of the whole country . after staying there a while , he marched in some kind of order to bridgwater , still increasing his numbers ; from thence to bath , where he was denied entrance , the train'd-bands still flying two days march before him , by order from the court , to give pretence to the king to raise more forces . at philips norton , by a surprize or ambush , he cut off the best part of a troop of horse , the duke of grafton narrowly escaping with his life . with this success he marched within miles of bristol , where a consult being held , he was advised not to enter that city , but to retreat back to bridgwater ; which was the first thing that dishearten'd his party , and hinder'd many from joining with him : whereas if he had entred bristol , where there was no force to oppose him but the train'd-bands , and the generality of them for him , not only in their hearts , but in open discourses and drinking his health , he might have furnish'd himself with men , arms and money , to have enabl'd him to march into gloucestershire among the clothiers , where great numbers , and some of quality , waited to join him , and by this means might have kept up the war till he had shak'd king james's throne , if not overturn'd it . in this time the king had sent an army into the west against monmouth , under the command of the earl of feversham as general , who incamp'd upon sedgmore , not far from bridgwater , where the duke of monmouth and his party were quarter'd ; and the duke seeing his men daily desert in great numbers , it was agreed to make one push for all , and to that purpose issu'd out of bridgwater by night ; but his guide mistaking his way in the dark , the duke 's ill fate lead him upon a battallion of dumbarton's regiment plac'd in his way ; who encountering him , alarm'd king james's whole army , with whom engaging he was routed ; or in all probability he had surpriz'd the king's army in their camp , and perhaps at that single blow decided the fortune of england for once . yet however , tho' he came too soon , before matters were ripe , by king james's setting up for the open establishment of popery and arbitrary power , yet he may be said to have pav'd the way for a nobler change in the throne , by leaving king james at liberty through this success , to act without controul , which at length made him abdicate the government . monmouth paid the price of his rebellion with his blood , being on the th of july , . beheaded on tower-hill , by vertue of an attainder pass'd upon him in parliament soon after his landing . an account of what passed at the execution of the late duke of monmouth , on wednesday the th . of july , . on tower-hill . the duke of monmouth came from the tower to the scaffold , attended by the bishop of ely , the bishop of bath and wells , dr. tenison , and dr. hooper ; which four the king sent him , as his assistants , to prepare him for death : the duke himself entreated all four of them to accompany him a the place of execution , and to cantinue with him to the last . the two bishops going in the lieutenant's coach with him to the bars , made seasonable and devont applications to him all the way ; and one of them desired him not to be surprized , if they to the very last upon the scaffold , renewed those exhortations to a particular repentance , which they had so often repeated before . at his first coming upon the scaffold , he looked for the executioner ; and seeing him , said , is this the man to do the business ? do your work well . then the duke of monmouth began to speak , some one or other of the assistants during the whole time , applying themselves to him . monmouth . i shall say but very little ; i come to die ; i die a protestant of the church of england . assistants . my lord , if you be of the church of england , you must acknowledge the doctrine of non-resistance to be true . mon. if i acknowledge the doctrine of the church of england in general , that includes all . assist . sir , it is fit to own that doctrine particularly , which respects your case . here he was much urged about that doctrine of non-resistance ; but he repeated in effect his first answer . then he began as if he was about to make a premeditated speech , in this manner . mon. i have had a scandal raised upon me about a woman , a lady of vertue and honour . i will name her ; the lady henrietta wentworth . i declare , that she is a very vertuous and godly woman . i have committed no sin with her ; and that which hath passed betwixt us , was very honest and innocent in the sight of god. assist . in your opiuion , perhaps , sir , as you have been often told ; ( i. e. in the tower ) but this is not fit discourse in this place . mr. sheriff gostlin . sir , were you ever married to her ? mon. this is not a time to answer that question . sher. gostlin . sir , i hoped to have heard of your repentance for the treason and bloodshed which hath been committed . mon. i die very penitent . assist . my lord , it is fit to be particular ; and considering the publick evil you have done , you ought to do as much good now as possibly you can , by a publick acknowledgment . mon. what i have thought fit to say of publick affairs , is in a paper which i have signed ; i refer to my paper . assist . my lord , there is nothing in that paper about resistance ; and you ought to be particular in your repentance , and to have it well grounded . god give you true repentance . mon. i die very penitent , and die with great chearfulness , for i know i shall go to god. assist . my lord , you must go to god in his own way . sir , be sure you be truly penitent , and ask forgiveness of god , for the many you have wronged . mon. i am sorry for every one i have wronged , i forgive every body ; i have had many enemies , i forgive them all . assist . sir , your acknowledgment ought to be particular . mon. i am to die ; pray , my lord — i refer to my paper . assist . they are but a few words that we desire : we only desire an answer to this point . mon. i can bless god , that he hath given me so much grace , that for these two years last past , i have had a life unlike to my former course , and in which i have been happy . assist . sir , was there no ill in these two years ? in these years , these great evils have happened ; and the giving publick satisfaction is a necessary part of repentance ; be pleased to own a detestation of your rebellion . mon. i beg your lordship that you would stick to my paper . assist . my lord , as i said before , there is nothing in your paper about the doctrine of non-resistance , mon. i repent of all things that a true christian ought to repent of . i am to die ; pray , my lord — assist . then , my lord , we can only recommend you to the mercy of god ; but we cannot pray with that chearfulness and encouragement , as we should if you had made a particular acknowledgment . mon. god be praised , i have encouragement enough in my self ; i die with a clear conscience , i have wronged no man. assist . how , sir , no man ! have you not been guilty of invasion , and of much blood , which hath been shed , and it may be , of the loss of many souls that followed you ? you must needs have wronged a great many . mon. i do , sir , own that , and am sorry for it . ass . give it the true name , sir , and call it rebellion . mon. what name you please , sir ; i am sorry for invading the kingdom , and for the blood that has been shed , and for the souls which may have been lost by my means ; i am sorry it ever happened . mr. sher. vandeput . he says , he is sorry for invading the kingdom . ass . we have nothing to add , but to renew the frequent exhortations we have made to you , to give some satisfaction for the publick injuries to the kingdom . there have been a great many lives lost by this resistance of your lawful prince . mon. what i have done , has been very ill ; and i wish with all my heart it had never been : i never was a man that delighted in blood ; i was very far from it ; i was as cautious in this as any man was ; the almighty god knows how i now die , with all the joyfulness in the world. ass . god grant you may , sir ; god give you true repentance . mon. if i had not true repentance , i shonld not so easily have been without the sear of dying : i shall die like a lamb. ass . much may come from natural courage . mon. i do not attribute it to my own nature , for i am fearful as other men are ; but i have now no fear , as you may see by my face ; but there is something within me that does it , for i am sure i shall go to god. ass . my lord , be sure upon good grounds ; do you repent you of all your sins , known , or unknown ; confessed , or not confessed ; of all the sins which might proceed from error in judgment ? mon. in general for all , i do with all my soul. ass . god almighty of his infinite mercy forgive you . here are great numbers of spectators , here are the sheriffs , they represent the great city , and in speaking to them , you speak to the great city ; make some satisfaction by owning your crime be●ore them — he was exhorted to pray for the king ; and was asked , whether he did not desire to send some dutiful message to his majesty , and to recommend his wife and children to his maiesty's favour . mon. what harm have they done ? do it if you please : i pray for him , and for all men. ass . ( at his undressing ) my lord , you have been bred a soldier ; you will do a generous christian thing , if you please to speak to the soldiers , and say , that here you stand a sad example of rebellion , and en reat them and the people to be loyal and obedient to the king. mon. i have said , i will make no speeches ; i will make no speeches ; i am come to die . ass . my lord , ten words will be enough . m. ( then calling his servant , and giving him something like a tooth-pick case ) here , said he , give this to the person to whom you are to deliver the other things . ( to the executioner : ) here are six guinea's for you ; pray do your business well : don't serve me as you did my lord russel . i have heard , you struck him three or four times . here ( to his servant ) take these remaining guinea's , and give them to him if he does his work well . exec. i hope i shall . mon. if you strike me twice , i cannot promise you , not to stir . during his undressing , and standing towards the block , were used divers ejaculations , and much of the st psalm , and particularly , deliver me from blood-guiltiness , o god , thou god , &c. then he lay down ; and soon after he raised himself upon his elbow , and said to the executioner , prithee let me feel the ax. he felt the edge , and said , i fear it is not sharp enough . execut. it is sharp enough , and heavy enough . then he lay down again . during this space , many pious ejaculatious were used by those who assisted him , with great fervency . god accept your repentance , god accept your repentance , god accept your imperfect repentance ; my lord , god accept your repentance ; god almighty shew his omnipotent mercy up on you : father , into thy hands we commend his spirit , &c. lord jesus receive his soul. a brief abstract of the paper left behind him . i repent in general of all my sins , and am more particularly concern'd for what blood hath been spilt on my account , and the rather , seeing the issue is such as i sear will prove of fatal consequence to the reformed protestant religion . instead of being counted factious and rebellious , the very opposing of popery and arbitrary power , now arising and appearing plain enough , would sufficiently have protected my cause ; besides , several other most heinous and notorious crimes ( such as the unhappy fate of the earl of essex , and my father of ever blessed memory , and others now covered over with jesuitical policy ) should have been detected and avenged . i have lived , and shall now die in the faith of this , that god will work a deliverance for his people ; and then will be discovered the great , and horrid , and scarcely to be parallell'd villanies our enemies have heen guilty of ; but now you see my case is desperate , yet know , that i die a martyr for the people , and shall rather pity the state , that their false and covetous minds have brought themselves and me to , than discover who are the persons concerned in my overthrow ; and i heartily forgive all that have wronged me , even those that have been instrumental in my fall , earnestly praying for their souls . and i hope king james will shew himself to be of his brother's blood , and extend his mercy to my children , even as he was wont to his greatest enemies , they being not capable to act , and therefore not conscious of any offence against the government . a copy of the duke of monmouth's letter to the king , dated from ringwood the th of july , . your majesty may think , it is the misfortune i now lie under , makes me make this application to you ; but i do assure your majesty it is the remorse i now have in me , of the wrongs i have done you in several things , and now , in taking up arms against you . for my taking up arms , it never was in my thoughts since the king died . the prince and princess of orange will be witness for me , of the assurance i gave them , that i would never stir against you ; but my misfortune was such , as to meet with some horrid people , that made me believe things of your majesty , and gave me so many false arguments , that i was fully led away , to believe ▪ that it was a shame and a sin before god not to do it . but , sir , i will not trouble your majesty at present with many things that i could say for my self , that i am sure would move your compassion ; the chief end of this letter , being only to beg of you , that i may have that happiness , as to speak to your majesty : for i have that to say to you , sir , that i hope may give you a long and happy reign . i am sure , sir , when you hear me , you will be convinced of the zeal i have for your preservation , and how heartily i repent of what i have done . i can say no more to your majesty now , being this letter must be seen by those that keep me . therefore , sir , i shall make an end , in begging of your majesty to believe so well of me , that i would rather die a thousand deaths , than excuse any thing i have done , if i did not really think my self the most in the wrong , that ever any man was , and had not from the bottom of my heart an abhorrence for those that put him upon it , and for the action it self . i hope , sir , god almighty will strike your heart with mercy and compassion for me , as he has done mine with the abhorrence of what i have done . therefore i hope , sir , i may live to shew you how zealous i shall ever be for your service ; and could i say but one word in this letter , you would be convinced of it ; but it is of that consequence , that i dare not do it . therefore , sir , i do beg of you once more , to let me speak to you , for then you will be convinced how much i shall ever be your majesty's most humble and dutiful . monmovth . there was also a short paper printed at that time with his speech wherein he declares , that his father had told him in his life-time , that he was never married lo his mother ; which he hop'd would be a means for king james to use his children with the more tenderness . we shall now proceed to give an account of the persons that suffer'd for the sime cause , some of the more principal of which ( whose essigies are hereunto affix'd ) 't is thought worth the while to treat distinctly of ; giving an exact list of the other , and the places where they suffer'd ; and first , of those remarkable brothers , mr. benjamin , and mr. william hewling ; the elder was a captain of horse , and the younger a lieutenant of foot in the duke of monmouth's service : they got on ship-board after the defeat at sedgmore , but were cast away on the coast again , and so taken : the last , william , was executed at lyme , where just before he went to die , he said to one of his fellow-sufferers , here is a sweet promise for us ; i will not leave you comfortless . i will come unto you . one taking leave of him , he said , farewel till we meet in heaven ; presently i shall be with christ , o! i would not change conditions with any that stay behind for ten thousand worlds : pray remember my dear love to my brother and sister , and tell them i desire they would comfort themselves that i am gone to christ , and we shall quickly meet at the glorious mount sion above . afterwards he prayed for near half an hour with great fervency , blessing god earnestly for the blood of jesus christ , praying for the peace of the church of god , and of these nations in particular . when he was going out of the world , with a joyful countenance he said , oh! now my joy and comfort is , that i have a christ to go to ; and so gently resign'd his spirit to god the th of sept. . as to the elder brother , when he had receiv'd the news of his brother's death , and that he died with so much comfort and joy , he replied , we have no cause to fear death , if the presence of god be with us ; and added , perhaps my friends may think this summer the saddest time of my life ; but , i bless god , it has been the sweetest and most happy time of all . speaking of the disappointment of their expectations in the work they had undertaken , he said , with reference to the glory of god , the prosperity of the gospel , and the delivery of the people of god , we have great cause to lament it , but for that outward prosperity that have attended it , it 's but of small moment , and death would have ended i● . the day of his execution , with others , being come , it is remarkable that they sat in the sledge near half an hour before the officers could make the horses draw : at which they were greatly enrag'd , there being no visible obstruction from either weight or way ; but at last the mayor and sheriffs hawl'd them forward themselves , baalam like , driving the horses . being come to the place of execution , and having embrac'd his fellow-sufferers , he desir'd of the sheriff that he might pray particularly , but he could not grant it ; only ask'd him , if he would pray for the king ? he answer'd , i pray for all men. he then desir'd he might sing a psalm ; but the sheriff told him , it must be with the halters about their necks : to which he replied , with all his heart ; and then sung with such heavealy joy , that many present said , it both broke and rejoyc'd their hearts . in the midst of which he clos'd his eyes on a vain world sept. th . . the next was one william jenkin , condemn'd at the bloody assize at dorchester , sept. the th , at night . after he had heard he must die the next day , he was exceedingly compos'd and chearful , expressing his satisfaction in the will of god. he us'd many excellent speeches before , and at his death : among the rest he said , this manner of death hath been the most terrible thing in the world to my thoughts , but i bess god , now am i neither afraid nor asham'd to die . when the sheriff came to perform his execution , he was still as compo●'d as ever , and had the same chearfulness and serenity of mind in taking leave of his friends ; and likewise in the sledge ; insomuch that some of his friends , who had before censur'd him , thinking he had been unmindful of his death , by being so chearful , now profess'd they were rather astonish'd to see so young a man leave the world , and go through death as he did . we come now to the most moving scene of this horrid and barbarous tragedy , in the death of the lady lisle , above years of age , for only corresponding with one nelthrope , and dr. hicks ; for which she was beheaded at winchester . her speech made at her execution is as follows . the last speech of the lady alicia lisle . gentlemen , friends and neighbours , it may be expected that i should say something at my death ; and in order thereunto , i shall acquaint you , that my birth and education was both near this place , and that my parents instructed me in the fear of god , and i now die of the reformed protestant religion ; that if ever popery should return into this nation , it would be a very great and severe judgment ; that i die in expectation of the pardon of all my sins , and of acceptance with god the father , by the imputed righteousness of jesus christ , he being the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes : i thank god , through jesus christ , that i do depart unto the blood of sprinkling , which speaketh better things than that of abel ; god hav●ng made this chastisement an ordinance to my soul. i did once as little expect to come to this place on this occasion , as any person in this place , or nation ; therefore let all learn not to be high-minded , but fear . the lord is a soveraign , and will take what way he sees best to glorifie himself in , and by his poor creatures ; and i do humbly desire to submit to his will , praying to him , that i may possess my soul in patience . the crime that was laid to my charge , was for entertaining a nonconformist minister and others i● my house ; the said minister being sworn to have been in the late duke of monmouth's army ; but i have been told , that if i had de●ied them , it would not at all have affected me ; i have no excuse but surprize and fear , which i believe my jury must make use of to excuse their verdict to the world. i have been also told , that the court did use to be of counsel for the prisoner ; but instead of advice , i had evidence against me from thence ; which though it were only by hear-say , might possibly affect my jury ; my defence being but such , as might be expected from a weak woman ; but such as it was , i did not bear it repeated again to the jury ; which , as i have been informed , is usual in such c●ses . however , i forgive all the world , and therein all those that have done me wrong ; and in ●●●ticular , i forgive colonel penruddock , although he told me , that he could have taken these men before they c●me to my house . and i do likewise forgive him , who desired to be taken away from the grand jury to the petty jury , that he might be the more nearly concerned in my death . as to what may be objected in reference to my conviction , that i gave it under my hand , that i had discoursed with nelthrop ; that could be no evidence against me , being after my conviction and sentence . i do acknowledge his majesty's favour , in revoking my sentence ; i pray god to preserve him , that he may long reign in mercy , as well as justice , and that he may reign in peace ; and that the protestant religion may flourish under him . i also return thanks to gd and the reverend clergy , that assisted me in my imprisonment . alicia lisle . one mrs. graunt was the next that suffered in this cause ; it was for harbouring one burton , his wife and family , for which she was sentenced to be burnt , and was accordingly so executed on the d of october , . at which time she left her murderers the following memorial . mrs. graunt's speech , written the day before her sufferings . not knowing whether i should be suffered or able , because of weaknesses that are upon me through my hard and close imprisonment , to speak at the place of execution ; i writ these few lines to signifie , that i am well reconciled to the way of my god towards me , though it be in ways i looked not for ; and by terrible things , yet in righteousness ; having given me life , he ought to have the disposing of it , when and how he pleases to call for it ; and i desire to offer up my all to him , it being but my reasonable service ; and also the first terms that jesus christ offers , that he that will be his disciple , must forsake all and follow him ; and therefore let none think hard , or be discouraged at what hath happened unto me ; for he doth nothing without cause , in all he hath done to us , he being holy in all his ways , and righteous in all his works ; and 't is but my lot in common with poor desolate sion at this day . neither do i find in my heart the least regret for what i have done in the service of my lord and master jesus christ , in succouring and securing any of his poor sufferers , that have shewed favour in his righteous cause : which cause , though now it be fallen and trampled upon , as if it had not been anointed , yet it shall revive , and god will plead it at another rate than ever he hath done yet , and reckon with all its opposers and malicious haters ; and therefore let all that love and fear him , not omit the least duty that comes to hand , or lies before them , knowing that now it hath need of them , and expects they shall serve him . and i desire to bless his holy name , that he hath made me useful in my generation to the comfort and relief of many desolate ones , and the blessing of those that are ready to perish has come upon me , and being helpt to make the heart of the widow to sing . and i bless his holy name , that in all this , together with what i was charged with , i can approve my heart to him , that i have done his will ; tho' it does cross man's will , and the scriptures that satisfie me are , isa . . . hide the outcasts , bexray not him that wandereth . and obad. , . thou shouldst not have given up those of his that escape in the day of his distress . but man says , you shall give them up , or you shall dye for it . now who to obey , judge ye . so that i have cause to rejoyce and be exceeding glad , in that i suffer for righteousness sake , and that i am accounted worthy to suffer for well doing , and that god has accepted any service from me , which has been done in sincerity , tho' mixed with manifold infirmities , which he hath been pleased for christ's sake to cover and forgive . and now as concerning my fact , as it is called , alas it was but a little one , and might well become a prince to forgive ; but he that sh ws no mercy , shall find none : and i may say of it in the language of jonathan , i did but taste a little honey , and lo i must die for it . i d●d but relieve an unworthy , poor , distressed family , and lo i must dye for it . well , i desire in the lamb-like gospel-spirit to forgive all that are concerned , and to say , lord , lay it not their charge ; but i fear he will not : nay , i believe when he comes to make inquisition for blood , it will be found at the door of the furious judge ; who , because i could not remember things through my dauntedness at burton's wife 's and daughter's vileness and my ignorance , took advantage thereat , and would not hear me , when i had called to mind that which i am sure would have invalidated their evidence ; tho' he granted something of the same nature to another , yet denyed it to me . my blood will also be found at the door of the unrighteous jury , who found me guilty upon the single oath of an out-lawed man ; for there was none but his oath about the money , who is no legal witness , though he be pardoned , his out-lawry cannot be recalled ; and also the law requires two witnesses in point of life : and then about my going with him to the place mentioned , 't was by his own words , before he was out-lawed , for 't was two months after his absconding ; and tho' in a proclamation , yet not high treason , as i have heard ; so that i am clearly murdered by you . and also bloody mr. a. who has so insatiably hunted after my life ; and though it is no profit tlo him , through the ill will he bore me , left no stone unturned , as i have ground to believe , till he brought it to this ; and shewed favour to burton , who ought to have dyed for his own fault , and not bought his life with mine ; and capt. r. who is cruel and severe to all under my circumstances , and did at that time , without all mercy or pity , hasten my sentence , and held up my hand , that it might be given , all which , together with the great one of all , by whose power all these , and a multitude more of cruelties are done , i do heartily and freely forgive , as against me ; but as it is done in an implacable mind agaigst the lord christ , and his righteous cause and followers , i leave it to him who is the avenger of all such wrongs , who will tread upon princes as upon mortar , and be terrible to the kings of the earth : and know this also , that though ye are seemingly fixt , and because of the power in your hand , are writing out your violence , and dealing with a despight●ul hand , because of the old and new hatrred ; by impovering and every way distressing those you have got under you ; yet unless you can secure jesus christ , and all his holy angels , you shall never do your business , nor your hands accomplish your enterprizes ; for he will be upon you e'er you are aware ; and therefore , o that you would be wise , instructect and learn , is the desire of her that finds no mercy from you , elizabeth graunt . the earl of argyle . we must now take a step over into scotland , that poor country , which has been harass'd and tired for these many years , to render them perfect slaves , that they might help to enslave england , to prevent which , and secure the protestant religion , which 't was grown impossible to do , but by arms ; this good lord embarkt from holland about the same time with the duke , and arrived in scotland with what forces he could make ; to which were added some others who joined him ; which after several marches and counter-marches , were at length led into a boggy sort of a place , on pretence , or with intention to bring him off from the other army then upon the heels of 'em , where they lost one another , dispersed and shifted for themselves ; the earl being taken by a country-man , and brought to edinburgh , where he suffered for his former unpardondable crime — requiring care should be taken of the protestant religion , and explaining his taking the test conformable thereto ; for the legality of which he ha● the hands of the most eminent lawyers about the city . he suffered at edinburgh the th of june , . his speech has a great deal of piety and religion , nor will it be any disgrace to say , 't was more like a sermon . — 't is as follows . the earl of argyle's last speech , june . . job tells us , man that is born of a woman , is of few days , and full of trouble ; and i am a clear instance of it . i shall not say thing of my sentence , or escape about three years and a half ago ; nor of my return , lest i may thereby give offence , or be too tedious : only being to end my days in your presence , i shall , as some of my last words , assert the truth of the matter of fact , and the sincerity of my intentions , and professions that are published . that which i intend mainly now to say , is , to express my humble , and ( i thank god ) chearful submission to his divine will ; and my willingness to forgive all men , even my enemies ; and i am heartily well sati●fied there is no more blood spilt , and i shall wish the stream may stop at me : and that ( if it please god ) as to zerubbabel , zech. . . not by might , nor by power , but by my spirit , saith the lord of hosts . i know afflictions spring not out of the dust : god did wonderfully deliver and provide for me , and has now by his special providence brought me to this place ; and i hope none will either insult or stumble at it , seeing they ought not ; for god almighty does all things well , for good and holy ends , tho' we not always understand it . love and hatred is not known by what is before us , eccles . . . & . , , . afflictions are not only foretold , but promised to christians ; and are not only tolerable , but desirable . we ought to have a deep reverence and fear of god's displeasure ; but withal , a hope and dependance on him for a blessed issue , in compliance with his will ; for god chastens his own , to refine them , and not to ruin them , whatever the world may think , heb. . . to . prev . . , . mat. . . to . mat. . . to . we are to imitate our saviour in his sufferings , as x pet. . . and pet. . to . we are neither to despise our afflictions , nor to faint under them ; both are extreams . we are not to suffer our spirits to be exasperated against the instruments of our trouble ; for the same affliction may be an effect of their passion , and yet sent to god to punish us for our sin : though 't is a comfort when we may say to them with david , psal . . . not for my transgressio , nor for my sin , o lord. nor are we , by fraudulent , pusillanimous compliances in wicked courses , to bring sin upon our selves : faint hearts are ordinary false hearts ; chusing sin rather than sufferings , and a short life with eternal death , before temporal death and a crown of glory . such seeking to save a little , loses all ; and god readily hardens them to proceed to their own destruction . how many , like hazael , kings . . run to excesses they never thought they were capable of ! let rulers and others read seriously , and weigh prov. . . to . chr. . . to . prov. . , . and prov. . . and avoid what is bad , and follow what is good . for me , i hope by god's strength to join with job , chap. . . and the psalmist , psal . . . and . . and shall pray , as psal . . . to . and psal . . . to . and luke . . . and shall hope , as psal . . , . i do freely forgive all that directly or indirectly have been the cause of my being brought to this place , first or last ; and i pray god forgive them . i pray god send truth and peace in these three kingdoms ; and continue and increase the glorious light of the gospel , and restrain the spirit of prophanity , atheism , superstition , popery and persecution , and restore all that have back slidden from the purity of their life or principles ; and bless his whole people with all blessings , spiritual and temporal , and pnt an end to their present trials . and i intreat all people to forgive me wherein i have offended , and concur with me to pray , toat the great , good , and merciful god would sanctify my present lot , and for jesus christ his sake pardon all my sins , and receive me to his eternal glory . it is suggested to me , that i have said nothing of the royal family ; and it remembers me , that before the justices at my trial about the test , i said , that at my death i would pray , that there should never want one of the royal family to be a defender of the true , ancient , apostolick , catholick , protestant faith , which i do now : and that god would enlighten and forgive all of them that are either luke-warm , or have shrunk from the profession of it . and in all events , i pray god may provide for the security of his church , that antichrist , nor the gates of hell may never prevail against it . colonel rvmbold . at the same place died colonel richard rumbold , june , . most of what occurred considerable in his defence and speech , you have had already in the business of the assassination . two or three passages more there are worth remarks in the same , as arguments of his sense and courage . for this cause , he says , we●e every hair of his head and beard a life , he 'd joyfully sacrifice 'em all . that he was never antimonarchical in his principles , but for a king and free parliament : the king having power enough to make him great , and the people to make 'em happy . [ that he died in the defence of the just laws and lib rties of the nations . ] [ that none was marks by god above another ; for no man came into the world with a saddle on their backs , nor others booted and spurr'd to ride upon 't . ] and being askt if he thought not his sentence dreadful ? answered , [ he wisht he had a limb for every town in christendom . ] the next place was lyme , where many of note died , particularly col. holmes , who was the first of those there executed , near the same place where they landed , when they came a-shoar with the duke of monmouth , being brought to the place after some difficulty ; for the horses that were first put into the stedge would not stir , which obliged those concerned to get others , which they did from the coach-man , who had that morning brought them to town ; when they were put into the sledge , they broke it in pieces , which caused the prisoners to go on foot to the place of execution ; where being come , as i told you before , the colonel began thus at the foot of the ladder ; he sat down with an aspect altogether void of fear , but on the contrary with a kind of smilin● countenance , so began to speak to the spectators to this purpose . that he would give them an account of his first undertaking in the design , which was long before in london ; for there he agreed to stand by , and assist the duke of monmouth , when opportunity offered ; in order to which , he went to holland with him , and there continued until this expedition , in which god had thought fit to frustrate his and other good mens expectations : he believed the protestant religion was bleeding , and in a step towards extirpation , and therefore he with these his brethren that were to suffer with him , and thousands more , had adventured their lives and their all to save it ; but god almighty had not appointed 'em to be the instruments in so glorious a work ; yet notwithstanding he did verily believe , and doubted not , but that god would make use of others , that should meet with better success , though the way or means was not yet visible ▪ but of this he did not doubt : he also was satisfied of the duke's title , so that matter did not afflict him on account of his engaging on his score : and going on further with a discourse of this nature , he was asked by a person , why he did not pray for the king ? he with a smiling countenance answered , i am sorry you do not yet understand the difference between speaking and praying . and having ended his discourse , he then prepared himself by prayer for his dissolution , which was very devout and pious for half an hour . col. holmes in his prayer not mentioning the king , he was charged as before ; to which he replied , he prayed for him in general , praying for all mankind . thus fell the valiant and good christian , col. holmes ; his dying words we have now found come to pass , he was much lamented by all that saw him , except by some , that 't is feared , are delivered up to a feared conscience . the last speech of dr. hicks . i am now going into that world , where many dark things shall be made perfectly manifest and clear , and many doubtful things fully resolved , and a plenary satisfaction given concerning them ; all disputes and mistakes concerning treason , rebellion , and schism , shall be at an end , and cease for ever : many things that are innocent , lawful , and laudable , which have soul marks and black characters stampt and fixe upon 'em here , they shall be perfectly purified , and fully cleansed from there ; where at one view more shall be known of them , than by all wrangling debates and eager disputes , or by reading all polemical books concerning them here . i greatly deplore and bewail the greedy appetite and insatiable thirst , that professing protestants have after the blood of their brethren , and the high pleasure they take in the effusion thereof . but what will not men do , when they are either judicially blinded , or their secular worldly interest insensibly insinuates and winds it self into their religion , is so twisted and incorporated with it , that it animates and acts it , is the life and soul , the vital form and power , and made wholly subservient thereunto . my lord jefferies , after he had left bristol , being come to the king to give an account of his affairs in the west , the great seal being to be disposed of , by the death of the late keeper , he kiss'd the king's hand for it , and was made lord chancellour , which was only an earnest of his desert for so eminent and extraordinary a piece of service ; so now that which remains , is to give an account of divers that had fled , and hid themselves up and down in holes and privacies , whose friends made all application to some great men or other to procure their pardons ; some to this , and others to such as they thought favourites of the king ; but the rewards must be ascertain'd before any application could be made : divers lists being sent up , and the rewards ascertained , which amongst many of them put together , did amount to considerable ; so that it was now who could find a friend to relieve his distressed relations , which were forced to wander up and down in caves and desarts for fear of being taken : but this misfortune attended the agents , that unless my lord chancellour were used , by his creatures , that were allowed by him so to do ; other applications commonly met with disappointments , which caused an emulation among the great men ; one supposing to have deserted the king's ear as well as the other , which caused other measures to be taken , though some were wheedled out of their money . at last came out a general pardon , with exceptions , very few , if any of those that were sollicited for , not being excepted , were of course pardoned ; but however , divers sums of money having been paid , no restitution to be had , for from hell is no redemption . a western gentleman's purchase came to fifteen or sixteen hundred guineas , which my lord chancellour had . amongst the exceptions were a parcel of yaunton girls , some of which were children of eight or ten years old ; however something was to be made of them , if these ladies were judged guilty of treason , for presenting the duke of monmouth with colours , &c. and for to preserve these from trial , they were given to maids of honour to make up their christmas ▪ box ; so that an agent of theirs was sent down into the country to compound with their parents , to preserve them from what might after follow , if taken ; so that some , according to ability , gave l. others l. all which however did not answer the ladies first expectations ; yet it did satisfie , and they were accordingly pardoned . thus we have given you an account of what hath happened on this occasion , being in every point truth : we might have farther enlarged , but that would have spoiled the design , and swoln our pocket-companion to a volume too big . we shall therefore next proceed to give you a true and exact list of all them that were condemned , and suffered in the west , and the year . under the sentence of my lord chief justice jeffreys , with the names of the towns where every man was executed . lyme . col . holmes , mr. batiscomb , mr. william hewling , mr. sampson lark , dr. temple , capt. madders , capt. matthews , mr. joseph tyler , mr. william cox , &c. bath . walter baker , henry body , gerrard bryant , thomas clotworthy , thomas collins , john carter . philipsnorton . robert cook , edward creaves , john caswell , thomas hayward , john hellier , edward beere , henry portridge , george pether , thomas peirce , john richards , john staple , john smith . froome . francis smith , samuel vill , alias vile , thomas star , philip usher , robert beamant , william clement , john humphrey , george hasty , robert man , thomas pearl , laurence lott , thomas lott . bruton . james feildsen , humphrey braden , richard bole. wincanton . john howel , richard harvey , john tucker , william holland , hugh holland , thomas bowden . shepton-mallet . stephen mallet , joseph smith , john gilham , jun. giles bramble , richard chinn , william cruise , george pavier , john hildworth , john ashwood , thomas smith , john dorchester , sen. john combe , john groves . hensford . roger cornelius , john starr , humphrey edwards , william pierce , arthur sullway , george adams , henry russel , george knight , robert wine , william clerk , alias chick , preston bevis , richard finier . wrington . alexander key , david boyss , joshua french. wells . william mead , thomas cade , robert doleman , thomas durston , john sheperd , abraham bend , william durston , william plumley . ulvelscomb . william ruscomb , thomas pierce , robert combe . tuton upon mendip . peter prance , william watkins . chard . edward foote , john knight , william williams , john jervis , humphrey hitchcook , william godfrey , abraham pill , william davy , henry easterbrook , james dennett , edward warren , simon cross . creokern . john spore , roger burnoll , william pether , james evory , robert hill , nicholas adams , richard stephens , robert halfwell , john bushel , william lashly . somerton . william gillet , thomas lissant , william pocock , christopher stephens , george cantick , robert allen , joseph kelloway . yeovil . francis foxwell , george pitcher , bernard devereux , bernard thatcher for concealing bovet , william johnson , thomas hurford , edward gillard , oliver powel . netherstoe . humphrey mitchel , richard culverell , merrick thomas . dunster . henry lackwell , john geanes , william sully . dulverton . john basely , john lloyd , henry thompson . bridgewater . robert fraunces , nicholas stodgell , joshua bellamy , william meggeridge , john hurman , robert roper , richard harris , richard engram , john trott , roger guppey , roger hore , isaiah davis . ratcliffe-hall at bristol . richard evans , john tinckwell , christopher clerk , edward tippot , philip cumbridge , john tucker , alias clover . ilminster . nicholas collins , sen. stephen newman , robert luckis , william kitch , thomas burnard , william wellen , john parsons , thomas trooke , robert fawne , western hillary , john burgen , charles speake . stogersey . hugh ashley , john herring . wellington . francis priest , philip bovet , robert reed . south-petherton . cornelius furfurd , john parsons , thomas davis . porlock . james gale , henry edny . glasendury . john hicks , richard pearce , israel briant , william mead. james pyes , john broome . taunton . robert perrot , abraham ansley , benjamin hewling , peirce murren , john freake , john savage , abraham matthews , william jenkyns , henry lisle , john dryer , john hucker , jonathan england , john sharpe , william deverson , john williams , john patrum , james whittom , william satchel , john trickey . langport . humphrey peirce , nicholas venton , john shellwood . arbridg . isaac tripp , thomas burnell , thomas hillary , john gill , senior . thomas monday , john butcher . cutherston . richard bovet , thomas blackmore . minehead . john jones , alias evens , hugh starke , francis bartlet , peter warren , samuel hawkins , richard sweet . evilchester . hugh goodenough , samuel cox , william somerton , john masters , john walrand , david langwell , osmond barret , matthew cross , edward burford , john mortimer , john stevens , robert townsden . stogummer . george hillard , john lockstone , arthur williams . castlecary . richard ash , samuel garnish , robert hinde . milton-port . archibald johnson , james maxwel . reinsham . charles chapman , richard bowden , thomas trock , lewis harris , edward halswell , howel thomas , george badol , richard evans , john winter , andrew rownsden , john phillebey . suffer'd in all . besides those hanged and destroyed in cold blood. this bloody tragedy in the west being over , our protestant judge returns for london ; soon after which alderman cornish felt the anger of some body behind the curtain . finis . the saints encouragement in evil times: or observations concerning the martyrs in generall with some memorable collections out of foxes three volumes. martin luther. the covenant and promises. living and dying by faith. by edward leigh esquire. leigh, edward, - . this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a of text r in the english short title catalog (wing l ). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo a wing l estc r this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the saints encouragement in evil times: or observations concerning the martyrs in generall with some memorable collections out of foxes three volumes. martin luther. the covenant and promises. living and dying by faith. by edward leigh esquire. leigh, edward, - . [ ], , [ ] p. printed by a[braham]. m[iller]. for william lee and thomas underhill, london : . the title words "foxes ... faith" are joined by left brace. title page signed a . with an index. copy tightly bound with print show-through. reproduction of the original in the bodleian library, oxford. eng luther, martin, - -- early works to . catechisms, english -- early works to . christian life -- early works to . martyrs -- early works to . faith -- early works to . a r (wing l ). civilwar no the saints encouragement in evil times: or observations concerning the martyrs in generall, with some memorable collections out of foxes thr leigh, edward f the rate of defects per , words puts this text in the f category of texts with or more defects per , words. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images - melanie sanders sampled and proofread - melanie sanders text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the saints encouragement in evil times : or observations concerning the martyrs in generall , with●some memorable collections out of foxes three volumes . martin luther . the covenant and promises . living and dying by faith . by edward leigh esquire . revel. . . blessed are the dead which die in the lord , mori timeat qui ad secundam mortem de hâc morte transibit . cyprian de mortal . london , printed by a. m. for william lee and thomas vnderhill , . to the christian reader . reader , the church even in her infancy , the christian church was under the crosse , stephanus lapidatus , jacobus trucidatus , saith austin , stephen was stoned , and james beheaded . the church hath had two kinde of persecutions , one from rome ethnicall , the other from rome papall . after the apostles what a continuall storme arose against christians , which lasted three hundred years under the ten monsters of men those bloudie emperours , nero , domitian , trajane , antoninus , severus , maximinus , decius , valerianus , aurelianus , dioclesianus , whose rage was such as a man could not set his foot in rome , but tread on the graves of martyrs ▪ nero was the authour * of the first grand persecution , wherein saint peter ( as it is said ) and saint paul were martyred at rome , with others innumerable , and jacobus iustus at jerusalem , whence tertullian inferred , that the gospel must needs be a precious thing , because nero hated it . dioclesian raised the tenth and extreamest persecution * , wherein churches were overthrown , bibles burnt , whole cities razed , women hanged upon trees naked with their heads downwards . the christians yet in that time under the heathen emperours had many lucida intervalla , many breathing spaces under princes not altogether so bloudy . but the popes have persecuted the protestants for six hundred years together , and that without any intermission . i might exemplifie in many of their cruell practices ▪ . in their wars against the waldenses and albigenses . . in the massacre of france , in which the rivers were died with bloud . . in our tempora mariana queen maries daies ; who hath not heard of bloudy bonner and gardiner ? . in the rebellious insurrection in ireland , and the cruell butchery of above thousand protestants there . platina writes of seventeen thousand martyred by dioclesian ; but meterane writes of thousand slaughtered by the pope only in the low-countries , and that in the time of charles the th ▪ natalis comes of sixty thousand in france only in one year . iulius the second in seven years shed the bloud of above two hundred tho●sand christians . antichrist is drunk with the bloud of the saints , revel. . . and . . in her , that is , babylon , now rome , was found the bloud of prophets , that is , of all those that preacht the word of god , and of saints , and of all that were slain upon the earth ; they were put to death by the authority of the pope . some hold that the bitterest persecutions of the church of god are yet to come , but two considerations may much support the spirits of gods people . . the shortnesse of the persecutours lives , and their miserable ends for the most part . . the good that comes to the church of god by affiction and persecution . i will not speak of the short lives of many popes , and the short reign of queen mary * , nor of the miserable end of many persecuting emperours , but shall out of foxes martyrology , instance in the exemplary punishments of some of the persecutours of our martyrs . george eagles ( alias , trudge over the world ) hid himself in a corn-field , and by the benefit of the height of the corn , and breadth of the field he had escaped , had not ralph lurdane one of his persecutours with more malicious craft , climbed a high tree to view over the place , and so descried him . this persecutour a lewd fellow of life for theft and whoredome , within a few years after he had apprehended the foresaid george eagles for gain of money , he himself was attached of felony for stealing a horse , condemned and hanged in the same place and town of chelmesford , where george eagles before suffered martyrdome . a bishop coming to stephen gardiner ( bishop of winchester ) on his death-bed , put him in remembrance of peters denying his master ; he answering again : said , that he had denied with peter , but never repented with peter , and so both stinkingly and unrepentantly died . doctour storie was a great enemy to the protestants in queen maries daies , but in queen elizabeths reign he being beyond sea was by a handsome wile brought over into england , and suffered as a traitour , on whom the boyes sung these verses , d. story for you i am sorrie , the hangman must have your gown : your father the pope , could not save you from the rope ; for all his triple crown . secondly , the people of god like commomile , the more they were trod on the more they did spread , and ( like rabbets in frosty weather ) did thrive under persecution . one * saith , martyrologie and catechizing were the great engines by which the reformers battered down poperie . jerome compares the state of the ch●rch under constantine and some christian emperours with that under dioclesian and some persecuting emperours : under the former the church increased much potentia & divitiis , in power and wealth , but diminished virtutibus , in vertue ▪ how strangely was that promise accomplished in england and france , whosoever will save his life shall lose it ; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake , shall finde it . william wolsey martyr being in prison sent by another a noble to richard denton with this commendation , that he marvelled he tarried so long behinde him , seeing he was the first that delivered him the book of scripture into his hand , and told him that it was the truth , desiring him to make haste after as fast as he could . this money and message being delivered to denton almost a year after wolsey was burned , his answer was this . i confesse it is true , but alas i cannot burn . but he that would not burn in the cause of christ , was afterward burned against his will ; for his house was set on fire , and while he went in to save his goods he lost his life . on the contrary , some that were in prison , and purposed to suffer for the truth , were ●y the death of queen mary happily preserved , that being a true observation which * one hath , as good husbands do not put al their corn to the oven , but save some for seed , so doth god ever in the worst of persecutions . when henry the fourth of france had conquered his enemies , he turned papist , and gave this reason of it , that he might settle himself in peace and safety . ravilliak who slew him , confessed that the reason why he stabbed him , was , because he was of two religions . it is well noted by a reverend divine * , that the book of martyrs was in high esteem all the days of queen elizabeth : all churches by authority were injoyned to have it , so as all that would might read it . there was scarce a family of note that had it not , it was usuall to spend the long winter evenings in reading it . by the constancy of martyrs therein set out , people were much encouraged to stand to that faith which was sealed by their bloud . whether the killing of the two witnesses be near at hand or no , i determine not , but sure there is likelihood enough of troubles and persecutions to gods people , therefore i conceive these severall tracts , of the martyrs in generall , and concerning our english martyrs , of martin luther a couragious reformer , of the covenant and promises , of living and dying by faith may be very suitable to our times . but some may urge , that for the first subject concerning the martyrs , there was a book long since published , stiled , the mirrour of martyrs , usefull that way . i deny not but that book might be profitable to divers christians , who either wanted money to purchase or leasure to reade the large book of martyrs : but my drift in this worke is to excerp onely ( among the many dicta facta of the martyrs ) those speeches and acts of theirs , which were specially observable . master co●ton ( who composed the book before mentioned ) hath confusedly jumbled divers things together : some of which are ordinary , though others may be remarkable , and i believe he mistakes in that which he hath of voes , it being not consonant to the originall whence he took it . he hath also the same thing twice of iohn & christopher waid . i hope therefore ( though i have many things the same with cotton , that this work will be of speciall use to those , who would not be ignorant of the living speeches of dying christians . the saints are best toward their end ; so it was with jacob and moses , as appears in his excellent song made a little before his death , so david , solomon , what an excellent sermon and praier did our saviour make a little before his death . i have likewise long since put forth a treatise of the covenant and promises , yet having collected divers new observations of that excellent subject , ( for some of which i was beholding to two of our worthy lecturers * at westminster ) i thought good to adde this tract to the rest , it being of speciall use alwaies for christians , especially in evil times . thus hoping god will blesse these my endeavours for the good of his people , i rest thy true christian friend edward leigh ▪ the saints encouragement in evil times . chap. i. observations concerning the martyrs in generall . a martyr in common use of speech , means one which seals his witnesse to the gospel with his bloud , suffers death for christ . that 's a martyr , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} in the highest * degree . but the word in grammar sense , means but a witnesse . tertullian cals confessours to christ , martyrs . he must suffer in a good cause for the name of christ , pet. . causa non poena facit martyrem . non debet quid quisque patiatur , sed quare patiatur , attendi . aug. contra crescon. lib. . cap. . the cause not the punishment makes a martyr . when i consider the cause of my condemnation ( said mr bradford ) i cannot but lament , that i do no more rejoyce then i doe . for it is for god● verity and truth , so that the condemnation is not a condemnation of bradford simply , but rather a condemnation of christ and of his truth bradford is nothing but an instrumen● in which christ and his doctrine i● condemned . how early did martyrdome come into the world ? the first man that died , died for religion . one saith , none are saved but martyrs ; martyrs either actually or habitually ; having faith enough to encourage , and love to constrain them to be martyrs , if the honour of their profession should require it . the habit of martyrdome is included in the most fundamentall principle of christianity , love of christ better then our selves , self-resignation or deniall . to suffer death for christ is the greatest honour which can befall a man , and such a promotion that the highest angel in heaven is not permitted to have . in the primitive times they were wont to call martyrdome by the name of corona martyrij , the crown of martyrdome , and stephen the protomartyr had his name in greek from a crown . one woman martyr having her childe in her hand , gave it to another , and offered her self to martyrdome ; crowns ( saith she ) are to be dealt this day , and i mean to have one . luther writing to those which were condemned to death , saith , the lord will not do me that honour , i who have made all this busle : it was very strange * that one who had so provoked the pope and all his potent party , should die quietly in his bed . bernard saith there are three sorts of martyrs , . martyrs voluntate solùm , in will only , so all the godly are martyrs . . voluntate & opere , in will and act ; those who chearfully lay down their life for christs cause . . opere solum , in act only ; so the children of bethlehem , mat. . . this was rather a passive then an active martyrdome , and improperly so called , since to true martyrdome not only slaughter and a good cause are requisite , but a will and intention of undergoing death for christs sake . it is a question among the schoolmen why christ should so complain in his sufferings , as in the garden and on the crosse , and yet the martyrs suffer so chearfully . . they suffered for god , and christ from god . . they suffered in their bodies , christ in his soul , and the wrath of god , isa. . . . their sufferings were mixed with joy and comfort , exuberance of joy sometimes . christs sufferings on the crosse were void of all comfort , mat. . . and there was a suspension of divine influence . m. ball in his catechisme saith , the testimony of conscience is a strong argument to prove that there is a god , and the constancy of the saints * is a good reason to prove the scriptures to be the word of god , both these main principles of religion may be then confirmed from the carriage and courage of the martyrs . first , how forcible was the working of conscience in some of them ! bilny and bainham at first recanted , but what a hell did they feel in their consciences till they returned to god and bewailed their abjuration ! on the contrary , what ravishing comfort did robert glover injoy a little before his martyrdome ? dear wife ( saith sanders * ) riches i have none to leave behinde me , wherewith to endow you after this worldly manner , but the treasure of tasting how sweet christ is unto hungry consciences ( whereof i thank my christ i feel part , and would feel more ) i bequeath unto you , and to the rest of my beloved in christ to retain the same in sense of heart alwaies . secondly , the martyrs constant suffering may much establish us in the assurance of the scriptures coming from god . . observe the number of those which suffered for the truth , of all sorts and conditions , stout and tender , noble and base . famesius departing out of italy is reported to have said , that he would make such a slaughter in germany that his very horse might swim in the bloud of the lutherans . so much bloud of the protestants was spilt in france that the very rivers in the streets flowed with bloud . the duke of alba sitting at his table * said , that he had taken diligent pains in rooting out the tares of heresies , having delivered men in the space of six years only to the hands of the hangman . within the compas●e of lesse then four years continuance , there died in england in q. maries reign persons , without regard * of degree , sex or age . in the heat of those flames were consumed five bishops , one and twenty divines , eight gentlemen , eighty four artificers , one hundred husbandmen , servants and labourers , twenty six wives , twenty widdows , nine virgins , two boies , and two infants . secondly , the persecutours could neither by torments nor pleasures induce them to deny the truth . when valens the emperour coming to caesarea commanded basil to assent to the arians , and threatned to banish and punish him if he obeyed not , pueris ( saith basil ) illa terriculamenta proponenda sunt , sibi verò vita eripi potest , sed confessio veritatis eripi non potest . those bug-bears were to be propounded to children , but for his part ( said he ) though they might take away his life , yet they could not hinder him from professing the truth . when king lysimachus threatned cyrenaeus theodorus with hanging , istis quaeso ( saith he ) ista horribilia minitare purpuratis tuis : theodori quidem nihil interest , humine an sublimè putrescat . threaten those terrible things to thy brave courtiers , theodorus cares not whether he rot in the air , or on the ground . cyprian said amen * to his own sentence of martyrdome , and the proconsul bidding him consult about it , he answered , in re tam justa * nulla est consultatio . bonner said , a vengeance on them , i think they love to burn . when the proconsul threatned andrew the apostle with the crosse , if he left not off his preaching , i would never ( said he ) have preacht the doctrin of the crosse , if i had feared the suffering of the crosse . jerom in the life of paulus the heremite reciteth a story of a certain souldier , whom when the pretor could not otherwise with torments remove from his christianity , he devised another way , which was this : he commanded the souldier to be laid upon a soft bed in a pleasant garden among the flourishing lillies and red roses ; which done , all others being removed away , and himself there left alone , a beautiful harlot came to him , who imbraced him , and with all other incitements of an harlot , laboured to provoke him to her naughtinesse . but the godly souldier fearing god more then obeying flesh , bit his own tongue with his teeth , and spit in the face of the harlot , as she was kissing him , and so got he the victory by the constant grace of the lord assisting him . thirdly , the martyrs suffered with much comfort , courage and assurance of their salvation , going to the fire as to a feast , calling the coles roses , and the day of their martyrdome , their marriage day . i am to die ( said bishop ridley * ) in defence of gods everlasting truth and verity , which death i shall by gods grace willingly take with hearty thanks to god therefore , in certain hope without any doubting to receive at gods hand again of his free mercy and grace everlasting life . rowland taylour departing hence in sure hope without all doubting of eternall salvation , i thank god my heavenly father through jesus christ my certain saviour . amen . they thanked their judges for condemning them , sententiis vestris gratias agimus , cum damnamur à vobis à deo absolvimur . tertul. apol. c. . the martyrs were eminent in many graces . . in humility . they neither called themselves martyrs , nor did they give way to others so to entitle them , but if any in epistle or speech so named them , they did sharply reprove them , saying , that this appellation was due to christ alone , which only is a faithfall witnes to the truth . ignatius in his epistles saith , i salute you , who am ultimus , the last and least of all : and so in another epistle , tantillitas nostra . lord ( said hooper ) i am hell , but thou art heaven , i am a sink of sin , but thou art a gracious god , and a mercifull redeemer . . in love to god and christ . ignatius called christ his love , amor meus crucifixus est , said he , my love was crucified . none but christ , none but christ , said john lambert . they offered to some of them gifts and honors to take them off , to which one well answered , do but offer me somewhat that is better then my lord jesus christ , and you shal see what i will say unto you . . in love to the brethren , and one another . ejusmodi vel maximae dilectiovis operatio notam nobis inurit penes quosdam , vide inquiunt , ut invicem s● diligant . in the primitive times the cry of the heathens was , see how they love one another , see how they are ready to die for one another . how did they express their affection to one another likewise by their gilt pence , nutmegs , and other tokens which they sent to one another , and by their hearty praiers ? . in * patience , victi sunt gentiles , & eorum idololatria , non à repugnantibus , sed à morient●bus christianis . aust. . in liberality to the poor . * . in fidelity , john bradford had often leave of his keeper , while he was in prison , to go see a friend , and he returned to his prison again rather before his time . . in zeal and fervency in * praier . . in mildenes * and forgiving their enemies . chap. ii. some memorable collections concerning the martyrs , especially out of foxes three large volumes . polycarpus . evsebius * saith he was wont to say when he fell into the company of hereticks : bone deus in quae me tempora reservasti ? good god what times hast thou kept me for ? when marcion the heretick casually met him and said , cognoscis nos ? dost thou know us ? polycarpus answered , cognosco primogenitum diaboli , i know the first born of the devil . being urged by the proconsull to deny christ , he answered : i have served him . * years , and he hath not once hurt me , and shall i now deny him ? when he should have been tied to the stake , he required to stand untied , saying : let me alone ( i pray you ) for he that gave me strength to come to the fire , will also give me patience to abide in the same without your tying . ignatius . being led from syria to rome , there to be devoured , he wished by the way as he went , that he were in the midst of those beasts which were ready to rent him in pieces , and that their appetites might be whetted to dispatch him quickly , fearing least it should happen to him as to some other martyrs , that the beasts out of a kinde of reverence and humanity , would not dare to approach unto him ; being ready , he said , rather to provoke them to fight , then that they should suffer him so to escape . it is reported of him , by some popish writers ( quam verè ipsi viderint ) that he was so frequent in roling the name of jesus in his mouth , that when he died , there was ingraved and written in his heart the character of that name in golden letters : this may be fabulous , but christ was very dear unto him , he called him his love , meus amor crucifixus est * , my love ( said he ) is crucified . when he heard the lions roaring , he said ; i am the lords wheat * that must be ground with the teeth of wilde beasts , that i may be found pure bread . ignis , crux , ferarum concursus , ( sectiones , lanienae ) ossium discerptiones , membrorum concisiones , totius corporis contritiones & diaboli tormenta in me veniant , tantummodo ut jesum nanciscar . id. ibid. come ( saith he ) fire , gallows , wilde beasts , breaking of bones , tearing of members , contrition of the whole body , and torments from the devil , so that i may gain christ . after all his sufferings he said , now i begin to be a disciple . john hus. martin luther in his preface to daniel , cals him , sanctissimum martyrem , a most holy martyr , where he rehearseth also this prophesie of his : they shall now burn a goose ( for hus in the bohemian tongue signifies a goose ) but a swan * shall come after me , which shall escape their burning . the bishops caused to be made a certain crown of paper almost a cubit deep , in the which were painted three devils of wonderfull uglyshape , and this title set over their heads , haeresiarcha * . the which when he saw , he said , my lord jesus christ for my sake did wear a crown of thorns , why should not i then for his sake again , wear this light crown , be it never so ignominious ? truly i will doe it , and that willingly . you knew how before my priesthood ( which grieveth me now ) i have delighted to play oftentimes at chesse , and have neglected my time , and have unhappily provoked both my self and others to anger many times by that play . hierome of prage . he being condemned by the councell of constance , thus prophesied , et cito vos omnes , ut respondeatis mihi coram altissimo & justissimo judice post centum annos . here i cite you to answer unto me before the most high & just judge within a hundred years . he said thus to the executioner , make the fire in my sight , for if i had feared it i had never come hither . henry voes and john esch. henry voes and john esch friers , being burned at bruxels , one of them seeing that fire was kindled at his feet , said , me thinks ye doe straw rooses under my feet . peter moice . one of the martyrs which suffered in germany , being called befor● the senate at dornick , they bega● to examine him of certain articles 〈◊〉 religion . to whom as he was abou● to answer boldly and expressely t● every point , they interrupting him ▪ bad him say in two words , either yea or nay : then said he , if ye will not suffer me to answer for my self it matters of such importance , send me to my prison again among my toad● and frogs , which will not interrup● me while i talk with my lord my god . peter serre . one of the martyrs which suffered in france , being put to the fire stood so quiet , looking up to heaven all the time of his burning , as though he had felt nothing , bringing such admiration to the people , that one of the parliament said , that way was not best to bring the lutherans to the fire , for that would doe more hurt then good . bartholmew hector . a french martyr at his death , praying and speaking heavenly to the people , and taking his death patiently , many of the people wept , saying , why doth this man die which speaketh of nothing but of god ? pomponius algerius . an italian martyr , thus underwrites a comfortable letter of his to some of his christian friends , from the delectable orchyard of leonine prison . patrick hamelton . certain faithfull men being present the same time when this scottish martyr was in the fire , they heard him to cite and appeal the black frier called cambell that accused him to appear before the high god , a● generall judge of all men , to answer to the innocencie of his death and whether his accusation were ju●● or not , between that and a certai● day of the next moneth , which h● there named . by the same witness● it is testified , that the said frier died immediately before the day came without remorse of conscience , that he had persecuted the innocent . thomas bilney . his first conversion was by reading the new testament set out by erasmus , and particularly , tim. . . at the last ( saith he ) i heard speak of jesus , even then when the new testament was first set forth by erasmus , which when i understood to be eloquently done by him , being assured rather for the latine then for the word of god ( for at that time i knew not what it meant ) i bought it even by the providence of god , as i doe now well understand and perceive : and at the first reading ( as i well remember ) i chanced upon this sentence of st paul ( o most sweet and comfortable sentence to my soul ) in his first epistle to timoth. chap. . vers. . it is a true saying and worthy of all men to be embraced , that christ jesus came into the world to save sinners , of whom i am the chief . this one sentence through gods instruction and inward working , which i did not then perceive , did so exhilerate my heart , being before wounded with the guilt of my sins , and being almost in despair , that immediately i felt a marvellous comfort and quietnesse , in so much that my brused bones leapt for joy . after this , the scripture began to be more pleasant unto me then the hony or the hony-comb . latimer cals him in his sermons , blessed saint bilney , and shews how he was converted by him , and in what anguish of soul bilney was in after his abjuration , and that he returned again and suffered for the gospel . being in the prison he divers time proved the fire by putting his finge● near to the candle : at the first touc● of the candle , his flesh resisting , an● he withdrawing his finger , did afte● chide his flesh in these words , qu● ( inquit ) unius membri inustione● ferre non potes , & quo pacto cras t●●tius corporis conflagrationem tolerabi● what ( saith he ) canst not tho● bear the burning of one member and how wilt thou endure to mor● row the burning of thy whole body ▪ the night before his execution , divers of his friends resorted unto hi● in the guild hall where he was kep● amongst which one of them findin●● him eating an alebrew with a cheerfull heart and quiet minde , said , that he was glad to see him at that time so shortly before his painfull an● heavy departure , so heartily to refresh himself : whereunto he answered , o said he , i follow the example of the husbandmen of the countrey , who having a ruinou● house to dwell in , yet bestow cos● as long as they may to hold it up ▪ and so doe i now with this ruinous house of my body , and with gods creatures , in thanks to him , refresh the same as ye see . then sitting with his said friends in godly talk to their edification , some put him in minde , that though the fire which he should suffer the next day , should be of great heat unto his body , yet the comfort of gods spirit should cool it to his everlasting refreshing . at this word the said thomas bilney putting his hand toward the flame of the candle burning before them ( as also he did divers times besides ) and feeling the heat thereof , o ( said he ) i feel by experience , and have known it long by philosophy , that fire by gods ordinance is naturally hot , but yet i am perswaded by gods holy word , and by the experience of some spoken of in the same , that in the flame they felt no heat , and in the fire they felt no consumption : and i constantly beleeve , howsoever that the stubble of this my body shall be wasted by it , yet my soul and spirit shall be purged thereby , a pain for the time whereon followeth 〈◊〉 unspeakable . and then most co●fortably entreated of isa. . , . well in respect of himself , as app●●ing it to the particular use of friends there present , of whom for took such sweet fruit therein , the they caused the words to be 〈◊〉 written on tables , and some in the books . the comfort whereof ( 〈◊〉 divers of them ) was never tak● from them to their dying day . james bainham . as he was at the stake in the mid● of the flaming fire which had ha● consumed his arms and legs , he spak● these words : o ye papists , behold 〈◊〉 look for miracles , and here now y● may see a miracle , for in this fire i f●●● no more pain , then if i were in a bed● down : but it is to me as a bed of rose● ▪ william tyndall . for his notable pains and travel he may well be called the apostle o●england in this our later age . he translated the new testament , and five books of moses ; for his faithfulnesse therein , observe his own words , i call god to record against the day we shall appear before our lord jesus , to give our reckoning of our doings , that i never altered one syllable of gods words against my conscience , nor would doe this day , if all that is in earth , whether it be honour , pleasure or riches , might be given me . there was at antwerp on a time amongst a company of merchants , as they were at supper , a certain jugler which through his diabolicall inchantment of art magicall , would fetch all kinde of viands and wine from any place they would , and set it upon the table presently before them , with many other such like things . the same of this jugler being much talked of , it chanced that master tindall heard of it , he desired certain of the merchants that he might also be present at supper to see him play his parts . the supper was appointed , and the merchants with tindall were there prese●● ▪ then the jugler being required 〈◊〉 play his feats , and to shew his cuning , after his wonted boldnesse began to utter all that he could d● but all was in vain . at the last w●● his labour , sweating and toili●● when he saw that nothing would 〈◊〉 forward , but that all his encha●●●ments were void , he was compell● openly to confesse , that there w●● some man present at supper , whi●● disturbed and letted all his doings . he cried at the stake with a fe●vent zeal and a loud voice , * le● open the king of englands eies . john lambert . after that his legs were consum●●● and burned to the stumps , he lifti●● up such hands as he had , and his fi●●gers ends flaming with fire , cri● unto the people in these words , no● but christ , none but christ . anthony person . he being come to the place of ●●●ecution , with a cheerfull countenance embraced the post in his arms , and kissing it , said , now welcome mine own sweet wife ; for this day shall thou and i be married together in the love and peace of god . henry filmer . he said to person and testwood , two other martyrs which died with him , be merry my brethren and lift up your hands unto god , for after this sharp breakefast , i trust we shall have a good dinner in the kingdome of christ our lord and redeemer . at the which words testwood lifting up his hands and eies to heaven , desired the lord above to receive his spirit . and anthony person pulling the straw unto him , laid a good deal thereof upon the top of his head , saying , this is gods hat ; now i am dressed like a true souldier of christ , by whose merits only i trust this day to enter into his joy . many which saw their patitient suffering , confessed that they could have found in their hearts ( at the present ) to have died with them . adam damplip . he understanding from the keepe● that he should soon suffer , was ye● merry and did eat his meat as wel● as ever he did in all his life , in so much that some at the bord said unto him , that they marvelled how he could eat his meat so well , knowing he was so near his death . ah master ▪ quoth he , doe you think that i hav● been gods prisoner so long in the mar● shalsey , and have not yet learned to dy yes , yes , and i doubt not but god wi●● strengthen me therein . kerby . master wingfield said to kerby 〈◊〉 prison , remember the fire is ho● take no more upon thee then tho● canst perform , the terrour is grea● the pain will be extream , and life 〈◊〉 sweet : better it were betime to sti●● to mercy , while there is hope of lif● then rashly to begin and then to shrink . to whom kerby replied , ah , master wingfield , be at my burning and you shall say , there standeth a christian souldier in the fire : for i know that fire and water , sword and all other things are in the hands of god , and he will suffer no more to be laid upon us then he will give us strength to bear . anne askew . pray , pray * , pray . to her confession in newgate she thus subscribes . written by me anne askew , that neither wisheth death , nor feareth his might , and as merry as * one that is bound towards heaven . wrisley lord chancellour sent her letters ( being at the stake ) offering to her the kings pardon if she would recant , who refusing once to look upon them , made this answer again , that she came not thither to deny her lord and master . sir george blague . he being one of the kings privy chamber , was condemned and appointed to be burned , but being pardoned by the king , and coming after into his presence ; ah my pig ( saith the king to him , for so he was wont to call him ) yea , said he , if you● majestie had not been better to m● then your bishops were , your pig had been rosted ere this time . mr john rogers . that morning he should be burned he was found asleep , and could scarce with much jogging be awaked : at length being raised and waked , and bid to make haste , the●● said he , if it be so i need not to ti● my points . the sunday before he suffered , he drank to mr hooper , being then underneath him , and bad them commend him unto him , and tell him there was never little fellow would better stick to a man , then he would stick to him , presupposing they should both be burned together , although it happened otherwise , for mr rogers was burnt alone . he was the protomartyr of all the blessed company that suffered in queen maries time , that gave the first adventure upon the fire . his wife and children being eleven in number , ten able to go , and one sucking on her breast , met him by the way as he went toward smithfield ; this sorrowfull sight of his own flesh and bloud could nothing move him , but that he constantly and chearfully took his death with wonderfull patience in the defence of christs gospel . laurence sanders . he seeming to be somewhat troubled at his lodging , one which was there about him asked him how he did : in very deed ( saith he ) i am in prison till i be in prison : meaning , that his minde was unquiet untill he had preached , and that then he should have quietnesse of minde , though he were put in prison . he that did lie with him in prison in the same bed , reported that he heard him say , that even in the time of his examination he was wonderfully comforted , in so much as not only in spirit but also in body , he received a certain taste of that holy communion of saints , whilst a most pleasant refreshing did issue from every part and member of the body , unto the seat and place of the heart , and from thence did ebb to and fro unto all the parts again . at coventry ( where he was burned ) a poor shoemaker which was wont to serve him of shoes , came to him and said ; o my good master , god strengthen and comfort you gran mercy good shoemaker , quoth master sanders , and i pray thee to pray for me , for i am the unmeetest man for this high office , that ever was appointed to it ; but my gracious god and dear father is able to make me strong enough . when he came to the fire he fell to the ground and praied , then he rose up again and took the stake to which he should be chained , in his arms , and kissed it , saying : welcome the crosse of christ , welcome everlasting life : and being fastened to the stake , and fire put to him , full sweetly he slept in the lord . in the beginning of q. maries time , there being a communication between laurence sanders and d. pendleton , the doctor took upon him to comfort mr sanders all that he might , admonishing him not to start aside , having put his hand to gods plough ; i will see said he ( being a fat man ) the utmost drop of this grease of mine molten away , and the last gobbet of this flesh consumed to ashes , before i will forsake god and his truth . sanders on the other side seemed so fearfull and feeblespirited , that he seemed rather to fall quite from gods word which he had taught , then to stick to his profession and abide by his tacle , but after sanders suffered most willingly , and pendleton played the apostata . mr john hooper . being at zarick with bullinger , at his parting with him he promised to write unto him how it went with him . but the last news of all i shall not be able to write : for there , said he ( taking m. bullinger by the hand ) where i shall take most pains , there shall you hear of me to be burned to ashes , and that shall be the last news , which i shall not be able to write unto you , but you shall hear of me . when mr hooper being made bishop of worcester and glocester should have his arms given him by the herald , as the manner is for every bishop to have his arms assigned unto him ( whether by the bishops or heralds appointment is uncertain ) the arms to him allotted was a lamb in a fiery bush , and the sun-beams from heaven descended down upon the lamb , rightly denoting as it seemed , the order of his suffering , which afterward followed . his life was so pure and good , that no kinde of slander ( although divers went about to reprove it ) could fasten any fault upon it . i know not one of all those vertues and qualities required of st paul in a good bishop , lacking in this good bishop . bishop ridley and he differed about the ceremonies , yet both being in prison for the truths sake they were reconciled . every day his manner was to have to dinner a certain number of poor folk of worcester by course , who were served by four at a messe , with whole and wholesome meats : and when they were served ( being afore examined by him or his deputies of the lords prayer , the articles of their faith , and ten commandments ) then he himself sate down to dinner , and not before . sir anthony kingston his friend coming to him a little before his death , used these words , life is sweet and death bitter , to whom he replied , that the death to come was more bitter , and the life to come more sweet . a blinde boy being brought unto him , who had not long afore suffered imprisonment at glocester for confessing of the truth , master hooper after he had examined him of his faith and the cause of his imprisonment , beheld him stedfastly , and ( the water appearing in his eies ) said unto him : ah poor boy , god hath taken from thee thy outward sight , for what consideration he best knoweth ; but he hath given thee another sight much more precious , for he hath indued thy soul with the eye of knowledge and faith : god give thee grace continually to pray unto him , that thou lose not that sight , for then shouldst thou be blinde both in body and soul . being at the stake , and having entred into his prayer , a box wa● brought and laid before him upon ▪ stool with his pardon ( or at least fained so to be ) from the queen if he would turn : at the sight where of he cried , if you love my soul away with it , if you love my soul away wit● it . the box being taken the lor● shandoys said , seeing there is no remedy dispatch him quickly . master hooper said , good my lord , i trust you will give me leave to make an end of my praiers . doctor taylor . he told the sheriffe and others ( who laboured to turn him to the popish religion ) that he had been deceived himself , and was like to deceive a great many of hadley of their expectation . i am ( said he ) as you see , a man that hath a very great carkasse , which i thought should have been buried in hadley church-yard , if i had died in my bed as i well hoped i should have done ; but herein i see i was deceived : and there are a great number of worms in hadley church-yard which should have had jolly feeding upon this carrion , which they have looked for many a day : but now i know we be deceived , both i and they ; for this carkasse must be burned to ashes , and so shall they loose their bait and feeding that they look to have had of it . having light off his horse in his journey to hadley a little afore he suffered , he leapt and fet a frisk or twain , as men commonly doe in dancing : mr doctor quoth the sheriffe , how doe you now , he answered ; well , god be praised good mr sheriffe , never better , for now i know i am almost at home , i lack not past two stiles to go over , and i am even at my fathers house . the same morning in which he was called up by the sheriffe to go to his burning ( about three of the clock in the morning ) being suddainly awaked out of his sound sleep , he sate up in his bed , and putting on his shirt , had these words , speaking somewhat thick after his accustomed manner : ah horson theeves , ah horson theeves , rob god of his honour , rob god of his honour . afterward being risen and tying his points , he cast his arms about a balke which was in the chamber between mr bradfords bed and his : and there hanging by the hands , said to master bradford : o master bradford , quoth he , what a notable swing should i give if i were hanged ? william hunter . his mother said to him a little before his suffering , that she was glad that ever she was so happy to bear such a childe which could finde in his heart to lose his life for christs name sake . then william said to his mother , for my little pain which i shall suffer , christ hath promised me mother ( said he ) a crown of joy , may you not be glad of that mother ? with that his mother kneeled down on her knees , saying ; i pray god strengthen thee my son to the end , yea i think thee as well bestowed as any childe that ever i bare . being at the stake , he said , son of god shine upon me , and immediately the sun in the firmament shone out of a dark cloud so full in his face , that he was constrained to look another way , whereat the people mused because it was so dark a little time before . john lawrence . he being not able to go ( because his legs were so worn with heavy irons in prison , and his body weakned with evil keeping ) was born to the fire in a chair , and he sitting in the fire , the young children came about the fire and cried as well as young children could speak , saying , lord strengthen thy servant and keep thy promise , lord strengthen thy servant and keep thy promise . dr farrar bishop of st davids . one richard jones a knights son coming to m. farrar a little before his death , seemed to lament the painfulnesse of the death he had to suffer , unto whom the bishop answered again to this effect , saying , that if he saw him once to stir in the pains of his burning , he should then give no credit to his doctrine . and as he said , so he right well performed the same ; for so patiently he stood , that he never moved , but even as he stood , holding up his stumps , so still he continued , till one richard gravell with a staff dashed him upon the head , and so struck him down . rawlins white . the bishop of landaffe asking him whether he would revoke his opinions or no . surely ( said rawlins ) my lord , rawlins you left me , and rawlins you finde me , and by gods grace rawlins i will continue . the night before he was to suffer , he sent to his wife , and willed her by the messenger that in any wise she should make ready and send unto him his wedding garment , meaning a shirt , which afterward he was burned in . as he went to the place of execution , in his way his poor wife and children stood weeping , and making great lamentation : the sudden sight of whom so pierced his heart , that the very tears trickled down his face , but he soon after , as though he had misliked this infirmity of his flesh , began to be as it were altogether angry with himself , in so much , that in his striking his breast with his hand , he used these words ; ah flesh , staiest thou me so ? wouldst thou fain prevail ? well , i tell thee doe what thou canst , thou shalt not by gods grace have victory . thomas haukes . darbishire bishop bonners kinsman said unto him , that he was too curious , for he would have nothing but his little pretty gods book . and is it not sufficient for my salvation ? said haukes : yes ( said he ) it is sufficient for our salvation , but not for our instruction : god send me the salvation ( said haukes ) and you the instruction . some of haukes his friends privily desired him , that in the midst of the flame he would shew them some token if he could , whether the pain of suffering were so great , that a man might not therein keep his minde quiet and patient . which thing he promised them to do , and so secretly between them it was agreed , that if the rage of the pain were tolerable and might be suffered , then he should lift up his hands above his head toward heaven , before he gave up the ghost . having continued long in the flame , and his speech being taken away by the violence of the flame , and his fingers consumed with the fire , so that now all men thought certainly he had been gon , suddenly and contrary to expectation the blessed servant of god , being mindfull of his promise afore made , reached up his hands burning on a light fire ( which was marvellous to behold ) over his head to the living god , and with great rejoicing , as seemed , strook or clapped them three times together : at the sight whereof there followed such applause and out-cry of the people , and especially of them which understood the matter , that the like had not commonly been heard . john bradford . he did not eat above one meal a day ; which was but very little when he took it : and his continuall study was upon his knees . in the midst of dinner he used often to muse with himself , having his hat over his eies , from whence came commonly plenty of tears dropping on his trencher . he was very gentle to man and childe , and in so good credit with his keeper , that at his desire in an evening ( being prisoner in the kings bench in southwark ) he had licenc● upon his promise to return again that night , to go into london without any keeper to visit one that was sick lying by the still-yard : neither did he fail his promise , but returned unto his prison again , rather preventing his hour then breaking his fidelity . he slept not commonly above four hours in the night ; and in his bed till sleep came , his book went not out of his hand . he counted that hour not well spent wherein he did not some good , either with his pen , study , or in exhorting of others . whosoever ( saith he ) hath not learned the lesson of the crosse , hath not learned his a , b , c , in christianity . he was not content till he found god coming into his spirit with severall dispensations , according to the severall parts of his prayer . the keepers wife came up suddenly to him ( he being in the keepers chamber ) as one half amazed , and seeming much troubled , being almost windelesse , said , o m. bradford , i come to bring you heavy news , what is that , said he ? marry quoth she to morrow you must be burned , and your chain is now a buying , and soon you must go to newgate ; with that m. bradford put off his cap , and lifting up his eies to heaven , said , i thank god for it ; i have looked for the same time , and therefore it cometh not now to me suddenly , but as a thing waited for every day and hour , the lord make me worthy thereof . creswell offering to make sute for m. bradford : he thus answered , i● the queen will give me life i will thank her , if she will banish me i will thank her , if she will burn me i will thank her , if she will condem● me to perpetuall imprisonment , i will thank her . some of the subscriptions of his letters were observable , the most miserable , heardhearted , unthankfull sinner , john bradford . a very painted hypocrite , john bradford . christopher waid . as soon as he was fastened to the stake , he spake ( his hands and eies being lifted up to heaven ) with ● cheerfull and loud voice , the last verse of the . psalm . shew me ● token for good , that they which hate m● may see it and be ashamed , because thou lord hast holpen me and comforted me . fire being put unto him , he cried unto god often , lord jesus receive my soul , without any sign of impatiency in the fire , till at length after the fire was once throughly kindled , he was heard by no man to speak , still holding his hands up over his head together towards heaven , even when he was dead and altogether rosted , as though they had been staid up with a prop standing under them . robert samuell a minister . he would often in prison have drank his own water , but his body was so dried up with his long emptinesse , that he was not able to make one drop of water : after he had been pined with hunger two or three daies together , he then fell into a sleep , as it were one half in a slumber , at which time one clad all in white seemed to stand before him which ministred comfort unto him by these words , samuel , samuel , be of good cheer , and take a good heart unto thee , for after this day shalt thou never be either hungry or thirsty . which thing came even to passe accordingly , for speedily after he wa● burned , and from that time till b● should suffer , he felt neither hung● nor thrist . robert glover . after he was condemned by the b●shop , and was near his death , tw● or three daies before his heart bein● lumpish and destitute of all spiritual● consolation , he felt in himself ● aptnesse nor willingnesse , but rathe● a dulnesse of spirit , full of much dis●comfort to bear the bitter crosse o● martyrdome ready to be laid upo● him . whereupon fearing in himself least the lord had utterly with drawn his wonted favour from hi● he made his moan to austen benh●● a minister , and his familiar frien● signifying how earnestly he had pra●ed day and night unto the lord , an● yet could receive no motion , no sense of any comfort from him : unto whom the said austen answerin● again , desired him patiently to wai● the lords pleasure , and howsoeve● his present feeling was , yet seeing his cause was just and true , he exhorted him constantly to stick to the same , and to play the man , nothing misdoubting but the lord in his good time would visit him , and satisfie his desire with plenty of consolation , whereof ( he said ) he was right certain , and therefore desired him whensoever any such feeling of gods heavenly mercies should begin to touch his heart , that then he should shew some signification thereof , whereby he might witnesse with him the same , and so departed from him . the next day when the time came of his martyrdome , as he was going to the place , and was now come to the sight of the stake , although all night before praying for strength and courage he could feel none , suddenly he was so mightily replenished with gods holy comfort , and heavenly joyes , that he cried out clapping his hands to austen , and saying in these words , austen he is come , he is come , and that with such joy and ala●rity , as one seeming rather to be risen from some deadly danger to liberty of life , then as one passing out of the world by any pains of death . such was the change of the marvellous working of the lords hand upon that good man . bishop ridley . he offering to preach before the lady mary ( being made queen ) was refused . he was after brought by sir thomas wharton to a room , and desired to drink . after he had drunk , he paused a little while looking very sadly , and suddenly brake out into these words ; surely i have done amisse , why so ? quoth sr thomas wharton . for i have drunk ( said he ) in that place where gods word offered hath been refused . whereas if i had remembred my duty , i ought to have departed immediately , and to have shaken off the dust of my shoes for a testimony against this house . these words were spoken by him with such a vehemency , that some of the hearers afterward confessed , that it made their hair stand upright on their heads . the night before he suffered , his bear'd was washed and his legs , and as he sate at supper the same night at m. irishes ( who was his keeper ) he bad the hostesse and the rest of the bord to his marriage ; for , saith he , tomorrow i must be married , and so shewed himself to be as merry as ever he was at any time before . m. ridley looking ( as he was going to the stake ) espied master latimer coming after , unto whom he said , o be ye there , yea , said m. latimer , have after as fast as i can follow : after they came both to the stake , d. ridley with a wondrous chearfull look ran to m. latimer , imbraced and kissed him , and as they that stood near reported , comforted him , saying : be of good heart , brother , for god will either asswage the fury of the flame , or else strengthen us to abide it . d. smith preached at the burning of bishop ridley and m. latimer on the first of the corinth . . . wherein he railed against the martyrs ( and these two especially ) crying still to the people to beware of them , for they were heretikes , and died out of the church . dr ridley ( after the sermon was ended ) desired liberty to speak , but could not obtain it , unlesse he would revoke his erroneous opinions and recant . to which he answered , so long as the breath is in my body , i will never deny my lord christ , and his known truth : gods will be done in me , and said with a loud voice , well , then i commit our cause to almighty god , which shall indifferently judge all . m. hugh latimer . in king edwards time he did so evidently fore-shew and prophecy o● all those kindes of plagues which afterwards ensued , that if england ever had a prophet , he might seem to be one . and as touching himself h● ever affirmed , that the preaching of the gospel would cost him his life . when the lieutenants man upon a time came to him in prison , the aged * father kept without a fire in the frosty winter , and well nigh starved for cold , merrily bad the man tell his master , that if he did not look the better to him perchance he would deceive him . he praied fervently , and oftentimes so long continued● kneeling , that he was not able to rise without help . the three principal matters he praied for , were first , that as god had appointed him to be a preacher of his word , so also he would give him grace to stand to his doctrine untill his death , that he might give his heart-bloud for the same . secondly , that god of his mercy would restore his gospel to england once again , and these words , once again , once again , he did so inculcate , as though he had seen god before him , and spoken to him face to face . his third request was for the preservation of queen elizabeth , whom in his praier he was wont to name , and even with his tears desired god to make her a comfort to this comfortlesse realm of england . upon new-years day every bishop was used to present the king with some handsome new-years gift , so they did some with gold , some with silver , some with a purse full of money , and some one thing , and some another : but m. latimer being bishop of worcester then , among the rest presented a new testament for his new-years gift with a napkin having this posie about it , fornicatores & adulteros * judicabit dominus , fornicatours and adulterers god will judge . to some that asked him why one that preacht his sermon did not preach as he did , he answered , he had his siddle and stick , but wanted his rozen . quem recitas meus est o fidentine , libellus : sed malè dum recitas , incipit esse tuus . he spake to m. ridley at the stake with him in this manner ; be of good comfort m. ridley , and play the man , we shall this day light such a candle by gods grace in england , as i trust shall neve● be put out . m. john philpot. bishop bonner said thus to him , what say you to the omnipotency of god ? is not he able to perform that which he spoke ? this is my body , i tell thee that god by his omnipotency may make himself to be this carpet if he will . to whom philpot answered , god is able to do whatsoever he willeth , but he willeth nothing which is not agreeable to his word : non potest deus facere quae sunt naturae suae contraria . it is contrary to the nature of god to be a carpet , for a creator to be the creature . a messenger from the sheriffs coming to m. philpot , and bidding him make ready , for the next day he should suffer and be burned at a stake with fire . master philpot answered and said , i am ready ; god grant me strength , and a joyfull resurrection . and so he went into his chamber , and poured out his spirit unto the lord god , giving him most hearty thanks , that he of his mercy had made him worthy to suffer for his truth . as he went with the sheriffs to the place of execution , entring into smithfield the way was foul , and two officers took him up to bear him to the stake . then said he merrily , what ? will ye make me a pope ? i am content to goe my journies end on foot . but first coming into smithfield he kneeled down there , saying these words ; i will pay my vows in thee , o smithfield . and when he was come to the place of suffering , he kissed the stake , and said , shall i disdain to suffer at this stake , seeing my redeemer did not refuse to suffer a most vile death upon the crosse for me ? thomas cranmer archbishop of canterbury . he was so milde to his enemies that if any of them ( who had wronged him ) would seem never so slenderly to relent or excuse himself , he would both forget the offence committed , and also evermore afterward friendly entertain him , insomuch that it came into a common proverb , doe unto my lord of canterbury a displeasure , a shrewd turn , and then you may be sure to have him your friend while be liveth . he was a means to bring some learned men from beyond sea into england , as bucer , paulus fagius , peter martyr , tremellius * , being very hospitable to learned and pious men . and there are in calvins epistles letters between calvin and him . when the fire began to burn near him , he stretching out his arm put his right hand to the flame , which he held so stedfast and immoveable ( saving that once with the same hand he wiped his face ) that all men might see his hand burned before his body was touched . his eyes were lifted up into heaven , and oftentimes he repeated his unworthy * right hand , so long as his voice would suffer him ; and using often the words of stephen , lord jesus receive my spirit ; in the greatnesse of the flame he gave up the ghost . william tyms . he being brought and examined before bishop boner and the bishop of bath , the bishops began to pi●y tyms case , and to flatter him , saying ; ah good fellow thou art bold , and thou hast a good fresh spirit , we wish thou hadst learning to thy spirit . i thank you ( my lord ) said tyms , and both you be learned , and i would you had a good spirit to your learning . hugh laverock an old lame man , john apprice a blinde man , martyrs , burn'd at stratford the bow . at their death hugh laverock after he was chained , casting away his cr●tch , and comforting john apprice his fellow martyr , said unto him ; be of good comfort my brother , for my lord of london is our good physitian . he will heal us both shortly ; thee of thy blindenes , and me of me lamenesse . bradbridges wife . when she was condemned of the bishop to be burned , she had two children named patience and charity . who then said to the bishop , that if he would needs burn her , yet she trusted that he would take and keep patience and charity , meaning her two children . nay , quoth the bishop , by the faith of my body i will meddle with neither of them both . elizabeth folks . she being a young maiden and examined , whether she believed the presence of christs body to be in the sacrament substantially and really o● no , answered , that she believed it was a substantiall lie , and a reall lie . when she was at the stake , she said , farewell all the world , farewell faith , farewell hope , and so taking the stake in her hand , said , welcome love . william sparrow . he said thus to bishop boner , that which you call truth i do believe to be heresie , and that which you call heresie is good and godly , and if every hair of my head were a man ( said he ) i would burn them all rather then go from the truth , &c. john rough . master rough being at the burning of austen in smithfield , and returning homeward again , met with one m. farrar , a merchant of hallifax who asked him where he had been . unto whom he answered , i have been where i would not for one of mine eyes , but i had been . where have you been , said m. farrar ? forsooth ( saith he ) to learn the way . and so he told him he had been at the burning of austoo , where shortly after he was burned himself . roger holland . he said thus to bishop boner . this i dare be bold in god to speak ( which by his spirit i am moved to say ) that god will shorten your hand of cruelty , that for a time you shall not molest his church . and this shall you in a short time well perceive , my dear brethren , to be most true . for after this day , in this place shall not there any by him * be put to the triall of fire and fagot . william pikes . somewhat before his apprehension , he sitting in his garden , and reading in a bible , suddenly there fell down upon his book between , and a clock of the day four drops of fresh bloud , and he knew not from whence it came . then he seeing the same was sore astonished , and could by no means learn from whence it should fall , and wiping out one of the drops with his finger , he called his wife , and said . in the vertue of god wife what meaneth this ? will the lord have four sacrifices ? i see well enough the lord will have bloud : his will be done , and give me grace to abide the triall . afterward he daily looked to be apprehended of the papists , and it came to passe accordingly . alice driver . d. gascoin and she conferring , she asked him whether it was christs body that the disciples did eat over night . he answered , yea . what body was it then ( said she ) that was crucified the next day , he replying , christs body , how could that be ( said she ) when his disciples had eaten him over night ? except he had two bodies , as by your argument he had . one they did eat over night , and another was crucified the next day . such a doctour , such doctrine : she put all her examiners to shame , that one looked on another , and had not a word to speak , whence she brake out into these words , have you not more to say ? god be honoured , you are not able to resist the sperit of god in me a poor woman . i was an honest poor mans daughter , never brought up in the vniversity , as you have been , but i have driven the plough before my father many a time , i thank god , yet notwithstanding in the defence of gods truth , and in the defence of my master christ , by his grace i will set my foot against the foot of any of you all , in the maintenance and defence of the same ; and if i had a thousand lives they should goe for paiment thereof . prests wife . in her trouble she would take no money , for she said , i am going to a city where money beareth no mastery whiles i am here god hath promised to feed me . elizabeth young . she being committed to close prison , the keeper was charged by doctor martin in her hearing , to give her one day bread , and another day water , to which she made this answer : if ye take away my meat , i trust that god will take away my hunger . chap. iii. martin luther . he was born on st martins day , and therefore called * martin luther . he was though strong in body , yet sparing in diet ; i saw him ( saith * melancthon ) when he was in good health , four whole daies eating and drinking nothing at all , i have often seen him at other times to be content many daies with a little bread and herring daily . when he recreated himself , and took his minde off his studies , he was delighted with the play of chesse , and was skilfull at it . he was almost beyond measure liberall toward the poor : it happened once that a student asked some money of him , he bad his wife to give him something , but she excusing the matter in regard of their penury at that time , he took a silver cup which stood near to his hand , and gave it to the scholler , wishing him to sell it to the goldsmith , and take the mon● to himself . erasmus saith , lenitatem se in 〈◊〉 desiderare , he wished him more moderation and temper in his writing erasmus also often said , that god gave to this last age a sharp physitian because of the greatnesse of their diseases . intemperans aeger crudelem medicum fecit . he was by nature fiery but placable ; therefore when melancthon came once to him being vehemently moved , he rehearsed this verse to him the rest being silent , vince animos iramque tuam qui caeter● vincis . overcome thy minde and anger ▪ which overcomest other things . calvin * saith , though luther should call him a devil , yet he would honour him as a famous servant of god , who as he excels with great vertues , so he hath also great vices , but i would ( saith he ) he had alwaies exercised his vehemency which was imbred in him on the enemies of the truth , and not also on the servants of god , and that he had spent more pains in acknowledging his own faults . he was of a just stature , a strong body , of such a lion-like vivacity of eyes that many could not endure to look directly upon him . he had good health , except that towards his later end he was often troubled with a pain in his head ; whence he : valemus omnes praeter lutherum ipsum , qui corpore sanus , foris à toto mundo , intus à diabolo patitur & omnibus angelis ejus . we are all well save luther himself , who being sound in body suffers outwardly from the whole world , inwardly from the devil and all his angels . a great deal of money was given him by dukes and princes , so that i began ( saith he ) to fear least god would herereward me , sed protestatus sum me nolle sic satiari ab eo , but i protested that i would not so be satisfied by him . he saith somewhere of himself , that he was never in all his life tempted to covetousnesse , one that was so great a reformer as he was , had need to have a spirit disingaged from the world . when upon a time one papist demanded of another , why do you not stop the mans mouth with gold and silver ? the other answered , hem , germana haec bestia pecuniam non curat . see , this germain beast careth not for money . he was the first that opposed the popish indulgences . occasione nundinationis indulgentiarum pretio numerato , lutherus initio fuit permotus ad hoc quod suscepit reformaetionis opus . in the same year * when martin luther began , pope leo the tenth did create one and thirty cardinals : in which year and day of their creation , there fell a tempest of thunder and lightning in rome , which so shook the earth when the cardinals were made , that it removed the little childe jesus out of the lap of his mother , and the keyes out of s. peters hands , which thing many then did interpret to signifie and foreshew the subversion and alteration of the sea of rome . erasmus told frederick duke of saxony , that in luther were two great faults : first , that he would touch the bellies of the monks . secondly , that he would touch the popes crown , which two matters in no case are to be medled withall . luthers friends disswading him from going to worms , some crying that by the burning of his books it appeared he was condemned in the judgement of the papists : others instancing in the examples of john hus and savanarola : luther thus answered * , as touching me , since i am sent for , i am resolved and certainly determined to enter worms in the name of our lord jesus christ , yea although i knew there were so many devils to resist me , as there are tiles to cover the houses 〈◊〉 wormes . whose undaunted minde , mos● fervent zeal , great learning ( sait● * chamier ) stirred up many who armed themselves against the errours and commonly received superstitions , among which were zuingllus * oecolampadius , melancthon , b●cer , calvin , and many others , whos● labours and endeavours that way● god would not suffer to be frusta●neous . albertus crantzius an historia● of the vandales is reported to hav● said to luther , frater vade * in cel●lam , & dic miserere mei deus . brother go into thy cell , and say , lord have mercy upon me , insinuating that an aust●n monke should in vai● dispute against the pope . his praiers were so ardent unto christ , that ( as melancthon writeth ) they which stood under his window where he stood praying might see his tears falling and dropping down . he praied every day three hours , and then when his spirits were most lively , pertres horas easque ad studia aptissimas . when he preached they which heard him thought every one his own temptations severally to be noted and touched , whereof when signification was given unto him by his friends , and he demanded how that could be : mine own manifold temptations ( said he ) and experiences are the cause thereof . for from his tender years he was much exercised with spirituall conflicts , and vexed with all kinde of temptations . hee regarded not the threats of his adversaries the papists , he said to melancthon , si nos ●uemus ruet christus una , scilicet ille regnator mundi : & esto ●uat , malo ego cum christo rue●re , quam cum caesare stare . if we fall christ the lord and ru●er of the world falleth with us , i had rather fall with christ then stand with caesar . when any evil news was brought to him , he called for the . psal● to comfort him . he saith in one place , odi istud v●cabulum paenitenti● * there was one no word so terrible unto him ( while he was a papist ) and which his so●●did more hate then that , repent , b●● after no word was more sweet , when he understood the gospel . when a certain jew was appointed to come to destroy him by poison yet it was the will of god that luther had warning thereof before , an● by the face of the jew sent to him by picture , whereby he knew him , an● avoided the pill . in the garden of his houses the devil appeared to him in the form of 〈◊〉 black bore , but he regarded it not . cajetan asked him whether 〈◊〉 thought the duke of saxony would make warre in his behalf ▪ he said , 〈◊〉 would not have him : where wil● you be then said cajetan ? luthe● answered , i shall be sub caelo under heaven . erasmus wrote that there was more solid divinity contained in one folio of luthers commentaries , then in many large writings of the schoolmen and such like . he said and taught many things truly and gravely , as concerning the sacred scripture and its authority , solis canonicis libris debetur fides , caeteris omnibus judicium . we must beleeve the canonicall books only , and may judge all others . he was so zealous to have the scriptures read , that he professed , if he thought the reading of his books would hinder the reading of the scripture , he would burn them all before he died . his saying was , ecclesia sanguine & oratione totum mundum convertit . when something concerning a businesse was concluded amisse at norimberg , he said , longe aliter in caelo quam norimbergae hoc de negoti● erat conclusum : it was farre otherwise concluded in heaven then at norimberg concerning that matter . he took a liberty to himself t● speak stoutly when he was brought before the emperour , till he hear● the pen go behinde the hangings . he hath some high expressions in● in his writings , fiat volunt as nostra , let our will be done . cave non tantum à peccatis sed etiam a bonis operibus . take heed not only of sins but also of good works . he being in an agony , and 〈◊〉 glimpse of christs righteousnesse being discovered to him out of rom. . . and perceiving that it was not meant , de justitia puniente , but justificante , not of his punishing justice , but that which justifieth the ungodly , he saith , i perceived my self regenerate , and to have entred into paradise , the scripture presently appeared in a new hew . he would have been content at the first if they would have taken away indulgencies . he said , brevi efficiam ut anathema sit esse papistam : i will shortly cause it to be a curse to be a papist . a young man about wittenberg being kept bare and needy by his father , was tempted by way of sorcery to bargain with the devil or a familiar ( as they call him ) to yield himself body and soul unto the devils power , upon condition to have his wish satisfied with money , so that upon the same an obligation was made by the young man , written with his own bloud , and given to the devil : upon the sudden wealth and alteration of the young man , the matter first being noted , began afterward more and more to be suspected , and at length after long and great admiration he was brought unto martin luther to be examined . the young man whether for shame or fear long denied to confesse , and would be known of nothing , yet god so wrought being stronger then the devil , that he uttered unto luther the whole substance of the cause , as well touching the money , as the obligation . luther understanding the matter and pittying the lamentable state of the man , willed the whole congregation to pray , and he himself ceased not with his prayers and labour , so that the devil was compelled at last to throw in his obligation at the window , and bad him take it again unto him . he held consubstantiation , but confessed to melancthon that he had gone too far in the controversie of the sacrament . melancthon perswaded him by the publishing of some milde writing to explain himself . luther replied to that , that by this means he should cause his whole doctrine to be suspected , but melancthon might do what seemed good to him after his death . when they said he had recanted , he writing to his friend stupitius , saith , omnia de me praesumas praeter fugam & palinodiam : presume any thing of me sooner then flying and retracting . luther so much esteemed of his book de servo arbitrio , that he gloried in it as unanswerable and wrote to wolfangus fabricius capito : nullum se agnoscere justum suum librum , nisi fortè de servo arbitrio , & catechismo , that he acknowledged none of his books for his , but those two , that de servo arbitrio , and his catechisme . if any of his books be to be disliked , surely that de sermonibus convivalibus is most faulty , of which gerhard * ( a lutheran ) saith thus , liber ille convivalium sermonum à luthero nec visus , nec lectus , nec approbatus est , quin multoties privato quorundam arbitrio mutatus , mutilatus , auctus . he said of the pope , non habeo argumentum robustius , that he should fall , then quia sine cruce regnat . luther speaks slightly himself of his first labours . above all i beseeeh the godly reader , and for our lord jesus christs sake , that he would reade my writings judiciously , and with much compassion , and let him know that i was formerly a monk and a most furious papist , when i first entred into the cause undertaken by me . he fitly called the popes bull bullam , a bubble in respect of its vanity . being reproached , he said , prorsus satan lutherus sit , modo christus vivat & regnet , let lurther be counted a devil so christ may live and reign . his saying was , turcicum imperium quantum quantum est , mica tantum est quam pater-familias pr●jicit canibus , the whole turkish empire is but a crumme that the master of the family throws to a dog . he said he learnt more by one fervent prayer , then he could get by reading of many books or most intent * meditation . melancthon in his preface to his d tome reports this of him . when he often seriously thought of the anger of god , or the wonderfull examples of punishments , suddenly he had such terrours that he was almost dead with them , and in disputing once about some points being much amazed , he lay upon a bed in the next room , where he often inserted this sentence in his prayer : he hath concluded all under sin that he might have mercy on all . his prayer a little before his death was this , paeter mi caelestis , deus & pater domini nostri jesu christi , deus omnis consolationis , ago tibi gratias , quod filium tuum jesum christum mihi revelasti , cui credidi , quem sum professus , quem amavi , quem celebravi , &c. my heavenly father , the god and father of our lord jesus christ , the god of all consolation , i give thee thanks , that thou hast revealed thy son jesus christ to me , whom i have beleeved , whom i have professed , whom i have loved and celebrated . when he lay a dying , this was his will for his wife great with childe and his little son . domine deus , gratias ago tibi , quod volueris me esse pauperem super terram & mendicum . non habeo domum , agrum , possessiones , pecuniam 〈◊〉 quae relinquam . tu dedisti mihi uxorem & filios , tibi reddo , nutri , doce , serva , ut hactenus me , o pater pupillarum , & judex viduarum . o lord god , i thank thee that thou wouldst have me to be poor upon the earth , i have no house land or money that i should leave them . thou hast given me wife and children , i restore them to thee , doe thou o father of orphans and judge of widdows , nourish , teach , keep them , as thou hast hitherto me . chap. iiii. of the covenant and promises . i. of the covenant . the hebrew word {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} berith , is derived from {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} barah , elegit , to choose , because god in the covenant of works did choose out man especially with whom he made the covenant , and because in the covenant of grace he chuseth out of the multitude the elect , and because a covenant is a thing which two chuse , and of which they mutually agree and promise betwixt themselves , although the word be used where ore alone doth promise with a simple promise , and so it may be referred to the testamentary disposition . or else it may come from {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} barah , comedit , to eat , as if they should say an eating , because they used in the eastern countries to establish covenants by eating and drinking together . the condition was about eating in the covenant of works . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} bara , signifieth to slay ( whence some derive a covenant ) because god made the first covenant of grace and sealed it by sacrifices * of beasts slain and divided . the covenant in generall may be described a mutuall compact or agreement betwixt god and man , whereby god promiseth all good things , specially eternall happinesse unto man , upon just , equall and favourable conditions , and man doth promise to walk before god in all acceptable , free and willing obedience , expecting all good from god , and happinesse in god according to his promise , for the praise and glory of his great name . a covenant is a solemn compact or agreement between two chosen parties or more , whereby with mutuall , free , and full consent they binde themselves upon select conditions tending to the glory of god and their common good . it differs from a promise gradually and in the formalities of it , not naturally or in the substance of it . a covenant usually is the collection of many promises , as a constellation is the collection of many starres , though it be but one promise , i will be thy god , yet it is such a one as comprehends many . there is a difference between a law and a covenant . a superiour may give a law whether the inferiour consent to it or no , but a covenant is ratified by the consent of both parties . a covenant is something unto which two persons by mutuall consent doe freely binde themselves . there are divers distinctions of covenants . . a covenant of nature . . a covenant of grace . . a mixt covenant consisting of nature and grace . others make these three covenants , . foedus natura , the covenant of nature made with adam . . foedus gratiae , the covenant of grace made to us in christ . . foedus subserviens , a preparing covenant to make way for the advancement of the covenant of grace in christ . others say , there were never any but two covenants made with man , one legall , the other evangelicall , of works or grace , the first in innocency , the other after the fall . foedus operum , when it was first made with man , was foedus amicitiae , god and man were then friends , foedus gratiae is foedus reconciliationis inter i●imicos . . the covenant of works wherein god covenanteth with man to give him eternall life upon condition of perfect obedience in his own person . . the covenant of grace which god maketh with man , promising eternall life upon condition of beleeving . we reade not in scripture the covenant of works and of grace totide● syllabis , the nearest we come to it is rom. . . the law of works opposed to the law of faith , which holds out as much as the covenant of works and the covenant of grace . the covenant of works was . that covenant wherein god was the authour and the ground of it , was gods free grace , it was reciprocall betwixt him and adam . we call not the second covenant a covenant of grace , because there was no grace in the first covenant , but in opposition to the condition of the first covenant which was works , and because greater grace is manifested in it then the first , . it was the same covenant under which the best of the creatures the angels now stand and injoy their happinesse , and adam should have been happy by observing this covenant if he had stood . christ was made under this covenant . . the promises of this covenant were very glorious . . for naturall life , in the body there was perfection without defect , beauty without deformity , labour without wearinesse . . for spirituall life , adam should not have had terrours in his conscience , sorrow , fear , shame . . for death , he should have been translated without dissolution . the faederati were god and adam together with all his posterity . god made a covenant with adam as a publick person , which represented all mankinde . the reasons of it may be these , . from the imputation of adams sin to all mankinde , rom. . . in whom , or for as much as all have sinned , they sinned not all in themselves , therefore in adam , see vers. . in him all died , cor. . . . those on whom the curse of the covenant comes , they are under the bond and precept of the covenant , all mankinde is directly under the curse of the covenant , rom. . . . gal. . . adam did consent to it and understood the terms of the covenant , for god dealt with him in a rationall way , and expected from him a reasonable service . either he knew the tenour of the covenant , or else he broke it out of ignorance , but the first sin could not be a sin of ignorance , he knew whatsoever was necessary to know in a way of duty . god dealt with adam not only in a way of sovereignty but in a way of covenant , god did this for divers reasons . . for the speciall manifestation of his free grace . . that it might be the greater obligation to adam to obey , god made a promise and he gave his consent . . to sweeten his authority to man , deut. . . . to encourage man to obedience , heb. . . . that this might be a ground to adam to exercise his faith in beleeving whatsoever god had revealed or should reveal . . his love , john . . . his hope . . to leave man inexcusable if he sin , that a clear way might be made for gods justification and mans conviction . objection , god is a free agent , how can it stand with his honour and absolute liberty to be bound to the creature ? answer , in a strict sense , . god cannot be said to be bound , but promittendo s● fecit debitorem , saith austins , and he is rather bound to himself , and his own faithfulnesse , then the creature . objection , how can it stand with gods justice to involve adams posterity in a covenant , which themselves never consented to . answer , it is not an injustice among men for parents to conclude their children , their acts binde them and their heirs . . god hath reserved to himself a liberty to visit the sins , not only of the first , but immediate parents on their children , gen. . . thes. . . the sodomites children were punisht with their parents . . adam was our parent , there was the will of the nature , which was enough to inwrap them in originall sin , the sin of the nature . . this covenant was made with adam and his posterity out of free grace , therefore all his posterity was bound by way of thankfulnesse to consent . . they ought to rejoice in adams exaltation being so advanced , and to agree to the covenant made with him . . god made the best choice for them in the first adam ( as he did in the second ) in so doing , seeing he made him so perfect . the first covenant consists of three parts . gal. . , , . . the precept , that continueth not in all things . . the promise , live , the man that doth them shall live . . the curse in case of transgression , cursed in every one . the precept requires perfect and personall obedience . the condition of the covenant on mans part was . perfect obedience . . the commandment then did ( and still doth as it refers to the first covenant ) call for perfect obedience , lev. . . rom. . . gal. . . ezek . . . because there is a curse denounced against the least transgression , gal ▪ . . one sinne and that but in thought , broke the angels covenant , rom. . . . gods holinesse is such , that he requires from the creature perfect obedience , job . . heb. . . . there are two things in the law , . the principall part of it , the precept . . the accidentall , the curse : man is bound to the precept , jure creatoris , to the curse , jure judicis . . he gave us a perfect ability to obey in our creation , ephes. . , . eccles. . ult. . he requires perfect obedience in christ , rom. . . . personall obedience . . there is a perfect obedience to the law required of every particular man , gal. . . . the curse is denounced against the person , the soul that sins shall die . . this was required of christ our surety , gal. . . . it was required for the acceptation of our persons and salvation of our souls . . the righteousnesse of the first covenant might easily be lost by transgression , dan ▪ . . chap. v. of the covenant of grace . after man by his fall had broken the first covenant , god our of his free grace did enter into a better and second covenant . . all the persons in the trinity did enter into covenant with man , they have all the same nature , essence , will , and this is an act ad extra , . sin was against all the persons in trinity , therefore all they were to be reconciled , but the person that chiefly made the covenant with man was god the father , the other persons have their peculiar office● in the administration of this covenant , the persons that god would take into covenant were designed by the father , john . . rev. . , . he imploies christ as mediator of the covenant , isa. . . matth. . . he appoints how much grace and glory he will give to every one in this covenant . . the fountain from whence this covenant flows is the free grace of god , gen. . . i will make ( hebrew , i will give ) my covenant . ephes. . . isa. . , . sam. . . free grace is here exalted in these particulars . . from the consideration of the person that enters into covenant , god alsufficient . . of● the persons with whom he enter● into covenant , man fallen , gal. . . . in that this covenant was made with some of those that fell , and not others , ephes. . . . in that the lord hereby exalts our persons and services , hos. . . . in that sin can never spend the righteousnes of this covenant , hos. . , . the covenant of grace is that free and gracious covenant which god of his free mercy in jesus christ , made with man a miserable and wretched sinner , promising unto him pardon of sin , and eternall happinesse , if he will return from his iniquity and embrace mercy reached forth by faith unfained , and walk before god in sincere , faithfull , and willing obedience , as becomes such a creature lifted up unto such injoyment , and partaker of such precious promises . god himself plotted this covenant , ephes. . , . he spent infinite thoughts about it , psal. . . took infinite delight in it , isa. . . the main end of christs coming into the world was to bring in a new covenant , mal. . . heb. . . an● . . the spirit belongs to the se●cond covenant , isa. . ult. his glo●rious works , a witnesse , seal , earnest , belong to the spirit of the second covenant . the covenant of grace is more glorious then that of works . the first covenant was made with the first adam a mutable head , the second with the second adam an unchangeable head , gal. . . secondly , the covenant it self was a changeable covenant , it gave place to the covenant of grace , but this second covenant was an everlasting covenant . thirdly , the righteousnesse of the second covenant is far more glorious then the righteousnesse of the first covenant , that of the first covenant was the righteousnesse of a creature , this the righteousnesse of god . fourthly , the condition of the second covenant was more glorious then that of the first , the condition of the first covenant on mans part , was perfect and personall obedience of this covenant-faith , to sin against god in christ , is the highest way of sinning , and to glorifie god in christ , is the highest way of glorifying him . fiftly , the power of performing it is more glorious , now we have a constant supply of the spirit , ephes. . . and . . then we had none to assist us . sixtly , the promises of the second covenant are more glorious then those of the first , heb. . . * i will be thy god , i will give thee my son , my spirit , god did not tell adam that he would be his god in that way that he promiseth himself to his in the second covenant . god promiseth a more glorious manifestation of himself , and union with himself in christ , a higher manifestation of his wisdome , holinesse , power , and also of his mercy , which was not before discovered , a higher union , under the first head there was only a moral union of love , under the second a mysticall union , we are the same person with christ ; the second covenant brings repentance and pardon upon repentance . the first covenant said , if thou dost well thou shalt be excepted . we have a higher sonship . adam was a son by creation , we by christ , our ground of the acceptation of all our services is higher , god looks on us as being one with christ , we have a greater ground of perseverance , we have a higher title to our inheritance , adam was made king of this low world , christ was made heir of all things , and we coheirs with him . question , how can the covenant of grace be called a covenant * , as ier. . . since it contains a meer absolute free promise , whereas a covenant requireth mutuall conditions . now no condition can be required to this covenant , which the covenant it self doth not work ; for i will write my laws doth denote all things done by grace . answer . though god do perform , and in his covenant promise to performe what he requires , yet still there is something required which man consenting to , and promising to perform ( though not of himself by his own power ) it is a covenant . the covenant of grace is mentioned an hundred times directly in the scripture , and a thousand times by consequence . in generall it comprehends all the blessings which god can give from election to glorification . particularly he gives ; . his own self , god spared not his own sonne , to us a son is given , i will be thy god , thy reward , thy portion , thine inheritance . he is their reconciled god , theirs in a league of love and friendship . 〈◊〉 scripture useth to expresse this 〈◊〉 some peculiar relations , as of king● husband , father , he will do 〈◊〉 the offices of a good king , of a ●●ving husband and father . . he doth actually with himse●● put the soul into the possession 〈◊〉 many other things . . he brings reconciliati●● with god . . justification , the pardon 〈◊〉 all their sins , and covering 〈◊〉 their deformities with the 〈◊〉 of christs righteousnes . . adoption , makes them 〈◊〉 heirs with himself . . sanctification , he gi●● his spirit to dwell in them . thirdly , he gives them infin●● wealth in bils & bonds , in promi●● . for this life , . of preservation and de●●●verance from all evils , they 〈◊〉 either be prevented that 〈◊〉 come not , or sanctified if 〈◊〉 do come , or removed . . of a constant supply of 〈◊〉 good things they stand in need of , for soul , body , name , ps. . he will prosper and give successe to all the works of their hands , psalm . . job . . . for life to come . in the new covenant there be three great promises . . i will be your god . . i will pour out my spirit on ●ou . . i will give you my sonne . his giving his son is the ground of both the rest , he is a god to none but 〈◊〉 whom christ is a saviour , we ●ave the spirit also by interest in christ . first , i will be your god , genesis ● . . psal. . this god is our god , psal. . ult. cor. . , . ●●at is , you shall have as true an in●erest in all my attributes for your ●ood , as they are mine for my glory , ●y grace to pardon you , my power ●o protect you , my wisdome to di●ect you . this is a comprehensive ●romise for god to be our * god it includes all , deus meus & omnia , said luther . the covenant of grace is both faedus amicitiae & conjugale , a covenant of friendship , and a conjugall covenant . abraham was in covenant with god , and god stiles him his friend ; also it is a conjugall league , hos. . , . secondly , god promiseth his spirit , ioel . . john . , . and . . and . . luke . . act. . . an accomplishment of which promise we have , act. . . the spirit is called , ephes. . . the holy spirit of promise , because this was the great promise which christ from the father hath made unto us , the giving of the holy ghost to work in us all the good which he requireth & apply all the good wch he hath promised . the giving of the spirit is a great and excellent promise of the new testament . the great promise of the old testament was the promise of christ , gen. . . of the messiah , all the ceremoniall law was but a typical enlargment of that promise . christ when he was to goe out of the world promised his spirit . . that in this last age of the world there might be a more full discovery of the great things of the gospel , the spirit reveals truth and stablisheth us in the truth , that gods people might know more of himself and his son , and prie more into the mysteries of the gospel . . there are more glorious conquests to be made in this last age of the world , all the great enemies of jesus christ are to be vanquished , ze. . . thess. . . the sharpest sufferings are reserved for these times , therefore christ hath provided the most sovereign cordials . what undaunted courage , what invincible patience , what ravishing consolation had the martyrs in the flames ? god made good this promise to them in sending his spirit . we should put our bond in sute , turn promises into praiers , presse god with much importunity for more of the spirit . . god hath promised to give us his son . the whole covenant of grace i● purchased , founded , sealed , ratified in christs bloud , mat. . . heb. . , . and . . it was gods plot from all eternity to save man in such a way , as should advance all his glorious attributes , his wisdome , power , justice , mercy , compassion , wrath , vengeance . the covenant of grace is the most free and gracious tender of christ , and all his rich purchases to all the lost and undone sons of adam that shall believe in him . all other particular promises found in the book of god receive their confirmation by the promise of christ . god promiseth sometimes to deliver from a particular affliction ; to assure them that that shall be kept , he makes a promise of christ , behold a virgin shall conceive . there are three things in the promise of christ to confirm all other promises . . because there may be made more objections against the lords giving of christ , then against any other promise whatsoever , in that the great provoked god must come to be a suter to his vassall , jehovah must lie in a virgins womb . . more love and compassion is shewed in that one promise of christ then in all other promises whatsoever . . because this is the mother promise , cor. . . some say , the conditions of the covenant of grace , are repentance , faith and new obedience . sincerity alone ( or evangelicall perfection ) is the only absolute condition of the covenant of grace , gen. . ● . it is called an upright heart , that is , straight : it is also called integrity , a body that wants no members , a sound heart , a pure or sincere heart , a single heart , a simple and honest heart . evangelicall perfection is a work of gods spirit whereby the whole inward man is applied to god and his waies without the mixture of strange intentions or affections . . sincerity of singlenesse , purity , perfection is the whole substance and mettall of all graces which god worketh in the soul ; it is not any one grace , as patience , meeknesse , but the substance of every grace , faith and love unfeigned , praier which comes not out of feigned lips ; we must worship god in spirit and in truth , ephes. . . . god and the saints have ever judged of men by this , iudge me , o lord , according to mine integrity . . the promises are made to this , ps. . . mat. . . characters of sincerity . as preparatory or a motive to the rest , to be willing and desirous to have his heart thorowly tried and searched , joh. . , , . psalm . there are three reall marks , . it makes the work of grace universall . . in regard of the subject : therefore it is called a new creature . . in respect of the object , abstains from all sin , and performs all duty . . it is constant . . it presseth on to have more till it be filled with god and his waies , phil. . , , , . it is a matter of great concernment for a man rightly to understand the nature of the covenant under which he is , sam. . , . reasons . . because it is the covenant which god hath respect unto in all his dealings with you , psal. . . & . . . else we shall never be able to understand our own state , cor. . . and cor. . . galat. . , , . . else we shall never be able to judge a right of any of our actions , neither of gods waies to us , nor ours to him , gen. . . . without knowledge of the nature of the covenant we can never understand our own sinnes , we are not only breakers of the law , but transgressors of the covenant , hosea . . deut. . . lev. . , . . according to our covenant , such is the spirit by which we are acted , and such is our law and practice , one under the first covenant is acted by the spirit of bondage , one under the second is acted by the spirit of adoption . . we cannot else understand our mercies or afflictions , whether they come from gods love or displeasure . . without this we cannot understand the riches of gods grace in the second covenant . . that he should enter into a covenant at mans creation . . when man had broke that to enter into a new covenant . . to finde out such a glorious way to abolish the first covenant . . to make it with such a glorious head , christ . . that the promises of this covenant should be better then those of the first covenant . . all our terrour or comfort comes from our covenant under which we are , heb. . . pet. . . eph. . . we are under the covenant of grace . . if we be in the second adam , if we be willing to accept of christ upon his own terms , hos. . . . if sin have not dominion over us , rom. . . . if the lord put his laws into our minde , and write them in our hearts , heb. . . * it is an allusion to the two tables of the law . they were first written by the finger of god , and then put into the ark : so god first writes the law in our hearts , and then puts it in our mindes . the writing of the law in the heart signifies , . similitudinem , a conformity , an inward principle and disposition in the heart answerable to the doctrine in the book . . permanentiam , continuance , it is not a flitting but a binding principle , litera scripta manet . all the errours almost of these times may be confuted from the doctrine of the covenant , heb. . , , , . . merit and supererogation of works , satisfaction given to justice must be commensurate to that justice which it must satisfie , infinite . . the popish and arminian doctrine of free-will . can man work in a way of grace so as to determine and make it effectuall before he have grace , a principle of working ? can a man receive grace offered without a speciall work of grace stirring and exciting him ? i will write my laws in their hearts , the promise then written in the heart is the foundation of all our faith , and the precept of all our obedience . . for in vocation of saints . christ is the mediatour of the new covenant ; he is touched with our infirmities , and yet cloathed with majesty , to his father he gives his merit for us , from his father he gives his spirit to us . . that arminian doctrine of universall grace and redemption , that christ should die intentionally for all . where ever the merit of christs death goes , there goes his spirit , the price and power of his death are equal ; all have not the spirit of christ , therefore not his merit . the socinians deny the satisfaction of christs death , justice must have satisfaction . christ ( they say ) came into the world to be an example , and give us a patern of vertue , as the pelagians say we have adams sin by imputation . they deny all infused habits of grace , and would only have moral perswasions . the antinomians also are hence confuted , there must needs be a work of grace in a man else the death of christ will be ineffectuall , then some principle of grace must be put into us . the old rule may stand still , though there be a new principle put into the heart , because the holines of god is not varied . the anabaptists , the covenant is with the house of israel , and gods children born in the covenant are of the house of israel . some say men are miserable two waies by adams fall . . as we stand under his covenant , and so come short of conformity to the law which requires perfect , personal , and perpetuall obedience . . as we bear his image , life and eternall salvation is offered on impossible terms , therefore ( say they ) in conversion there is required a double change . . morall , which is the change of a mans covenant . . physical , the change of a mans image . so that as a mans covenant is , such is his state , if under the first covenant , he is in a state of sin , of bondage and death , if he be under the second covenant , he is in a state of grace , of liberty and life , because he is no longer a son of the bond-woman , but of the free-woman . a man in christ is freed from the law as a covenant , in these respects . . for justification , gal. . . in respect of condemnation , christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us , gal. . . against such ( persons , not works ) there is no law . . he is freed from the law in respect of irritation , there is a power in it to stir up the lusts of men , ro. . . for ye are not under the law , as a covenant ( whether we understand it of its condemning or irritating power ) but under grace . . in respect of coaction the law causeth him not to do duties or forbear sins out of fear of the curse of it , gal. . . ye are not under the law , viz. constraining , tim. . . a godly man is perfectly freed from the law as a covenant in respect of justification and condemnation , he is freed by degrees from the irritation and coaction of the law , al those that are out of christ are under the law for justification , condemnation , irritation and coaction . the covenant of grace is the same for substance now to us since christ was exhibited , and to them before he was exhibited , but the manner of administration of it is different , because it is , . now clearer : things were declared then in types and shadows : heaven was typed out by the land of canaan , we have things plainly manifested , cor. . . in this respect it is called a better testament or covenant , heb. . . not in substance , but in the manner of revealing , and they are said to be better promises , heb. . . . of greater extent : then in iudah was god known , now to all nations . . abundance of the spirit is poured out now : some few men then had a great deal of grace , but * generally now men partake of abundant more grace , * both for knowledge and holinesse . chap. vi . . of the promises . christians have many and great promises , cor. . . pet. . . whereby are given to us , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , great and precious promises . . god makes them , they are the promises of a great god : great persons make great promises . . they are made to gods people , his elect : a king will not bestow mean things upon his favourites . reasons , why god makes great promises to his people . . hereby god sets forth his love to them , tit. . . . that we might have ground for our faith and hope : here in this world we are in a state of expectation , heb. . , . . that hereby he might support them in their many troubles , gen. . . heb. . , . this is a mercifull administration of the lord , adam had all his good things in possession , he soon lost them , by the promises they are as certain as if we had them already , pet. . . the promises are sure and certain , god hath confirmed them , . by the sacraments . . by oath , the strongest confirmation that may be , heb. . , . the faith of gods people is built upon two pillars , his power and faithfulnesse resembled by those two pillars , king. . . bo●● in it is strength , jachin , he will establish . . gods power , that is often given as a prop to uphold our faith in his promises , mat. . , . rom. . . & . . . his faithfulnesse , heb. . . pet. . . when gods promises come to be fulfilled to his people , they finde twice as much in them as they expected , cor. . . the promise is the shell wherein the kernell is contained , ephes. . . pet. . . that promise in the covenant of grace that god will be our portion , there is a great deal more in it then we can understand ; god will put his fear in his peoples hearts , job . , . prov. . . they shall enjoy eternall life with him in heaven , when this promise comes to be accomplished , it will be farre greater then we can now imagine . they finde the mercies of this life double many times to what they expect . reasons , . from our weak capacity , we are not able to understand how much is laid up in a promise , the experience of gods people is a great proof of this , the longer they chew the promise the sweeter it is . . the infinite goodnes and bounty of god joyned with his omnipotency and all-sufficiency , because god hath set his heart on his people he will give them abundantly more then they think of . the promises of god are of two sorts . . absolute , those which the lord hath undertaken to perform of his own free grace , not only citra meritum , but also citra conditionem , without all supposed or pre-required conditions in us : of this kinde are all those great promises of the new covenant , genesis . . and . . isaiah . . ezekiel . . jeremy . . hosea . . joel . . i will be thy god , i will give my sonne , i will pour out my spirit , i , even i am he who blot out your iniquities for my names sake , i will take away the heart of stone , and i will give an heart of flesh , i will put my law in your inward parts , and write it in your hearts ; i will heal your backesliding , and love you freely , for mine anger is turned away . . conditional , which shews what god will do upon the performance of such duties and conditions by the creature , which conditions without gods grace he is never able to perform ; ier. . , , . these are made for the encouragement of the creature in the waies of obedience , and to shew a mans inability , that he may flie to christ for strength , but they doe not alwaies shew the purpose of god to give the condition or reward . when once god makes a promise , though it may be a long time before it be fulfilled , yet it yeelds comfortable fruit from the day of his making of it . all agree that a promise is a certain pledge of performance in due time . four other fruits grow from a promise before it come to be accomplisht . . it is a certain evidence of gods love , a declaration of his heart and good will ; outward administrations come all from gods hand , but his promises come all from his heart , his affection is set on them who have an interest in the promises . reason , all the promises are made in and thorow christ , to christ and then to those who are united to him . . a promise from the day of the date of it is a sufficient pledge to the soul to whom it is made , that god will never doe them hurt , but his purposes and thoughts to them are alwaies good , notwithstanding the outward administrations . . it brings preservation to the soul , pet. . . it will preserve it from the assaults of the devil , and the world . . it brings present consolation to the soul : in peter , where the apostle speaks of great and precious promises , he saith , we rejoyce with joy unspeakable . an ingagement of god in a promise is a speciall means to support christians in times of distresse . god was ever wont to bear up the spirits of his people rather by promises then providences . first , a great part of the bible is spent in reporting gods ingagements to his people by promise , and the exemplification of his people in performing his promises . secondly , the saints of god were wont to live by faith , ps. . . they ever fetcht consolation from the promises , as jacob , hast thou not said ? and jehosaphat , chron. . reasons , . the end of god in making the promises was to give security . . they are a ray of his power for the creating of help : he that hath a promise hath a blessing in the root of it . . promises issue from the love , the grace and goodnesse of god , and are as unchangeable as his love , they are founded upon the truth and allsufficiency of god . that in heb. . . is as full a promise as any is in the bible , it is applicable to particular cases , made in the hazards of warre and difficulties of reformation , it is double to shew it is a fixed truth , and for time to come in the future tense , in the hebrews there is more said then is to ioshua . god saith , he will not leave him nor forsake him , heb. . . there are five negatives in that little sentence . all the subjects of christs kingdome of grace inherit all the promises of the covenant , they are their portion . . it is a great priviledge to be the heirs of gods promises , and the saints have gloried in it , david saith , thy promises have i claimed as mine heritage , by faith they imbraced the promises , heb. . . every childe of god hath a right to all the promises , tim. . . gal. . . rom. . . pet. . . . they are all made in and through christ , as branches of the covenant of grace . objection , particular promises were made to this or that man in a speciall case . answer , no particular promise was ever made to any for his own sake , but for christs ; therefore those promises which at first uttering of them were made to some particular person on a particular occasion , were after pressed on all gods people , as that , josh. . heb. . this is a peculiar priviledge to gods people , none but those under christs dominion have interest in the promises . we should therefore , . study the promises , and know for what use and time they serve . . beware of weighing them by our own carnall sense and reason . . set faith awork , let the heart rest on gods alsufficiency , his truth , wisdome , faithfulnesse . a good man fetcheth contentment ▪ and satisfaction to his soul in all conditions . . from the covenant of grace in generall , sam. . . this covenant of grace , which god hath made with his people is gods assurance office , and the saints in all their fears may and ought to go to the covenant to assure all things to them , to assure their estates and their lives . . for particular promises in the covenant of grace , a gracious heart looks upon every promise as coming from the root of the covenant of grace in christ . see psal. . . and . . and isa. . . and elsewhere● where there are divers promise● which may bring christian contentment . it is the greatest honour that 〈◊〉 creature is capable of to be taken in●to covenant with god , levit. . , . jer. . . zach , . the staffe of beauty , that is the covenant , and you sin against offers of a second covenant which the devils never did . those who are in christ and have their covenant changed are in a happy condition . . by this means god and thou art reconciled , thy covenant is a covenant of●peace , ezek. . . . being once taken into the covenant thou hast interest into glorious relations ; god is become thy father , thy husband , thy friend , cor. . . . thou hast interest into a most glorious inheritance by becoming the son of a free woman . . thou hast a foundation for thy faith and a ground of all thy praiers , the covenant contains all the priviledges a beleeving soul can expect , it is the ground of all thy praiers , jer. . . isa. . . the people of god still plead it , it upholds the soul from sinking . when david came to dy , god hath made with me an everlasting covenant . so christ , my god my god , psal. . . . it is a covenant that can never be broken , chron. . . isa. . . chap. vii . of living and dying by faith . i. of living by faith . faith is a staying , resting , depending and relying upon the merits and satisfaction of our blessed saviour , by the vertue and merit thereof to obtain remission of sins and eternall life , and all good things promised in the new covenant , at the hands of god . that there is such a life as the life of faith , is plain , habak. . . but the just shall live by his faith . the just shall live the life of grace here , and of glory hereafter , in and by faith . gal. . . neverthelesse i live , yet not i , but christ liveth in me , and the life which i now live in the flesh , i live by the faith of the son of god psal. . , . thou didst divide the sea by thy strength : thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters : that is , of the chief captains , and commanders under pharaoh . thou brakest the heads of leviathan ( that is , pharaoh ) in pieces , and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wildernesse , for their faith , not their bellies . while they were in the wildernesse they remembred gods mercy to them at the red sea , and lived by the faith of this providence of god . it is a life arising from the union of god with us by his sanctifying spirit , whereby a man is able to perform actions spirituall , in the promises is the life of the spirit of gods people . the life of faith ( saith mr perkins ) is a true life indeed , the only life . the schools dispute of faith , ministers preach of faith , professours talk of faith , prophane men swear by faith , but few men live by faith none can live , nor rightly understand this life but the saints of god , a promise from god is sufficient for faith to rest upon against all improbabilities whatsoever . many reasons might be given why we should rather live upon gods word then any thing else . the first reason may be taken from gods alsufficiency . consider . attributes in god . . his almighty power , he can as easily perform as promise . god urged this to his people when they were weak at any time , numb. . is the lords hand shortened ? gen. . is any thing too hard for the lord ? . the goodnesse and love of god , his promises are given to his people as fruits of his love , jer. . . . his truth , faithfulnesse and unchangeablenesse , mal. . . the second reason may be drawn from the interest which christ hath in him that makes the promise , and in him to whom the promise is made . . all the promises are yea and amen in christ , consider , . christs interest in his father who makes the promise , his father makes them all for the sons sake , all the promises are called the sure mercies of david , isa. . he being a type of christ . . christ hath bought all the promises of the father with his own hearts bloud . . the interest christ hath in his people , he is one with them , and they one with him . a third reason may be taken from the nature of faith , the proper object of it is a promise from god , heb. . . faith sees things clearly , infallibly , strongly . motives to living by faith . first , the necessity of it . . take away this and you take away the only principle which distinguisheth the life of a man as a christian from the life of other men . . the only cause of all heart-breaking and uncomfortable sorrows which gods people meet with in any condition is the want of this , psal. . . the want of this is one great cause , if not the only cause of the unevennesse found in the conversation of gods people . rebecca and jacob had a direct promise that jacob should have the blessing , yet because esau was great with his father they used unjust means . . without this we can expect no benefit from the promises ( though they be precious ) unlesse we rest our selves upon them , isa. . . secondly , it is a very becoming , amiable , fitting thing that we should rather live upon a word of god , then any other help whatsoever . no creature on earth ever attains to a self sufficiency , one must have something for his support , therefore it is better to take a promise from god , then to depend upon the deceitfulnesse of creature-comforts . thirdly , the wonderfull gain which comes by it . . the soul which hath but once learnt to make the word of god a sufficient stay to it self , such a one will live the easiest life that any man in the world lives . it is not easily learnt ( for much grace is required to it ) but when thou hast once got it , it is comfortable . such a one lives as a childe when he is in his fathers house , he is never troubled with care for meat , drink , or cloathes : the soul is at quiet when it hath learn'd to center it self upon the word . . it is the greatest ingagement ( as i may say ) to god to help them , we cannot put a greater obligation upon him , then by trusting in him , god will never fail such as trust in him , isa. . . psal. . , . means to attain this life of faith . how may a soul learn to pick a living out of the word , to live by faith . the life of faith is to fetch the counsell , the portion and comfort of his life out of the word . ten directions how the soul may attain to live this life of faith . first , nothing but a sound , true , living faith is a principle of this life , all the schoolmasters in the world cannot teach any creature to live by reason , till it hath a reasonable soul . labour to understand the true nature of faith , and get it wrought in thy soul , the just man will live by his faith . secondly , every degree of saving faith will not serve a man to live comfortably and free from distempers , one must have a sound faith , and a pleropho●y , and a great deal of faith for that end , the least degree of saving faith will serve for justification , sanctification , adoption , salvation , but not for consolation : every blast of temptation overthrew the disciples while they were weak beleevers , they questioned the truth of all , christ therefore rebukes them for it , and saith , why are your hearts troubled ? paul when he could say , i know whom i have beleeved , though after he was told he should be whipt , he said , none of these things troubled him . thirdly , he gets acquaintance with some things in the covenant of grace which may take off those objections that usually trouble beleevers , which are four , and these doe hinder gods people from living by faith . . they finde corruption in their hearts , this should no way hinder their comfort , if they hate it and strive against it . . temptations trouble them , whereas gods own people are liable to temptations of all sorts . . afflictions , god breeds them up which are in covenant with him under divers and great afflictions . . desertions , they finde not the working of gods spirit , nor the assurance of his favour , god many times leaves his best children to great and sad desertions . fourthly , thou must get sound acquaintance with the promises of the gospel , else thou wilt be to seek in time of trouble . some generall promises concern all estates we can be in , all things shall work for good to them that fear god , and no good thing shall be wanting to such . . there are excellent promises in the scripture for any condition imaginable . fiftly , as the exigents or occasions require , whether to bear afflictions or go through temptations , act thy faith upon that promise which sutes thy present need . a good man having all taken from him , and his wife desiring to know how he and his family would live , he said he would now put his bond in suit . think on gods power , truth , love , and christs interest in the promises to incourage thy soul . sixtly , as a promise from god must be measured by faith , so only by faith , not by carnall sense or reason , doe as abrahaem did , he never told his wife sarah when he was to go cut his childes throat and offer him a sacrifice to god . seventhly , faith must be helped with a use of all other means which god hath appointed to attain the blessing , sam. . later end . psal. . . psal. . deal well with thy servant according to thy word . faith made noah to build him an ark , work belongs to us , successe to god . eightly , resolve to wait the lords leasure in all thy beleeving , limit him not to the time or manner of delivering thee , resolve god shall do it in his own time , if thou hast an able good paymaster thou wilt be willing he should pay thee how and when he will . he that beleeves will not make haste . ninthly , get thy will so far subdued to gods will , that his will may be thine , as near as it is possible for poor sinners to attain it : learn to say gods will is the best will , rom. . . . tenthly , study the life of holines , let david be an example to thee , he had great communion with god , and knew how to improve a promise . some think one ought to beleeve whatever corruptions he gives way to , they say men are duty-mongers , merit-mongers . others of gods people are too much dejected with the remainders of their own corruption . chap. viii . . of dying in faith . qvalis vita , finis ita : he that will die in faith , must first of all live by faith , and there is but one example in all the whole bible , of a man dying in faith that lived without faith , viz. that thief upon the crosse . to die by faith , is when a man in the time of death , doth with all his heart rely himself wholly on gods speciall love and favour and mercy in christ , and as it is revealed in the word . religion is seen in its glory , when one not only lives but dies in christ , phil. . . for me to live is christ and to die is gain . and ver. . so now also christ shall be magnified in my body , whether it be by life or death . if i live , by preaching , if i dy , by suffering . dr preston said a little before his death , i have long● conversed with christ in the world , and though i change my place , i shall not change my company . revel. . . blessed are the dead which dy in the lord , from henceforth , yea saith the spirit , that they may rest from their labours , and their works doe follow them . in the lord , that is , say some for the lord , as ephes. . . which suffer death for christ , rather in the faith of christ being incorporated into him , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} from henceforth , as rom. . . and , . that constantly hold out in these times of persecution , say some , presently , saith dr rainolds , from the very time of their death , they rest from their labours , of their particular calling , under afflictions from god , and persecutions from men , under sin , temptations , desertions . and their works , that is metonymically , the rewards of their works , as cor. . . do follow them , accompany or go with them , the words well weighed sound so . when a godly man dies he dies in the ●ord by vertue of his union with christ , when there is a dissolution of the soul and body , the mysticall union is not dissolved , as the personall union of christ was not dissolved when he died . before i lay down directions how to die well , and shew the benefits that come to the godly by death , i will shew . the necessity , or certainty of death , and the misery of it to the wicked . . resolve some questions about death . of the first , death is a common condition appointed for every man first or last to undergo . heb. . . and as it is appointed unto men once to die , but after this the judgement . the greek word {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} translated , it is appointed , signifieth , it lieth as a mans lot . once imploies two things , . a certainty , it shall once be . . a singularity , it will be but once , samuel . . king. . . i go the way of all the earth , saith david job . . the grave is called the house appointed for all the living . eccles. . . solomon calls the grave {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} bajith gnolam , domum saeculi , the house of age : we translate it long home , where he must abide for a long time . cor. . . the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death , that is , death destroies all and after is destroied it self . psal. . . what man lives and shall not see death ? when we would affirm any thing to be infallibly true , we say as sure as death . a young man may die , an old man must die . it is an hebrew proverb , in golgotha are to be seen sculs of all sizes , that is , death comes on the young as well as the old . omnes una manet nox , et calcanda semel via lethi . when it was told anaxagoras that both his sons ( which were all he had ) were dead , being nothing terrified therewith , he answered , sciebam me genuisse mortales , i knew i begat mortall creatures . there are three speciall reasons why all must die . . because god hath so decreed it , heb. . . . all men are made of one mould and matter , job . . . dust thou art , and unto dust shalt thou return , gen. . . . because all have sinned , rom. . . wherefore as by one man sinne entred into the world , and death by sin : and so death passed upon all men , for that , or in whom all have sinned . beza prefers that version , in whom , in adam legally , as they stood under his covenant , in him naturally , as they bear his image . sin brought death into the world , either meritoriè , as it deserves wrath , or privativè , as it takes away the power of the law to conferre life . rom. . . the wages of sinne is death . the word in the * originall signifies properly victuals , because victuals were that which the roman emperours gave their souldiers as wages in recompence of their service : but thence the word extends to signifie any other wages or salary whatsoever . death is then certain , because no man can eschew it , yet it is . waies uncertain . . in regard of time , no man knows when * he shall die , hezekiah only had a lease of his life . . in regard of place * , no man knows where he shall die . . in respect of the kinde of death , no man kuows what death he shall die , whether a naturall or violent death . objection , cor. . . we shall not all sleep , but we shall all be changed , christ is said to be the judge of the quick and dead , therefore all men shall not die . answer , cajetan on thes. . . gives both a succinct and sufficient answer , statutum regulare est , illos autem non mori singulare est . others say that change shall be a kinde of death . secondly , the misery that comes to the wicked by death . every man in an unregenerate estate lies under the fear of death . . the scripture thus frequently sets forth naturall men . heb. . . and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage . job . . death is called the king of terrours , an ordinary hebraisme , as the lord of glory , that is , most glorious , death hath a dominion over them . luk. . . the shadow of death , that is , such darknesse as strikes men with fear of death . . all unregenerate men hate the very thoughts of death , isa. . . lewis the th of france straitly charged his servants , that when they saw him sick they should never dare to name that bitter word , death , in his ears . . thoughts of death often imbitter all the comforts of this life . the reasons of this truth may be these . . because death is contrary to nature it self , and to that inseparable desire of its own preservation , it being a dissolution of the whole man , and a separation of two most loving companions , the soul and body , by vertue of that ancient curse , gen. . . yet it is not an enemy to the godly mans person , though it be to his naturall estate , cor. . . christ did maledictionem benedicere , paupertatem ditare , ignominiam glorificare , saith luther . . because they die in their sins they must themselves conflict with the terrours of death , cor. . . john . . . sin in every man brings with it a secret guiltinesse , which makes him fear something worse will follow after death . . it puts an end to all the benefits and comforts of this life . son remember that in thy life time thou receivedst good things . it deprives him of friends , goods , pleasures , credit . . it puts an end to all his hopes , job . ult. their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost . . his conscience shall then be awakened , this is the worm . . it brings him to the barre of judgement , heb. . . he must go to god to give an account , in whom he hath no interest . . all offers of grace shall be at an end . . it is the inlet to eternity and puts them into an unchangeable condition . in the next place i shall resolve some questions about death . . question , whether it be lawfull to desire death ? we have examples of both kindes , paul desired to be dissolved , but hezekiah mourned , and prayed exceedingly against it , so did david , psal. . yet he rashly wished to die for absolom , sam. . . the israelites offended this way , would god we had died in egypt , and would god we had died with our brethren . elisha , job , and jonah were to blame this way , o that i had never been born , said job , o that i had died so soon as i was born , o that i might die out of hand , for these are the three parts of his desperate words . it is often in the mouths of wicked people , would i were dead , and i would i were out of the world . if they were to die indeed they would be loath enough to it . like the man in the fable , who being wearied with his burden of sticks , lay down and called for death , but when death came indeed to take him , and said , what shall i doe man ? thou calledst me : i pray thee , said he , help me up with my burden of sticks . to answer this question , we must distinguish , . of desire , there is desiderium carnale , spirituale , heroscum , a carnall , spirituall , and heroicall desire . if this desire ariseth , . from diffidence of gods help and succour . . from impatience under crosses . or . from shunning of those labours and pains which are to be endured for gods glory and the churches good , it is very sinfull , but if it arise from a holy desire to injoy the presence of christ , and to be freed from sin , it may be lawfull . secondly , we must distinguish of the manner in desiring , which is either absolute or conditionate , if it be a conditionate one with submission to gods will , as long as the church hath need of him , it may be lawfull , domine si adhuc populo tuo sim necessarius , n●llum recuso laborem . . question , whether a godly man may fear to die ? answer , he may . . for some sin that he is not enough humbled for . . for want of the clear evidence of pardon and assurance of interest in christ . . question , whether may one pray against a sudden and violent death ? answer , a violent and sudden death chiefly by some immediate hand of god , is tedious to mans nature : the apostles themselves in a tempest made bold to waken christ with some what a reproving speech , master , carest thou not that we perish ? christ told peter ( foretelling a violent death ) that he should be led to it as to that which he would not , meaning by the naturall inclination of his will , this gives us just ground and warrant to pray against sudden and violent death . . question , whether may we mourn for the dead ? answer , yes , because . death is a fruit of sin , in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt d●e the death , and a sign of gods displeasure against it . . it is a separation of friends , and they should not part without some grief , onely we must look that our mourning in such cases , be . serious , not counterfeit . . moderate , not excessive , either for quantity or continuance , which may shew want of hope and excesse of love , both naught . . holy , turning our sorrow from the death of our friends to the bewailing of our sins , the only procurers of that and all other crosses . in the last place i shall lay down directions how to die well , and shew the benefits that come to the godly by death . . what a christian should do that would die comfortably . . discharge the place and office which god hath called him to with much diligence and sincerity , tim. . , . act. . . why dost fear o my soul ( said hilarion ) thou hast served god this seventy years , and art thou afraid to die ? live much in a little time , doe all for eternity , be abundant in serving thy generation , acts . . you live no longer in gods account then you serve him . . doe nothing against conscience for the greatest advantage , this troubled iudas , he betraied innocent bloud , this made the wofull tragedy of spira . . take heed of unjust dealing and violent oppressing of others . samuel before his death , tell me ( saith he ) whose ox or asse have i stolen or taken away ? * . improve thy riches and honours for gods glory , luk. . . . spend the time of thy health well , and lay up praiers for death before hand . teach us to number our daies ( that is , to consider how few they are ) that we apply our hearts to wisdom . . get acquaintance with death , take notice of all the approaches of it , behold the mortality of others and consider thine own , do not think to die all at once , the apostle saith , i thank god i die daily , so seriously meditate on death , as to draw from thence some wholesome and profitable conclusions and resolutions for the well ordering of thy life , and that in respect of four things chiefly ; sin , the things of the world , our own persons , and the persons of others . for sin , this conclusion must follow , therefore sin is a most hatefull thing to god , and a most harmfull thing to man , for it alone hath provoked god to inflict this heavy punishment of death , yea of eternall death after this upon the sons of men , unlesse repentance come betwixt . sinne is the parent and sting of death , sin brought it into the world and makes it terrible , therefore i must hate sinne , lament sin , resist and mortifie sin , and must make it my chiefest and in a manner my only care to get my sins forgiven , my iniquity subdued , and then resolve especially to mortifie that sin which thy heart is most unwilling to reform . . in respect of the world , we must conclude and resolve , that wealth honour , pleasure , friends , are but very vanities , trifles and toies , poor petty short and vanishing goods , therfore i must , and by gods grace will resolve to pull mine heart from off these things , not rejoice in them , trust in them , boast of them , seeing i brought nothing into the world and must carry nothing out , use the present world as if we used it not . . diligently prepare for the life to come , every man must be for ever in heaven or hell ( there is no middle place as * pargatory ) so soon as his soul and body are separated . labour therefore to get good assurance of bettering your estate and injoying eternall life by bewailing the sinfulnesse of your nature and lives , and seeking unto , and resting upon the lord jesus christ alone , and his mediation and obedience and the sprinkl●ng of his bloud for pardon of sin and help against damnation , and lastly labour and study to reform your hearts and lives more and more . . concerning our own persons , we must thus conclude that we are but mean and contemptible creatures that must die and turn to dust and be made food for worms , why should i then be proud , or think my self better then others because of my strength , beauty , wit , learning , parentage , titles , offices , attendances ? of all which death will strip me and teach me to know they were but borrowed things . . for other men we ought to to conclude thus , they also must die as well as my self , my husband , wife , my dear and faithfull friend , who knows how soon ? therefore it is a great weaknesse to trust on such , to place my happinesse in them . cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils , therefore use al persons as well as all things , as if thou didst not use them . lastly , let the saints of god take great comfort in the contemplation of the good that death will bring them , it concludes all their sorrows and evils and is a beginning of all joies , pleasures , comfort , glory and happinesse . death is to such a resting from their labours , rev. . . a happy change , phil. . . job . . cals death a change , it is not an annihilation or extinction , but a mutation , and that by way of eminency , my change . it is the last change we shall meet with till the resurrection . . a lasting , nay an everlasting change , it puts us into an eternall condition of happinesse or misery . . an universall change , . in respect of persons all must meet with it . . in regard of the whole man , body and soul , makes the body a stinking carkasse , and puts the soul into heaven or hell . . a different change according to the quality of the person changed , terrible to a sinner , comfortable to the godly . death is their bodies seed-time , cor. . the crowning day to the soul , tim. . , . the funerall of all their sins and sorrows , rom. . . i shall in the last place mention some of the chief benefits that come to the godly by death . by it he is freed . from sin , not only the destroying power , but the being of it is then taken away . . from those miseries which follow sin , isa. . , , . . from the temptations of the devil , rev. . . . from the troubles of the world , and vexations of the flesh , rev. . . eccles. . , . . there is nothing in his death but what conduceth to make him happy . . a godly man dies in gods love , and mercy , . he never dies til he be prepared , till his graces be perfected and work finished , job . . . . he shall in some measure be assured of a better life , cor. . . . when he dies he shall leave a sweet favour behinde him , prov. . . the memory of the just is blessed * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} the septuagint thus translates it , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . the memory of the just is with praises . let the godly therefore comfort themselves against death with these promises , joh. . . & . . and . . and . . cor. . , . cor. . . finis . an alphabeticall table . a. anne askew . p. . aprice . p. . b. bainham . p. . beleever freed from the law , how . p. . bilney . p. , , , . blague . p. . bradbridges wife . p. . bradford . p. , , . c. covenant , the reason of the hebrew name . , what a covenant is , . the severall kindes of covenants . p. , . . the covenant of works . p. , to . the covenant of grace . p. , to . cranmer . p. , , . d. damplip . p. . death is common to all . p. , , , . the misery which comes to the wicked by death . p. , , . whether it be lawfull to desire death . p. , , . whether may one pray against a sudden and violent death . p. . whether may one mourn for the dead . p. ib. whether a good man may fear to die . p. . what a christian should do to die comfortably . p. . dying in faith . p. , to the end . e. error , all the errors almost of these : times may be confuted from the doctrine of the covenant . p. . to . f. faith , what it is . p. . farrar . p. . filmer . p. . folk . p. . g. glover . p. , . h. hamelton . p. . hauks . p. , . hector . p. . hierome of prague . holland . p. . hooper . p. , . hunter . p. , . hus. p. . i. ignatius . p. , , . indulgencies , luther first opposed them . . k. kerby . p. , . l. lambert . p. . latimer . p. to . laverock . p. . lawrence . p. . living by faith . p. , to . luther , divers memorable things of him . p. . to . m. martin , why luther was so called . p. . . martins much opposed the papists . ib. martyr , observations concerning the martyrs in generall . p. , to . what a martyr is . p. , , . the great honor of martyrdome . p. , . the severall sorts of martyrs . p. . they suffered cheerfully . p. . constantly . p. , , , . with much comfort and assurance . p. . the number of them . p. , . they were eminent in many graces . p. . to . moice . p. . p. person . p. , . philpot. p. , . pikes . p . policarpus . p. , . pomponius algerius . p. . prests wife . p. . promises . p. , to r. ridley . p. , , . rogers . p. , . rough . p. , . s. samuel . p. , . sanders . p. , , . serre . p. , . sincerity . p. , , . sparrow . p. . t. taylor . p. , , . tyms . p. . tyndall . p. , , . v. voes . p. . w. waid . p. . white . p. , . y. young . p. . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a e- when any common calamity befell the people or state , as famine , dearth , pestilence , they straightway imputed it to the christians , saying , that they and their wicked religion were the cause thereof . christianos ad leonem . tertul. away with them to the lion , to the stake . * consule commentarios vestros , illic reperietis primum neronem in hanc sectam●tum maxime romae orientem caesariano gladio ferocisse : sed tali dedicatore damnationis nostrae gloriamur . qui enim scit illum , intelligere potest non nisi grande aliquod bonum à nerone damnatum . tertul. apol. cap. . * vide euseb. lib. . * of all since the conquest her reign was the shortest , only excepting that of richard the tyrant , but much more bloudy then was his . speeds chro. in q. marie . foxes acts and monum. d vol. pag. . foxes d vol. p. . see also in fox a notable story of the death of dr whittington a persecutour . fox ubi supra * mr manton on rev. . . mat. . foxes acts and monum. d vol. p. * dr hall . * dr gouge on exod. . . deut. . john . . . and . chap. * mr marshall and mr strong . notes for div a e- vide bezam in act. . heb. . . rev. . . & . . * martyrū nomen bodiè duntaxat illis attribuitur qui mortem pro christo perpessi sunt . olim verò & potiss●mum aetate cypriani , etiam illis qui à confessione nominis christi nulla tormentorum atrocitate abduci poterant ; quos eleganter tertullianus lib ▪ ad martyres , designatos martyres nuncupat . pamelius ad cypriani ▪ epist. . m●bradford to all that professe the gospel in lancashire . d. halls contempl. . m. pinkes fourth sermon on that text ▪ luke . . see more there . phil. . . carelesse in his letter to agnes . glascock . foxes . vol p. . and guide bree vo . p. . magnificus martyrij titulus {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . grot. in . joh. . * hic ( sc. amor spon●● ) leonis faucibus 〈…〉 eripuit , & ●uod meritò stupebat mu●dus , in medio tot ac etiam potentum hostium , infimo homuncioni & longam vitam prorogavit , & placidam mortem intra domesticos parictes concessit . brightman in cant. . spanhom . dub. evan p●r ● . dub . * ex illa tanta multitudine omnis generis sexusque hominū tot locis ac saeculis distinctorum , qui pro hac religione mori non dubitarunt , colligendum , magnam aliquam tantae constantiae fuisse causam , quae alia cogitart non potest , quam lux veritatis grot. de veritate rel. christ . l. . see foxes . volume in bilney , and . vol. p. . * in a letter to his wife fox . . vol. p. p. . see rawlins and william sparrow . sleid con● l . * meter . hist. de reb. belg. l. . from the beginning of the jesuites to . ( being the space of years ) almost thousand protestants were put to death in france , england , spain , italy , germany , and other parts of christendome . reverend cranmer , learned ridley , down right latimer , zealous bradford , pious philpot , patient hooper . fuller . on heb. . . * speeds chron. in q. mary . neither in q elizabeths reign , nor in the reign of k. james , nor king charles , vvas any papist put to death meerly for his conscience . cic quest . tusc. l. . * s. cyprian●● senten●i●m in se latam audiens , dixit gratias ago deo omnipotenti , qui me à vinculis hujus corporis dignatur absolvere ▪ pont. in vita cypriani . * aug ser. de cypr. foxes acts and mon. vol. p. ● . see in io. hus. ierom of prague . hen. voes . pet. serre . ia. bainham . anth. person . an. askew * in a letter to his kindred & friends at his farevvel . fox . vol. . pa. . d. tailour in his last vvill and testament . fox . vol. . p. . crudelitas vestra gloria est nostra ●ert . ad scap. c. . euseb. eccles. hist ▪ l. . in a praie● a little before his death . f●xes vol● . p. . see the subscriptions of brad●ord● lett●rs . tertul. apolog. c , . * see m. kerby , io. rogers , d. farrar , * see in b. hooper * see b. ●ati●er ▪ * see archbishop cran●er . * hist. eccles. l. . c. . * hilarion morti proximus dixisse fertur , egredere , quid times ? egredere anima mea , quid du●itas ? septuaginta propè annis serviisti christo , & mort●m times ? hier. epist. ●am. lib. . & in ejus vit● ▪ euse. hist. eccles ▪ permi●tite me sic , inquit , qui enim mihi dedit velle larg●etur & posse ; atque ipsum tollerabilem faciet voluntati ignem ardentem . smyrnensis ecclesiae epistola , de s. polycarpi martyrio . a syria romam usque terra marique cum testiis de pugno , noct● ac interdiu alligatus de cem leopardis ( quae est militaris custodia ) qui & beneficio affecti pejores . fiunt , utinam fruar bestiis mihi paratis , quas opto veloce● mihi inveniri , quas & blanditiis demulcebo , ut citius me devorent , non ut quosd●m me●uentes non attigerunt , sed & si ipsae aversae nolint , ego illas vi adigam . ignatii epistola ad romanos . * ignatii epistola ad romanos . * fr●mentum sum dei , dentibus ferarum molo● ut mundus panis dei inveniar . ignat ep ▪ ad rom. * luther in the bohemian language signifieth a svvan . foxes acts and mon. . vol p. . * a ring leader and captain of an heresie . foxes . vol. p . iohn has repents his playing at chesse . foxes ●vol. p. foxes acts and mon. vol. p. . k. hen. foxes act , and mon. in . vol. henry . p. . foxes acts and mon. . vol p . plures efficimur quotiesme timur a vobis . ter. foxes ib ▪ p. . foxes acts and mon. . vol p. . foxes . vol. k. henry the . p. . see the like propheticall speech of philbert hamlin in foxes● . vol. p . and of a poor man in calice , p . and of roger holland , . vol. p. . foxes acts and mon in . vol k he. . p. . psal . foxes acts and mon. . vol. k he. . p. , ● . and . vol. p. . soultet . annal. anno foxes . vol p. . fox ubi supra . foxes ● . vol. k. he. . p. . foxes acts and mon. . vol. p. . foxes acts and mon. vol. . p. . fox ib. tindall said i will go and see this , but i wil set my faith to beleeve t●e contrary . the power of gods saints against the devil . he said , i cannot do it , for there sits the man ( pointing to tindal ) who holds my hands . * he was burned at filford in flanders . fox ib. foxes acts and mon. . vol. p. . foxes acts and mon. d . vol p. . foxes●d . vol. p. . the like words spake the l. cromwell to the l. hungerford , they both going to their death . foxes acts and mon. vol. d . p . foxes acts and mon. vol. d p. . * she said so twice . foxes acts and mon. vol. ●d . p. , . sanders saith the s●me tvvice . george marsh saith , pray , pray , pray , never more need . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. . * foxes acts and mon. vol. ●d . p . foxes acts and mon. vol. d . p. . foxes acts and mon. d . vol p. , . foxes acts and mon. vol. d p. . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. . he was a bold israelite that first s●t his foot into the red sea saies d. hall . foxes acts and mon. d. vol p. . foxes acts and mon. foxes acts and mon. vol. d p. . id. ib. foxes acts and mon. vol. . p. , . b. hooper prophesieth of himself . foxes act , and mon. vol. d. p. . fox ibid. p. . epistle to timothy . foxes acts and mon. vol. d p . while he vvas bishop of glocester and worcester in k. edw. time . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. . foxes acts and mon. d. vol p. . id. ib. foxes acts and mon vol d. p. . foxes acts and mon. vol. . p. . id. ibid. . another martyr said , hold out faith and patience your vvork is almost at an end . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. . id. ib. foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. . fox ibid. , . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. . foxes act● and mon. vol. d● . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. . fox ib. p. . see before in rogers . foxes acts and mon. vol. d p. . foxes acts and mon. vol. d p. , . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. . qui non est crucianus non est christianus . luth. foxes acts and mon. vol : . p. . foxes acts and mon. vol. d p. , . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. . see a strange token also upon robert smith in the fire , fox ib. . foxes acts and mon. vol. . p. . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. . foxes acts and mon. d . vol. p. . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. . id , ibid. fox ubi supra . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p , . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. . fox ib. * he was called father latimer ▪ viz. not burn , but starve for cold . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. . the lord did most graciously grant all these requests . latimers new years gift sent to k. hen. the . foxes act , and mon. vol. d. p. . * heb. ▪ they both suffered together in oxford against baily college martialis epig. foxes acts and mon. vol. d p. . foxes act● and mon. d. vol p. . foxes acts and mon. vol. d p. . fox ibid. his life is written in latin ( out of fox ) by melchior adam . foxes acts and mon. vol. p. ● . * hom● {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , nec minus {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} ( thomas cranmerus cantuariensis archiepiscopus ) me non solum excepit , sed etiam in aula sua aliquandiu detinuit . sed quid aulam invidioso verbo nomino ? schola certè fuit , vel palaestra pietatis & literarum . tremel . epist. in hos ▪ enarrat . foxes acts and mon. d. book , p. . * because by his right hand he had formerly subscribed his recantation . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. . foxes acts and mon. vol. d p. . foxes acts and mon. vol. d. p. , . foxes acts and mon , vol. d. . id. ibid. . there is no use of faith and hope in heaven , love & joy remain . see cor. . . foxes acts and mon. vol. d p. . foxes acts and mon. d. vol. p. . foxes acts and mon. vol. d p. . * b boner , after which day no man suffered in smithfield for the testimony of the gospel . foxes acts and mon. d. vol. p. . foxes acts and mon. d. vol. p. . luke . . fox ubi supra . foxes acts and mon. vol. . p. . * three martins have much opposed the papists , martin luther , martin bucer , and martin chemnicius . * melanct. praefat. ad ●dum volumen lutheri . homo affectibus suis nimium indulgens , qui ipse animi suiaestum praeproperum saepe agnoscit . rai●ol . de lib. appoc . praelect , quarta vide gesner ▪ b●bliothecam . * saepe dicere solitus sum : etiamsi me lutherus diabolum vocaret , me tamen hoc illi honoris habiturum , ut insignem dei servum agnosca● : qui tamen ut pollet eximiis virtutibus , ita magnis vitiis laborat , vehementian autem quae illi est ingenita , utinam in hostes veritatis semper contulisset , non etiam vibrasset in servos dominitutinam recognescendis suis vitiis plus operae dedisset . cal. bul. as for sedition , for ought i know me thinks i should not need christ if i might so say . latimers d serm. before edw. the rivet . iesuit . vap ▪ * about the year . foxes acts and mon. d . tom. out of i. bale . the spirit of luther was raised by opposition . concurrimus utrinque , illi extremo ●urore , & ego summo cōtemptu , & vincet mea audacia . * melch. adam . si scirem tot wormatiae esse diabolos quot tegulae in tectis ▪ tamen essem ingressurus . he might more fitly be called doctor resolutus then the schoolman * tom. d l. . c. . * famous writers of the reformation , luther & melancthō in saxony , oecolampadius in helvetia , calvin and beza in france , peter martyr and zanchi●s from italy * sculter . annal fox . acts and mon d tom. p. . tanta reverentia aliquid petit , ut cum deo : tanta spe & fide ut cum patre & amic● se loquisentiat . melc . ad. he said 〈◊〉 things make a divine , meditation , praier , tēptation . his motto was , sit miser , qui miser esse potest . * prius non fuerit fermè in scriptura tota amarius mihi verbum quam paenitentia , nunc nihil dulcius aut gratius mihi sonat qua● paenitentia . lutherus stupitio . foxes acts and mon d . tome . p. . quid ( inquit ) putas princi●em frideri●ū propter tearma sumturum dixi ? hoc nollem prorsus , & ubi manebis ? respondi , sub caelo . lutherus praetat . ad tom. primum . ego ipse odi meos libros , & saepe opto eos interire , quod met●o ne morentur lectores , & abducant à lectione ipsius scripturae , quae sela omnis sapientiae fons est ▪ luth. in gen. . hic me prorsus renatum esse sensi , & apertis portis in ipsū paradisum intrasse ibi ●ontinuò alia mihi facies totius scripturae apparuit . lutherus praesat . ad pr●mum opus . foxes acts and mon. vol. d . p. . paulò ante mortem a gens cum philippo melancthone , fatetur in negotio cae●ae ni●●um esse factum . ●●●nold ▪ de lib. apoc prael quarta they offered him a cardinals hat if he would be quiet & not speak against the popish indulgencies , he answered , he would not though he might be pope . * loco primo de sacra scriptura . lutherus de primis conatibus petit , ut ea legatiector cū magna commiseratione & meminerit authorem fuisse aliquando monachum & papistam insaniffimum . luth. tom . . operū in praefat. vide melc . ad. * ipse ●go in una aliqua ardenti oratione mea plura saepedidi●i ▪ quam ex multorum librorum lectione aut accuratissima meditatione co●sequi potu●s●em . luth. tom . . melc . ad. melch. ad dicitur hebraeis foedus {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} berith vel à {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} barah id est , eligendo , quod foedus est ut abenezra scribit mutuus cōsensus super aliqua revel à {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} bara id est exscindēdo , e● quod in foederibus semper ali ●uid occide●●atur ▪ gen. , . foedus latinis a ferie●do ▪ paul . fag . armot . in deu. ● . . * berith quasi cerith , because sacrifices were slain in making of covenants , and therefore it is often construed with the verb {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} carath fecijt , he s●ruck , vide su●kii , antiq. conviv . l. . c. , see also m● mede on mal. . . and m. cudworths discourse concerning the true notion of the l. supper chap. . omnes nos eramus ille unus . aug. deut . . god required mans service , non ex indigētia , sed ex abūdantia . aquinas . heb. . . eph. . gen. . . it is called the covenant of grace , because god of his meer love and favour made it with man when he lay wallowing in his bloud , ezek . . it doth not exclude all conditions , but only those which will not stand with grace . it is called a new covenant , heb. . , . the covenant of life , of salvation and grace , rom. . . gal. . . isa. . as the first adam caput cum faedere , so the d , adam , isa. . . gen. . . sam. . . isa. . . hos . . vide ames . medul. l. . c. . cor. . ult. the first covenant offers no surety , it is a covenant without a mediator . * all the promises of the law were conditionall , this doe and thou shalt live , those great ones of the gospel , of pardon of sin , of giving a soft heart , are absolute : . those of the gospel are mighty promises , they can give the mercy promised , and grace required , the law is weak through the flesh . god in the second covenant set forth as it were a new edition of all his attributes . repentance is a fruit of the second covenant act. . * faedus dicitur , quia firma est promissio in scripturis ēim quodlibet firmū statutū , quā vis sit de rebus inanimis , dicitur , faedus ier. . , . quia tamen gratuita donatione constat , & morte donantis confirmatur , non tam propriè faedus quam testamentum vocatur , heb. . quod cum in priori non invenitur , illud non tam propriè testamentum vocatur quam foe●us . ames ▪ med the . l. . c. . he is their shield , ge. . a wall of fire round about them zech. . the goodnesse of duties lies inadverbs , and the sweetnes of the covenant lies in possessives . deus quantus , quantus 〈…〉 noster est ▪ tolle de● & nullus ero . * substantia foederis , iun. anima foederis . pare . caput foederis , mus. isa. ier. . ezek. . ▪ the spirit reveals & applies the promises . christus impletio legis spiritus impletio evangelij . veritas à quacunque est à spiritu sancto est . abraham saw christs day a farre off , and rejoyced . anna , zacharias , & elizabeth waited for the consolation of israel , l● . ▪ , . isa. . . rom. . see those greek words ( which have an emphasis in them ) {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , mat. . , and {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} phil. . . explained fully in my greek critica . isa. . . * god discovers four things to his people by writing the law in the heart . his holinesse , that a conformity to this law is a conformity to his holinesse , ephes. . . . a perfect patern of that glorious image our first parents had in innocency . . a perfect patern of the law of god in christs humane nature . . a patern of that perfection they shall attain unto , hebrews ▪ . heb. . . it is not barely said thus , you shall not teach every man his neighbor , but that clause is added , saying , know the lord , not as if you were ignorant , but my law shall be in your hearts & you shal be taught as a knowing people . iob . ● . gal . . partu● sequitur ventrem . gal. . . christ was not only under the ceremonial law as he was a iew , but under the moral as a man , for it is under the law under which we were , and frō which we were redeemed . see gal. . . vid. ames . medul. l. . c. . * rom. . . heb. . . * isa. . & . . rom. . . though . the matter was exceeding great , yet god made good his promise , as in that of christ , gen. . . who was more worth than heaven and earth , yet in the fulnesse of time christ came . . though it exceeded all humane reason as the promise of a childe to abraham and sarah when so old . . though it was a cluster of good things , and that to a nation . . though he hath taken a great time to make it good . . though humane policies have stood in the way , as in the case of the people of israel and david . cor. . psal. . m. strong on sam. . . gods promises are of two sorts , such as are absolutely , and such as doe run conditionally according unto the nature of that good thing which he promiseth ; some good things promised are absolutely good for us , as pardon of sinne , grace . thus gods promise is made absolute to the elect in christ : some good things are but conditionally good for us , as degrees of grace , comfort and outward blessings : and concerning these gods promise is made conditionally , which condition if he break , he is at liberty . m. bridge on lam ▪ . . numb q●d i have p●omised to bring you into the land of canaan upon such and such conditions , if you doe not perform the condition i am free . promises are a manifestation of the covenant of grace , the covenant of love . the consolations of the gospel differ from all other comforts , they are unutterable , pet ▪ . , phil. . . real , ioh. . great & strong , ephe. . reach to the inward man , comfort in the saddest distresses . mic. . . . are everlasting , thess. . . josh. . . those that are driven frō their houses , spoiled of their goods , should remember the hundred fold promise , and that mic . , when david was driven from house and harbour , he incouraged himself in the lord his god tolle meum & tolle deū . aug. what faith is . justifying faith is a spirituall habit , by which a regenerate man having in himself , upon a divine testimony , an evidence of t●e truth and goodnesse of the promise , and covenant of eternall salvation through jesus christ , relies on him only for everlasting life . mr white . isa . . m. ward . ephes. . so is christ , that is , the church . heb. . m. perkins his right way of dying wel psal. . ●● . these were the words of tremellius a converted ▪ jew near his end , vivat christus pereat barabbas . domini causa , id est ▪ propter dominum . beza . in domino moriuntur , quicunque perfidem uniti & conjuncti christo inunum quasi corpus cum eo coalescunt . rainold . de l. apoc. praelect. beati a modò , statim , è vestigio , ab ipso mortis tempore . id. ib. there must be a being in christ before there can be a dying in him , those that sleep in iesus . horace . adam of adamah , homo ab humo . some reade {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} propterea quod , for as much as . * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} stipendia capitur , lu● . . . & cor. . . pro stipendio militum . de dieu . in loc. vide grotium . in loc. * morte nihil certius , boramortis nihil incertius . * incertum est , quo te loco mors expectet , itaque tu illam omni loco expecta . sen. epist. . act. . . vide calv. in cor. , , death is the atheists fear , and the christians desire . tenebrae metum mortis incutientes . cor. . . lies down with the sins of his youth . a great man wrote thus a little before his death , spes & fortuna valete . phil. . kings . . jonah . . job . . and . . m. fenner of conscience . summum nec met●as diem nec optes . mors non est simpliciter & , absolutè optanda , quia habet in serationem mali , sed primò tanquam medium ad finem praestantiorē , secundò propter consecutionē majoris boni . egredere , quid times ? egredere anima mea quid dubitas ? septuaginta propè annos servisti christo & mortem times ? hier epist. fam. l. . non est timendum quod nos liberat ab omni timē , do . tertul. deu. . * psal. . . this will make death less bitter and terrible unto us , forewarned fore-armed . tu mor●ē ut nunquā time as , semper cogita . senec it is the act of acts & science of sciences to learn to die . moriantur ante te vitia sen. our saviour being at a great feast at bethanie , sell into meditatiō and speech of his death and 〈◊〉 , ioh. ●● . , . ioseph of arimathea made his tomb in his gardē , ioh. ● * nemose decipiat fratres , duo enim loca sunt , & tertius non est visus . qui cum christo regnare nō meruit , cū diabolo absque ulla dubitatione peribit . aug. serm. . de ebrietate . see ioh. . . tim. . * the iews when they make mention of any of their deceased worthies , are wont to doe it with this encomium {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} id est , memoria ejus sit in bened●ctionem . which encomiasticall scheme is taken from that of solomon , pr● . . . buxtorf . de abbreviat hebr. fuller . concord . hebr. transm . and mede on psal. . . a generall martyrologie containing a collection of all the greatest persecutions which have befallen the church of christ from the creation to our present times, both in england and other nations : whereunto are added two and twenty lives of english modern divines ... : as also the life of the heroical admiral of france slain in the partisan massacre and of joane queen of navar poisoned a little before / by sa. clarke. clarke, samuel, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing c estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) a generall martyrologie containing a collection of all the greatest persecutions which have befallen the church of christ from the creation to our present times, both in england and other nations : whereunto are added two and twenty lives of english modern divines ... : as also the life of the heroical admiral of france slain in the partisan massacre and of joane queen of navar poisoned a little before / by sa. clarke. clarke, samuel, - . the second edition, corrected and enlarged, having the two late persecutions inserted, the one in piemont, the other in poland. [ ], , [ ] p. : port. printed by tho. ratcliffe for thomas underhill and john rothwell, london : . errata: p. 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all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng martyrs. persecution. church history. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - andrew kuster sampled and proofread - andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the skilfull'st physiognomers , who scan each line and wrinkle in the face of man , can tell no more what soules dwell there , then wee by seing stars can tell what angels be . then ask not at the door who 't is : if so , this shadow cannot tell thee . read and know . a generall martyrologie , containing a collection of all the greatest persecutions which have befallen the church of christ from the creation to our present times , both in england and all other nations . whereunto are added two and twenty lives of english modern divines , famous in their generations for learning and piety , and most of them great sufferers in the cause of christ . as also the life of the heroical admiral of france , slain in the parisian massacre , and of joane queen of navar , poisoned a little before . by sa. clarke , pastor in bennet fink , london . the second edition , corrected and enlarged ; having the two late persecutions inserted : the one in piemont : the other in poland . psal. . . for thy sake are we ki●●led all the day long , we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter . nihil crus se●tit in nervo , cum animus est in caelo , tertul. printed by tho. ratcliffe , for 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 in saint pauls church-yard , near the little north-door . mdclx . to the christian reader ; especially to the suffering saints in these three nations . christian reader . thou hast here presented to thy view that strange sight which so much astonished moses , exod. . . a bush burning with fire , and not consumed : a lively emblem of the church , oft times all on a light flame with the fire of persecution , and yet so far from being consumed , that the bloud of the martyrs proves the seed of the church : and indeed she is the only , and true salamander , that can live in the fire : yet this , not by any strength of her own , but because the angel of the covenant , even the lord jesus christ is in the bush , either to slack the fire , or to strengthen the bush , and make it incombustible . in this book thou maiest see , as in a mirrour , what hath been the lot and portion of the church and people of god from the creation hitherto , viz. through many tribulations to enter into the kingdom of heaven . here thou hast a certaine and infallible mark of the true church of christ , viz. to be hated and persecuted by the devil and his instruments . here thou maiest see what is the constant concommitant of the gospel , when it is received in the love and power of it , viz. persecution , according to that of the apostle , ye became followers of us , and of the lord , having received the word in much affliction , &c. neither yet is god an hard master in dealing thus with his faithfull servants . he knows that heavy afflictions are the best benefactors to heavenly affections : and that grace is hid in nature here , as sweet water in rose leaves , which must have the fire of affliction put under to distill it out . he knows that when afflictions hang heaviest , corrupt affections hang loosest upon his children . yet doth not the lord afflict willingly , nor grieve the children of men , to crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth : but he will hereby try who are his indeed and in truth , not in name and profession only : for as the eagle tries her young ones by turning their faces to the sun beams , so those christians that can outface the sun of persecution , are sincere indeed . one thing is very remarkable in this history , that usually before any great persecution befell the church , the holy men of those times observed that there was some great decay of zeal , and of the power of godliness , or some mutuall contentions and quarrels amongst the people of god , or some such sin or other that provoked god against them ; and then , as the shepherd sets his dog upon his sheep , when they go astray to bring them in , and then rates him off again : so god le ts loose wicked persecutors upon his own children , but it 's only to bring them in unto him ; and then , he not only restrains their rage , but casts the rod into the fire . if judgement begin at the house of god , what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of god ? much excellent use may be made of this history : as , teaching us , that whosoever will take christ truly , must take his crosse as well as his crown , his sufferings as well as his salvation . that persecution is the bellows of the gospel , blowing every spark into a flame ; and that martyrs ashes are the best compost to manure the church , their bloud to water it , and make it fertill . that gods children are like starres , that shine brightest in the darkest night : like torches that are the better for beating : like grapes that come not to the proof , till they come to the presse : likes spices , that smell sweetest , when pounded : like young trees , that root the faster for shaking : like vines , that are the better for bleeding : like gold , that looks the brighter for scouring . like glow worms , that shine best in the dark : like juniper that smels sweetest in the fire : like the pomander , which becomes more fragrant for chafing : like the palm tree , which proves the better for pressing : like the camomile , which the more you tread it , the more you spread it . yea god knoweth that we are best , when we are worst , and live holiest , when we die fastest ; and therefore he frames his dealing to our disposition , seeking rather to profit , then to please us . that when god exposeth us to persecution , he expects our speedy and thorow reformation , if we desire the affliction to be removed . for as it were to no purpose for the finer to put his gold into the fire , except it lie there till it be refined : so were it to small purpose for god to lay afflictions on us , if so soon as we whine and groan under his hand , he should remove them , before we be bettered thereby . whereas afflictions , like lots angels , will soon away , when they have done their errand . like plaisters , when the sore is once whole , they will fall off of their own acco●d . that we should with patience submit to the afflicting hand of the all wise god , and our mercifull father , saying with the church , i will bear the indignation of the lord , because i have sinned against him ▪ considering also that impatience under affliction , makes it much more grievous . as a man in a feaver , that by tossing and tumbling , exasperates the disease , and encreaseth his own grief . that all that will live godly in christ jesus must suffer persecution . it hath been the portion of all the saints , from the creation hitherto . what son is there whom the father chasteneth not ? one son indeed god had without sin , but not without sorrow ; for though christ his naturall son , was sine corruptione , without corruption , yet not sine correctione , without correction ; though he was sine flagitio , with out crime , yet not sine flagello , without a scourge . and if they did these things to the green tree , what shall be done to the dry ? and behold the wonderfull wisdom of god herein ? who by these afflictions separates the sinne that hates , from the son that he loves , and keeps him by these thorns from breaking over into satans pleasant pastures , that would fat him indeed , but to the slaughter . in an appendix to this book , i have added the lives of sundry of our modern divines , which i conceive not to be heterogeniall to the rest of the work ; for though they were not martyrs , yet may they well be stiled confessors , in regard of the great persecution and sufferings , which most of them met withall whilest they lived here . and if any ask the reason why i have added no more ? it is because my intelligence comes in so slowely ; and if such as are able , will take the pains to inform me , i shall ( if god spares life ) adde more to the end of the next impression of my lives of the fathers , and modern divines . i hope that these my weak and poor endeavours will not prove ungratefull , nor be judged unseasonable , considering the times wherein we live : for if the same sins abound amongst us in these daies , which have been the forerunners of persecutions formerly ; we have cause to fear the worst , and to prepare for it ; forewarnd , forearmed . the reading of this history will manifest what wonderfull constancy and patience the saints have shewed in their greatest sufferings : what hath been the power of almighty god in their support : and what miserable ends many of their persecutors have come to . my hearty desire is , that by reading of this book , god may have the glory , and thy soul the comfort , and i shall be well appaied for my pains , who am , thine in the lord sa . clarke . from my study in thridneedle-street , octob. . . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . thomas dugard . a. m. rector barfordiae . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . tho. dugard . to the reverend , the author of the book , called a generall martyrologie , &c. what ? yet more books ? what spirit now inspires your pen to write of torments , warres and fires ? what ? will that pen that drew to th' life before , change stile , draw death , and speak of life no more ? what blustering boreas rais'd these stormy windes , which blew down churches , shook the steddiest mindes , sure hell 's broke loose , and devils in the flesh are come out thence to try their wits afresh . who ever heard troy's story with his ears , and could restrain his eies from shedding tears ? i quake to hear what saints in former daies ne're shook to feel , so they might win the baies . they conquer'd all ; their patient disposition , o're came both pope , and spanish inquisition . they conquer'd kings , and won the crown at last ; prest towards the prize , forgetting what was past . the story 's sad ; 't is true , yet the authors skill hath made that pleasant which in 't self is ill . away long-winded volumes , times disease ; this author doth our phansies better please . large books are endlesse ; but 't is his design t' enclose great volumes in his single line . eli. awn : to the reverend mr. sa. clarke , on his martyrologie . oh , welcome home , divine drake , welcome home , first girdle of the world of martyrdome . who seeks for more , can no new thing descry , y' have left no room for new discovery . these maps and charts you bring , nay every letter makes you the worlds great patron , it your debtor . to call 't a map doth but a part imply , 't is the whole globe of martyrologie . each picture is a map , each figure breaths a little hist'ry of the martyrs deaths . pisgah's too farre to see the holy-land , stand here on calvary , and view 't at hand . let others brag at large , whose fancy 't is to say a saint by a periphrasis . who doth this book of yours with theirs confer , findes saint and martyr in one character . though ( some there be ) that differ from the rest in judgement , and account short-writting best : those i am sure will praise you when they eye your skill in tachyhagiography . th' are many words make volumes , do but look and you shall see 't is matter makes a book . all volumes of this subject here are set as 't were contracted in an alphabet . in characters , for brevity , 't is good that vowels be by cons'nants understood . the least is best , if no essentiall be wanting to make 't a perfect entitie . man 's but the world epitomiz'd , but this compendium of saints and martyrs is . it s commendation is it self , 't is best though 't were without this my probatum est . j. c. a table of the names of all those martyrs that are mentioned in this book . a abel pag. aber achaz achilleus j. addis aegidio agathonica agapetus agatha agathon agnes agricol● aimeri alcibiades alexander , algerius aloisius ammonarion andas anthimus andoclus andrew g.j. annick anthea apollonia apollonius areth arias arnald antemìus armand asclepiades asyrius athanasia athanasius attalus a. audebert austin b babilas pag. j. baker barbara barlaam bartholomew , baudison isa. beard de beck benjamin bergerius m. bertino bertrand d. berto betkin biblides de bile blandina blondel j. de boisons b. bor j. de boscane f. de bossu bovellus a. du bourg f. bribard p. bruly s. brunes w. burgate w. burges ib. n. burton c cacalla calepodius ja. calvin campbel a. canus de cadurco . g. carpenter . carpus . jo. castellane . cecilia . cheremon . p. chapot . charlin . chober . j. clarke . claudius . , n. clivet . j. cobard . v. cockan . concordus . c. conink . constantino . martha constantine j. coomans . b. copin . j. cornon . p. coulogue . j. cowder . h. cowell . cronion . cyprian . cyrillus . d m. dimonet . dionysius . dionysia . , dominicus . domitius . p. domo . dorotheus . p. dorzeky . e r. ecklin . eleazer . elutherius . emilianus . encenas . j. english. enraudus . epimachus . j. eseh . eulalia . eusebius . , eustachius . eustratius . f j faber . c. fabri . fabian . faninus . faustinus . felicitas . , ferdinando . h. forrest . t. forret . mr. fournier . mis. frankland . fructuosus . m. fruen . g f. gamba . e. garcino . w. gardiner . c. gauderin . p. gaudet . ● george . germanicus . gervasius . glee . c. girard . girauda . gisbitzky . godfrid . j. gonsalvo . m. gonin . gordius . gorgonius . n. gourlay . granvelle . h p. hamilton p. hamlin . l. harant . b. hector . hermes . hermogines . herwin . an. hill. hipolitus . w. hooker . hormisda . m. hostialek . hostius . mis. howard . hubert . de hues . j. huglin . j. husse . w. husson . i iacob . st. james . james justus . n. of jenvile . jerome of prague jessenius . j. insperg . jobita . john bap. john. irenaeus . isaiah . ischirion . judas mac. , judas brother of james . julius . julianus . julitta . juliano . justin martyr . , k c. kaplitz . a. kennedy . l. keyser . j. kutnaur . l s. laloe . la-moth . laurence . de lavoy . leonides . j. leon. lin. lollard . m. loquis . c. losada . will. loverden . lucianus lucius . ludomilla . m macer maccabeus machir malchus mappalicus marchus arethusius marcella mark marinus maris marlorat martin , . martina mr. jo. mason p. masson tho. mason mathew mathias ib. maturus mauritius j. maxwell , menas mercuria t. messino metra metrodorus l. meulin g. de meyer m. michelot midleton w. mill p. moice montgemery j. mollius n n. naile nemesion nereus nicanor nicholas nicholson o l. of obiers oguire l. hen. otto p pamachius pamphilus pampinian j. panane papilus paul , , peregrinus perpetua persival pescinus peter , , , , philip , phocas photinus m. pierrone m. pilot pionies pistorius de la place plutarch . j. pointer s. polliot polycarp j. pontio potentianus potichus potamiena priscus procopion protasius ptolemaeus pusices q quinta quirinus , r p. ramus sara rastignole de reux revocatus rhais ricetto p. roch rochus j. rogres f. romane romanus , rogues l. of rugenice j. russel s salamona sanctus satyrus g. scherter schlick scoblant w. scuch sebastian sega secundianus secundulus serena serenus serapion , p. serre j. shultes simon , p. simon simon zelotes silvanus , , sixtus p. spengler f. spinola starky stemback . steven . t. steffeck . jo. stone . d. straton . suenes . sulpitius . h. sutphen . s. sussikey . symphorissa . syrus . t tailor . tertullia . theodora . theodorus . , thiessen . thomas . , tiburtius . g. tilleman . ● timothy . tiranion . j. de tour. g. trecius . v valerianus . de valougnes . f. venote . uetius epagethus . vincentius . , vitalis . h. voes . urbanus . , usthazares . w a. wallace . watson . wendelmutha . wenceslaus . , william of nassaw . g. wiseheart . n. wodniansky . z zechariah . zenon . zenobius . zepherinus . d. zervius . the contents of the chapters , containing the several persecutions , together with the lives of such persons as are mentioned in this book . the persecutions mentioned in the old testament pag. the persecutions from nehemiah to antiochus his time the persecutions under antiochus epiphanes the life of judas maccabeus the martyrdom of the maccabees the persecutions mentioned in the new testament the first primitive persecution under the heathen roman emperors the second primitive persecution the third primitive persecution the fourth primitive persecution the fifth primitive persecution the sixth primitive persecution the seventh primitive persecution the eight primitive persecution the ninth primitive persecution pag. the tenth primitive persecution the persecution of the christians in persia the persecution of the church under julian the apostate the persecvtion of the church under the arrian hereticks the persecution by the donatists the persecution under the arrian vandals in africk the persecution of the waldenses the persecution of the waldenses in calabria the persecution of the waldenses in provence the persecution of the albingenses the persecution of the church in bohemiah the persecution under ferdinand the persecution of the church in spain the original , progress , and practice of the spanish inquisition the life of dr. aegido the life of dr. constantino the martyrdom of nic. burton in spain the persecution of the church in italy the life of mr. john mollius the life of william gardiner the martyrdom of a christian jew the persecution of the church in germany the martyrdom of a minister in hungary the persecution of the church in the low-countries the persecution under the d. de alva the martyrdom of w. of nassaw the modern persecution of germany the persecution of the church in france the persecution in the civil wars in france the history of the massacre of paris the siege of sancerre the siege of rochel the persecution of the church in the valtoline the persecution of the church in scotland the life of mr. george wiseheart the persecution of the church in ireland a continuation of the history of the waldenses from the year . to our time the marquisat of saluces described , with its several troubles and persecutions the artifices and wicked practices used to consume and destroy the faithfull in the valleys of piemont the motives of the late persecution in the valleys of piemont a narrative of the bloody cruelties lately exercised there a narrative of the war between the papists and protestants there who interceded to the d. of savoy in the behalf of the protestants a description of piemont , and the valleys thereof the late persecution of the church of christ in poland the destruction of lesna the cause of religion as it stands now in germany the persecutions mentioned in the old testament . chap. i. the persecution of the church in the first ages of the world , and so forward till the incarnation of christ. the first murtherer and persecutor that was in the world , was the devil , and the first method and means that he made use of to carry on this persecution , was by subtilty and large promises , that by eating the forbidden fruit , they should have their eyes opened , and should be as gods knowing good and evil : and hereby he drew our first parents from their obedience unto god , and cheated them of that blessed and happy estate which god had created them in . since which time his enmity against the church and children of god hath never ceased : but by his effectual working in the children of disobedience , he hath provoked and stirred up one man to be the persecutor and devourer of another : thus he provoked cain to rise up against , and to slay his brother abel , and though the scripture be silent how the wicked cainites , the sons of men , behaved themselves towards the sons of god ; yet doubtless they persecuted them with the tongue , if they proceeded no further . can we imagine that noah , that was a preacher of righteousness in the midst of a perverse generation , could escape without hatred , scorn and contempt ? how many jeers ( think ye ) had he whilest he was building the ark , as doting and dreaming ( not of a dry summer , but ) of a wet winter ? the earth in his days was said to be corrupt and filled with violence , which violence certainly was principally exercised against the church of god : and afterwards when the world was reduced to a very small number , yet then satan had his cursed ham that persecuted and mocked his own father , the righteous noah . was not lot also persecuted and scoffed at in sodom ? gen. . . isaac in abrahams house mocked by ismael ? gen. . . was not jacob hated and persecuted by his brother esau ? gen. . . joseph by his brethren ? gen. . . and that because he brought unto his father their evil report , verse . was he not afterwards cast into a pit by them ? ver . . then sold to the ishmaelitish merchants , who carried him into egypt , ver . . there he was persecuted by his whorish mistriss , gen. . , . cast into prison , where his feet were hurt with fetters , and he was laid in irons , psal. . . but these were but small persecutions in comparison of those which followed . for when the children of israel were multiplied in egypt , pharaoh king of egypt set over them task-masters to afflict them with their burdens , exod. . ▪ thinking thereby to eat up , and wear them out ; and when that prevailed not , they made them serve with rigour , and they made their lives bitter with the hard bondage in mortar , and in brick , and in all manner of service in the field ; all the service wherein they made them serve , was with rigour , ver . , . and when this prevailed not , the king commanded the midwives , siphrah and puah , when they did the office of a midwife to the hebrew women , and saw them upon the stools , if they were delivered of a son , they should presently kill him , ver . , . and when these midwives neglected his commands , he charged all his people that every son that was born to the israelites , should be cast into the river nilus , v. . moses was persecuted by pharaoh , who sought to slay him ; which caused him to fly into the land of midian , exodus . . and when god sent him back into egypt to deliver his people from the house of bondage , how did pharaoh persevere and proceed in his persecuting the people of god : he caused straw to be taken from them , and yet the number of bricks to be continued ; and when the task was not done , the officers of the children of israel were cruelly beaten , ver . . and when god had brought out his people with an high hand from under the tyranny of the egyptians , and carried them into the wilderness , how did satan stir up some sons of belial against moses and aaron , even korah , and his complicies , two hundred and fifty princes , who cried out against them , ye take too much upon you , seeing all the congregation are holy , even every one of them , numb . . . afterwards when the children of israel were setled in the land of canaan , they were often grievously oppressed , and persecuted by the wicked and idolatrous nations that lived amongst them , and round about them ; as first by chushan-rishathaim , king of mesopotamia , who tyrannized over them eight years judg. . . then by eglon king of moab , who slew many of them , and oppressed them eighteen years , v. , . then by the philistines , v. . then were they mightily oppressed for twenty years together , by jabin , king of canaan , judg. . , . then did the midianites persecute them with so much cruelty , that they were forced to forsake their houses , and to make them dens and caves in the mountains , to shelter and hide themselves from them , judg. . . yea for seven years together they tyrannized over them ; and when the israelits had sowen their land , they came up in such multitudes , that they destroyed the increase of the earth , and left no sustenance for israel , neither sheep , nor oxe , nor asse , ver . , . then the philistines again , and the ammonites lorded it over israel , and brought them into great distresse for eighteen years , judg. . ● . after that the philistines yet againe oppressed them for forty years together , judg. . . and afterwards they slew of them in two battels thirty four thousand , and carried away the ark of god also , sam. . , , . then in sauls time , these philistines so distressed israel , that the people were forced to hide themselves in caves and thickets , and in rocks , and in high places , and in pits ; yea some of them forsook their own country , and fled beyond jordan , sam. . , . and the land was so enslaved to them , that there was not a smith to be found in israel , but the philistines either slew them , or carried them away captives , so that the israelites were fain to go to the philistines to have their instruments of husbandry set in order , ver . , . how david was persecuted by saul all his time , the scripture doth amply set forth , sam . &c. and was not he persecuted grievously , when cursed and railed upon by shimei , sam. . , , &c. the church of god was afterward persecuted under rehoboams reign , by shishak king of egypt , who took jerusalem , and carried away the treasures of the lords house , and of the kings house into egypt . and again under asa , by baasha king of israel , king. . . and by zerah the ethiopian , who came against judah with an army of a thousand thousand men , and three hundred chariots , chron. . . yea so malicious and subtile is satan that he sometimes stirs up one saint to persecute another ; as he stirred up good king asa to persecute the prophet of the lord who dealt plainly and faithfully with him , by casting him into prison , chron. . . michaiah also was persecuted and imprisoned by ahab , chron. . , . under jehosaphat the church of god was persecuted by the moabites , ammonites and edomites , whom god destroyed by setting of them one against another , chron. . . elijah was persecuted by ahab and jesabel , king. . . and . . the prophets of the lord were slain by jesabel , king. . . elisha was hated and persecuted by jehoram . king. . . in the reign of this jehoram , the philistines and arabians mightily oppressed judah , chro. . , . then athaliah by murthering the kings seed , usurpeth the kingdom , and tyrannizeth five years , chro. . . joash in his reign slayeth zechariah for reproving him , chron. . . the church was oppressed at the same time by the syrians , ver . . and afterwards also in the reign of ahaz , chron. . . and about the same time the king of israel slew of judah a hundred and twenty thousand , and carried away captive two hundred thousand men , women and children . judah was also oppressed by the edomites , ver . . and by the philistines , ver . . and by the king of assyria , ver . . and chap. . . manasses persecuted the prophet isaiah for reproving him , and caused him to be sawn a sunder with a wooden saw . josephus . afterwards pharaoh necho tyrannized over judah , chron. . . and after him nebuchad●ezzar ▪ v ; &c. and so the sins of judah being come to the full , the good figgs were carried away captive to babylon , and the land afterwards was wholly laid waste and destroyed : which being foretold by the prophet jeremiah , the wicked jews , first persecuted him with the tongue , jer. . . then was he smitten , and put into the stocks , jer. . . then was he indanger of death by the preists and false prophets , jer. . . then was he imprisoned by zedekiah , jer. . , . then he is beaten , and again put into prison , jer. . . and after that cast into a dungeon , where he stuck in the mire , jer. . then by the wicked captains he was carried into egypt , jer. . , . what grievous afflictions the church and people of god endured about this time , see it set forth to the life in the book of the lamentations . in the time of the captivity , the three children were persecuted by nebuchadnezzar , and thrown into the fiery fornace , for refusing to worship his golden image , dan. . . daniel was persecuted by darius his courtiers , and cast into the lions den , dan. . . mordecai was hated and persecuted by haman , and a decree procured for the murthering of all the people of god in one day , esth. . . after the return of the jews from captivity , the people of the land laboured to weaken the hands of the men of judah , and troubled them in the building of the temple , and hired counsellors against them to accuse them to cyrus , and ahasuerus : they wrote also against them to artaxerxes , that they were a rebellious people , and that if they should be suffered to build jerusalem , they would neither pay toll , tribute , nor custom to the king , ezra . . , &c. and having by this malicious suggestion gotten authority , they came upon the poor people of god , and enforced them to give over th●ir worke . yea ▪ and afterwards , when by the command of the lord , the jews had again set upon the building , tatnai and shether-bosnai came up to discourage and discharge them from it ; and when this prevailed not , they wrote against them to king darius . again , when nehemiah came to jerusalem , and began to build the wall of the city , how were they scorned and jeered by sanballat , tobiah and geshem ? and when the work prospered in their hands , and jeers would not prevaile to stop it , they then conspired to fight against jerusalem , and so to hinder it ; but neither that prevailing , by reason of the prudent carriage of nehemiah , they then sought to entrap him , and by destroying him , to hinder the work , nehe. . . then they accused the people of god of treason and rebellion , ver . , &c. then they hired a false prophet to terrefie nehemiah , ver . , . then they corrupted , and held intelligence with some of the nobles of judah to betray him ; notwithstanding all which designes , god preserveth nehemiah , and the building of jerusalem is finished . and thus farre the sacred scriptures of the old testament have given us a certain register of the persecutions , martyrdomes and sufferings of the church and children of god for the space of about three thousand five hundred years ; from the creation of the world , to the restauration of the jewish polity under nehemiah . chap. ii. the persecution of the church from nehemiah to antiochus his time . after the death of eliashib the high-priest , judas his sonne succeeded , and after him john his sonne , which john had a brother called jesus , who was much favoured by bagoses , generall of artaxerxes , who promised him the priesthood , which made him take occasion to quarrel with his brother john , who thereby was so much provoked against him , that he slew him in the temple ; bagoses being informed hereof , came with his army to jerusalem , and kept the jews in bondage seven years , making them tributaries , so that before they could offer their daily sacrifice , they were compelled to pay for every lamb , fifty drachmes . after the death of john , jaddus his sonne succeeded in the priesthood , in whose time alexander the great passed over the hellespont , and having overcome the lieutenant of darius , he conquered many countries in asia minor , intending suddenly to come upon jerusalem . jaddus being informed of his intention , was sore afraid ; he therefore offered sacrifice , and commanded the people to make their prayers unto god , for direction and protection in this common danger : and when he heard that alexander approached , he caused the priests and people to put on white garments , and himself , attired in his priestly robes , went before them ; when alexander espied them , he himself marched before the rest of his company , and coming to the high-priest , he fell down on his face before him : then did all the jews circle him in round about , and with one voice saluted him . alexanders chief commanders were wonderfully astonished at this deportment of the king , and thought he was out of his wits : and parmenio stepping to him , asked him what he meant thus to adore the high-priest of the jews , when as all other men adored him ; alexander answered , i doe not adore him , but that god whom the high-priest worshipeth ; for in my sleep i saw him in such an habit when i was in macedonia , consulting with my self how i might conquer asia ; and he bad me to make no delay , assuring me that he would both guide me and my army , and would deliver the empire of the persians into my hands : then gave he the high-priest his hand , and went with him to the city , and comming to the temple , he offered sacrifice according to the direction of the high-priest ; then did jaddus shew him daniels prophecy , wherein his victories over the persians , and his monarchy were foretold , which much rejoyced alexander : then did he command the jews to ask some favours at his hands ; the high-priest requested onely that they might live after the ordinances of their forefathers , and that every seventh year they might be exempted from taxes and tributes , which he fully granted : they besought him likewise that the jews which were in media and babilon , might be permitted to live after their own laws , which he willingly promised , and so departed : this was about the year of the world . and before christs nativity . after the death of alexander , his kingdom was divided amongst his captains , amongst whom ptolemy the son of lagus held egypt , who falling out with antigonus that held asia minor , there grew great wars between them , wherein ptolemy won from him all syria , and going to jerusalem on a sabbath day under pretence to offer sacrifice , the jews suspecting nothing , he surprised the city , carrying away many of the jews into captivity into egypt : but after his death , his son ptolemy philadelphus at his owne cost redeemed an hundred and twenty thousand of them , paying twelve crowns apeece for each of them , and sent them back into their owne countrey : he sent also by them fifty talents of gold for the temple , and obtained of eleazer the high priest , the law of the jews , and interpreters ( out of every tribe some ) who translated it into greek in daies : and having finished their work , ptolemy returned them with great rewards for themselves , and with many rich presents to eleazer . antiochus and ptolemy being at war each against other , the jews suffered much by them , mach. . collected out of josephus . chap. iii. the persecution of the church of god under antiochus epiphanes , before the nativity of christ about years . afterwards the jews being divided amongst themselves , one part of them went to antiochus , telling him that their purpose was to forsake the religion and ordinances of their forefathers , and to follow that of the kings , and to live after the manner of the greeks , entreating him to license them to live in jerusalem ; which antiochus assenting to , they went to jerusalem , where they behaved themselves very wickedly , but finding opposition from the other party of the jews , they sent for antiochus , who led his army against jerusalem , and encamped before it , and by his faction within , had the gates opened , and the city betraied to him , about the year of the world . and before the nativity of christ . being entred jerusalem he slew many of the faithfull jews , and having taken great spoils , he returned back to antioch . two years after he came to jerusalem again , and having seen what quantity of gold was in the temple , and what a huge number of presents and precious ornaments were in the same , he was so overcome with covetousness , that he violated all conventions and conditions formerly made , equally raging against his own and the adverse party , sparing neither friend nor foe : then he spoiled the temple , and carried away the vessels dedicated unto god , the golden table , the golden candlestick , the censers , &c. leaving nothing behind him of any value ; yea , he inhibited the godly jews from offering their usual and dailie sacrifices to god ; and having spoiled the whole city , he slew many of the inhabitants , and carried the rest away into captivity , with their wives and children , to the number of ten thousand : he also burned the fairest buildings of the city , and brake down the wals , and raised a fortress in the lower city , and having inclosed it with high wals , he planted a garison of macedonians therein , with whom remained the scum of the apostate jews . he also caused an altar to be erected in the temple , on which he commanded swine to be offered in sacrifice , contrary to the law. he constrained the jews to forsake god , and adore those idols which himself vvorshiped ; he forbad them to circumcise their children ▪ and appointed over-seers to constrain them to fulfill his commandments , so that many for fear of punishment conformed themselves to his will ; but such as were of upright hearts , and valiant minds , little respected his menaces ; whereupon they were beaten , and exposed to cruel punishment many days together , in the midst of which they yielded up the ghost ; for after they were whipt , and maimed in their bodies , they were tortured and crucified ; the women vvere strangled , and the circumcised children vvere hung up about the necks of their parents ; and vvhere any books of the sacred scriptures vvere found , they defaced , and burnt them , and such with vvhom they vvere found , vvere put to most cruel deaths . at this time there dvvelt at modin ( a village of jury ) one vvhose name was matthias , a priest of the rank of joarib , that had five sons , john called gaddis , simon called matthes , judas called maccabeus , eleazer called aaron , and jonathan called apphas . this matthias often complained to his sons of the miserable state of their countrey , of the sacking of their city , the profanation of the temple , and the miseries of the people , telling them , that it was better for them to die for the law , then to live in ignominy . when therefore the kings commisaries came unto modin , and commanded the people to sacrifice according to the kings edict ; they first applied themselves to matthias as to the most honourable person amongst them , requiring him first to offer sacrifice , that others might follow his example , promising that the king vvould much honour him for it . matthias ansvvered that he vvould by no means commit that idolatry , assuring them , that though all other nations , either for love or fear , should obey the edicts of antiochus , yet that he , nor his children could be induced to forsake the religion of their fathers : as soon as he had thus spoken , a certain jew stepped forth to offer sacrifice according to the command of the king , wherewith matthias , inflamed with zeal , was so displeased , that he and his sons fell upon him , and with their swords hewed him to pieces ; he also slew apelles the kings captain , and some other souldiers , who would have withstood him . then he overthrew the altar and with a loud voice , he said , if any one be affected to the laws of their fathers , and to the service of god , let him follow me ? and so he retired into the deserts with his sons ; the like did the rest , with their wives and children , hiding themselves in caves and dens . the kings captains having intelligence hereof , with the garison that was in the citadel at jerusalem , they pursued them into the desert , and having overtaken them , they first endeavoured by perswasions to draw them to idolatry ; but the jews absolutely refusing to yield to their wicked wils , resolved rather to die then to submit to them , and to commit such impiety ; whereupon these bloody persecutors assailed them on the sabbath day , and burned them in their caves , who neither resisted their enemies , nor closed up the mouths of their caves , supposing it to be a violation of the sabbath , if they should fight or work upon that day ; some thousands of men , women and children were there stifled ; yet divers escaped , who joined themselves with matthias , and chose him for their captain . then did he inform them , that they ought to fight on the sabbath day , if they were assailed by their enemies , and prevailed with them not to be guilty of their own death , by their neglect to defend themselves ; and so having assembled a sufficient number , he destroyed the altars , and slew those that had forsaken their religion : commanding others to circumcise their children , and driving those from every place , whom antiochus had set to see his laws executed . but when he had thus governed one year , he fell sick , and perceiving his end to approach , he called his sons , and exhorted them to follow his steps in maintaining the law of god , and fighting for their countrey , telling them , that then they should have god for their assister , who will not forsake those that love and fear him , but taking pleasure in their vertues , will once more grant them favour to recover their former peace and liberty ; and saith he , god will establish you in the possession of your ancient laws ; and though our bodies be mortal , and subject unto death , yet the memory of our virtuous actions is enfranchised by immortality ; make therefore no difficulty to hazard your lives in so good a cause : but above all things i exhort you unto concord , and in whatsoever any one of you shall be found more naturally apt and fitted then another , let him prosecute the same without any contradiction from the rest : i charge you to obey your brother simon ( who is a politick and valiant man ) in whatsoever he shall counsel you : but make judas your captain , who is both valiant and strong , for he shall revenge the injuries and out-rages which have been done to our nation , and shall put our enemies to flight ; second him therefore with men of valour , and such as fear god , and by this means you shall be sure to prevail . chap. iv. the life of judas maccabeus . after matthias his death , judas took upon him the government of the wars , and by the help of his brethren , and other jews , he drave the enemies out of the countrey , purg●ng the land of all the uncleaness that had been brought into it . but when apollonius , who was antiochus his generall in samaria , heard of it , he gathered his army together , and invaded judea , against whom maccabeus went forth , and after a terrible battel , overthrew him , slew apollonius and many of his souldiers ; took his camp , and therein a very rich booty ; and judas gat apollonius his sword for his part in the spoil . then seron governor of caelosyria gathered all his forces together , and hired many apostate jews to joyn with him , and so marched against judas as far as bethoron : judas also advanced towards him , but when he perceived that his souldiers were unwilling to fight , by reason of the inequality of their numbers , and for that they had eaten no meat , but had fasted for a long time , he encouraged them , saying , that the means to obtain the victory , consisted not in the greatness of their number , but in their devotion towards god ; whereof they had evident examples in their forefathers , who with a small number , had often defeated many thousands of their enemies , &c. hereby he so prevailed with his souldiers , that , dreadless of the number of their enemies , they all together ran upon seron , and after a cruel fight , routed his army , and slew him together with eight hundred of the syrians ; the rest escaped by flight . antiochus hearing of these things , was highly displeased , and therefore he assembled all his forces , and hired many mercenaries , but having mustered his army , he found that his treasure failed him to pay so great a multitude ; whereupon he resolved , first to go into persia , to gather up his tributes : and in the meane time he made lysias his vicegerent , a man of greate esteem with him , and one that governed all the countries from euphrates to the borders of egypt : with him he also left some elephants , and part of his army , commanding him expresly , that when he had conquered judaea he should make the inhabitants thereof his slaves , and sell them to those that would give most for them , and that he should destroy jerusalem , and utterly abolish that race . lysias having received this commandment , sent ptolemy , nicanor , and gorgias ( men of great authority about the king ) with an army of forty thousand foot , and seven thousand horsemen ; to invade jury ; who marching as far as the city emmaus , encamped in the field ; and increased their army with many syrians , and apostate jews . there came also divers merchants a long with them to buy the prisoners that should be taken , bringing gieues along with them to manacle the prisoners withall . judas having viewed the camp , and number of his enemies , encouraged his souldiers , exhorting them to repose their confidence and hope of victory in god : he also appointed a f●st , that they might humble themselves , and call upon god , by supplications and prayers , for success in such an extreame danger . then he told them that god would have compassion upon them , and give them strength to stand against their enemies , and to put them to shame . the next day he marshalled his army by thousands , and by hundreds , and sent away all that were newly married , or that had lately bought pess●ssions , according to the law. and t●en he said unto the rest : my countrymen and companions , we never yet had any occasion more necessary , wherein we ought to express our courages , and contemn dangers , then at this present ; for now if you fight valiantly , you may recover your liberties , which ought the more to be prised , because thereby you may win opportunity to ser●e god , and so live an happy life : but if ye prove cowards in the fight , you shall be branded with perpetuall infamy , and hazard the utter extirpation of our nation . think therefore , that if you fight not , you must die : and on the contrary , assure your selves , that in fighting for your religion , laws and liberty , you shall obtain immortall glory : be ready therefore , that to morrow morning you may bid your enemies battel . immediately news was brought him , that gorgias with five thousand foot , and a thousand horsemen , was sent forth under the conduct of some fugitives , by night to fall upon him ; whereupon he resolved the same night to break into the enemies army whilest they were thus divided . having therefore refreshed himself and army , leaving many fires in his camp thereby to deceive the enemy , he marched all night to seek them out . gorgias finding that the jews had forsaken their camp , conceited that for fear they were fled into the mountains , and therefore he resolved to search them out diligently . but in the morning , ●udas accompanied only with three thousand men and those but ill armed because of their poverty , shewed himself to the enemies that were at emmaus , and having viewed their warlike discipline , and mighty number , and how well they were incamped , he encouraged his followers to fight v●liantly , telling them , that god would deliver their enemies into their hands , and thereupon causing his trumpets to sound , he rushed in upon his enemies with such fury and resolution , as altogether affrighted and discouraged them ; and having slaine such as resisted , he pursued the rest as farre as the plains of idumaea , &c. in this fight ●bout three thousand of the enemies were slain ; yet would he not suffer his souldiers to take the spoil , telling them , that as yet they were to fight with gorgias and his army , but so soon as they had ( through gods mercy ) with the lik● val●ur beaten them , they might then securely enrich themselves by the prey of all their enemies . gorgias with his army being upon an hill , and discovering the flight of their friends , and the jews readinesse to give them battell , were so affrighted , that they also fled ; whereupon judas with his men returned to gather the pillage , and having found great store of gold , silver , scarlet and purple , he returned to his dwelling with joy , praising god for their happy success . lysias hearing of this overthrow was much enraged , and presently assembled another army of neer sixthy thousand chosen foot , and five thousand horsemen , wherewith he went to invade judaea and encamped in bethsura : judas hearing of it , came forth against him with ten thousand men , and seeing the number of his enemies so farre to exceed his , he earnestly cried unto god , that it would please him to fight with , and for him ; and then charged the vanguard of the enemy with so great force , that he discomfited , and slew about five thousand of them , lysias perceiving hereby the resolution of the jews , who would rather die then lose their liberty , he returned with the rest of his army unto antioch , where he continued , and entertained many mercenaries , to make a greater army for the conquest of the jews : in the meane time judas assembled the people , and told them , that having obtained so many victories , through the mercy of god , they ought now to go up to jerusalem , and purifie the temple that was desolate , and to offer unto god the sacrifices that were ordained by the law. then going up with a great multitude of people he found the temple desolate , the gates burned , and grass growing within the same : grieving therefore at so sad a spectacle , he began to weep , and all the people that were with him , and having chosen out some of his best souldiers , he commanded them to force the garisons which were in the fortresses , whilest himself purged the temple . then he caused to be made a table , a candlestick , and altar for incense , all of gold ; he put up a rail also , and set gates to the temple : and having thrown down the altar of burnt-offerings that was profaned by antiochus , he built a new one of stones neither hewed nor hammered : then on the twenty fifth of chasleu [ september ] were lights set in the candlestick , perfumes laid upon the altar , loaves set upon the table , and sacrifices offered upon the new altar , which was the same day three years wherein before the sacred service was changed into profane and hatefull impiety . then did judas with his country-men celebrate a feast unto the lord for eight daies , praising god with hymns and psalms . he enclosed the city also with a wall , and built high towers thereon , in which he planted garisons against the incursions of the enemies . he fortified also the city of betsura , that it might serve as a fort against the enemy . but the nations round about them , being greatly displeased with this prosperity of the jews , oppressed divers whom they surprised by ambushes and treachery ; whereupon judas warred against them to hinder their incursions : he slew many of the idumaeans , and brought away a great prey out of their country , and shut up the sonnes of baan ▪ their prince , who lay in waite for the jews , and after a siege , he overcame them , setting fire on their towers , and killing all the men that where therein . after this he made warre upon the ammonites , who had a mighty army under the conduct of timotheus : with these he fought and overcame them , and took their city of jazor , and burned it , leading their wives and children into captivity , and so returned into judaea : but the neighbouring nations hearing of his departure , assembled themselves together against the jews in galaad , who retiring into the sort of dathema , sent to judas , requesting him to come and relieve them ; and whilest he was reading their letters , other messengers came out of galile , informing him that they were assaulted by the inhabitants of ptolomais , tyre , and sidon , and others there abouts . hereupon judas commanded his brother simon to take three thousand chosen men , and with them to relieve those jews that were assailed in galile : and himself with his brother jonathan , accompanied with eight thousand fighting men , marched into galaad , leaving the rest of his forces under two other captains , whom he commanded to have a watchfull eye over judaea , yet not to joyn battell with any enemy till his returne . simeon in galile fought against his enemies , discomfited them , pursued them to the gates of ptolemais , and slew about three thousand ; and having gathered their spoils , he released many jews that were prisoners , restored their goods to them , and so returned home . but judas having passed jordan , and marched three daies journey , he met the na●athians , who told him that his brethren were besieged in their castles and cities , and some of them were already brought into great exrteamity and penury : hereupon he first assailed the inhabitants of bosra , tooke their city , set it on fire , and killed all the men that were able to bea● arms : then marching all night , he came early in the morning to the castle , where the jews were besieged by tymothies army . the enemies were just then raising their ladders to scale the walls , and applying their engins for battery : then did he incourage his men to fight valiantly for their brethren that were in danger , and causing his trumpets to sound , he distributed his forces into three battalions , wherewith he assaulted the enemies , but they , hearing that it was mac●abaeus , were struck with so great a fear , that immediately they fled : judas with his men pursuing them , slew about eight thousand , and then marching to malla [ a city of the enemies ] he surprised it , slew all the men therein , and burnt it with fire ; after which he destroyed chaspomo , bosor , and divers other places . shortly after timothy leavied another great army , hired many of the syrians , and drew forth all his allies to his assistance ; with these he marched to jordan exhorting them valiantly to oppose the jews and to hinder their passage over the river , telling them that if the jews gat over , they were sure to be put to the worst : judas hearing hereof , marched hastily against his enemies , and having passed the river , he presently set upon them , killing some , and grievously affrighting the rest , who casting away their arms , immediately fled ; some of them to save themselves fled into a temple called carnain , but judas having taken the city and temple , slew them and burnt the same . then did he lead away with him all the jews that lived in galaad , together with their wives , children and substance , and brought them into judaea . when he drew near to the town of ephron , they had baricadoed up his way that he could not pass : then did he send ambassadors to them , to desire them to open his passage ; which when they refused , he besieged the city , took it by assault , burned it down , and slew all the men that were therein . after having passed over jordan , they came into judaea with great joy and gladnesse , praising god , and offering sacrifices of thanksgiving to him , for the safe return of his army ; for that in all those battels and encounters , he had not lost one jew . but whilest judas and simon were gone upon these expeditions , the two captains which he had left to command the garisons of judaea , being desirous to obtain the reputation of valiant men , tooke their forces , and went towards jamnia ; against whom gorgias , governor of that place , issued out , and slew two thousand of them ; the rest fled to judaea . afterwards judas and his brethren warred against the idumaeans , took divers of their cities , and with a great booty returned home with great joy . antiochus in the meane time being in persia , heard of a wealthy city called elymais , in which was a rich temple of diana , &c. thither he went , and besieged it , but the inhabitants sallied out , and with great losse drave him from thence , whereupon he returned to babylon : there also news was brought unto him of the overthrow of his captains in judaea , and that the jews were grown strong ; which together with his former defeat , so wrought upon him , that he fell sick , and finding no hope of recovery , he called his most familiar friends to him , and told them that his sicknesse was violent and desperate , and that he was plagued with this grevous affliction , for that he had tormented the people of the jews , destroyed their temple , committed horrible sacriledge , and contemned the reverence of god ; but now he vowed , that if it would please the lord to restore him , he would become a jew , and do many great things for the people of god ; as also that he would goe through all the known world to declare the power of god. notwithstanding which , the lord knowing his hypocrisie continued to plague him after a terrible manner : he had a remedilesse pain in his bowels , and intollerable torments in all his inward parts : his body bred abundance of worms , which continually crawled out of the same : yea , he so rotted above ground , that by reason of the intollerable stink , no man could endure to come near him , neither could he himselfe indure the same : and thus this vile person who had formerly in a proud and insolent manner protested that he would make jerusalem a common burying place , and the streets thereof to run with the bloud of gods people ; by gods just judgement ended his life in extream misery : but before his death , he called philip one of his chief captains , and made him governour of his kingdom , requiring him to be very carefull of his son antiochus . then was antiochus proclaimed king , and sirnamed eupator : about which time the garisons , and apostates that were in the fortress at jerusalem , did much mischief to the jews ; for setting unawares upon those that came to the temple to worship , and to offer their sacrifices , they slew them : hereupon judas resolved to cut off these garisons , and to that end he assembled all the people , and besieged them , and having made certain engins , and raised divers rams , he earnestly prosecuted the siege : but divers of those apostates escaping by night , went to antiochus , desiring him not to suffer them to perish , who for his fathers sake , had forsaken their religion , &c. then did antiochus send for his captains , commanding them to raise a mighty army , which accordingly they did , gathering together a hundred thousand footmen , and twenty thousand horsemen , and thirty two elephants ; with these forces he departed out of antioch , and made lysias generall of his army : then did he besiege bethsura , a strong city , but the inhabitants valiantly resisted him , and sallying out , burned his engines which he had prepared for battery . the king continuing the siege for a longe time , judas hearing of it , raised his siege from before the castle of jerusalem , and marched towards antiochus his army , and when he came neer to the enemies camp , he lodged his army in certain streights , called beth-zacharia . the king hearing thereof , raised his siege from bethsura , and marched to wards the streight where judas with his army was ; the king first caused his elephants to march thorow the streight ; about each elephant were a thousand footmen , and a hundred horsemen for his guard , each elephant carried a tower on his back , furnished with archers : the rest of his forces he caused to march two waies by the mountaines , commanding them with huge shouts and cries to assail their enemies , and to uncover their golden and brazen bucklers , that the reflection thereof might dazle the eies of the jews ; yet was not judas at all amated , but entertained the army with a noble courage , slaying about six hnundred of the forlorn hope : but eleazer , judas brother , seeing a huge elephant armed with royall trappings , supposing that the king was upon him , he ran against him with a noble courage , and having slain divers that were about the elephant , he thrust his sword into the belly of the beast , so that the elephant falling upon him , slew him with his weight . judas seeing the great strength of his enemies , retired back to jerusalem ; and antiochus sent back part of his army against bethsura , and with the rest , he marched on towards jerusalem . the bethsurites despairing of relief , and their provisions failing them , surrendred their city , having the kings oath that no out-rage should be offered to them , yet he thrust them out of the city and placed a garison in it . he spent also along time in besieging the temple at jerusalem , they within defending it gallantly ; for against every engine that the king erected , they set up a contrary engine : their only want was of victuals , because ( it being the seventh year ) the land had not been tilled ; whereupon divers of them fled away secretly , so that very few remained for the defence of the temple . but behold the good providence of god! just then came tidings to antiochus , that philip coming out of persia , intended to make himself lord and master of the country , antiochus concluded to give over the siege and to march against philip ; but first he sent an herauld to judas , promising them peace , and liberty to live according to their religion , which conditions judas accepting of , took an oath from the king for performance , and so surrendred up the temple . whereupon antiochus entred the same , and seeing it so impregnable a pl●ce , contrary to his oah he commanded his army to levell the wall that environed it , and then he returned to antioch , leading away with him onias , surnamed m●nalaus , the high-priest , whom , by the counsell of lysias , he put to death , because he had advised his father to enforce the jews to forsake their religion : a just reward for so wicked a fact . antiochus finding that philip had already conquered much of his country , went straite against him , fought with him , and slew him . presently after demetrius the son of seleucus took possession of tripolis in syria , and setting the diadem upon his own head , he leavied an army , and invaded the kingdom of antiochus . the people generally submitted themselves to him , and laying hold of antiochus and lysias , they brought them both to demetrius , who caused them to be slain . to this new king , divers jews ( banished for their impiety ) together with alcimus their high-priest , resorted , a●cusing their nation , and in particular judas and his brethren for killing their friends , and banishing such as were friends to demetrius . demetrius was much moved with these reports , and therefore he sent a greate army under bacchides , a valiant and experienced captain , with commission to kill judas and his confederates . bacchides with his army marched into judea , sending an herauld to judas and his brethren , pretending peace , when he intended to surprize them by subtilty and treachery . but judas seeing that he came with so great an army , found out his drift , and would not trust him : yet many of the people were deceived with his proclamation of peace , and therefore submitted to live under his government , first having received an oath from him , that neither they , nor any of their followers should be endamaged : but when they had committed themselves to him , he falsified his oath , and slew sixty of them . then removing his army from jerusalem , he came to the village of bethzeth , where , apprehending many of the jews , he slew them all , and commanded the rest in the country to obey alcimus , with whom he left a part of his army , and so returned to antioch unto demetrius . alcimus by his feigned and familiar deportment , drew many more of the wicked jews to joyn with him , and then he went with his army thorow the country , and slew all that took part with judas . judas perceiving that hereby many upright men , and such as feared god were slain ; he also with his army went thorow the land , and slew all the apostates that were of alcimus his faction . whereupon alcimus repaired to demetrius , and made greivous complaints against judas ; who fearing that if judas prospered , it would be prejudiciall to his estate , he sent nicanor to make warre against him , and having furnished him with a sufficient army , he commanded him that he should not spare any one of that nation . nicanor coming to jerusalem ; offered no act of hostility , endeavouring to entrap judas by subtilty , sending him a peaceable message , wherein he protested that he would do him no injury , and that he came only to express the good affections of demetrius to the nation of the jews . judas and his brethren being deceived with this glozing message entertained him and his army . nicanor then saluted judas , but whilest he was conferring with him , he gave a sign to his souldiers to lay hands on him ; but judas discovering the treason , brake from him , and escaped to his army . then did nicanor resolve to make open war upon him , and bad him battel near to a burrough called capar-salama , where he obtained the victory , and constrained judas to retreat into the fortress at jerusalem ; there did nicanor besiege him for a while , and then retired ; at which time certain of the priests and elders met him , and having done their reverence , they shewed him those sacrifices which they intended to offer to god for the kings prosperity ; but he blaspheming , threatned them , that if they did not deliver judas into his hands , he would destroy the temple at his return . hereupon the priests wept abundantly , praying unto god to defend the temple , together with those which called on his name therein , from the outrage of their enemies . nicanor coming neer to bethoron , received a greate supply of souldiers out of syria . judas also was about thirty furlongs distant from him not having above a thousand men , yet he exhorted them not to fear the multitude of their enemies , but to set couragiously upon them , expecting help from god ; and so encountering with nicanor , there was a very doubtfull conflict , yet judas had the upper hand , and slew a great number of the enemies . nicanor himselfe also fighting valiantly , was slain ; whereupon his army fled : but judas speedily pursuing , made a great slaughter , and by sound of trumpet , giving notice to the neighbouring places , the inhabitants thereof betook themselves to their weapons , and meeting those that fled , they slew them , so that no one escaped from this battel , though they were at least nine thousand men . then ensued a little peace to the jews . shortly after alcimus the high-priest , intending to beat down an old wall of the sanctuary , was suddenly striken by god , became speechless , and fell to the ground , and having endured many grievous torments for many dayes , he died miserably . then did the people by a generall consent give his place to judas : who hearing of the great power and victories of the romans , sent two of his intimate friends to rome , to intreate the romans to be their allies and confederates , and to write to demetrius to give over his wars against the jews . the embassadors coming to rome , were intertained by the senate , and friendship concluded betwixt them , upon these conditions ; that none under the romans should war against the jews , nor furnish their enemies with victuals , ships or silver : that if any enemies should assail the jevvs , the romans should succour them to the uttermost of their povver ; that if any made vvar upon the romans , the jevvs should succour them ; that if the jevvs vvould add or diminish any thing from this association , it should be done vvith the common advice of the romans ; and that vvhat should so be ordained , should remain irrevocable . nicanors death , and the discomfiture of his army being reported to demetrius , he sent another army under bacchides , vvho coming into judaea , and hearing that judas vvas encamped at bethzeth , he marched against him vvith tvventy thousand footmen , and tvvo thousand horsemen . judas had not in all above tvvo thousand men , vvho seeing the multitude of bacchides army , vvere afraid , so that some , forsaking the camp , fled avvay , insomuch as there then remained vvith judas but eight hundred men . his enemies also pressed so upon him , that he had no time to re-assemble his forces , yet he resolved to fight vvith those eight hundred men , vvhom he exhorted to be of good courage , and to fight valiantly : but they answered , that they were not able to make head against so great an army , and therefore they adviced him to retire , and stand on his guard , till he had gathered more forces : judas replied , god forbid that the sun should see me turn my back upon the enemies ; though i die , and spend my last blood in this battle , yet will i never soil my former worthy actions by an ignominious flight . and so having encouraged his souldiers , he commanded them without apprehension of danger , to bend themselves altogether against the enemy . bacchides drew out his army , arranged them in battle , placing his horse-men in the wings , his archers , and light-armed men in the front , and then the macedonian phalanx , and so causing his trumpets to sound , and his souldiers to shout , he charged his enemies . judas did the like , and encountred bacchides , so that there was a most cruel conflict , which continued till sun-set . judas perceiving that bacchides , and the flower of his army fought in the right wing , he chose out the most resolute of his souldiers , and drew them towards that quarter , and set upon them , brake their squadron , and thrusting into the midst of them , he forced them to flie , and pursued them as far as to the mount aza ; but the left wing followed judas , and so enclosed him on the back part . he seeing himself thus enclosed , resolved with his followers to fight it out to the last . he slew a great number of his enemies , till at last he was so wearied , that ●he fell to the ground , and was there slain : his souldiers seeing him dead , betook themselves to flight . simon and jonathan his brothers , by intreaty recovered his body , carried it to modim , where they interred it , all the people weeping divers days for him ; and jonathan his brother succeeded him in the government . chap. v. the martyrdom of the maccabees . whilst antiochus epiphanes was living , he thrust out onias the high-priest from his office , and put into his room jason his brother , whereupon jason promised to pay him yearly three thousand six hundred and sixty talents of silver . this wicked jason presently forced all the people to forsake their religion , and to build baths : he hindered the defence and building of the temple . hereat god was very wroth , and stirred up antiochus to go to jerusalem , where he was gallantly entertained by the jews . then did he presently make an edict , that whosoever of the jews refused to offer sacrifice to the gods , he should presently be broken to pieces on the wheel . but those that were godly did little esteem that edict . antiochus perceiving that the rigour of his edict prevailed little , and that many chose rather to die , then to forsake their religion , he sitting in an eminent place , and calling all the jews together , caused swines-flesh to be sacrificed on the altar , and to be offered to every hebrew to eat . amongst the multitude thus assembled , there was one eleazer , a priest a man that feared god , and one who was very aged , of a reverend countenance , and famous for his vertue ; to him antiochus said , be advised by me , holy old man , to avoid those torments which are prepared for the obstinate ; preserve thy reverend age , and contemn not the benefit of life ; take the sacrifice , and eat of the swines-flesh , for no wise man will credit the jews opinion to refuse that meat which nature hath ordained for mans use , as well as any other : why should this beast be more abominable then others ? &c. or , suppose your laws are to be observed , yet will they excuse thee , seeing thou sinnest not voluntarily , but by compulsion ? to whom eleazer answered ; we , o antiochus , follow not vanity , but the verity of religion , and fear of torments cannot make us embrace another : but suppose that the religion left us by our fore-fathers had no firm ground , yet should not torments make me forsake it . do not esteem it a small matter to eat forbidden meat , and to taste of that which is sacrificed to idols ; for it is a profane thing to touch things that are prophane , and we are taught by our law to suffer with patience whatsoever , for gods cause , is inflicted upon us , &c. and therefore i refuse this profane meat , well knowing what i ought to eat , as warranted by gods law , which i have learned to obey , &c. and herein will i persist , though with tyrannous hand thou pluck out mine eyes , or with a sharp knife rip up my entrails . think not that because i am old , my body is feeble : if i must be sacrificed for gods sake , thou shalt find me as lusty , and constant as a young man , and most joyfull in torments . prepare an extraordinary fire , or what else thou pleasest , thou shalt find me more constant in the midst of all torments , then i am now before they come , &c. the chaste , and pure company of fathers shall receive me into their number , where i shall not fear ( o impious king ) thy threats , &c. whilst eleazer spake thus boldly , the souldiers haled him to be tortured , and stripping him naked , they hanged him up , and whipped him : and whilst on either side he was thus beaten , one cryed , obey the kings pleasure and command . but this worthy man was not overcome by torment , but suffered as though he had been in a sleep : and fixing his venerable eyes upon heaven , he knew in whom he believed , and to whom he sacrificed his life , and beholding the flesh on each side of his body rent and torn with stripes , and the bloud issuing out abundantly , he admired his own patience , and thanked god the author of it : at last finding his own frailty , scarce able to endure such torments , he fell upon his face , which with stripes was all rent , and torne , still glorifying god , as he did before : then a souldier , to gratifie the king like a mad man , did spurn , and tread upon him , to encrease his sufferings : but eleazer , strong in body and minde , like a champion of the true god , did never shrink at those pains , but by patience overcame the cruelty of his tormentors ; so that his torturers admired that he should be able to bear them : then the kinges officers said , how long wilt thou forbear to obey the king ? eat swines flesh and free thy self from all that thou endurest . eleazer , though hitherto he had been silent in all his torments , yet could he not hear such profane counsel without answering , whereupon he cryed out ; we hebrews are not so effeminate as to forsake the way of salvation wherein we walk to our old-age , neither are we taught for feare of contumely , which will not long endure , to give others an occasion , and example to sin , &c. wilt thou , o tyrant , esteem of us if we should yield unto thee ? nay , thou mightst justly reprove our inconstancy : then did the souldiers , by the kings command , cast him into the fire , and poured stinking , and loathsome liquors into his nostrils , all which he patiently suffered , till he was consumed in the flames : yet when nature began to fail , lifting up his dazled eyes to heaven , he said , thou , o god , art he from whom life , and salvation proceedeth : behold i die for observing thy laws : be mercifull to this thy nation , and forsake not them whom hitherto thou hast protected in thy bosom , and under the shadow of thy wings , let my death end all misery , &c. and so he joyfully yielded up the ghost . antiochus was but more incensed hereby , and therefore he caused seven children of the hebrews to be brought to antioch , who being young , and therefore , as he thought , weak , and unable to endure torments , he presumed that either by perswasion , or fear , he should enforce them to forsake their religion . then he commanded these seven , together with their mother salamona now aged , to be brought before him : they were of excellent beauty , and worthy children of so vertuous a mother . the tyrant beholding them , with a merry countenance , craftily spake unto them : i wish your good , o admirable young men , do not therefore like mad men resist my commands : avoid not only torments , but death also : i desire not only to exalt you to honour , but to encrease your riches , and possessions : contemn therefore your own superstition , and embrace our religion : if you refuse this ( as i hope you will not ) i will devise all torments , that by a lingring , and painfull death , i may consume you : and to terrifie them the more , he caused all sorts of instruments for torment to be brought forth before them , as wheels , rods , hooks , racks , cauldrons , cages , gridirons , &c. with engines to torment the fingers , and hands , as gauntlets , auls , bellows , brazen-pots , and frying-pans , &c. then said he , obey me , o prudent young men , for if i command that which is a sin , yet do not you offend , being compelled to it . but these holy young men , inflamed with a divine spirit , contemned these torments , and despised both threats and flateries , denying to eat of the sacrificed swines flesh , and saying : wherefore , o tyrant , dost thou persecute us that are innocent ? we desire to die , and will , till death expels life , firmly keep that which god commanded and moses taught us : and therefore seek not , o tyrant to seduce us by protesting thy unfeigned love : thou lover of in justice , master of cruelty , deviser of iniquity , the pardon thou proferrest is more painfull to us then punishments : we contemn death , and esteem not thy words , our master eleazer having taught us to despise them . why dost thou expect such pusillanimity in us young men , when of late thou foundest such courage in an old man ? thou canst not know our minds except by tearing our bodies thou searchest them out : we will willingly for our god suffer any thing , and expect heaven , whilst thou for thy cruelty to innocents , shalt be reserved to eternal fire . the tyrant greatly moved herewith , caused them to be beaten with buls-pizels : first commanding maccabeus the eldest to be stripped , and stretched out upon a rack , and his hands to be bound , and so to be most cruelly beaten , who so wearied his tormentors by sufferring , that they rather desired to give over , then he requested it : then was he put upon a wheel , and a weight hanged at his feet , and so stretched round about it , that his sinews and entrails brake , yet all this while he called upon god : and then said to the tyrant : o bloudy tyrant , who persecutest the majesty of god ; i whom thou thus tormentest , am no witch , nor murtherer , but one who dies for observing gods law : and when the tormentors , overcome with compassion , willed him to submit to the kinges pleasure , he said ; o ye wicked ministers of tyranny ! your wheels are not so sharp and cruel , that i thereby will be forced to forsake heaven , whereon my minde is fixed : tear my flesh , yea if you please , rost it at the fire : torture each parcel of my body with severall cruelties , yet you shall not be able to force us young men to impiety . as he thus spake , a fire was kindled , & he thus racked on the wheel , was thrown into it , and by flames was so burned that his bowels appeared , yet was his minde unmoved , and in the midst of his torments he cryed thus to his brethren ; o beloved brethren , make me your example ; despise the alluring baits of this world ; obey god rather then this tyrant , who can if he please humble the proud and mighty , and exalt the dejected : then was he taken from the fire ; and slain alive ; his tongue was pulled out of his head , and he put into a frying pan , and so he departed out of this life , to the admiration of his enemies , and the joy of his mother , and brethren . then was the second brother , called aber , haled by the souldiers ; and the tyrant shewed him all those instruments of torment , and asked him if he would eat of the sacrifice ? which he , denying to do , his hands were bound with iron chains , and being hanged up thereby , the skin of his body was slain from the crown of his head to his knees , so that the entrails in his brest were seen : then was he cast to a cruel libard , greedily thirsting after blood , but the beast smelling at him , forgat his cruelty , and went from him , without doing him any harm : this increased the tyrants rage , and aber by his torments grew more constant , crying aloud , o how pleasant is that death to me , which is caused by all sorts of torments for gods sake ! yea , the more pleasant , because i know i shall be rewarded in heaven ; let these torments , o tyrant , satisfie thy cruelty , for my pain is not increased by them , but my pleasure , as thou shalt find by my patience in these sufferings ; i am more willing to suffer , then thou to punish , yet my pain is less in suffering , then thine by inflicting : i am tormented for keeping the law , thou by gods justice shalt be banished from thy regal seat , yea , eternal torments are prepared for thee , which neither thy prophane mind is able to endure , nor thy power to decline , &c. and so shortly after he yielded up his soul to god. then machir the third son was brought , whom all pitied , and exhorted by his brothers examples to forsake his opinion , and so decline the punishment ; but he being angry at such counsel , replied , one father begat us , one mother bore us , one master instructed us , &c. therefore no longer prolong the time in vain ; i came to suffer , not to speak , use all the tyranny that possibly you can against my body yet have you no power over my soul. this so moved the tyrant , that he devised new torments beyond the reach of humane wit ; and commanding a globe to be brought , he caused him to be tied about it in such sort , that all his bones were put out of joint , hanging one from another in a most pitifull manner ; yet was the holy martyr nothing dismaid ; then the skin of his head and face was pulled off , and then was he put upon the wheel , but he could be racked no worse , for all his bones were dislocated before ; the blood issuing from him abundantly , he said , we , o tyrant , endure this torment for the love of god , and thou the author of such cruelty , shalt be punished with everlasting pain ; then was his tongue cut out , and he being put into a fiery frying pan , resigned his spirit unto god. next followed judas the fourth brother , whom all the people perswaded to obey the king : but he said , your fire shall not separate me from the law of god , nor from my brethren ; to thee , o tyrant , i denounce destruction , but to such as believe , salvation : try me thou cruel wretch , and see if god will not stand by me , as he did by my three brethren now in glory , &c. the cruel tyrant hearing this , was so inraged , that he leaped down from his chaire to torment this martyr himselfe ; he commanded also his tongue to be cut out , to whom judas said , thy cruelty will nothing avail thee , our god needs not by voice to be awaked , &c. he heareth such as call upon him with their hearts , and know's our thoughts afar off , &c. cut out my tongue if thou please , would thou wouldst so sanctifie all the parts of my body , &c. and think not that thou shalt long escape unpunished : then was his tongue cut out , and he bound to a stake , was beaten with ropes ends , which torments he bore with admirable patience : after which he was put upon the wheel , where he ended his life , and went to the rest of his brethren . then spake achas the fift brother , behold , o tyrant , i come to be punished before thou commandest me , therefore hope not to alter his minde that desireth to be tormented : the bloud of my innocent brethren hath condemned thee to hell , i shall make up the fift , that by it thy torments may be increased : what offence have we committed that thou thus ragest against us ? &c. all that thou canst alledge against us is , that we honour god and live in obedience to his laws , and therefore we esteem not punishment , which is an honour to us ; though no part of us be left untormented , yet we shall be the more rewarded by god. then at the command of the kings the executioner cast him into a brazen pot , where he was prest down with his head to his feet , and afterwards he sufferred all the torments inflicted on his brethren , but he was so far from being discouraged , that suddenly starting up , he said , cruel tyrant , how great benefits dost thou ( though against thy will ) bestow upon us ! yea the more thou ragest , the more acceptable to god shalt thou make us ; therefore i shall be sorry if thou shewest me any mercy : by this temporall death , i shall go to everlasting life . and having thus finished his sufferings , he died . then was areth the sixt brother brought , to whom the tyrant proferred the choise of honour , or punishment ; but he being grieved at this profer , said , o tyrant , though i be younger in years then my brethren , yet the constancy of my minde is not inferiour ; as we have lived , so we will die together in the fear of god : hasten therefore thy torments , and what time thou wouldest spend in exhorting me , spend it in devising torments for me . whereupon antiochus in a rage , commanded him to be tied to a pillar with his head downwards : then caused he a fire to be made at such a distance , as might not burn , but rost him : then he made them prick him with awles , that the heat might pierce the sorer : in these torments much bloud , like froth , gathered about his head and face ; yet said he , o noble fight ! o valiant warre ! o strife between piety and impiety ! my brethren have past through their agonies , whose crown of martyrdom is the punishment of their persecutors . i willingly follow them , that as by blood i am conjoyned to them , so by death i may not be separated from them . devise , o tyrant , some new torment , for i have overcome these already : o master of cruelty , enemy of piety , and persecutor of justice ! we young men have conquered thy power , thy fire is cold , and heateth not : thy weapons are bended , and blunted in our bodies ; our god giveth us more courage to suffer , then thou hast to punish , &c. as he thus spake , they pulled out his tongue with an hot pair of tongs , and lastly frying him in a frying pan , he gave up the ghost . there being now only the youngest brother left , called jacob , he , presenting himself before the tyrant , moved him to some compassion , wherefore he called the child to him , and taking him aside by the hand , he said , by the example of thy brethren thou seest what to expect if thou disobeyest me ; therefore deliver thy self from these torments , and i will give thee what honour my kingdom can afford : thou shalt be a ruler , generall of my army , my counceller &c. but when this prevailed not , he called his mother , who coming , and standing by her son , the tyrant said to her , o worthy woman , where now are all thy children ? yet thou hast one remaining ; advise him therefore not to ruine himself , and to leave thee childless by his obstinacy , &c. the mother bowing her self to the king , said to her child in hebrew , that she might not be understood of others , pity and comfort thy sorrowfull mother , o my son , who bare thee nine moneths in my womb , gave thee suck with my brests three years , and with great care have brought thee up hitherto . i pray thee , dear son , consider the heavens and earth , and remember that god created them all of nothing , &c , fear not therefore these pains and torments , but imitate thy brethren , and contemn death , that in the day of mercy i may receive thee with thy brethren again in heaven . then did he desire to be unbound , which being granted , he immediately ran to the torments , and coming where was a frying pan red hot , he said to the king ; cruel tyrant , i now know thee , not only to have been cruel to my brethren , but even cruelty it self . wretch that thou art , who gave thee these purple robes ? who exalted thee to thy kingdom ? even he whom thou in us dost persecute , whose servants thou tormentest and killest , for which thy self shalt suffer eternal torments ; though thou art above others , yet he that made other men , made thee also of the same nature , for all are born , and must die alike . he that kils another , sheweth that he himself may be killed ; thou tearest and tormentest thine own image all in vain ? in thy fury thou killest him , whom god created like thy self , &c. thou pullest out our tongues , tearest our bodies with flesh-hooks , and consumest us with fire ; but they that have already suffered , have received everlasting joyes , and everlasting punishments attend thee . think not that i expect any favour , i will follow my brethren , and remain constant in keeping gods law. the tyrant herewith inraged , caused him to be tormented ; but his mother comforted him , and with her kind hands held his head , when through violence of the torturers , the blood issued out of his mouth , nose , and privy parts ; the tormentors not ceasing till his life was almost spent ; but then giving over , god gave him strength to recover , and to endure more then any of his brethren had done . at last his hands and arms being cut off , with his eyes lift up to heaven , he cryed , o * adonai . be mercifull unto me , and receive me into the company of my brethren . &c. then was his tongue pulled out , and he of his own accord going into the fiery frying pan , to the great admirarion of antiochus , died . the mother seeing all her children dead , was inflamed with a holy zeal to suffer martyrdom also ; and despising the tyrants threats , she offered her motherly brest to those torments which her children had suffered before her . indeed herein she excelled them all , in that she had suffered seven painfull deaths , before she came to suffer in her own person , and feared in every one of them , lest she should have been overcome . she alone with dry eyes did look upon them whilst they were torn in pieces , yea , she exhorted them thereunto , rejoycing to see one torn with flesh-hooks , another racked upon the wheel , a third bound and beaten , a fourth burned , and yet she exhorted the rest not to be terrified thereby ; and though her grief in beholding their torments was greater then that which she had in child-birth , yet did she frame a chearfull countenance , as if it had been one triumphing , wishing rather the torments of their bodies then of their souls ; for she knew that nothing was more frail then our lives , which are often taken away by agues , fluxes , and a thousand other ways . therefore when they were first apprehended , she thus exhorted them in the hebrew tongue , o my most dear and loving children , let us hasten to that agony which may credit our profession , and be rewarded by god with eternal life . let us fearlesly present our bodies to those torments which aged eleazer endured . let us call to mind our father abraham , who having but one only son ▪ willingly sacrificed him at gods command , and feared not to bring him to the altar , whom with many prayers he had obtained in his old age . remember daniel , the three children , &c. antiochus being enraged against her , caused her to be stripped naked , hanged up by the hands , and cruelly whipt : then were her dugs and paps pulled off , and her self put into the red hot frying pan ; where lifting up her eyes and hands to heaven , in the midst of her prayers she yielded up her chast soul unto god. but god suffered not the cruel tyrant to escape unpunished , for in his wars against the persians , the lord struck him with madness , his intrals were devoured with worms , and stinking like a carrion , in the extremity of his torments he gave up the ghost . concerning this antiochus , daniel , chap. . , . &c. saw in the vision , that there came forth a little horn , which waxed exceeding great towards the south , and towards the east , and towards the pleasant land , and it waxeth great even towards the host of heaven , and it cast down some of the host , and of the stars to the ground , and stamped upon them : yea , he magnified himself even to the prince of the host , and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away , and the place of the sanctuary was cast down . and an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression , and it cast down the truth to the ground , and it practised and prospered . which afterwards is thus interpreted by the angel unto daniel , verse . &c. in the latter time of their kingdom , when the transgressors are come to the full , a king of fiery countenance , and understanding dark sentences shall stand up , and his power shall be mighty , but not by his own power , and he shall destroy wonderfully , and shall prosper , and practise , and shall destroy the mighty and holy people : and through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand , and he shall magnifie himself in his heart , and by peace shall destroy many : he shall also stand up against the prince of princes , but he shall he broken without hand . collected out of josephus , and the books of the maccabees . here place the first figure . chap. vi. the persecution of the church from christs time to our present age ; and first of those mentioned in the new testament herod the great , hearing by the wise men of one that was born king of the jews , and being informed by the chief priests and the scribes , that the place of his birth should be bethlehem of judah , he sent forth souldiers , and slew all the children that were in bethlehem , and in all the coasts thereof , from two years old and under , hoping thereby to have destroyed christ : for which cruel fact the lord gave him over to such a spirit of phrensie , that he slew his own wife , his children , and nearest kins-folks , and familiar friends . and shortly after gods heavy judgement fell upon him by a grievous sickness , which was a slow and slack fire in his inward parts ; and withal , he had a greedy appetite after food , and yet nothing sufficed him ; he had also a rotting in his bowels , and a greivous flux in his fundament ; a moist and running humour about his feet , and the like malady vexed him about his bladder ; his privy members putrified , engendring abundance of worms which continually swarmed out . he had a short and stinking breath , with a great pain in breathing ; and through all the parts of his body such a violent cramp , as humane strength was not able to endure . yet longing after life , he sent for physitians from all parts , by whose advice he went to the hot bathes of calliroe ; but finding no ease thereby , his torments still encreasing , he sought to lay violent hands upon himself , if he had not been prevented by his friends , and so in extream misery , he ended his wretched life . then herod the less having married the daughter of aretas , king of arabia , put her away , and took herodias , who had forsaken her husband philip , brother to herod ; for which incestuous and adulterous marriage , john baptist plainly reproved him ; whereupon at the instigation of herodias , herod first imprisoned him , and afterwards cut off his head : but the lord left not this murther long unpunished , for aretas raising an army against herod , for that ignominious dealing with his daughter , in a pitched battel wholly overthrew him , and cut off all his hoast , not longe after herod falling into disgrace with the roman emperour , he , with his incestuous herodias were banished to vienna in france , where they ended their wretched lives with much shame and misery . after the ascension of our lord jesus christ , peter and john , having cured a man that was born lame , and preaching jesus to the people , upon that occasion they were apprehended , and cast into prison by the priests and captain of the temple , who the next day , having examined them , threatned to punish them , if they spake any more in that name , and so dismissed them . yet afterwards the high-priests and the sadduces again laid hands on the apostles , and cast them into the common prison ; but in the night time the angel of the lord opened the prison doors , and released them , ast. . , . the next day , as they were preaching to the people , they were again apprehended , and carried before the counsel , ver . , . at whose command they were beaten , and so dismissed , ver , . then were false witnesses suborned against steven , who accused him for speaking blasphemous words against moses , and against god , act. . . for which being apprehended and brought before the councel , he was there condemned , led out of the city , and stoned to death , chap. . . after this there was a general persecution raised up against the church of christ in jerusalem , whereby all the faithfull were scattered abroad throughout the regions of judea and samaria , except the apostles , chap. . . saul also made great havock of the church , entring into every house , haling both men and women , and committing them to prison , verse . then saul , after his conversion , preaching christ boldly , the enraged jews took counsel , and lay in wait to kill him , watching the gates of damascus , where he then was , both day and night ; but the disciples took him by night , and let him down over the wall in a basket , whereby he escaped , act. . , &c. then rose up a third herod , called also agrippa , who , not taking warning by his predecessors calamities , fell to persecuting the church of christ , and sending for james , the brother of john , before him , he condemned him to be beheaded : concerning whom clemens reports , that he which drew james before the tribunal seat , when he saw him so cheerfully embracing the sentence of death , was exceedingly moved therewith , and voluntarily confessed himself to be a christian , and so was condemned to be beheaded with him : as they went in the way to execution , he requested the apostle james to pardon him , who after a little pause , turning to him , said , peace be unto thee ; and kissed him , and so they were beheaded both together . herod seeing that the death of james pleased the jews , he took peter also , and delivered him to four quaternions of souldiers to keep him in prison , intending after the passover to put him to death ; but the night before he should suffer , as he was sleeping , bound with two chains to tvvo souldiers , and the keepers watching before the prison doors , an angel came and awaked him , causing his chains to fall off , and so going before him , he led him out of prison , causing the iron gate to open to them , and having brought him out of danger , left him . but this cruel persecuting herod scaped no better then his predecessors had done , for being arraied in glistering and royal apparel , and sitting upon his throne , he made an oration to his people , who like flattering court parasites , gave a shout , saying , it is the voice of a god , and not of a man : whereupon the angel of the lord immediately smote him , and he was eaten of worms , and gave up the ghost , verse , &c. in the fifty fourth year of his age , and the seventh of his reign , and under claudius caesar. then the wicked jews stirred up the gentiles against paul and barnabas at iconium , so that being in danger to be stoned to death , they fled into lycaonia , act. . , ▪ . again at ly●tra they stirred up the gentiles against them , whereupon paul was stoned and drawn out of the city , and left for dead , but it pleased god that he revived , and so escaped to derbe , ver . . . afterwards paul and silas , for casting a spirit of divination out of a damosel at philippi , were dragged before the rulers , who caused them to be whipt , and cast into prison . but the magistrates afterwards hearing that they were romans , were much afraid , as having done more then they could answer , and therefore they came to them , released them out of prison , and besought them to depart out of their city , act. . ● , . presently after at thessalonica , the jews again stirred up the people against paul and silas , and raising up an uproar , they sought for them in the house of jason , and not meeting with them there , they drew forth jason himself , and some brethren before the rulers , who giving security for their forth-coming , were dismissed . yet these wretched jews followed paul to berea also , and there stirred up a persecution against him , whereby he was forced to depart . at corinth also they made an insurrection , caught paul , and brought him before gallio , deputy of achaia , and when he would be a judge of no such matters , they took sosthenes the chief ruler of the synagogue , and beat him before the judgement seat , acts . , . afterwards at ephesus , demetrius that made silver shrines for diana , raised an uproar , and having caught caius and aristarchus , pauls companions , they with them rushed into the theatre ; but this tumult being allayed by the wisdom of the town-clark , paul hasted away into macedonia , cap. . , &c. paul at last returning to jerusalem , the asian jews finding him in the temple , stirred up all the people , and laid hands on him ; but as they were about to kill him , he was rescued by the chief captain of the romans , chap. . , . then being brought forth before the counsel of the jews , he was first smitten by the command of the high-priest , chap. . . and afterwards being in danger of being pulled to pieces , he was again rescued by the captain , ver . . then above forty of those desperate jevvs , bound themselves under a curse , that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed him , ver . , . hereupon he is sent to faelix at caesarea , who kept him in prison till his accusers came , ver . , . then being accused by tertullus , he clears himself ; yet because he vvould not bribe faelix , he is kept prisoner still . festus succeeding faelix , the jews importune him also for sentence against paul , or that he might be sent for to jerusalem , laying wait in the way to kill him , chap. . . but when that was denied them , they went to cesarea to accuse him there , whereupon he is forced to appeal to caesar , ver . . then he was sent to rome , and there committed prisoner to the captain of the guard , chap. . . where he continued prisoner at large for two years , and then being released , he visited the churches of greece and asia . afterwads he preached in spain and france , and at last returning into italy , he was again apprehended , and imprisoned at rome , where also he suffered martyrdom , as afterwards you shall hear . the jews being much displeased that they could not reak their teen upon paul , turn themselves against james the brother of christ : him therefore they bring , and set them in the midst of them , requiring him publickly to renounce the faith of christ : but he on the contrary made a bold and open confession of jesus to be the son of god , and the saviour of the world . then did they set him upon a pinacle of the temple , again requiring him in the audience of all the people , to tell them which is the way of jesus crucified ; to whom he answered , why ask you me of jesus the son of man , when as he sits at the right hand of god in heaven , and shall again come in the clouds of the air ? this so enraged the scribes and pharisees , that they threw him down head-long ; but he not being dead with the fall , gat upon his knees , and said , father , forgive them , for they know not what they do : then one taking a fullers club , struck him on the head , and brained him . this james was sirnamed justus , of whom aegesippus writes , that his knees were as hard as camels knees , by reason of his continual kneeling in prayer . but shortly after his death , vespasian came into judea , and subdued the jews : and his son titus destroyed jerusalem , and the temple . andrew the brother of peter , preached the gospel to the scythians , sogdians , and aethiopians , and was at last crucified by aegeas , king of edessa . philip preached the gospel in phrygia , and at last was crucified at hierapolis . bartholemew preached to the indians , and ( as some say ) was beaten with cudgels to death : or as others , he was flaid alive , and then beheaded . thomas preached unto the parthians , medes and persians , &c , and in indian he was slain with a dart . mathew preached to the aethiopians , and at last by the command of the king , was ran thorow with a sword . simon zelotes preached in mauritania and africk , and at length was crucified under traian , being above years old . judas the brother of james preached to the edesseans , and at last was slain by the command of the king. matthias preached first in macedonia , and afterwards coming into judea , he was by the jews first stoned , and then beheaded . mark the evangelist preached in alexandria , and the neighbouring regions , and afterwards was burnt by the furious idolaters . nicanor , one of the deacons , was martyred , together with two thousand other faithful christians . collected out of the new testament , and dorotheus . the persecution of the church under the heathen roman emperors . chap. vii . the first primitive persecution which began an. christi , . this first persecution was begun by domitius nero , the sixt emperour , anno . or thereabouts : the occasion whereof was this ; nero having passed over the first five years of his reign somewhat plausibly , he then began to fall to all manner of prodigious impieties : and amongst other wicked designs , he had a great desire to consume the stately imperial city of rome with fire ; pronouncing king priamus an happy man , because he beheld the end of his kingdom and countrey together ; yea , said he , let not all be ruined when i am dead , but whilst i am yet alive : and for the effecting of this villany , he sent divers to kindle the fire in sundry places ; yea , some of his own bed-chamber were seen to carry flax , toe , torches , &c. to further it : and when any attempted to quench it , they were threatned for it ; others openly hurled firebrands , crying , they knew what they did , there was one would bear them out . this fire first began amongst the oyl-men and drugsters ; the night-watch and praetorian guards did openly cherish it ; and when it was throughly kindled , nero went up to the top of maecenas tower , which over-looked the whole city , where he fed himself with the sight of infinite burnings , and sang to his harp , the burning of troy. amongst other stately buildings that were burned down , the circus , or race-yard was one , being about half a mile in length , of an oval form , with rows of seats one above another , capable to receive at least a hundred and fifty thousand spectators without uncivil shouldrings : but the particulars were innumerable , the damage inestimable ; besides which , many thousands of people perished ; the flame and smoak smothered some , the weight of ruins crusht others , the fire consumed others ; others threw themselves into the fire out of sorrow and despair , and villains slew many . but nero finding that this fire , which continued burning nine dayes , brought a great odium upon him ; to excuse himself , he transferred the fault upon the christians , as if out of malice they had done it , and thereupon he raised this first persecution against them . for there was at this present a flourishing church of christians in rome , even before st. paul's arrival there , and nero's own court was secretly garnished and enriched with some of those diamons , whose salutations the apostle remembers in his epistle to the philippians . but whilst nero with their blood , sought to quench and cover his own infamy , he procured to himself new envy ; whilst many that abhorred christians for their religion , commiserated their sufferings as undeserved . some he caused to be sewed up in the skins of wild beasts , and then worried them to death with dogs : some he crucified , others he burnt in publick , to furnish his evening sports with bonefires . many he caused to be packed up in paper stiffened in molten wax , with a coat of sear-cloth about their bodies , bound upright to axletrees , many of which were pitcht in the ground , and so set on fire at the bottom , to maintain light for nero's night-sports in his gardens . some of them were gored in length upon stakes , the one end fastened in the earth , the other thrust into their fundaments , and coming out at their mouths . nor did this persecution rage in rome alone , but it was extended generally over the whole empire , insomuch that a man might then have seen cities lie full of mens bodies , the old lying there together with the young , and the dead bodies of women cast out naked in the open streets , without all reverence of their sex . yea his rage and malice was so great , that he endeavoured to have rooted out the very name of christians in all places . whereupon tertullian said , that it could be no ordinary goodness which nero condemned ; and , saith he , we glory on the behalf of our sufferings , that they had such a dedicator as he : but this great persecution , like a blast , did spread the religion that it blew , and having continued four years from the first rising , is expired in two most shining blazes , viz. in the martyrdom of the two great apostles peter and paul : peter was crucified with his head down-wards , which manner of death himself made choice of , and whilst he thus hung upon the cross , he saw his wife going to her martyrdom , whereupon he much rejoyced ; and calling her by her name , he bad her remember the lord jesus christ. at the same time , also paul , before nero , made a confession of his faith , and of the doctrine which he taught ; whereupon he was condemned to be beheaded , and the emperor sent two of his esquires , ferega and parthemius , to bring him word of his death : they coming to paul , heard him instruct the people , and thereupon desired him to pray for them that they might believe ; who told them , that shortly after they should believe and be baptized : then the souldiers led him out of the city to the place of execution , where he prayed , and then gave his neck to the sword , and so was beheaded . this was done in the fourteenth , which was the last year of nero. collected out of the life of nero caesar , eusebius , and the book of martyrs . chap. viii . the second primitive persecution , which began anno . after the death of nero , there succeeded , first vespasian , and then his son titus in the empire , under both whom the church had rest , but titus associating to himself his brother flavius domitian in the government of the empire ; this wicked monster , first slew his brother , and then raised the second persecution against the church of christ. his pride was so great , that he commanded himself to be worshiped as god ; and that ima●es of gold and silver should be set up for his honour in the capitoll . his cruelty was unmeasurable . the chiefest nobles of the roman senators , either upon envy , or for their goods , he caused to be put to death . having also heard some rumors of christs kingdom , he was afraid , as herod had been before him ; and thereupon commanded all of the linage of david to be sought out and slain ; at last two poor christians that came of judas , the brother of christ according to the flesh , were brought before domitian , and accused to be of the tribe of juda , and of the line of david : then did the emperour demand of them what stock of money and possessions they had ; to whom they answered , that they two had not above thirty nine acres of land , out of which they payed tribute , and relieved themselves by their labour and industry , withal shewing him their hard and brawny hands , by reason of their labour . then did he ask them of christ , and of his kingdom ; to whom they answered , that christs kingdom was not of this world , but spiritual and celestial ; and that he would come at the last day to judge the quick and the dead . hereupon he despised them as simple and contemptible persons , and so dismissed them . he punished an infinite company of christians that were famous in the church , with exile , and loss of their substance . under this persecution it was that st. john , the beloved disciple , was first put into a vessel of boiling oyl , and coming safe without hurt , out of the same , he was then banished into the isle of patmos , anno . where he continued till after the death of domitian , but was released under pertinax : at which time he returned to ephesus , where he lived till he was a hundred and twenty years old . during his abode there , he was requested to repaire to some place not farre off , to order their ecclesiasticall affairs ; and being in a certain city , he beheld in the congregation a young man , mighty of body , of a beautifull countenance , and fervent minde ; whereupon calling the chief bishop unto him , he said , i commend this man unto thee with great diligence , in the witness here of christ and of the church . the bishop having received this charge , and promised his faithfull diligence therein , john spake the like words to him the second time also , after which he returned unto ephesus . the bishop having received this young man thus committed to his charge , brought him home , kept , nourished , instructed and baptized him ; and the young man so profited under him , that at last he was made the pastor of a congregation . but having by this means more liberty then before , some of his old companions began to resort unto him ; who first drew him forth to sumptuous and riotous banquets ; then inticed him to go abroad with them in the nights to rob and steal , and to much other wickedness . and he being of a good wit , and stout courage , ran like an unbridled horse to all manner of disorders and outrage : and associating to himself many loose and dissolute companions , he became their head and captain , in committing all kindes of murther and felonies . not long after , upon some urgent occasions , st john was again sent for into those parts , where having decided those controversies , and dispatched those businesses for which he came , meeting with the afore-mentioned bishop , he required of him the pledge , which before christ and the congregation he had committed to his custody . the bishop herewith amazed , supposing that he meant it of some money committed to him , which yet he had not received , not daring to contradict the apostle , he thereupon stood mute : then john perceiving that he was not understood , said , the young man , and the soul of our brother committed to your custody , i do require . whereupon the bishop with many tears said , he is dead : to whom john replyed , how , and by what death ? the bishop answered , he is dead to god , for he is become a wicked and vicious man , and a thief , and now he doth frequent these mountains , with a company of thieves and villains like himself , &c. the apostle , rending his garments with a great lamentation , said , i left a good keeper of my brothers soul ; get me an horse and guide presently ; which being done , he went strait to the mountains , and was no sooner come thither , but he was taken by the thieves that watched for their prey , to whom he said , i came hither for this cause , lead me to your captain : and so being brought before him , the captain all armed , looked fiercely upon him , and soon coming to the knowledge of him , he was striken with such shame and confusion , that he began to flie , but the old man followed him as fast as he could , crying , my son why dost thou flie from thy father ? an armed man from one naked ? a young man from an old man ? have pity upon me my son : and feare not , there is yet hope of salvation , i will answer for thee to christ , i will die for thee if need be , as christ died for us , i will give my life for thee ; believe me , christ hath sent me . he hearing these things , first as in a maze , stood still , lost his courage , cast down his weapons , then trembled , and vvept bitterly , and coming to the old man , he embraced him with many tears , only his right hand he kept hid and covered . then the apostle , after he had promised and assured him that he should obtain pardon of our saviour , falling upon his knees , he prayed for him , kissing his murthering right hand , vvhich for shame he durst not shevv before , and then brought him back to the congregation , where he fasted and prayed continually for him , comforted and confirmed him with many scripture-promises , and left him not , till he had restored him to his former office , and made him a great example of gods mercy to repentant sinners . in this persecution simeon bishop of jerusalem , after many torments , was crucified to death : and an innumerable company of martyrs suffered for the like testimony of the lord jesus , amongst whom vvas flavia , the daughter of flavius clemens , a roman senator and consul , vvho amongst many others vvas banished into the isle of pontia . this lavv also vvas made by the roman senate , non debere demitti christianos , qui semel ad tribunal venissent , nisi propositum mutent , that christians should not be let go , that vvere once brought before the tribunal seat , except they renounced their religion . yea , that vvhich stirred up the emperor more to persecute the christians , vvere those abominable lies , and malicious slanders raised against them by the heathen idolaters , as that they were a people that lived in incest , that in their nightly meetings , putting out the candles , they ran together in all filthy manner ; that they killed their ovvn children , and used to eat mans flesh : that they vvere seditious and rebellious , and refused to svvear by the fortune of caesar ; and vvould not adore his image in the market place , and in brief , that they were pernicious to the roman empire : yea , whensoever any thing happened amiss to the city of rome , or to her provinces , either by famine , pestilence , earth-quakes , wars , unseasonable weather , &c. it vvas presently imputed to the christians . besides , also there vvere a number of vvicked promoters and accusers , that for lucre's sake , to have the possessions of the christians , accused and persecuted them to the death . also vvhen the christians vvere brought before the magistrates , they gave them an oath , requiring them to declare the truth , vvhether they vvere christians or no , and if they confessed ; then by the lavv , sentence of death vvas passed against them . yet vvere not these tyrants content by death to destroy their bodies , but the kinds of death vvere divers and horrible ; vvhatsoever the cruelty of mans vvitty and vvicked invention could devise for the punishment of mans body , vvas practised against the poor saints of god ; imprisonments , stripes , scourgings , rackings , tearings , stoning ▪ plates of iron burning hot , laid to the tenderest parts of their bodies , deep dungeons , strangling in prisons , the teeth of wild beasts , gridirons , gibbits and gallows , tossings upon the horns of bulls , &c. and when they were thus killed , their bodies were laid on heaps , and dogs left to keep them , that none might come to bury them ; neither could any prayer or entreaty obtain leave that they might be interred . notwithstanding all which horrible punishments , the church of christ daily increased , being deeply rooted in the doctrine of the apostles and apostolical men , and watered plenteously with the blood of the saints . also in this persecution , protasius and gervasius were martyred at millaine . timothy was stoned to death at ephesus , by the worshippers of diana . dionysius areopagita was slain with the sword at paris , &c. chap. ix . the third primitive persecution , which began anno christi , . domitian being slain by some of his own servants , nerva succeeded him , who was a good and mercifull man , stayed the persecution against the christians , called them home from banishment , so that the church enjoyed peace in his time , but he reigning only thirteen moneths , trajan a spaniard succeeded him , who in the tenth year of his reign , raised the third persecution against the church , which was far more cruel then either of the former ; inasmuch as plinius secundus , an heathen philosopher , seeing the lamentabte slaughter of the christians , moved with pity , he wrote to trajan concerning the same ; that whereas there were many thousands of them daily put to death , there were none of them which did any thing contrary to the roman laws worthy of persecution , saving that they used to gather together in the morning before day , and sing hymns to a certain god that they vvorshipped , called christ ; in other things they were godly and honest ; and for proof hereof , saith he , i caused two maidens to be laid on the rack , and with torments to be examined about the same ; but finding nothing in them but only lewd and immoderate superstition , i resolved to surcease further enquiry , till i received further instructions from you about this matter . &c. trajan having read this epistle ; returned answer , that it was his mind , that the christians should not be sought after , but if they were brought and convicted , that then they should suffer execution : whereof tertullian , speaking , saith , o confused sentence ! he would not have them sought for as men innocent , and yet would have them punished as men guilty : now though upon this act , the rage of the persecution was somewhat abated , yet many evil disposed men , and cruel officers there were , vvhich ceased not to afflict the christians in divers provinces : especially if any commotion was raised in any of them , then presently were the christians blamed for it . trajan sent a command to jerusalem , that whosoever could be found out of the stock of david , should be enquired for , and put to death ; hereupon some sectaries of the jewish nation , accused simeon the son of cleophas , to come of davids line , and that he was a christian : of which accusers it happened , that some of them were taken to be of the stock of david , and so most righteously were executed themselves who sought the destruction of others . in this persecution suffered phocas bishop of pontus , whom trajan , because he would not sacrifice to neptune , caused to be cast into a hot lime-kilne , and afterwards to be put into a scalding bath , where he ended his life in the cause of christ : as also sulpitius servilianus , and nereus , and achilleus suffered martyrdom in rome , sagaris in asia ; then also ignatius bishop of antioch was apprehended and sent to rome , where he was devoured of wild beasts , and besides these , many thousand others . after the death of trajan , succeeded hadrian , who continued this third persecution against the chrstians ; at which time , alexander bishop of rome , with his two deacons , as also hermes and quirinus with their families suffered martyrdom . also about this time , zenon a noble man of rome , with above ten thousand more were slain for christs sake . also in mount ararath were ten thousand christians crucified , crowned with thorns , and thrust into the side with sharp darts , after the example of the lords passion . eustachius , a noble captain , who trajan had sent out to war against the barbarians ; after ( through gods mercy ) he had valiantly subdued his enemies , was returning home with victory : hadrian for joy , went to meet him , and to bring him home with triumph : but by the way , he would needs sacrifice to apollo , for the victory obtained , willing eustachius to do the same with him ; but when by no means he could be perswaded thereto , coming to rome , he with his wife and children suffered martyrdom ; by the command of the ingratefull emperour . also faustinus and jobita , citizen of brixia , were martyred with many torments ; which caused one calocerius , beholding their admirable patience in the midst of their cruel torments , to cry out , vere magnus est deus christianorum , verily great is the god of the christians ; whereupon being apprehended , he was made partaker of their martyrdom . also eleutherius bishop in apulia , was beheaded , together with his mother anthea . also symphorissa , a godly matron , was often cruelly scourged , afterwards hanged up by the hairs of her head : at last had a huge stone fastened to her , and so thrown into the river ; after which her seven children in like manner , with sundry and divers kinds of torments were all of them martyred by the tyrant . these seven children of symphorissa , were fastened to seven stakes , then racked up with a pully , & afterwards thrust thorow ; crescens in the neck , julianus in the breast , nemesius in the heart , primitivus in the navil , justinus was cut in every joint of his body , statteus run thorow with spears , and eugenius cut asunder from the breast to the lower parts , and then all of them were cast into a deep pit ; adrian being at athens , sacrificed to the idols after the manner of the grecians , and gave free leave to whomsoever vvould , to persecute the christians , which should refuse it : whereupon quadratus bishop of athens , a man of admirable zeal , and famous for learning , exhibited to the emperour a learned and excellent apology in defence of the christian religion : the like also did aristides , an excellent philosopher in athens . there was also one serenus granius , a man of great nobility , who writ pithy and grave letters to hadrian ; shewing that it was neither agreeable to right nor reason , that the blood of innocents should be given up to the rage and fury of the people , and be condemned for no other fault but for their opinions ; hereupon the emperour became more favourable to them , writing also in their behalf to minutius fundanus , proconsul of asia , that if they had no other crime objected against them , but their religion , they should not be put to death . yet notwithstanding all this , the rage of the heathen multitude did not disquiet and persecute the people of god ; imputing to them whatsoever mischief and judgements befell them ; yea , they invented against them all manner of contumelies , and false crimes to accuse them of , whereby many in sundry places vvere molested and put death . after hadrian , succeeded antoninus pius , vvho being informed of the cruel sufferings of the christians , vvrote this letter to his commons of asia , forbidding them to persecute the christians any further , which epistle he thus concludes , if any hereafter shall offer any vexation and trouble to christians , having no other cause , but because they are such , let him that is appeached , be released , and freely discharged , and let his accuser sustain the punishment , &c. by this means then the tempest of persecution began in those days to be appeased , through the mercifull providence of god ; who would not have his church to be utterly overthrown and rooted up thereby : the rod of the wicked shall not always rest upon the lot of the righteous , psalm . . here place the second figure . chap. x. the fourth primitive persecution , which began anno christi , . after the death of that quiet and mild prince antoninus pius , his son m. antoninus verus succeeded in the empire , a stern and severe man by nature , who raised the fourth persecution against the christians ; wherein a great number of them , who truly professed christ , suffered most cruel punishments and torments especially in asia and france , amongst whom was polycarp bishop of smyrna , who was burnt at a stake at smyrna , together with twelve others that came from philadelphia . also germanicus a young man , did most constantly persevere in the doctrine of christ , whom when the proconsul of asia desired to remember his age , and to favour himself , he would by no flatteries be with-drawn from his stedfastness , but remaining constant , was thrown to the wild beasts , whom he allured and provoked to come upon him , and devour him , that he might be the more speedily delivered out of this wretched life . also in this persecution suffered metrodorus , a minister , who was consumned by fire ; and pionius who after much boldness of speech , with his apologies exhibited , and his sermons made to the people in defence of the christian faith , and after much relieving and comforting such as were in prisons and distress , at last was put to cruel torments , and then burned in the fire , also at pargamopolis in asia , suffered carpus , papilus , and agathonica , a woman , who after their most constant and worthy confessions , were put to death . at rome , felicitas with her seven children were martyred , whereof her eldest son , after he vvas whipt and grievously scourged with rods , vvas prest to death with leaden weights : the two next had their brains beaten out with mawls : the fourth was thrown down head-long from an high place , and brake his neck : the three youngest were beheaded ; and lastly , the mother was slain with the svvord . also justin martyr , a man that excelled in learning and philosophy , and a great defender of the christian religion , who had delivered to the emperor and senate , an apology in defence of the christians , suffered martyrdom in this persecution . there was in egypt a certain woman married to a husband that was given much unto laciviousness , whereunto she her self also had been formerly addicted ; but being instructed in the christian religion , she became a chast and godly matron , and endeavoured to perswade her husband also thereunto : but he continuing in his filthy life , she resolved to be divorced from him ; yet at the request of her friends : she forbore , to try if by any means he would be reclaimed : but he going to alexandria , and living more licenciously then before , she sued out a bill of divorce , and so was separated from him ; then did this malicious wretch accuse her to be a christian , which was no lesse then death , whereupon she being in great perill , delivered up a supplication to the emperour , craving but so much favour , that she might go and set her family in order , and then she would be ready to answer to all such crimes as should be objected against her : this petition the emperour granted ; her husband perceiving that he was frustrated of his expectation , went and accused ptolemaeus ( who was her instructer in the faith of christ ) that he was a christian. ptolemaeus loving the truth , and not thinking it good to hide his profession , confessed it : therefore being brought before vrbicius the judge , he was by him condemned to die ; whereupon one lucius a christian , standing by , said to the judge , what reason , i pray you , or equity is this , that this man , who is neither adulterer , fornicator , murtherer , nor felon , nor guilty of any other crime , should he condemned for his name , and profession of christianity ? these manner of judgements ( o urbicius ) are neither honourable for the emperor , nor for the estate of the senate of rome : then said vrbicius , methinks thou also art a christian , which lucius confessing , the judge without any further delay , commanded him also to be had away to the place of execution ; to whom he answered , i thank you with all my heart , that hereby you release me from most wicked governors , and send me to my good and loving father , who is god of gods , and king of kings . also a third man coming to the judge , and using the like liberty of speech , had the like sentence of death , and was crowned with the same crown of martyrdom . also one concordus , a minister of the city of spoleto , because he refused to sacrifice to jupiter , and did spit in the face of the idol , after divers cruel torments sustained , was beheaded with the sword . many others also suffered martyrdom at the same time , because they sharply reprehended idolatry , and refused at the emperors command , to offer sacrifice to idols , for which they were beheaded . many christians also suffered in france , the history of whom was written , and set forth by their own churches , and directed to the brethren of asia and phrygia ; wherein they write , that satans instruments were so maliciously active against them , that they could not be safe any where , neither in the markets , shops , nor their own houses . yea , they were forbidden to come into any publick places : but god in mercy took out of the tyrants hands , such as were weak amongst the christians , and sets up others , as pillars , who are able to abide all sufferings , and valiantly to withstand the enemy , notwithstanding all the opprobrious punishments they could devise ; yea , by their admirable patience they shewed that all the sufferings of this present time were not to be compared with the glory which they expected to be revealed in them . first they suffered whatsoever the frantick multitude could inflict upon them , by railings , scourgings , drawings and halings , flinging of stones , imprisonment , &c. then were they led to the market-place , vvhere the captain and other city-officers , commanded them to prison , after they had made confessions of their faith publickly , till the return of the chief governor : who being come back , he used all extremity that possibly he could against them . at which time a noble young man , called vetius epagathus , being replenished with fervent zeal and love , both to god and the brethren , could not suffer the wicked judgement which vvas given against the brethren : whereupon he desired the governor to hear vvhat he had to say in their behalf , in whom vvas no impiety found : but the people cryed out against him , and the justice denied his lawfull request , withal , asking him vvhether he himself vvere not a christian ? unto which , vvith a loud and bold voice he answered , i am a christian ; and thus was he received into the fellowship of the martyrs ▪ by this worthy example the rest of the brethren were more animated to suffer martyrdom : yet some there were as yet weak , and not so well prepared for sufferings , of vvhom there vvere ten that fainted , vvhich filled the rest vvith great heaviness . their example also caused such as vvere not yet apprehended to be less forward in adventuring themselves ; yet every day were some apprehended , which were worthy to fill up the number of them which vvere fallen . against the christians vvere their heathen servants examined , and being threatned vvith extream torments , they vvere enforced to confess against their masters , that at their meetings they kept the feasts of thiestes , and incest of oedipus , and many other such like crimes , not fit to be named , which things being bruted abroad , every one began to exercise their cruelty against the people of god ; yea , their familiar friends disdained and vvaxed mad against them . then vvas all manner of cruelty used against them , especially against sanctus , deacon of the church of viena , and maturus , but a little before baptized , but yet a worthy souldier of christ. also against attalus and blandina , concerning whom vve vvere all afraid , especially her mistress , lest through vveakness she should not stand to her profession ; but , through gods grace , she vvas so admirably replenished vvith strength and boldness , that they vvhich had the tormenting of her by course from morning till night , for very vveariness gave over , and fell dovvn , confessing that they could do no more against her , marvelling that she yet lived , having her body so torn and rent as it vvas : professing that any one of those torments alone had been sufficient to bereave her of life . but this blessed virgin became stronger and stronger in her sufferings , and as often as she spake these vvords , i am a christian , and have not committed any evil , she was vvonderfully comforted . sanctus also , who in his torments had endured more pains then the nature of man vvas able to stand under , when the wicked ▪ thought to have heard him utter some blasphemous vvords , through the intollerableness of his pains , abode notwithstanding so constant in mind , that they could neither extort out of him ▪ vvhat countryman he vvas , where brought up , what his name was , vvhether a bond-man , or a free , but to every question he answered , i am a christian : when therefore they had used all other kinds of torments , they clapped plates of brass red hot to the tenderest parts of his body , wherewith , though he was grievouslly scorched , yet shrunk he not for the matter ; yea though his body was all drawn together with the scorching fire , so that he retained not the proper shape of a man , yet did he draw comfort from christ , so as to rejoyce in these tribulations . after a while they brought him again to new torments , hoping thereby to enforce him to a recantation ; at which time his body was so sore and swoln , that he could not suffer a man to touch him : but contrary to their expectation , his body in these latter torments was so suppled and restored , that he recovered the former shape and use of his members , so that these second torments , through the grace of christ , proved a soveraign medicine to him . satan also now thinking that he was sure of biblides , who was one of those that had denied christ , and hoping to prevail with her , a weak and feeble woman in the faith , to damn her soul by blaspheming god , brought her to the place of execution ; but she in the midst of her torments returning to her self , and by those pains remembring the torments of hell , said to her tormentors , how should we christians eat our own children ( as you report of us ) when we eat not the blood of any beast ? and so confessing her self to be a christian , she was martyred with the rest . yet here did not the rage of the enemies cease ; for when the christians were cast into prison , they were shut up in dark and ugly dungeons , and drawn by the feet in a rack , even unto the fifth hole : some of them were strangled and killed in the prisons ; others remaining in prison , destitute of all humane help , were so strengthned by the lord , both in body and mind , that they were a great comfort to the rest : the younger sort , whose bodies had not yet felt the lash of the whip , were not able to endure the sharpness of their imprisonment , but died under the same . photinus , deacon to the bishop of lyons , about eighty nine years old , weak and feeble , by reason of age and sickness , yet of a lively spirit and courage , by reason of the great desire which he had of martyrdom , being brought to the judgement seat , and being there demanded of the chief ruler , what was the christian-mans god ? he answered , if thou beest worthy to know , thou shalt know : the ruler being enraged herewith , caused him to be extreamly beaten : also such as stood next him , did him all the despight they could , beating and kicking him without any regard to his reverend gray hairs ; others that were further off , threw at him vvhatsoever came next hand ; and thus whilst he vvas gasping after life , they threw him into prison , where after tvvo days he died . they also vvhich in the first pesecution had denied christ , vvere apprehended , cast into prison , and made partakers of the others afflictions ; yea , they had twice so much punishment as the other had : and whereas they which had been constant , were refreshed with the joy of martyrdom , with the hope of gods promises , and with the love of christ , and his holy spirit ; the other apostates being full of guilt , went out to death , with dejected and ill-favoured countenances , and were filled with shame , so that the very gentiles reviled them as degenerous persons , and worthy to suffer as evil-doers : whereas in the mean time , they which had remained constant , went to their martyrdom with cheerfull countenances , adorned with glory and grace : yea , their very bonds wherewith they were tyed , set them out as brides when they are decked in gorgious aray : and withal they had such a redolent smell , as if they had been anointed with some sweet balm : by which sights the rest were confirmed , and being apprehended , confessed christ without any staggering . the martyrdom of the saints was of divers kinds , as the offering to god a garland decked with sundry kinds of colours and flowers . maturus , attalus , and blandina , were again brought forth to the publick scaffold , where maturus and sanctus suffered again all manner of torments , as if they had suffered nothing before : they were scourged , torn of wild beasts , set in red hot iron chairs , in which their bodies were dried as on a grid-iron , and their tormentors raged more and more against them , labouring to overcome the patience of the saints : yet could they get nothing out of sanctus's mouth , but that he was a christian : these holy men having been thus made a spectacle all the day to the people , were at last slain . then blandina being fastened to a stake , was cast to the wild beasts , but they , as being more mercifull then men , would not come near her : then they cast her again into prison , where she , though a weak woman , yet armed with invincible courage by christ , mightily encouraged her brethren . then was attalus brought forth with this inscription , this is attalus the christian , against whom the people were much enraged , but the governour understanding that he was a roman , remanded him to prison till ●he understood the emperors pleasure : many that had before denied christ , through gods grace , recovered themselves again , and tasted the sweetness of him that desired not the death of a sinner , &c. and of their own accord came to the judgement seat to be examined ; then did the judge , when a great concourse of people was met together , s●nd for all the christian prisoners , and as many as were free-men of rome he beheaded , the residue he gave to be devoured of wild beasts , amongst whom also they which had before denied christ , joyfully suffered martyrdom . whilst the christians were examining at the bar , one alexander , a physitian , by signs , and becks , perswaded those which were examined , boldly to confess christ , which the people taking notice of , accused him to the judge : who asking him what religion he was of , he answered , i am a christian : whereupon he was immediatly adjudged to be devoured of the beasts . the next day was attalus and this alexander brought forth to the sca●fold , where they had all manner of torments inflicted upon them , and having endured the greatest agony that possibly they could be put to , they were at the last slain : alexander never so much as sighed , but prayed to , and praised god all the while he was tormented : attalus , when he was set in the iron chair , and the frying savour of his burning body began to smell , said to the people , behold ! this which you do is to eat mans flesh : for we neither eat men , nor commit any other wickedness : and being demanded what was the name of their god , he said , our god hath no such name as men have ; then said they , let us see whether your god can help you , and take you out of our hands . then was blandina again brought forth , and with her one ponticus , a youth of fifteen years old , who defying their idols , and constantly cleaving to christ , were put to all the torments their enraged enemies could devise : the youth having suffered all kinds of torments , at last gave up the ghost : blandina was first pitifully whipped , then thrown to the wild beasts , then tormented upon the grid-iron , then put into a net , and thrown to the wild bull , and when she was tossed , gored , and wounded with his horns , she was at last slain , but was so filled with ravishing joyes of the h. ghost , that she felt no pain during all her torments . such as were strangled in prisons , were afterwards thrown to dogs , and had keepers both day and night set to watch them , lest their bones and members should be buried . in the mean time the gentiles extolled their idols , mocking and flouting the christians , saying , where is your god that you so much boast of ? and what helpeth this your religion for which you give your lives ? the bodies of the martyrs were thus made a gazing-stock for six days in the open streets , and then were burned , and their ashes thrown into the river . also in this persecution justin martyr , through the malice of crescens the philosopher , suffered martyrdom . also one alcibiades a man of a strict life , eating only bread and water , was cast into the prison where attalus , and other christians lay ; and alcibiades continued the same strict diet in prison : but it was from god revealed to attalus , that he did not well in refusing the other good creatures of god , and that it was scandalous to his brethren : whereupon he reformed , and ate of all things boldly with thanksgiving . about this time clandius apolinaris , bishop of hieropolis , and melito bishop of sardis , eloquent and learned men , delivered to the emperour excellent apologies written by them in defence of the christian religion , whereby they prevailed with him somewhat to stay the rage of his persecution : which also was furthered upon this occasion : marcus aurelius , and marcus antonius the emperors , going to war against the quades , vandals , sarmates and germans ; their army , by the multitude of their enemies , was coopt up in some strait , dry and hot places , where the souldiers having been destitute of water for five days together , were all like to perish . hereupon a legion of christian souldiers being in the army , with-drew apart from the rest , and falling prostrate upon the earth , by ardent prayer , obtained of god a double relief : for the lord sent the romans such showers , as satisfied their necessities , and flashed such lightnings against their enemies , that thereby they were discomfited and put to flight . this miracle so pleased the emperor , that ever after he used the christians gentler , writing also to divers rulers , commanding them to give thanks to the christians , as for their victory , so for the preservation of himself , and his army . his letters was to this purpose , that whereas himself and army , were invironed with nine hundred seventy five thousand fighting men , and were like to perish for want of water , the christians praying to a god , that he knew not , obtained relief for him , and by hail and lightning , destruction to his enemies ; whereby he perceived their god to be a mighty god. hereupon he decreed that none should be punished for the christian profession , being guilty of no other crime , and that the accusers of the christians should be burned alive : which degree he commanded to be recorded in the senate-house , proclaimed publickly in the court of trajan , and sent diligently into all his provinces , that all might take notice of the same . yet not long after , apollonius a noble senator of rome , was accused by his own servant before the judge , for being a christian ; the accuser , according to the the decree , had his legs broken , and was put to death . but apollonius having rendred an accocnt of his faith before the senate , was condemned to be beheaded , notwithstanding the decree , because there was an old law , that any that was arraigned for professing christ , without a recantation , could not be released . commodus the emperor upon his birth-day , calling the people of rome together , in a great royalty , clothed in his lions skin , sacrificed to hercules causing it to be proclaimed , that hercules was the patron of the city : whereupon vincentius , eusebius , peregrinus and pontentianus , learned men , and pastors of the congregations , being stirred up with zeal , went about from place to place , converting the gentiles to the faith of christ , and hearing of the madness of the emperor and people , they reproved that idolatrous blindness , exhorting them to believe in the true and living god , and that forsaking the worshipping of devils , they should honour god alone . the emperor hearing thereof , caused them to be apprehended , and required them to sacrifice to hercules , which they refusing to do , he caused them to be grievously tormented , and at last to be pressed to death with weights of lead . julius a roman senator , having been converted by the preaching of these men , afterwards sent for ruffinus a minister , by whom himself and all his family were baptized , and burning with holy zeal , he made an open profession of the faith of christ , praying that he might not only believe , but that he might have the honour to suffer for his name . the emperor hearing that he was become a christian , sent for him , to whom he said , o julius , what madness possesseth thee thus to forsake the religion of thy fore-fathers , to embrace a new and fond kind of religion of the christians ? hereupon julius made before him a free and open profession of his faith , affirming that the roman gods were false gods , and that they that worshipped them , should be punished with everlasting damnation . the emperor hearing that he despised his gods , was much enraged , and committed him to vitellius , a cruel and fierce man , to compell him , either to sacrifice to hercules , or to slay him : but julius nothing discouraged , and perswading vitellius to acknowledge , and serve the true god , was at his command with cudgels beaten to death . chap. xi . the fifth primitive persecution which began an. christi , . commodus being dead , pertinax succeeded in the empire , under whom the church enjoyed peace , and flourished exceedingly , so that many of the nobles of rome embraced the true faith , together with their whole housholds . pertinax being dead , severus succeeded , and in the first ten years of his reign he was very mild and gentle to the christians : but afterwards , through sinister suggestions , and malicious accusations ; he was so incensed , that by his proclamations he commanded that no christians should any more be suffered to live . hereby great pe●secution was stirred up on every side , and an infinite number of martyrs were slain . the crimes objected against the christians were sedition , rebellion against the emperor , sacriledge , murthering of infants , incestuous pollutions , eating raw flesh , worshipping the head of an asse , &c. but especially that they would not worship their idols . the places where this persecution most raged , were africa , capadocia , alexandria and carthage . the number of them that suffered , was innumerable , amongst whom was leonides the father of origen ; with whom origen his son , being but seventeen years old , would have suffered , ( such a fervent desire he had of martyrdom ) had not his mother privily in the night conveyed away his shirt and cloths , whereupon , more for shame to be seen , then for fear to die , he was constrained to remain at home . origen was afterwards a professor of divinity at alexandria , and out of his school , one plutarch suffered martyrdom , as also serenus his brother , who was burned , and another serenus who was beheaded . potamiena also , who was tormented with boiling pitch poured upon her , and afterwards with her mother marcella , and rhais burned in the fire . this potamiena being a beautifull virgin , was committed to captain basilides to see execution done upon her , and as he led her to the place of execution , he repressed the rage of the multitude , who followed her with many railings and revilings , whereupon , to requite his kindness , she prayed to the lord for his conversion to the true faith , and so with admirable patience she suffered martyrdom . shortly after basilides being required to give an oath in the behalf of his fellow-souldiers , he denied the same , plainly affirming that he vvas a christian , and therefore he could not swear by the idols , &c. they vvhich heard him , thought that he jested at first , but when he had constantly affirmed it , they had him before the judge , vvho committed him to vvard : the christians vvondring at it , vvent to him , and enquiring the cause of his conversion , he told them that potamiena had prayed for him , and so he savv a crovvn put upon his head , adding that it should not be long before he received it , and accordingly the next day he was beheaded . as many suffered death in this persecution , so others there were , who through gods providence , suffered great torments ; and yet escaped vvith life , of whom there vvas one alexander , vvho for his constant confession , and torments suffered , vvas afterwards made bishop of jerusalem . also narcissus , against vvhom three vvicked persons conspired to accuse him , binding their accusations vvith oaths and curses , one vvishing to be destroyed vvith fire , if it vvere not true ; another to be consumed vvith a grievous disease ; the other to lose both his eyes ; narcissus being unable to vvith-stand so vvicked an accusation , retired himself into a desert : in the mean time gods vengeance follovved these perjured wretches : for the first , by a small spark of fire , vvas himself vvith all his family , and goods burned : the second vvas taken vvith a grievous sickness vvhich tormented him from the top to the toe , whereof he died : the third , being vvarned by these judgements , confessed his fault , but by reason of his abundant sorrovv and vveeping , he lost both his eyes : narcissus being hereby cleared from their false accusation , returned home , and vvas received into his congregation again . also one andoclus vvas sent by polycarp into france , vvho because he spread there the doctrine of christ , vvas apprehended by the command of severus , and first beaten vvith staves and bats , and aftervvards beheaded . asclepiades also , aftervvards bishop of antioch , suffered much in this persecution . then did irenaeus , and many others vvith him suffer martyrdom ; and shortly after tertullian also . perpetua and felicitas , tvvo godly vvomen , vvith revocatus their brother , and satyrus , vvere throvvn to the vvild beasts , and devoured by them . saturninus vvas beheaded : secundulus cast into prison , where he died : all these suffered martyrdom at carthage . also zepherinus , and after him urbanus , both bishops of rome , vvere martyred in this persecution : this urbanus by preaching and holiness of life , converted many heathens unto christ ; amongst vvhom vvere tiburtius and valerianus , tvvo noble men of rome , vvho both suffered martyrdom : also cecilia a virgin , vvho vvas espoused to valerian ▪ vvas apprehended & carried to the idols to offer sacrifice , vvhich she refusing to do , should have been carried to the judge to receive the sentence of condemnation ; but the serjeants and officers beholding her excellent beauty and prudent behaviour , began vvith many persvvasions to solicit her to favour her self , &c. but she so replied vvith wisedom and godly exhortations , that by the grace of almighty god , their hearts began to relent , and at length to yield to that religion which before they persecuted ; which she perceiving , desired leave to go home ; and sending for urbanus the bishop to her house , he so grounded and established them in the faith of christ , that about four hundred persons believed , and were baptized ; amongst whom was gordianus a noble man. afterwards this blessed martyr was brought before the judge , by whom she was condemned ; then she was enclosed in an hot bath for twenty four hours , yet remaining alive , she was there beheaded . at preneste in italy was one agapetus of fifteen years old apprehended , and because he refused to sacrifice to idols , he was first scourged with whips , then hanged up by the feet , and had scalding water poured on him , then he was cast to the wild beasts ; but because they would not hurt him , he was lastly beheaded . antiochus that executed these torments on him , suddenly fell down from his judicial seat , crying out that all his bowels burned within him , and so he died miserably . calepodius , a minister of christ in rome , was first dragged thorow the streets , and after cast into tyber . pamachius , a senator of rome , with his wife and children , and other men and women , to the number of forty two , vvere all beheaded in one day , together with another noble man , all whose heads vvere hung up over the gates of the city ▪ to deter others from the profession of christianity . also martina , a christian virgin , having suffered many other bitter torments , vvas at last slain vvith the sword . chap. xii . the sixth primitive persecution , which began anno christi , . the emperor maximinus raised the sixth persecution against the christians , especially against the teachers and leaders of the church , thinking that if these captains were removed out of the way , he should the easilier prevail against the rest . in the time of this persecution , origen vvrote his book de martyrio , vvhich being lost , the names of most that suffered martyrdom in those times , are buried in oblivion , yet were they very many : amongst whom urbanus bishop of rome , and philippus , one of his ministers were banished into sardinia , where they both died . about this time one natalius that had formerly suffered great persecution for the cause of christ , was seduced by asclepiodotus and theodorus , two sectaries , to be the bishop of their sect , promising to pay him a hundred and fifty crowns of silver every moneth , and so he joined himself to them ; but the lord in mercy not intending to lose him that had suffered so much for his sake , admonished him by a vision to adjoin himself to the true church again , which the good man for the present , blinded with lucre and honour , did not regard as he ought to have done : the night after he was scourged by angels , whereupon in the morning , purting on sack-cloth , with much weeping and lamentation , he went to the christian congregation , praying them for the tender mercies of christ , that he might be received into their communion again ; which request was accordingly granted unto him . hippolitus was drawn thorow the fields with wild horses till he died ; many others were martyred and buried by sixty in a pit . chap. xiii . the seventh primitive persecution , which began anno christi , . decius the emperor raised this seventh terrible persecution against the christians , which was first occasioned by reason of the treasures of the emperor , which were committed to fabian the bishop of rome , who thereupon , by the command of decius , was put to death , and moreover his proclamations were sent into all quarters , that all which professed the name of christ , should be slain . in the time of this persecution origen suffered many and great torments for the cause of christ , by rackings , dungeons , &c. nicephorus , who writeth of this persecution under decius , declareth the horribleness of it to be so great , and that so many martyrs suffered , that , saith , he , it is as easie to number the sands of the sea , as to set down the names of all those whom this persecution did devour . alexander , bishop of jerusalem , who was very aged , having governed the church forty years , was from thence carried to caesarea , where after a bold and constant confession of his faith , made before the judge , he was cast into prison , and there died . babilas bishop of antioch also died in prison , and forty virgins were martyred there about that time . and one peter in the country of phrygia , being apprehended by the proconsul , suffered most bitter torments for the name of christ , the like did divers others in troada . from babylon divers christians were led away by decius into spain , and there exceuted ; the like sufferings had many in caesarea , dionysius alexandrinus , writing of the martyrs that suffered in alexandria , saith thus , this persecution began about a year before the emperors proclamation came forth , by reason of a wicked south-sayer , who coming to the city , stirred up the multitude of heathens against the christians , perswading them to uphold their idolatrous services ; wherewith the people being inflamed , obtained full power to prosecute their wicked purposes , conceiving all religion to consist in the destruction of the christians . and first of all they fell upon a minister , called metra , whom they would have enforced to blaspheme christ ; which when he refused , they laid upon him with staves and clubs , and with sharp reeds they pricked his face and eyes ; and then , bringing him to the suburbs , they stoned him to death . then they took an holy woman , called quinta , and bringing her to the idol-temple , would compell her to worship there ; which she constantly refusing , they bound her feet , and drew her thorow all the streets upon the hard-stones , whipt her with whips , dashed her against mil-stones , and lastly stoned her to death . then the enraged multitude breaking into the christians houses , plundred them of all they had ; the rest of the lumber they carried into the market-place , and burned it : the saints in the mean time taking patiently and joyfully the spoiling of their goods , knowing that they had a more enduring substance in heaven . then they took an ancient virgin , called apollinia , whom they brought forth ▪ and dashing all the teeth out of her head , they made a great fire , threatning to cast her into it , unless she would blaspheme and deny christ ; whereupon she , after a little pause , leaped into the fire , and so was burned . then they took serapion out of his house , whom they assailed with all kind of torments , broke almost all the joynts of his body : and lastly throwing him down from an high loft , killed him . the poor christians could no where shelter themselves , nor rest day nor night , the multitude crying out , that unless they would blaspheme christ , they should all be burned . but , through gods mercy , the miserable wretches at last fell out amongst themselves , turning their cruelty , formerly exercised against the christians , upon their own heads , whereby the church had a little breathing time . shortly after came forth the cruel edict of the emperor , which so terrified the christians , that some , especially the rich , partly through fear , and partly by the perswasion of their neighbours , came to those impure and idolatrous sacrifices : others came boldly to the altars , declaring publickly , that they were not of that religion : of the rest some ran away , others were taken , enduring bands and torments constantly : others again , after long imprisonment , and sundry torments , renounced their faith , whilst others more strong in the faith , valiantly endured martyrdom : amongst whom was julianus , a man diseased with the gout , and not able to go , and cronion , who were laid upon camels , and there scourged , and at last thrown into the fire , where , with much constancy , they were consumed . as julianus went to martyrdom , a certain souldier took his part against those which railed upon him ; whereupon the people crying out against him , he was apprehended , and being constant in his profession , was presently beheaded . also macar a christian lybian was burned alive . epimachus and alexander , having been long imprisoned , after innumerable pains and torments , with rasors and scourges , were vvith four women , consumed with fire : ammonarion a virgin , mercuria an aged matron , and dionysia , a mother of many children , whom yet she loved not above the lord , these , vvhen they could not be overcome by any torments inflicted on them by the cruel judge , but rather were unsensible of them all , vvere at last slain vvith the svvord . also three egyptians , and a youth of fifteen years old , vvere brought before the judge , who first began vvith the child , by fair words , seeking to entice him , then by torments to constrain him , which not prevailing , when he had tormented the other also he condemned them all to the fire ; but the judge wondring at the wise answers , and grave constancy of the child , dismissed him . nemesion also an egyptian , vvas first accused to be a companion of thieves , but being purged from that , he vvas accused of christianity , tormented and scourged extreamly , and then amongst other thieves , burnt to death . a certain christian being examined before the judge , and through fear being ready to shrink back , there were by , certain souldiers of the degree of knights , and an aged man named theophilus , who were ready to burst for grief , making signs to him , by their hands and gestures , to be constant ; vvhich being observed by the by-standers , they vvere ready to lay hold of them , but they of their own accord , pressing up to the judge , professed themselves to be christians , which much imboldened the weak christian that vvas before the tribunal , and terrified the judge . this being done they departed away , rejoycing for the testimony that they had given of their faith . in other cities many christians were torn in pieces by the heathen . ischirion , a servant to a noble man , vvas commanded by his master to sacrifice to the idols , vvhich vvhen he refused , and vvould by no means be perswaded to , his master took a pike , and ran him thorovv . multitudes of christians vvandring in deserts and mountains , vvere devoured by hunger , thirst , cold , sickness , thieves and vvild beasts , amongst vvhom vvas cheremon , bishop of the city of nilus , and his vvife , vvho flying into the mountains of arabia , vvere never heard of more . dionysius also saith of himself , i speak the truth before god , and lie not , i having no regard of my own life , and not without the motion of gods spirit , did flie , and avoid the danger of this persecutian : yea , and before that , when one was sent from the governor te seek me , i remained three days at home to tarry for him ; the messenger in the mean time narrowly sought for me by all ways , fields , floods and corners , where he thought i might hide my self , god striking him with such blindness , that he could not find my house . after these three days , the lord god willing and commanding me to flie , and marvellously opening to me the way , i with my children , and many other brethren , vvent out together , and so escaped . also agatha , a godly virgin of sicilie , suffered divers and bitter torments of imprisonment , with beatings , famine , racking , as also rolling naked upon sharp shels , and hot coals , and having her breasts cut off her body . also forty other virgins , by sundry kinds of torments , were put to death about the same time . decius erecting a temple at ephesus , compelled all in the city to offer sacrifice to idols , but there were seven christian souldiers of his own retinue , who refused , neither could the emperor , by perswasions or threats , induce them to it , yet he gave them respite till his return from the wars ; in the mean time they hid themselves in a cave in the mountain celius . at the emperors return he made great inquisition for them , and at last hearing where they were , he caused the mouth of the cave so to be closed up , that they could not get out , and so they were famished there . there was also one nicetas , a christian souldier , whom when the praetor could not by any torments remove from his stedfastness , he took another course with him , for he brought him into a most fragrant garden , flowing with all manner of pleasures and delights , where he laid him upon a bed of down , softly enwrapped in a net of silk , among the lillies and roses , the delicious murmure of the streams , and the sweet whistling of the leaves moved with a gentle wind , and so departed : presently in comes a beautifull strumpet , and useth all the abominable tricks of her impure art , and whorish villanies , to draw him to commit wickedness with her ; whereupon the young man fearing that he should now be conquered by folly , who was conqueror over fury , bites off a piece of his tongue with his own teeth , and spits it into the face of the whore , and so prevented the hurt of sin by the smart of his wound . at antioch , theodora , a godly virgin , refusing to sacrifice to the idols , was condemned by the judge to the stews , which sentence being executed , there were many wanton young men ready at the door to press into the house where she was , but one of the brethren , called didymus , putting on a souldiers habit , would have the first admittance , and coming in , he perswaded her to change garments with him , and so she , in the souldiers habit , escaped away , and didymus was left to the rage , and wondring of the people , when he was found a man : hereupon he was presented to the president , to whom he presently confessed the whole matter , professing himself to be a christian , and so was condemned ; which theodora hearing of , thinking to excuse him , she came , and presented her self to the judge , as the guilty party , desiring that she might be condemned , and the other excused : but the cruell judge , neither considering the vertue of the persons , nor the innocency of the cause , most inhumanely condemned them both , first to be beheaded , and then burnt , which was accordingly executed . agathon , a man at arms in alexandria , rebuking some lewd persons who scornfully used the dead bodies of the christians , was accused to the judge , and lost his head . in troada , two christians being delivered by the proconsul to the people , were first scourged , then drawn out of the city , and there troden to death . two ministers with a deacon were martyred in rome , and two noble men were brought and accused to decius for burying the dead bodies of the christians , and being by him commanded to sacrifice to the idols , and they refusing , he caused them to be cast to the wild beasts , but when they would not touch them , they were beheaded with the sword . also secundianus was accused to be a christian , which he affirming , was commanded to prison ; by the way two christians cryed to the souldiers , asking them , whether they carried the innocent man , whereupon being apprehended and examined , they confessed themselves to be christians , and were condemned ; first they were beaten with cudgels , then hung up , and tormented with the gibbet , having fire set to their sides , & lastly were beheaded : but some of their tormentors were taken with evil spirits ; others of them fell down suddenly , and died . but the number of martyrs of all ranks that suffered in this persecution was so great , that it is impossible to set them down all ; bishops , ministers , deacons , &c. young , old , men , women , &c. yet amongst this great number , some there were that fell away , as serapion an old man , that for a long time had lived a sincere and godly life , who afterwards repenting of his apostacy , desired to be re-admitted into the church , but that was not granted : shortly after he fell sick , and in it having remained dumb , and bereaved of his senses for twenty four hours , the day after , he began a little to recover , and calling his nephew to him , he said , how long , how long do you detain me here ? make haste that i may be absolved : call me hither some of the ministers , &c. and so being absolved , he presently after died . in troada , nicomachus being grievously tormented , cryed out , i am no christian ; and so being let down from the engine , he had no sooner sacrificed to the idols , but being possessed by the devil , he was thrown on the ground , where he bit off his own tongue , and immediately after died ; many others which shewed the like cowardise , were taken and tormented with wicked spirits : one was struck dumb : a maid taken with a wicked spirit , tore out her own tongue , and died with grievous torments in her belly , and inward parts : but though some did thus fall away , yet others there were , whom neither fear , nor pain could remove from their stedfastness , but they continued glorious martyrs to the end . cyprian relates a story of one of his fellow-ministers , who in the midst of his torments began to faint , being greatly afraid of death , and desired to be released : at which time there appeared to him a young man of admirable beauty , and so bright , that mans mortal eye could scarce endure to behold him , who angerly said to him , pati timetis , exire non vultis , quid faciam vobis ? to suffer you dare not , to go out you will not , what would you have me do unto you ? in this persecution there sprung up the novatian schism , which made a great disturbance in the church . this novatus being a minister under cyprian in carthage , by stirring up discord and factions , bred much trouble to the church , seeking to withdraw certain of the brethren from the bishop : and afterwards novatus going to rome , set up himself as a bishop , against cornelius , the then bishop of rome ; and to further his design , he by subtilty allured to him three or four holy men that had been confessors ; then he entised three weak bishops that lived in italy , to come to rome , and there perswaded them by imposing hands upon him , to make him bishop ; for which fact , two of them afterwards were suspended , and the third upon his repentance vvas re-admitted . novatus being thus made a bishop , grew proud , and sought by all means to with-draw the people from cornelius to himself ; yea , he made many of them to swear that they would not leave him to go to cornelius . but the holy confessors before mentioned , vvhen they perceived the crafty subtilty of novatus , left him , and much grieving for their sin , were reconciled to cornelius again . novatus held this opinion , that they which once renounced the faith , and for fear of torments had offered incense to the idols , although they repented , yet could never be re-admitted into the church of christ again . to suppress this error , there was a synod called at rome of sixty bishops , anno . who condemned it . cyprian also relates of aurelius , a godly and valiant young man , who for his constancy in the cause of christ , suffered great and many torments , and afterwards was banished . and of mappalicus , who the day before he suffered , in the midst of his torments told the proconsul ▪ videbis cras agonem , to morrow you shall see the running for a wager , and accordingly the next day being brought forth to his martyrdom , he with no less constancy then patience , endured faithfull unto the death . but decius the author of this persecution , escaped not the revenging hand of god , for warring against the goths , and being overcome by them , lest he should fall into their hands , he leaped vvith his horse into a whirlpit , where he was drowned , and his body was never found after . yea , god avenged the blood of his saints upon the whole roman empire , by sending a general plague of pestilence upon it , which continued ten years together ; and dionysius saith , that in alexandria , vvhere he vvas bishop , there vvas scarce any house clear ; and though some christians died in this plague , yet it fell most heavy upon the gentiles . the christians also in this plague shewed much brotherly love each to other , by visiting , comforting , and relieving one another . whereas the idolaters , being stricken with extream fear of the plague , none considered his neighbour , but every man shifted for himself , and of those that were infected , some they cast out of doors half dead , to be devoured of dogs and wild beasts , some they let die in their houses without all succour ; others they suffered to lie unburied , and durst not come near them , notwithstanding vvhich , the pestilence followed them whithersoever they vvent , and miserably consumed them ; so that the most part of the inhabitants were consumed by it in every country , especially in those provinces , where had been the greatest persecutions raised against the christians . after the death of decius , there succeeded gallus and volusianus in the empire , anno christi . who continued this persecution against the christians ; which fell most heavy upon the pastors and ministers of the congregations : for about this time cyprian , and many other ministers were banished : others were put into the mettal mines , to whom cyprian wrote an epistle consolatory , wherein he writes thus , wounds and scars are an ornament to a christians brest , such as bring not shame , but honoureth them before the lord ; and though in the mynes there be no beds for their bodies to rest on , yet they have rest in christ ; and though their weary bones lie on the cold ground , yet it 's no pain to lie with christ. their feet are fettered with chains , but he is bound of man , whom the lord christ doth loose ; he lies tied in the stocks , whose feet thereby are made swifter to run to heaven ; neither can any man tie a christian so fast , but he runs so much the faster for his garland of life . they have no garments to save them from cold , but he that puts on christ is sufficiently clothed . doth bread fail to their hungry bodies ? man lives not by bread alone , but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of god. your deformity shall be turned to honour , your mourning to joy , your pain to pleasure , and felicity infinite . and if this grieve you , that you cannot serve god in your places as formerly , yet your daily sacrifice ceaseth not , which is a contrite and humble heart ; and though your travel be great , yet shall your reward be greater ; for god beholding them which confess his name , approveth their willing minds , in their strivings helpeth them , in their victory crowneth them , rewarding that in us which he hath performed , and crowning that which he hath in us perfected . again he tells them that they are now in a joyfull journey , hasting apace to the mansions of the martyrs , there to enjoy , after darkness , durable light , and comfort above all their sufferings , &c. about the same time also , lucius bishop of rome was banished . after the death of gallus and volusianus , there succeeded valerianus , who ceased the persecution , and carried himself exceeding friendly to the christians ; so that his whole court was replenished with holy saints and servants of christ , whereby his house seemed a church of god. but the devil envying the peace of the church , by the means of an egyptian enchanter , ( who was hindred from doing his feats , by the presence of the christians ) stirred up the emperor against them , who grew to such impiety himself , that he sacrificed young infants to his idols , quartered their bodies , divided the entrails of young children new born , &c. as hereafter follows . chap. xiv . the eighth primitive persecution which began an. christi , . valerianus being seduced by the egyptian inchanter , as is before related , stirred up the eighth persecution against the church of christ ; concerning which cyprian writeth thus ; we must confess that this great calamity which hath wasted for the most part all our churches , and still dayly consumes us , ariseth chiefly from our own wickedness , while we walk not in the way of the lord , nor observe his precepts as we ought , whilst we are full of lucre , pride , emulation , dissention , void of simplicity and faithfull dealing , renouncing the world in word , but not in deed , every man pleasing himself , and displeasing others ; and therefore we are thus worthily scourged : for what stripes do we not deserve , when the confessors themselves do keep no discipline ; &c. concluding , non venissent fratribus haec mala , si in unum fraternitas fuisset animata ; these evils had not happened to the brethren , if they had joyned together in brotherly unanimity . a little before this persecution began , god by a vision revealed it to cyprian , saying to him , be quiet and of good comfort , for peace will come ; albeit a little stay there is for a while , for that some remain yet to be proved and tried , &c. the crimes and accusations that were laid to the charge of the christians , by the persecutors , were , that they refused to worship idols , and the emperors ; and that they professed the name of christ : yet besides , all the calamities and evils that happened in the world , as wars , famine , pestilence , &c. were imputed only to the christians : but cyprian and tertullian confuting those slanders , proved that the special cause of all those miseries which befell the empire , proceeded from the cruel shedding of the innocent blood of the christians . in this persecution , cyprian was at last condemned to have his head cut off , who patiently and willingly submitted his neck to the stroak of the sword . also about this time , sixtus bishop of rome , with his six deacons , were accused for being christians , whereupon being brought to the place of execution , they were all beheaded . laurence also another of his deacons , following sixtus as he went to his execution , complained that he might not suffer with him , but that he was secluded , as the son from the father : to whom the bishop answered , that within three days he should follow him , bidding him in the mean time to go home , and if he had any treasures , to distribute them amongst the poor : the judge hearing mention of treasures , supposing that laurence had great store in his custody , commanded him to bring the same to him : laurence craved three days respite , promising then to declare where the treasure might be had : in the mean time he caused a good number of poor christians to be gathered together , and when the day of his answer was come , the persecutor strictly charged him to make good his promise ; then valiant laurence stretching out his arms over the poor , said , these are the precious treasures of the church , these are the treasure indeed in whom christ hath his mansion , , &c. but oh ! what tongue is able to express the fury and madness of the tyrants heart ! how he stamped , stared , ramped , and fared like one out of his wits : his eyes glowed like fire , his mouth foamed like a boar , like a hell-hound he grinded his teeth : then he cryed , kindle the fire , make no spare of wood : hath this villain deluded the emperor ? away with him , whip him with scourges , jerk him with rods , buffet him with fists , brain him with clubs : jesteth the traitor with the emperor ? pinch him with fiery tongs , gird him with burning plates , bring out the strongest chains and fire-forks , and the grate of iron , set it on the fire , bind the rebell hand and foot , and when the grate is red hot , on with him , rost him , broil him , toss him , turn him upon pain of our high displeasure , do every man his office , o ye tormentors . immediately his command was obeyed , and after many cruel handlings , this meek lamb was laid , i will not say upon a bed of fiery iron , but on a soft down-bed ; so mightily god wrought for his servant , so miraculosly did he temper this element of fire , that it was not a bed of consuming pain , but of nourishing rest unto laurence . not laurence , but the emperor seemed to be tormented , the one broiling in the flesh , the other burning in his heart : when this triumphant martyr had been pressed down with fire-forks for a great space , in the mighty spirit of god he spake to the tyrant thus ; this side is now rosted enough , turn up ▪ o tyrant great , assay , whether rosted or raw thou think'st the better meat ? by the constant confession of this worthy and valiant deacon , a roman souldier was converted to the same faith , and desired to be baptized , whereupon he was called before the judge , scourged , and afterwards beheaded . about the same time dionysius bishop of alexandria , with his three deacons , were brought before emilianus , who told them of the clemency of the emperor , and therefore required them to sacrifice to his gods , &c. to whom dionysius answered , divers men worship divers gods , but we , only that one god who is the creator of all things , making our prayers to him uncessantly for the health of the emperor , &c. then said the president , why can you not worship your own god and ours also ? dionysius replied . we worship only one god , as we have said ; the president said , i see you are ingratefull persons , and regard not the emperors clemency , therefore i banish you to cephro in lybia , and charge you that you convent no more your assemblies , nor be found out of that place at your peril , and though dionysius was sick , yet would he not grant him one days respite before his departrue . in cephro he had a great congregation , as well of those that followed him in his banishment , as of others that resorted to him out of egypt ; yea , though at first he was persecuted there , and stoned , yet afterwards a great number of the inhabitants forsook their idols , and were converted unto god by his ministry ; and having accomplished his ministry there , the lord removed him to another place . for ( saith dionysius ) emilianus translated us from thence to a sharper place of lybia , commanding us to meet all together at the city mareota ; intending to separate us into several villages , or rather to take us by the way ; when we came thither , i was commanded to colluthion , a place which i had never heard of ; yet was it some solace to me that the brethren told me it was near to the city paretonium : for as my being at cephro gat me the acquaintance of many brethren of egypt , so i hoped that the vicinity of that place to the city , might procure me the concourse of certain loving brethren from it , as it came also to pass , &c. he writeth moreover that the number of those which suffered martyrdom about that time was great , men , women , young men , maidens , old wives , souldiers , and men of all sorts and ages ; of whom some with scourgings , and fire , and some with the sword , obtained the victory , and gat the crown . neither ( saith he ) to this day doth the president cease cruelly murthering such as be brought before him , tearing some with torments , imprisoning others , and commanding that no man should come to them : yet god with the daily resort of the brethren doth comfort the afflicted . in palestine , priscus , malchus , and alexander , three godly men , seeing the valiant courage of the christians so boldly to venture , constantly to stand , and patiently to suffer in this persecution , as grieved with themselves , began to accuse their own sluggishness and cowardise , to see others so zealovs and valiant , and themselves so cold and faint-hearted , in labouring for the crown of martyrdom : whereupon , agreeing amongst themselves , they came to caesarea , and stepping to the judge , they declared themselves to be christians , and so they were sentenced , and given to the wild beasts . a certain woman also in the same place , formerly a marcionist , being brought before the president , obtained the same martyrdom . in carthage three hundred christians being brought before the president , were put to their choice , either to offer sacrifice , or to go into a lime-kiln : whereupon by mutual consent , they all chose the lime-kiln , in which , with the smoak of the lime , they were smothered . in another part of africk , three godly virgins had first vinegar and gall given them to drink , then were they scourged , then tormented upon the gibbet , and rubbed with lime , then were they scorched upon the fiery grid-iron , then cast to the wild beasts , which would not touch them , therefore lastly they were beheaded . in italy a godly man was first tormented with the rack , then cast to the wild beasts , which not hurting him , he was burned in the fire . fructuosus a bishop in spain , with his two deacons , having witnessed a good confession , were all of them burned in the fire . but this cruel emperor valerian , who thus persecuted the saints of god , shortly after felt the revenging hand of god : for in an expedition that he made against the persians , he was taken prisoner by sapores the king , who made a foot-stool of him , every time that he gat upon his horse ; and at last by the command of the king he was flaied alive , powdered with salt , and so ended his wretched life . also claudius , a president and minister of his persecutions , was possessed by the devil , and biting off his tongue in small pieces , he ended his wretched life . also there were great & terrible earth-quakes , and many commotions and rebellions in sundry parts of the empire , insomuch as galienus , the son of valerian , and his fellow emperor , began to relent towards the christians , and set forth some edicts in their favour : notwithstanding which , some there were that suffered in sundry places ; amongst whom was one marinus , a noble man , and valiant captain in caesarea , who stood for an honourable office which of right fell to him , but his competitor to prevent him , accused him to the judge to be a christian. hereupon the judge examined him of his faith , and finding that indeed he was a christian , he gave him three hours to advise and deliberate with himself ; then the bishop of the place finding that he stood doubtfull in himself what to do , took him by the hand , and led him into the church , and laid before him a sword and a new testament , bidding him take his free choice , which of them he would have . marinus immediately ran to the new testament , and chose that , and so being animated by the bishop , he presented himself boldly before the judge , by whose sentence he was beheaded . about the same time there was in caesarea , asyrius , a noble senator of rome and a christian , and whereas the gentiles in that place used to offer sacrifice by a fountain side , which sacrifice by the working of the devil , used suddenly to vanish out of their sight , to the great admiration of the deluded multitude ; asyrius pitying their miserable ignorance , came amongst them , and lifting up his eyes to heaven , prayed to god in the name of christ , that the people might no longer be thus seduced by the devil , whereupon the sacrifice was seen to swin upon the fountain , and ever after that false miracle ceased . after the death of galienus there succeeded claudius , a quiet emperor ; and after him quintilianus his brother , both which reigning nineteen years , the church enjoyed peace in their time . here place the third figure . chap. xv. the ninth primitive persecution which began an. christi , . after the death of quintillian , succeeded aurelian in the empire , who was by nature severe and rigorous , and a strict punisher of dissolute manners , so that it grew into a proverb , that he was a good physitian , saving that he gave too bitter medicines . in the beginning of his reign , he was a moderate and discreet prince , and no great disturber of the christians , whom he neither molested in their religion , nor in their councels . but afterwards , through sinister suggestions of those which were about him , his nature being before inclinable to severity , he was altered to plain tyranny , which he first shewed in the death of his own sisters son , and afterwards he raised the ninth persecution against the church of christ ; but when he was about to sign a proclamation or edict for that persecution , it pleased god that a thunderbolt fell so near him , that all men thought he had been slain , and the emperor was so terrified thereby , that he gave over his tyrannical purpose , so that he rather intended , then moved persecution . having reigned about six years , he was slain . after whose death divers other emperors succeeded , in whose time the church had peace for about the space of forty four years . during which time it did mightily increase and flourish : yea , the more the christians had suffered , the more they were honoured ; insomuch as some of the emperors did singularly favour them , preferred and made them governors of provinces . dorotheus , with his wife , children , and whole family , were accepted , and highly advanced in the emperors court. yea , gorgonius , and divers others , for their doctrine and learning , were with their princes in great estimation . the bishops were also in great favour with the rulers and presidents where they lived ; so that innumerable multitudes and congregations assembled together in every city , and there were great concourses of such as daily flocked to the publick places of prayer . but through this great prosperity , the christians , by reason of the corruption of their natures , and the temptations of satan , began to degenerate , and to grow idle and delicate , striving and contending amongst themselves , upon every occasion , with railing words bespattering one another in a despitefull manner ; bishops against bishops , and people against people , moving hatred and sedition each against other : besides , cursed hypocrisie and dissimulation increased more and more ; by reason whereof gods judgements brake forth against them , which began first to fall upon those christians which were souldiers ; but that touched the other very little , neither did they seek to appease gods wrath , nor to call for mercy , but thinking that they should escape well enough , they heaped iniquities daily more and more , one upon another . the pastors being inflamed with mutual contention each against other ; then did the lord raise up adversaries against his people , that rased their churches to the ground , burnt the sacred scriptures in the open market places , made the pastors of the church to hide themselves , and some with great shame were taken prisoners , and were mocked of their enemies , and put to open reproach . chap. xvi . the tenth primitive persecution , which began anno christi , . dioclesian and maximian having many wars , associated to themselves two caesars , galerius , who was sent into the east against the persians ; and constantius , who was sent into britain , where he married helena , the daughter of king coel ; a maiden excelling in beauty , and no less famous for her studies and learning , by whom he had constantine the great . these two emperors having obtained many victories , were so puffed up with pride , that they ordained a solemn triumph at rome . after which , dioclesian would needs be worshipped as god , saying , that he was brother to the sun and moon , and adoring his shoes with gold and precious stones , he commanded the people to kiss his feet . then also did he raise a great and grievous persecution against the church of god : and the feast of easter drawing nigh , he commanded all the churches of the christians to be spoiled , and cast down , and the books of the holy scriptures to be burnt , which was executed with all rigour and contempt that might be . then he sent forth his edicts for the displacing of all christian magistrates , and put all others out of their offices , imprisoning such of the common people as would not abjure christianity , and subscribe to the heathen idolatries . then were cruel edicts sent abroad for the imprisoning of the elders and bishops , and constraining them by sundry kinds of torments to sacrifice to the idols ; whereupon insued a great persecution against the governors of the church , amongst whom many of them manfully passed through exceeding bitter torments : some were scourged all over their bodies with whips : some with racks and tearings of their flesh , were exceedingly cruciated : some one way , others another way were put to death . some were violently drawn to the impure sacrifices , and as though they had sacrificed , when indeed they did not , were let go . others neither coming to their altars ; nor touching any piece of their sacrifice , yet were born in hand by those which stood by , that they had sacrificed ; and so being defamed by their adversaries , were let go . others as dead men were carried out , and cast away , being but half dead . some were cast down on the pavement , and trailed a great space by the legs , and the people made to believe that they had sacrificed ; others with-stood them , stoutly affirming with a loud voice , that they had not sacrificed ; withal saying , that they were christians , and glorying in the profession of that name . some cryed that they neither had , nor ever would be partakers of that idolatry , who were buffetted on the face and mouth by the souldiers , that they might hold their peace . but if the saints seemed never so little to do what their enemies would have them , they were made much of ; yet none of these devices prevailed against the constant servants of jesus christ ; but of the weaker sort , through frailty , many fell at the first brunt . when these edicts were first set up at nicomedia , a christian , a noble man born , moved with an holy zeal , ran , and took them down , and tare them in pieces , though the emperors were present in the city ; for which he was put to a most bitter death , which with great constancy and patience , he endured to the last . these furious tyrants , dioclesian in the west , and maximian in the east , raged exceedingly against the poor saints of christ. but dioclesian proceeded more subtilly , first beginning with the souldiers in his camp : to whom the marshal of the field proposed that they should either offer sacrifice , or leave their places and offices , and lay down their arms ; whereunto the christians resolutely answered , that they were not only ready to lay down their weapons , but to suffer death , if it was imposed upon them , rather then so to sin against god. in the beginning of this persecution , few were tormented , but afterwards the emperor grew to greater cruelty . it cannot be expressed what number of martyrs suffered ; what blood was shed through all cities and regions for the name of christ. in tyre certain christians were given to the most cruel wild beasts , which would not hurt them ; and the lions , bears and leopards , which were kept hungry for the purpose , would not touch them : yet did they vehemently rage against those that brought the christians into the stage , who though they stood , as they thought , without their reach , yet were they caught , and devoured by them . afterwards these martyrs were slain with the sword , and cast into the sea . silvanus , bishop of gazenses , with thirty nine more , were slain in the mettal-mynes . pamphilus of caesarea , dyed a glorious martyr . in syria , all the chief pastors were first cast into prison , together with the bishops , elders and deacons : tiranion was throwen into the sea . zenobius a physitian was slain with brickbats . at antioch two young maidens were thrown into the sea . also an aged matron , and her two beautifull daughters , being sought after , and at last found , rather then they would be drawn to do sacrifice , threw themselves head-long into a river . sylvanus bishop of emissa , with some others were thrown to the wild beasts . the christians in mesopotamia were tormented divers ways : some of them were hanged up by the feet , and with the smoak of a small fire strangled . so out-ragious was the emperor in the beginning of this persecution , that in nicomedia he slew the chiefest princes of his court , whom a little before he prized as his own children . also one peter was hoisted up naked , and so beaten , and torn with whips , that his bones might be seen ; then they poured upon him salt and vinegar , and lastly rosted him with a soft fire . dorotheus and gorgonius , men of great authority under the emperor , after divers torments were strangled with an halter . anthimus , bishop of nicomedia , with divers others , having made a good confession , were beheaded . yea , serena , the wife of dioclesian the emperor , was martyred for her religion . some others were bound hand and foot to a post , and so burnt . also many christians of all ages and sorts , being met together in a church , to celebrate the memorial of christs nativity , maximian the emperor sent some to fire the church , and burn them all ; but first they commanded a cryer to proclaim , that whosoever would have life , should come out , and sacrifice to jupiter , otherwise they should be all burnt ; then one stepping up boldly , in the name of all the rest , said , we are all christians , and believe that christ is our only god and king , and we will sacrifice to none but him ; hereupon the fire was kindled , and some thousands of men , women and children were burnt in that place . in arabia many martyrs were slain with axes . in phrygia , the emperor sent his edicts to a city , commanding them to sacrifice to the idols : but the major , and all the citizens professed themselves to be christians , whereupon the emperor made his army environ the city , and set it on fire , whereby all the inhabitants were burnt together in it . eustratius an armenian , and skilfull in the greek tongue , highly honoured and advanced by the emperor , who also had executed many christians ; beholding the marvellous constancy of the martyrs , privately learned the christian religion , burned exceedingly with a desire of martyrdom , and not staying for accusers , professed himself to be a christian , openly execrating the vanity and madness of the heathens ; being therefore apprehended , he was tied up , and bitterly beaten ; afterwards he was parched with fire put to his bowels , then basted with salt and vinegar , then scraped and bemangled with sharp cutting shels , that his whole body seemed to be but one wound , yet afterwards , through gods goodness , it was restored again whole . and lastly was he burned . in alexandria , peter the bishop , and his deacons constantly suffered martyrdom : as also many other bishops in egypt , together with many famous and excellent men , suffered about the same time . a whole legion of christian souldiers , that lay at thebes in egypt , under their christian col ▪ mauritius , because they refused to sacrifice to idols , were first tithed over by the emperours command , once , and again and afterwards , by the exhortation of mauritius , they died all together constant martyrs . the persecution raged not only in asia and africa , but also in italy , france , spain , &c. in all which countries an innumerable company of christians were martyred by sundry kindes of death . in trevers were so many christians slain , that their bloud ran like small brooks , and discoloured great rivers ; yet this sufficed not the tyrant , but he sent abroad his horsemen to command all those which had apprehended any christians , immediately to put them to death . at collen also , and in rhetia many were martyred : yea , this persecution extended into our britan , where all the christians were put to death . besides the kindes of death , the punishments were so great and horrible as no tongue is able to express : as whippings , scourgings , rackings , horrible scrapings , sword , fire , shipboats , whereinto many were put and sunk into the sea : also hanging upon crosses , binding some to the bodies of trees with their heads hanging downward , hanging others by the middle upon gallowses till they died of hunger : throwing others alive to lions , bears , leopards , wilde buls , &c. pricking others with bodkins and talons of beasts till they were almost dead . in thebaide , they hanged up women naked by one of their feet , the rest of their body hanging downwards , with many other sorts of punishments most cruell to be thought of : some were bound to the boughs of trees , and had their members torn asunder , others were mangled with axes , some choaked with smoak over a slow fire , some had their hands , ears , and feet cut off , others were scorched and broiled upon coals , yet not to death , but had the torment renued every day . in pontus the martyrs had other horible torments inflicted on them , some had their fingers-ends under the nails thrust in with bodkins : some were sprinkled all over with boiling lead , having their necessary members cut from them , others suffred most filthy and intolerable torments in their bowels , and privy members : what the outrage of this persecution was in alexandria , phileas a bishop thus writeth , because ( saith he ) every man might torment the holy martyrs as he listed , some beat them with cudgels , some with rods , some with whips , some with thonges , some with cords , some having there hands bound behind them were lifted upon timber-logs , and with certaine instruments had their members and joints stretched out , where their bodies hanging , were subjected to the will of the tormentors , who were commanded to afflict them with all manner of torments : on their sides , bellies , thighs , legges , they scratched them with the claws of wilde beasts : some were hanged but by on hand one the engine , that they might feel the more grievous pulling out of the rest of their members : some were bound to pillars , having no stay under their feet , that w●th the weight of their bodies being drawn out , they might feel the greater torment : and these torments endured all day long ; the judge commanding that they should not be let down , till either by the extremity of torment , or by the cold , they were near death ; and then they were let down , and haled upon the ground . they devised also another greater torment , for when the christians were lamentably beaten , they had a new kinde of rack , wherein they lying upright , were stretched by both the feet above the fourth hole , with sharp shels strawed under them . others were cast down upon the pavement , where they had so many torments inflicted upon them , that their sufferings cannot be imagined what they were : in the midst of which torments some died , their enemies being confounded with their singular patience . some half dead were thrust into prisons , where , with their wounds and pain they ended their lives : others being cured of their wounds , were again put to their choice ; whether they would sacrifice to the idols , and have their liberty , or have the sentence of death pass upon them , who did willingly chuse death for christs sake , rather then to sin against him . in nicomedia , a christian pulling down , and tearing the emperors edict , was stript and beaten till the bones appeared , and then washed in salt and vinegar , under which torments he died . yet notwithstanding the horribleness of these tortures , the christian martyrs were so farre from being dismaied , that they were confirmed and strengthned thereby , merrily and joyfully undergoing whatsoever was inflicted upon them . eusebius saith , that himself saw the cruel persecution in thebade , where the swords of the persecutors were blunted with the great slaughter of the christians , and they sat down with weariness to rest them , whilest others took their places . yet still the christians shewed their willingness , and with courage , joy and smiling , received their sent●nce of death from the judge , and to the last gasp , sang psalms and hymns of praise to god. in alexandria the holy martyrs led with the love of better rewards , did not only bear the menaces of the cruel souldiers , wherewith they threatned them , but also whatsoever torments they could devise for their destruction : yea saith sulpitius ; then the christians with more greedy desire pressed and sought for maryrdom , then now they do for bishopricks . yet some through infirmity in this persecution fell back , for which they were excommunicated by the church . damasus and others witness , that there were slain in thirty daies , seventeen thousand persons , besides a great number that were condemned to the metall-mines and quarries , with the like cruelty . in alexandria were slain with axes three hundred : at collen three hundred . mauritius with his christian legion , six thousand six hundred sixty six , whose story , deserving perpetually to be remembred , is this : maximian sent for his mauritius with his legion of thebane souldiers , under a pretence of imploying them against his enemies : when they came to rome , marcellus , the blessed bishop , laboured to confirm them in the truth , to whom they promised perseverance in the faith unto the death . then they followed they imperial army into france , and when they were cowe thither , maximian offered sacrifice to the devils , and called all his souldiers to the same , strictly charging them to fight against his enemies , and against the christians which were enemies to his gods . these christian thebans resolved rather to die ▪ then to sacrifice , or to bear arms against the christians , wherewith the tyrant being enraged , commanded every tenth man of the legion to be put to the sword , hereupon they strove who should submit their necks to the stroke . mauritius encouraged them greatly hereunto , and being called before the emperour , he said ; wee , o emperour , your souldiers , and yet the servants of god , owe thee service of war , but to him innocency ; of thee we receive wages , but of him life ; therefore we cannot obey thee to deny god our lord and yours also , will ye nil ye : we are ready to obey you , if you enforce us not to disobey him : otherwise we will rather obey him then you : we offer here our hands against any other enemies , but to defile our hands with the bloud of innocents , we may not : these hands of ours have ●kil to fight against wicked enemies , but not to murther godly friends , &c. we have engaged our faith to god , we cannot be true to you , if we break covenant with him , &c. we see our brethren and fellows in arms , cruelly put to the sword , which we rejoyce in , that they have been counted worthy to suffer for christs sake , &c. behold here we cast down our weapons , and had rather to be killed , then to kill , and to die guiltlesse then to live guilty : we are ready to suffer what more you shall appoint , yea b●th fire , sword , or any other torments . we confesse our selves , to be christians , wee cannot persecute christians , nor sacrifice to your devillish idols . the emperour being highly incensed with this answer commanded the second time the tenth man to be slain , which being accomplished , when the christian souldiers would not yet condescend to his minde , he set upon them with his whole host , both of foot and horse , charging them to kill them all ; the christians made no resistance , but throwing down their arms , offered their naked necks to the persecutors , and so were all slain . at that time , one victor , an old souldier , that for his age was dismissed , coming to the army , as they were banquetting and making merry with the spoils of the martyrs , was bidden to sit down with them , but he asked them what was the cause of there mirth , and understanding the trut● , he detested them , and refused to eat with them ; and being thereupon demanded whether he were a christian ? he answered that he was and ever would be . then they rushed upon him ; and made him partaker , of the lik martyrdom and honour . when dioclesian and maximian , notwithstanding all the slaughter which they made , saw the number of christians rather increased then diminished , so that they were out of all hope of utter rooting them out , and having now even their fill of blood , they ceased at last of their own accord from putting any more christians to death : yet of a great multitude , they thrust out their right eies , and maimed their right legs at the ham , with a searing iron , condemning them to the metal-mynes , not so much for their labour , as desirous to afflict them thereby : and so having raigned together about one and twenty years , dioclesian divested himself of the imperial dignity , and lived a private life , and the like did maximian also , resigning the empire to galerius maximinus , and constantius . maximinus was of a cruel nature , a great enchanter , vicious in his life , and a great enemy to the christians , and therefore continued the persecution of them , yet at length was revoked from his cruelty by the just judgement of god upon him ; for he was suddenly taken with an horrible and filthy disease , which first began outwardly in his flesh : and then proceeded more inwardly : his privy members putrified with a botchy corrupt boil , and a fistula consuming , and eating up his entrails , whence swarmed forth an innumerable company of lice , with such a pestiferous stink , that no man could abide him ; he being also very gross , his fat putrified , and stank intollerably ; and because his physitians could not abide the stink , he commanded them to be slain : others of them , because they could not cure his incurable disease , he put them to cruel deaths . at last being told that his disease came from god , he began to bethink himself of all the cruelty which he had shewed to the saints , confessed his offences to god , and gave command that the persecution against the christians should cease ; requiring his officers likewise to re-edifie their temples , and requesting them to pray to their god for him . this edict much comforted and refreshed the christians , who thereupon gathered together in every city , called their synods and councels ; yea , the infidels themselves extolled and magnified the true god of the christians . but this tyrant maximinus scarce suffered this peace to continue six moneths together , but again he forbad the christians to meet , and privately stirred up the athenians to petition him that none of them might be suffered to live in their city : also a conjurer in athens made an image of jupiter , which uttered these words , jupiter commandeth the christians to be banished out of this city and suburbs , because they are enemies to him . also certain harlots were suborned to say , that they formerly were christians , and privy to the wicked and lascivious acts which they exercised amongst themselves , upon sabbath daies , &c. and thereupon the emperor commanded that they should put them to death by all means possible . then did the persecution grow as great as ever it was , and the governors of every province fell upon the christians ▪ banishing some , and putting others to death . silvanus bishop of emissa , a very old man , and three others with him , were condemned to death . so was lucianus , an elder at antioch . at alexandria , peter the bishop was beheaded . quirinus bishop of scescanus had an hand-mill tied about his neck , and was thrown head-long into a river : where yet he floted a great while , exhorting the lookers on not to be dismaid with his punishment , and so with much ado , was at last drowned . at rome , many bishops , ministers and elders were put to death . in sundry other places very many others suffered martyrdom with fire , wild beasts , drowning in the sea , &c. some were crucified , some were slain with the sword ; some endured the cutting and burning of their members ; some had their eyes thrust out ; some were starved in prisons , and whatsoever other cruelty the magistrates could devise ; all which the people of god endured , rather then they would offer sacrifice to the idols . the like miseries did the women also endure , for being inticed to the filthy use of their bodies , some rather chose banishment , and others to prevent it , killed themselves . neither could christians live safely in the wilderness , but even from thence they were drawn to torments and death . and whereas the tyrant in his edict had boasted of the plenty and prosperity of all things in the time of his persecuting of the saints , god to confute him , presently sent great drought , famine and pestilence , besides the wars with the armenians ; by which calamities , the people were miserably wasted ; corn was sold at an unreasonable rate , so that exceeding great multitudes died of hunger in the cities , but far more in the villages ; most part of the husband-men dying of famine and the pestilence . divers brought out their best treasure , and gave it for any kind of sustenance , though never so little . others having sold their possessions for food , fell into extream misery : some did eat grass , others fed upon unwholsom herbs , whereby they hurt and poisoned their bodies : many women were driven to leave the cities , and beg up and down through the countrey : some through faintness fell down in the streets , and holding up their hands , cryed miserably for some scraps or fragments of bread , being ready to give up the ghost ; and being able to say no more , they cryed , hungry , hungry . some of the richer sort being tired with serving such multitudes of beggers , began to grow hard-hearted , fearing lest themselves should fall into the like misery : by reason whereof the market-places , streets , and lanes , lay full of dead corpses , and naked bodies were cast out unburied , many of which were devoured by dogs , whereupon they which lived , fell to killing of the dogs , lest running mad , they should fall upon them , and kill them . the pestilence also scattering through all houses , killed very many , especially those of the richer sort , which escaped the famine , whereby innumerable magistrates , princes and presidents were quickly dispatched , so that all places were filled with mourning , and nothing was seen or heard but weeping and wailing every where . death so reigned in every family , that two or three dead bodies were carried out of one house together . but notwithstanding that these miscreants had been so cruel to them , yet the christians were very diligent and charitable to them in all their extremities , travelling every day , some in curing the sick ; some in burying of their dead ; others called the multitude together , which were ready to famish , and distributed bread unto them , whereby they occasioned them to glorifie the god of the christians , and con●essed them to be the true worshippers of god , as appeared by their works : and hereby the lord wrought wonderfully for the peace of his church , for after he had corrected them , he again shewed th●m mercy . constantine succeeding his father , overcame maxentius the tyrant in rome , and he together with licinius set forth edicts in favour of the christians : see constantines life in my second part of lives . yet maximinus continued his persecution in the east , whereupon constantine and licinius wrote to him to favour the christians , and he finding that he was too weak to encounter with them , sent forth his edicts to stop the persecution : yet afterwards he picked new quarrels with them , and began to persecute them again : whereupon licinius went against him , and overthrew him in a battell : then did maximinus kill many of his enchanters and conjurers that had encouraged him , and promised him victory . shortly after the lord striking him with a grievous disease , he glorified the god of the christians , and made a law for the safety and preservation of them : yet not long after by the vehemency of his disease , he ended his life . licinius , that for a long time had pretended to the christian religion , and lived in great familiarity with constantine , who had given him his sister constantia to be his wife , began afterwards to discover his hypocrisie , and the wickednesse of his nature , secretly conspiring the death of constantine : but the lord discovering and preventing his conspiracies , he then fell out with him , and manifested his hatred of the christian religion , being puffed up with the victory that he had got against maximinus . he quarrelled with the christians , because as he said , they praied not for him , but for constantine : and thereupon he first banished them all from his court : then he deprived all the knights of their honourable order , except they would sacrifice to devils : then he commanded that the bishops should have no meetings to consult about their ecclesiastical affairs : nor that any christians should come to the churches , or hold any assemblies : then that men and women should not meet together to pray , that women should not hear the bishops , but chuse out women to instruct them : then that none should help or succour those that were in prison , nor should bestow any alms upon them , though they should die for hunger , and that they which shewed any compassion to those which were condemned to death , should suffer the like punishment themselves ; then he persecuted the bishops , and slew those which were the most eminent of them : the flattering officers also which were about him , thinking to please him thereby , slew many bishops without any cause : yea many of their bodies they cut into gobbets , and threw them in to the sea to feed fishes : some were banished , others had their goods confiscated ; many noblemen and gentlemen were privily made away : and licinius gave their unmarried daughters to wicked varlets to be defloured , himself also violated many women , both wives and maidens . this cruelty made many godly persons voluntarily to forsake their houses , and to live in woods , mountains , and desarts : he caused theodorus to be hanged upon a crosse , to have nails thrust into his arm-pits , and afterwards to be beheaded : divers other bishops had their hands cut off with a fearing iron . in sebastia fourty christian souldiers in the vehement cold winter were cast into an horse-pond , where they ended their lives : the wives of these fourty men were carried to heraclea , where , together with a deacon of that place , after they had suffered innumerable torments , they were slain with the sword . constantine being informed of all this wickednesse , raised an army , went against him , overcame him twice , and at last caused him to be put to death , as you may see in constantines life in my second part : whereby the church obtained a generall peace . yet in this tenth persecution many other eminent christians suffered martryrdom , besides those before-named . galerius in his time invaded antioch , intending to force all christians to renounce christ , at what time they were assembled together , whereupon one romanus ran to them , declaring that the wolves were at hand , which would devour them , yet he exhorted them not to fear by reason of the perill ; and , through gods grace , the christians were greatly encouraged by him , so that old men and matrons , fathers , mothers , young men and maidens were all of one minde , being willing to shed their bloud in defence of their profession : a band of armed men were sent against them , which were not able to wrest the staff of faith out of their hands : hereupon they sent word to their captain , that they could not inforce the christians to deny their faith , by reason of romanus who did so mightily encourage them : then did the captain command that he should be brought before him , which was done accordingly ; what ( saith the captain ) art thou the author of this sedition ? art thou the cause that so many lose there lives ? by the gods i swear thou shalt answer for them all , and shalt suffer those torments that thou encouragest them to undergo ; romanus answered , thy sentence , o emperour , i willingly embrace , i refuse not to be sacrificed for my brethren , and that by as cruel torments as thou canst invent . &c. the captain being much enraged with this his stout answer , commanded him to be trussed up , and his bowels drawn out , whereupon the executioners said , not so sir , this man is of noble parentage , and therefore he may not be put to so ignoble a death : scourge him then ( quoth the captain ) with whips with knobs of lead at the ends : but romanus sang psalms all the time of his whipping , requiring them not to favour him for nobilities sake ; not the bloud of progenitors , ( saith he ) but the christian profession makes me noble : then did he earnestly inveigh against the captain , and derided their idoll gods , &c. but this further enraged the tyrant , so that he commanded his sides to be lanced with knives , till the bones were laid open : yet still did the holy martyr preach the living god , and the lord jesus christ to him : then did the tyrant command them to strike out his teeth , that his speech might be hindered ; also his face was buffeted , his eye-lids torn with their nails , his cheeks gashed with knives , the skin of his beard pulled off by litle and little , &c. yet the meek martyr said , i thank thee o captain , that thou hast opened to me so many mouths as wounds , whereby i may preach my lord and saviour jesus christ : look how many wounds i have , so many mouths i have , lauding and praising god : the captain astonished at his constancy , bad them give over tormenting him : yet he threatned to burn him , reviled him , and blasphemed god , saying , thy crucified christ is but a yesterdaies god , the gods of the gentiles are of greatest antiquity : but romanus taking occasion from hence , declared to him the eternity of christ , &c. withall saying , give me a child of seven years old , and thou shalt hear what he will say ; hereupon a pretty boy was called out of the multitude , to whom romanus said , tell me my pretty babe , whether thou think it reason that we worship christ , and in christ one father , or else that we worship infinite gods ? the child answered , that certainly what we affirm to be god must needs be one , which with one , is one and the same ; and inasmuch as this one is christ , of necessity christ must be the true god : for that there be many gods , we children cannot beleeve : the captain amazed at this , said , thou young villain and traitor , where , and of whom learnedst thou this lesson ? of my mother , said he , with whose milk i sucked in this lesson , that i must believe in christ : the mother was called , and she gladly appeared : the tyrant commanded the child to be horsed up , and scourged : the standers by beholding this mercilesse act , could not refrain from tears ; the joyfull and glad mother alone stood by with dry cheeks , yea , she rebuked her sweet babe , for desiring a cup of cold water , charging him to thirst after the cup that the babes of bethlem once drunk of ; she willed him to remember little isaac , who willingly proferred his neck to the ●int of his fathers sword , &c. then did the cruell tormentor pull off the skin , hair and all from the crown of the childes head : the mother crying , suffer my child , anon thou shalt passe to him that will adorn thy head with a crown of eternall glory : thus the mother councelleth and encourageth , the childe is encouraged , and receiveth the stripes with a smiling countenance . the captain seeing the childe invincible , and himself vanquished , commands him to be cast into the stinking prison , whilest the torments of romanus were renewed and encreased : then was romanus brought forth again , to receive new stripes upon his old sores , the flesh being torn , and the bare bones appearing : yet the cruell tyrant raging like a mad man , quarelling with the tormentors for dealing so mildely with him , commanding them to cut , prick , and pounce him : and then he passed sentence upon him , together with the childe to be burned to death : to whom romanus said , i appeal from this unjust sentence of thine to the righteous throne of christ , that upright judge , not because i fear thy cruell torments , and mercilesse handling , but that thy judgements may be known to be cruell and bloudy . when they came to the place of execution , the tormentors required the childe of his mother , for she had carried it in her arms from the prison ; she kissing it , delivered it to them , and as the executioner was striking off his head , she said , farewell my sweet childe : all laud and praise , with heart and voice , o lord we yeeld to thee : to whome the death of all thy saints , we know most dear to be . the childes head being cut off , the mother wrapt it in her garment , laid it to her brest , and so departed . then was romanus cast into a mighty fire , which being quenched with a great storm , the tyrant commanded his tongue to be cut out , and afterwards caused him to be strangled in the prison . gordius , a centurion in caesarea , in the heat of this persecution , left his charge , living a solitary life in a wilderness for a long time : at last when a solemn feast was celebrated to mars in that city , and multitudes of people were assembled in the theatre ▪ to see the games , he came , and gat up into a conspicuous place , and with a loud voice said , behold , i am found of those which sought me not , &c. the multitude hereupon looked about to see who it was that spake this , and gordius being known , he was immediatly brought before the sheriff , and being asked who , and what he was , and why he came thither ? he told him the whole truth , professing that he believed in christ , valued not their threatnings , and chose this as a fit time to manifest his profession in : then did the sheriff call for scourges , gibbets , and all manner of torments : to whom gordius answered , that it would be a losse and damage to him , if he did not suffer divers torments and punishments for christ and his cause : the sheriff more incensed hereby , commanded all those torments to be inflicted on him : with which gordius could not be overcome , but sang , the lord is my helper , i will not fear what man can do unto me : and i will fear no evill , because thou lord art with me , &c. then did he blame the tormentors for favouring him ; provoking them to do their uttermost : then the sheriff not prevaling that way , sought by flattery to seduce him , promising him preferment , riches , treasures , honour , &c. if he would deny christ : but gordius derided his foolish madness , saying , that he looked for greater preferment in heaven , then he could give him here upon earth : then was he condemned , and had out of the city to be burnt : multitudes followed him , and some kissing him , with tears entreated him to pity himself , to whom he answered , weep not i pray you for me , but for the enemies of god , which fight against the christians ; weep i say for them which prepare a fire for us , purchasing hell-fire thereby for themselves in the day of vengeance : and cease i pray you thus to molest my quiet and setled mind : for truly for the name of christ i am ready to suffer a thousand deaths , &c. others perswaded him to deny christ with his mouth , and to keep his conscience to himself ▪ my tongue ( saith he ) which by gods goodnesse i have , cannot be brought to deny the author and giver of the same ; for with the heart we beleeve unto righteousnesse , and with the tongue we confesse unto salvation : and thus perswading and encouraging the people to be willing to die in the like cause , with an unappalled countenance , he willingly gave himself to be burnt . also menas an egyptian , and a souldier by profession , in this persecution , forsook all , and went into a desart , where he gave himself to fasting , prayer , meditation , and reading of the scriptures : at last returning into the city of cotis , when the people were at their pastimes , he with a loud voice proclaimed himself to be a christian , and thereupon was carried before the president , and being demanded of his faith , he said , convenient it is that i confesse god in whom is light , and no darknesse ; for with the heart we beleeve to righteousnesse , and with the mouth confession is made to salvation : then was he pinched and excruciated with sundry torments : but ( said he ) there is nothing in my minde that can be compared to the kingdom of heaven , neither is all the world , if it were weighed in a balance , comparable to the price of one soul ; and further said , who can separate us from the love of christ ? can tribulation , or anguish ? &c. and again , i have learned of my lord christ not to feare them that can kill the body , and have no power to kill the soul , &c. having endured manifold torments , he received the sentence of death , and at the place of execution , he said , i give thee thanks , my lord god , which hast accepted me to be a partaker of thy precious death , and hast not suffered me to be devoured of my fierce enemies , but hast made me constant in thy true faith unto the end : and so he lost hi● head , but found a crown . basil relates a story , that the emperours officer brought the edict against the christians to a place to be published , and then privily suborned some to detect and accuse the christians : then he caused the sword , gibbet , wheel , and whips to be brought forth , at the sight whereof the hearts of all the beholders did shake and tremble : some for fear fled , others stood in doubt what to do : some again for fear denied their faith , others suffered cruell torments , but at last vanquished by the intollerable pain , they made shipwrack of their consciences , and lost the glory of their confession . amongst others , fourty young gentlemen that were souldiers , freely and boldly confessed themselves to be christians , declaring to the marshall their names , who amazed at this their boldnesse , stood in doubt what to do : then he assaied with fair words and flatteries to win them , perswading them to consider their youth , and not to change a pleasant life for a painfull and untimely death , promising them honour , money , &c. but they boldly answered , that they neither desired , money , honour , nor life , but only the celestiall kingdom of christ , for the love of which they were ready to endure the wheel , crosse , fire , &c. the marshall being much offended herewith , devised a new torment ; for spying a pond in the street that did lie open to the northen winde , it being in the cold winter time , he caused them to be put into it all night ; but they being merry , comforted one another as they put off their clothes , saying , we put not off now our cloths , but our old man , corrupt with the deceit of concupiscence , for which we blesse and praise god : for by meanes of the serpent we once put on the old man , but by the means of jesus christ we now put him off : and being brought naked to the place , where they felt the vehement cold , they were put into the pond , so that all their members were stark and stiffe with it : and as soon as it was day , they hauing breath yet remaining in them , were brought to the fire , wherein they were consumed into ashes , which ashes were thrown into the floud . it happened that one of the company being more lively , and not so near death as the rest , the executioners pitied him , and delivered him to his mother who stood by , to save his life : but she led him to the piles of wood where the other starved creatures lay ready to be burnt , admonishing him to accomplish the blessed journey he had taken in hand , which accordingly he did , and was burnt with his companions . syrus a physician of alexandria , in this persecution fled into syria , where he lived a private life , unto whom one john a souldier adjoined himlelf : but not long after one athanasia with her three daughters , being virgins , were cast into prison at canope in egypt for the profession of their faith : cyrus being of their acquaintance , fearing lest through infirmity they should fall , he together with his partner john went thither to the prison to comfort and confirm them , for which he was accused to the president , who thereupon condemned them all , and so they were beheaded . sebastian also borne in france , and captain of the avaunt-guard of the emperour , encouraged many martyrs by his exhortations unto constancy , and kept them in the faith , for which being accused to the emperour , he caused him to be brought forth into the open field , where by his own souldiers he was thrust through with arrows . basil also maketh mention of one barlaam , who having endured all sorts of tortures to the point of death , was then by the tormentors laid upon the altar , and they put fire and frankincense in his right hand , hoping that the burning of the fire would have forced him to scatter the incense upon the altar , and so to have sacrificed : but his hand , enduring the fire , remained steady , the martyr in the mean time singing , blessed be the lord my god which teacheth my hands to fight , &c. ambrose mentioneth one agricola and vitalis his servant , who agreed betwixt themselves , to give their lives , with other martyrs , for the name of christ ; vitalis first offering himself to martyrdom , the persecutors laboured by all means to draw him to deny christ , but not prevailing , they exercised upon him all sorts of torments , so that he had no whole skin left on all his body : vitalis in the midst of his sufferings , having by prayer commended himself to god , gave up the ghost . then was agricola set upon by the tormentors , whose vertuous life and gentle conditions , had won him such respect , that they delayed tormenting of him , but he provoking them to make quicker speed , they fastened him to the crosse , where he finished his martyrdom . augustine writes of one vincentius a spaniard , who by dacianus the president was first laid upon the rack , till all the joints of his body crackt , then were all his members slasht and indented with deadly wounds ; then they miserably scratched all his body with iron combs , filed very sharp ; then they laid his body , being all out of joint , upon an iron grate , opened it with iron hooks , seared it with fiery plates , and then besprinkled it with hot burning salt : lastly they drew him , and cast him into a vile dungeon , the floore whereof was thick-spread with the sharpest shels , his feet were fast locked in the stocks , and so left him without all wordly comfort ; but the lord his god was with him , the holy spirit of god , whose office it is to comfort the afflicted , filled his heart with joy unspeakable ; so that he there ended his life with much comfort . also procopius in palestine , after his conversion , brake his images of gold and silver , and distributed them amongst the poor ; whereupon he had all sorts of torments inflicted on him , racking , cording , tearing of his flesh , firing , goring , stabbing , and lastly had his head cut off . george , a young man of cappadocia , stoutly inveighing against the impious idolatry of the emperor , was apprehended , torn with hooked irons , burnt with hot lime , stretched out with cords , after had his hands and feet cut off , and lastly was beheaded . hermogenes the president of athens , being converted by beholding the patience and constancy of two martyrs in their torments , suffered himself for the same faith . in portugall a noble virgin named eulalia , not much above twelve years old , had profers of great marriages made unto her , but she seeing the f●rious rage of this persecution , had a great minde to join her self to the number of the martyrs , for which end she poured out her heart in prayer to god for strength and faith to enable her thereunto : but her godly parents fearing that her ready minde to die for christs cause , might make her guilty of her own death , they kept her close at their country-house , a great way from the city ; there she lived quietly for a while ; but at last , detesting to make such dealy , she stole out of her fathers house in the night , and travelled all alone through by-waies , with much difficulty and wearinesse towards the city , whither she came in the morning , and going before the judge ▪ she with a loud voice said , i pray you , what a shame is it for you thus wickedly to kill mens souls , and to breake their bodies in pieces , to compell them to deny the omnipotent god ? would you know what i am ? i am a christian , and an enemy to your devilish sacrifices , i spurn your idols under my feet , i confesse god omnipotent with my heart and mouth , &c. go to therefore thou hangman , burne , cut and mangle these my earthly members ; thou maist easily break a brittle substance , but thou canst not hurt my inward minde by any thing thou canst doe . the judge enraged herewith , said to the hangman , take her and pull her out by the hair of her head to torments , let her feel the power of our gods , and know what we can do : but yet , o sturdy girl , i would fain have thee , before thou diest , to revoke thy wickednesse : remember the honourable house of which thou art come , and thy friends tears ; wilt thou kill thy self in the flower of thy youth , so near honourable marriages ? doth not the glistering pomp of the bride-bed move thee &c. behold here the engines prepared for thy death ; either thou shalt be beheaded with the sword , or torn with wilde beasts , or consumed with fire to ashes , &c. yet this thou maiest escape if thou wilt ; what greate matter is it for thee , with thy fingers to put a little incense into the censers ? yet thereby thou shalt be delivered . to this eulalia answered not , being in a great passion , but spit in the tyrants face , and spurned abroad the heap of inc●nse . whereupon without further delay , the hangmen with both their strengths pulled out her joints , scratched her with the talons of wilde beasts to the hard bones , she singing and praising god in the mean time ; saying , beh●ld o lord , i will not forget thee : what a pleasure is it for them , o christ , that remember thy triumphant victories , to ataine to these high dignities ! &c. yea , when as out of a warm fountain , her fair and white skin was discoloured with the purple bloud that flowed from her torn members , she wept not , but chearfully sang praises unto god ; then they gored her mangled body with the iron grate , terribly harrowed her flesh , and burned her brest with flaming torches , then setting fire to her long hair , which covered her naked body , when it came to her face , she opened her mouth , and sucked in the flame , and so peaceably slept in the lord. also agnes a young virgin being accused for a christian , was brought before the judge , who first laboured by flatteries , then by threatning her with cruell torments , to draw her to the deniall of her faith ; but she being strengthened by christ , told him that she feared not his torments , which she was willing to undergo , yea and death it self for christs sake ; then said the judge , if it be so easie with thee to undergo torments , yet i know that thou prizest thy virginity therefore it is fully determined , that except thou sacrificest to the gods , thou shalt be put into the common stews . then did many youths flock together , craving that agnes might be exposed as a prey to there filthy lusts , to whom she said , christ is not forgetfull of those that are his , neither will he leave me destitute of his help , nor suffer my unspotted chastity to be defiled by you , &c. you shall willingly bathe your swords in my blood , but you shall not defile my body with filthy lust for any thing that you can do . then the judge commanded that she should be ●et naked at the corner of a street ; whereupon the multitude sorrowed , and were ashamed to see so shamelesse a sight , turning away their face , and so departing , but one amongst the rest looking upon her in a shamelesse manner , behold a flame of fire , like a flash of lightining struck out both his eies , and he falling down wallowed in the kennell dirt , whereupon agnes sang praises unto god. then the cruel tyrant enraged hereby , commanded the executioner to draw out his sword , and dispatch her : she seeing a sturdy souldier coming towards her with a naked sword , rejoyced saying , this , o this is he that i love , i will make hast to meet him ; and no longer protract my longing desires ; i well willingly receive the length of his sword into my breast : o eternall father , vouchsafe to open the gates of heaven to my soul that seeketh thee ; and so kneeling down , and praying unto christ , the executioner with his bloudy hand , finished her hope . basil in one of his orations , relates a story of one jullitta , from whom one of the emperours officers tooke all her goods , lands and servants , contrary to all equity ; whereupon she complained to the judges , and a day of hearing was appointed , where the spoiled woman lamentably declared her cause : but the wicked villain that had robbed her , said that her action was of no force , for she was an outlaw , for not observing the emperours gods , and that she was a christian : his allegation was allowed , incense was prepared for her to offer to the gods , which if she refused , she should neither have protection nor benefit of the emperours laws , nor continue her life . she hearing this , in the mighty strength of god , said , farewell riches , welcome pouerty , farewell life , welcome death ▪ all that i have were it a thousand times more , would i lose , rather then speak one wicked word against god my creator . i yield thee most hearty thanks , o my god , for this gift of grace , that i can contemn and despise this frail and transitory world , esteeming the profession of christ above all treasures : and thenceforth when any question was proposed to her , her answer was , i am the servant of jesus christ. her kindred and friends earnestly sollicited her to change her minde , but she constantly refused , with detestation of their idolatry . then did the cruel judge condemn her to be burnt , which sentence she embraced joyfully , as a thing most sweet and delectable ; and so she addressed her self to the flames , in countenance , gesture and words , declaring the joy of her heart , coupled with singular constancy , and so embracing the fire , she sweetly slept in the lotd . barbara a noble woman in thuscia , after miserable imprisonment , sharp cords , and burning flames put to her sides , was as last beheaded , together with many others . here place the fourth figure . chap. xvii . the persecution of the christians in persia , under sapores , about the same time . the idolatrous magicians in persia , taking counsell together against the christians , accused them to sapores for keeping correspondence with , and favoring the roman emperour , which was constantine the great . the king being much moved herewith , took occasion to oppress them with taxes and tributes , to their utter undoing , and killed there ministers with the sword . then he called before him simeon their bishop , who remaining constant and valiant , he commanded him to be led forth to torment , yet did he neither shrink for fear , nor make any humble suit for pardon , which the king being offended at , required him either to worship him after the countrey manner , or else he would destroy him and all other christians in his land : but simeon , neither allured with promises , nor terrified with threatnings , could be induced to the idolatrous worship , for which cause he was sent away to prison , and as he was going , there was sitting at the court-gate an eunuch , an old tutor of the kings , named usthazares , once a christian , but now fallen from his profession , who seeing simeon led by , rose up and did him reverence ; simeon on the contrary , rebuked him , crying out against him for revolting from his profession : whereupon , the eunuch burst forth into tears , layd aside his costly apparell , and put on black mourning weeds , and sitting at the court-gate weeping , he said to himself , wo is me , with what face hereafter shall i look upon god , seeing simeon disdaineth with one gentle word to salute me ? this being carried to the kings ears , he was exceeding angry , and sending for him , he first with gentle words and large promises , spake him fair , and asked him why he mourned ? whether there was any thing in his house that was denied him ? &c. whereunto usthazares answered , that there was nothing in that earthly house that was detained from him : yea ▪ said he , o king , would god any other grief or calamity in the world had happened to me , rather then this for which i justly sorrow : for this is my grief , that i am alive this day , who should have died long since , and that i see this sun , which dissemblingly , to pleasure you , i have seemed to worship , for which i have deserved a double death : first for dissembling with you ; secondly for that thereby i have denied christ : withall vowing that he would never hereafter forsake the creator to worship the creature , &c. sapores was much astonished hereat , and doubted whether to use him gently or with rigour , but at last in his mood ; he commanded him to be beheaded : but as he was going to execution , he requested an eunuch that attended on the king , to desire him for all the old and faithfull service that he had done to his father and him , that he would cause it to be proclaimed openly at his death , that he was beheaded , not for any treachery against the king or realm , but for that he was a christian , and would not deny his god ; this the king yielded to , and so it was performed ; and this he desired , because by his former apostacy he dad discouraged many christians , and therefore he sought by his profession and example to encourage them to the like sufferings . simeon in prison hearing of his death , much rejoyced and praised god for it , and the very next day , he , with above an hundred more christians were beheaded likewise . there was present at their martyrdom one pusices an officer to the king , who beholding an aged minister to tremble when he saw the others beheaded before him , said unto him , o father ! shut thine eys for a little moment , and be strong , and shortly thou shallt see god in glory . hereupon pusices was apprehended , and carried before the king , in whose presence he made a bold confession of his faith , for which cause they made a hole in his neck , and pulled out his tongue backward , and so he was put to death , together with one of his daughters that was a virgin . the year after , when the christians were met together to celebrate the memoriall of christs passion , sapores sent forth a cruel edict , that all they should be put to death that professed the name of christ ; and this he did at the instigation of the wi●ked magicians , whereupon an innumerable company of christians , both in cities and towns were slain by the sword , some being sought for , others offering themselves willingly least they should seem to deny christ : in this persecution many of the kings own court and houshold-servants suffered martyrdom ; amongst whom was azades , an eunuch , whom the king entirely loved , insomuch as hearing that he was slain , he was so offended and grieved , that he commanded that thenceforth no more christians should be slain , but only the doctors and teachers of the church . about this time the queen fell very sick , upon which occasion the wicked jews and magicians accused two of simeons sisters , which were godly virgins , that by charms and enchantments they had procured her sickness to revenge the death of simeon : this accusation being beleived , they were both condemned , and with a saw cut in sunder by the middle , whose quarters were hung upon stakes , the queen going betwixt them , thinking thereby to be freed of her sickness . then ensued a great persecution against the bishops and ministers , who were daily dragged forth to the slaughter ; but first they cruelly scourged them , and put them to other great torments , because they would not worship the sun. miserable and almost innumerable were the slaughters under this sapores , of bishops , ministers , deacons , and other religious men and holy virgins , so that the persians themselves reckon up above sixteen thousand men and women that suffered martyrdom . the report of the miserable condition of the christians coming to the ears of constantine the great , put the good emperour into great heaviness , who studying how to relieve them , it so fell out , that about that time there came ambassadors to him to rome , from sapores , whom he entertained courteously , and granted all their requests , and then by them wrote his letters to sapores in the behalf of the christians , whereby he did something mitigate the heat of the persian persecution : yet afterwards it was renewed again : at which time suffered andas the bishop , and hormisda a noble mans son of great reputation amongst the persians , whom when the king understood to be a christian , and resolute in his profession , he condemned him to keep his elephants naked : afterwards the king looking out , and seeing him all swart , and tanned with the sun , he commanded that a shirt should be put upon him , and that he should be brought before him ; then did the king ask him if he would yet deny christ ? hormisda hearing this , tare off his shirt , and cast it from him , saying ▪ if you think that i will deny my faith for a shirt , have here your gift again . &c. whereupon he was banished the countrey . also suenes , a noble man that had under him one hundred servants , because he would not deny his christian profession , was so hated by the king , that he made the worst of his servants lord over him , and over all that he had , and coupled his wife to him , and made suenes himself to serve him . also benjamin a deacon was thrust into prison , where he was kept two years , but at the length , at the request of the roman ambassadors , he was released , yet afterwards , when contrary to the kings commandment , he preached and taught every where the gospel of christ , he was again apprehended , and miserably tormented , having twenty sharp reeds thrust under the nails of his fingers and toes , but he laughing at it , had a sharper reed thrust into his yard , with horrible pain , and lastly , and a long ragged thorny stalk thrust through his fundament into his bowels , whereof he died . these primitive persecutions are collected out of eusebius , socrates scholast . evagrius , nicepho . theod. the imperial history , and the magd. history . chap. xviii . the persecution of the church under julian the apostata , · iulian was nephew to constantius the son of constantine , and was by him made caesar , and sent against the germans , where after some smaller victories having overcome his enemies in a great and bloody battel , he was by his army made augustus , and after constantius his death , succeeded in the whole empire , both of the east and west . he was brought up in the christian religion , and was endowed with excellent parts ; but when be came to the empire , he apostatized from his former profession , and turned heathen , and became a deadly enemy to the church of christ , and a great persecutor of it . the first thing that he did , was to open the idol temples ; shut up by his predecessors , and to suffer the gentiles to commit their superstitious idolatries , and publickly to adore their idols : then his next design was to supplant the true christian religion , being induced thereto by the devil and his own wickedness : and the better to effect the same , he practised a means never before used by any , which was to shew himself pitifull , and not cruel ; perceiving that by means of the torments inflicted on the martyrs , the holy christian faith was greatly increased ; and therefore he took a contrary course , and sought by gifts , favours , flatteries , and by bestowing offices and dignities , to draw them to renounce the christian faith , and to sacrifice to false gods , and by this means there were not a few , who being covetous and ambitious , desiring to be rich and honoured , fell from their christian profession . then did he make laws and general decrees , that no christian should be master of any arts or sciences , neither should study in any schools , that so through the desire of learning they might turn idolaters , or else they should remain ignorant and illiterate , and so be insufficient to preach the christian faith . he also ordained that no christian should have any charge , or hold any office of justice , neither should be a captain in the wars , nor enjoy any other dignity . thus he used all the inventions that possibly he could devise , to make war against jesus christ , without shedding any christian blood , that so he might take the crown from the holy martyrs , which they formerly obtained by the persecution of the sword : and indeed this was the greatest and most dangerous persecution that ever the church endured . amongst other of his subtill devises to bring christianity into contempt , this was one ; he entertained about him many witty , but wicked persons , who made it their business to scoff at , and deride the christians with all manner of base jears ; and those which excelled most in this wicked practise ▪ he most loved and honoured , advancing them to offices , both in his court and army . during his short reign , though himself put none to death , as is before specified ; yet the heathen idolaters , in sundry places , proceeded far otherwise ; especially in palestine , where they burnt many christians alive , others they stripped naked , and tying cords to their feet , dragged them up and down the paved streets , till their flesh was torn from their bones ; upon others they poured scalding water : some they stoned , or beat out their brains with clubs : and having thus murthered them , they burnt their bodies , and then took their bones , and mingled them with the bones of camels and asses , that they might not be known for mens bones . the christians in alexandria were most cruelly used by the ethnicks , or pagans : some were slain with the sword , some were fastned to the cross , some brained , some stoned ; and such was their rage against christianity , that one brother spared not another , nor parents their children , nor children their parents . emilianus was burned in thracia . domitius was slain in his cave . theodorus for singing a psalm at the removing of the body of babilas , being apprehended , was examined with exquisite torments , and so cruelly excruciated from morning till almost noon , that hardly he escaped with life , and being afterwards asked by his friends how he could endure such extream torments , he said , that at first he felt some pain , but afterwards there stood by him a young man , who as he was sweating with the pain , wiped away his sweat , and oft-times so refreshed him with cold water , wherewith he was so delighted , that when he was let down from the engine , it grieved him more then before . artemius also , a captain of the egyptian souldiers , was beheaded for his religion , though other causes were pretended . two christian brethren were dragged through the streets , and murthered by the idolatrous people of gaza . but the cruelty of the wicked arethusians exceeded against the christian ministers and virgins , whom they set forth naked before the multitude to be scorned by them . then did they cover them with hogs-meat , and ripping up their bellies , put barly into them , and so caused their bowels and flesh to be devoured by their hungry swine . their cruelty most raged against marcus arethusius , the christian bishop of that city , who formerly , by the command of constantine , had pulled down their idol-temple , and set up a church for the christians in the room thereof ; the arethusians knowing how julian hated him , accused him as a traitor and enemy to the emperour : whereupon at first he prepared himself to fly , but when he perceived that some of his friends were apprehended in his stead , he returned , and of his own accord offered himself to those that thirsted for his blood : whom when they had gotten , neither pitying his old age , nor reverencing his holy and blameless conversation , they stript him naked , and pitifully beat him ; then they cast him into a foul , filthy sink : then they caused boies to thrust him in with sharp sticks to augment his pain : lastly , they put him into a basket ▪ anointed him with hony and broth , and so hung him abroad in the heat of the sun , to be meat for wasps and flies to feed upon ; and this they did to enforce him , either to build up their idol-temple again , or to give them money to pay for the doing of it , but he stoutly refusing both ; they profered to forgive one half , if he would pay the other ; which he still refusing , and contemning all their torments , they at last demanded of him but a small sum of money , but he answered , it is as great wickedness to confer one half-penny in case of impiety , as if a man should give the whole . whereupon , despairing to prevail , they left him , and went their ways . also cyrillus , a deacon in hieropolis , who in constantines time had broken in pieces the images of the gentiles , they took him , ript up his belly , drew the liver out of his body , which with barbarous inhumanity they chawed with their teeth : but the lord suffered not this brutishness to go unpunished , for their teeth shortly after fell out of their jaw-bones , and their tongues rotted in their mouths , and they fell stark blind . julian when he came to constantinople , offered sacrifice in the cathedral church to the goddess fortune ; about which time maris , bishop of chalcedon in bythinia , being blind , caused himself to be led to the emperour , whom he rebuked sharply , calling him an impious person , an apostate , and an atheist ; he on the contrary called the bishop , blind fool , saying further , thy god of galilee will not restore thee thy sight again ! maris replied , i thank god which made me blind , lest that ever i should set mine eies upon so ungracious a face as thine is . in the market-places of the cities , julian set up his own image , amongst the images of the heathen gods , to the end that whosoever should do civil reverence to his image , might also seem to worship the gods of the gentiles ; and that they who would not bow to the idols , might seem to refuse due reverence to the emperour . when he distributed gold to his captains and souldiers , he erected an altar near to his throne , with coals burning upon it , and incense on a table by , & none might receive the gold before he had cast incense on the coals upon the altar , by which subtilty he circumvented many , who discerned not his purpose to intangle them with the rites of idolatrous services . all about antioch he dedicated all the fountains to the goddesses of the gentiles , and caused all the victuals that were sold in the market to be sprinkled with heathenish holy water : yet did the christians without scruple drink of the water , and eat of the meat according to that rule , whatsoever is sold in the shambles , that eat , and ask no question for conscience sake , &c. juventius and maxentius , two brave captains , used much boldness and liberty in reproving him for his heathenish superstition , which so enraged him , that he caused them to be put to death . in caesarea , the inhabitants being most christians , had formerly overthrown the temples of jupiter and apollo ; and now in julians time , they overthrew the temple of fortune , which so enraged him , that he disfranchised them , exacted of them three hundred pounds weight of gold , and compelled their clergy to serve in war-fare , threatning further to put to death all the inhabitants thereof at his return , but it pleased god that his own death prevented it . about this time , julian going to enquire of the oracle of apollo at delphos , there came down fire from heaven , and destroyed the temple , and beat the image of apollo in pieces , like to the smallest powder or dust . when he came to antioch , there was a noble woman , called publia , who had the education and government of divers young virgins , these she caused , as julian passed by her house , to sing with a loud voice , the idols of the heathen are silver and gold , the works of mens hands , &c. this so angred the emperour , that he sent them a command to sing no more as he went that way ; but publia was so far from fearing him , that the next time he came , she made them sing the same verse , and to add to it , let god arise , and his enemies shall be scattered , &c. this so incensed julian , that he sent for her to him , scoffed at her , and caused her to be clapt on the cheeks in a disgracefull manner ; but she looked upon it as a great honour thus to suffer reproach for christs sake ; and coming home , she caused her maids still to sing psalms of the emperours fury and madness . afterwards the emperour intending to war against the persians , set a great fine upon every ones head that would not sacrifice to the idols , whereby he much enriched himself by the spoil of the christians . then were false accusations forged against athanasius , so that he was forced to flie ; yet he thus comforted himself and friends , nubecula est , cito pertransibit , this persecution is but a little cloud , and will soon pass away . in his flight , he took a ship upon the river nilus to fly to thebais , but julian sent an earl after him , to bring him back again , who pursuing him with sails and ores , had almost overtaken his ship , whereupon the marriners would have run her ashore , and fled into a wilderness that was hard by , to whom athanasius said , quid turbamini filii ? quin in occursum eamus persecutori nostro , ut intelligat , quia longe major est qui nos defendit , quam qui persequitur : my sons , why are you thus affrighted ? let us rather turn and meet our pursuer , that he may know , that he is greater which defends us , then he that follows to apprehend us . hereupon the marriners turned back again , and the earl supposing nothing less then that athanasius was in the ship that came towards him , he only called to them , and enquired whether they had not heard of athanasius ? they answered , that they had seen athanasius a little before ; whereupon he hastned forward to overtake him , and athanasius in his ship returned back privately into alexandria , where he lay hid till that persecution was over . julians officers in exacting the fines of the christians , demanded more then they were assessed at , and sometimes tormented their bodies also , of which wrongs when they complained to the emperour ▪ he scoffingly answered them , it s your part , when you are injured , to take it patiently , for so your god commandeth you . at meris in phrygia , the governor commanded the idol-temple to be set open and cleansed , and began himself to worship the idols : whereupon some christians , inflamed with zeal , in the night time , brake into the temple , threw down the idols , and stamped them to powder . the governour being wonderfully incensed herewith , purposed to execute some christian citizens which were innocent and guiltless ; whereupon the authors of their own accord , presented themselves before him , chusing rather to die for the truth , then that others should suffer for their sakes ; thereupon the governor commanded them to sacrifice to the idols , or else he would severely punish them ; but they , setting at nought his threats , prepared themselves to suffer what he could inflict ; then did he assay them with all kinds of torments , and at last laid them on the grid-iron , and broiled them to death , to whom they said , if thou long , o tyrant , for broiled meat , turn up the other side , lest in eating , the blood run about thy teeth . when julian went against the persians , of very malice and hatred against the christians , whom scornfully he called galilaeans , he made a vow , that if he obtained the victory , he would sacrifice to his gods the blood of those christians which would not sacrifice to the idols : but what the issue of that exepdition was , see in my second part , in the life of jovianus . collected out of the imperial history , and socrates scholasticus , theodor. and the magd. hist. cent. . chap. xix . the persecution of the church under the arrian hereticks , which began , an. christi , . constantine the great , dying , divided his empire amongst his three sons , constantius , constans and constantine . constantius that governed the east , was seduced by an arrian presbyter , who had been in his fathers court , with his aunt constantia ; so pernicious a thing it is to have deceitfull hereticks lurking in princes courts , and ladies chambers . this presbyter complained to constantius that the return of athanasius from banishment was very dangerous to the peace of the common-wealth : yea , he so far incensed the emperour against him , that he sent a captain with five thousand armed men to slay him ; but the lord delivered him miraculously out of their hands , for the armed souldiers being placed round about the church where he was , he went safely through the midst of them undiscerned , though many arrians were present on purpose to point him out to the souldiers , as a sheep ordained for the slaughter . but neither in banishment could he enjoy peace and safety , for this arrian emperour sent to all the officers in his army to search him out , wheresoever he was , proposing a great reward to those that could bring athanasius to him , either alive or dead ; whereupon he was forced to hide himself in a deep pit , where he lay six years never so much as seeing the light of the sun , till at last a maid that used to carry him his food , was corrupted by those which sought for him , to betray him to them ; but it pleased god by his spirit to reveal to him his danger , whereby he escaped a little before they came to apprehend him . afterwards constans forced his brother constantius , though much against his will , to restore athanasius to his church at alexandria : but after the death of that good emperour constans , constantius drave him into banishment again ; yet the lord stirred up a godly woman to hide him in her house , till the death of constantius . in alexandria in the room of athanasius , was george an arrian bishop placed , who also was furnished with armed souldiers to assist him in his devillish devices . thereupon he caused a great fire to be made , took many christian virgins , caused them to be stripped naked , requiring them to renounce their faith , or else they should be burned : but when the sight of the fire could not terrifie them , he caused their faces to be so dashed with strokes , that their countenances were disfigured ; yet like patient souldiers of christ they endured all kind of rebuke for his names sake . thirty bishops , of egypt and lybia , were slain in the fury of this arrian persecution . fourteen bishops were banished , whereof some of them died in the way , the rest in exile . forty orthodox christians in alexandria were scourged with rods , because they would not communicate with the arrian bishop george , and so pitiously handled , that some pieces of the rods were so deeply fixed in their flesh , that they could not be drawn out , and many through excessive pain of their wounded bodies , died . the like cruelty did the arrians exercise in constantinople . paul the good bishop was banished to cucusus , where he was strangled by the arrians . macedonius a notable heretick was placed in his room , who used no less cruelty in forcing men to communicate with him , then was used formerly to force them to sacrifice to idols . these hereticks used also great diligence in procuring councels to establish their errors . but not long after the emperor died , sorrowing much that he had changed the form of the nicene faith . after the death of jovian , valentinian succeeded in the empire , who associated to himself his brother valens , and made him emperor of the east . this valens was an arrian , and raised up a cruel persecution against the orthodox : concerning which greg. nazianzen in his oration of the praise of basil , thus writeth , insurrexit repente nebula grandine plena , & perniciose stridens , quae omnes ecclesias in quas incidit , cont●ivit , & postravit , christi cultor , pariter & os●r , qui post persecutorem persecutor fuit , & post apostatam , non quidem apostata , sed nihilo tamen meliorem se christianis praebens : christi nomen prae se ferens , christum mentiebatur . miletius bishop of antioch he banished to armenia . eusebius bishop of samosata , to thrace . pelagius bishop of laodicea , to arabia . he was exceedingly filled with wrath against the bishops assembled in the counsel of lampsacum , because they adhered to the nicene faith . in constantinople he banished all the orthodox . in edissa , he commanded them all to be slain as they were assembled together in the church . the lieutenant that had received this charge from him , being more mercifull then his master , gave private notice to the christians , that they should not assemble at that time ; but they , neither regarding his advice , nor fearing his threats , flocked to the church in great companies : and whilst the lieutenant , with many armed souldiers , hasted thitherward to fulfill the emperors command , a woman leading a child in her hand , all in haste , brake the ranks , and thrust into the armed troops ; the lieutenant being moved therewith , called the woman before him , saying , thou fond and unfortunate woman , whither runnest thou so rashly ? thither ( said she ) whither others hasten ; hast thou not heard ( said he ) that the lieutenant will slay as many as he finds there ? i heard it ( said she ) and therefore i make the more haste to the place . but whether ( said he ) leadest thou this child ? that he also ( said she ) may be accounted in the number of martyrs . hereupon the lieutenant returned back to the emperor , and told him that all the christians from the highest to the lowest prepared themselves to die in the defence of their faith , and withal he shewed him what a rash thing it was to murder so great a multitude , &c. and so with his reasons perswaded the emperour , that he appeased his wrath , and prevented the mischief at that time . in constantinople the arrians , favoured by the emperor , crowed insolently over the christians , they scourged , reviled , imprisoned , amerced , and laid upon them all the intollerable burthens they could devise . hereupon eighty godly ministers , in the name of all the rest , addressed themselves to the emperour , complaning of the out-rages that were done to them , craving some relief : but this cruel tyrant commanded modestus the general of his army , to embark them all in a ship , as if he would have sent them into banishment , but secretly he gave direction to the marriners , to set the ship on fire , and to retire themselves into a boat , and so these holy martyrs glorified the name of christ , by patient suffering of a double death , burning and drowning . in all the eastern parts he tormented many with sundry sorts of grievous torments , put many to death , drowned many in the sea , and in rivers . about this time he consulted with necromancers , to know who should succeed him in the empire : the devil answered ambiguously , that his name should begin with th. whereupon he put to death as many as were called theodorus , theodotus , theadosius or theodulus . athanasius being dead at alexandria , there succeeded him a godly and holy man , named peter , but the emperour presently sent souldiers , which clapt him in prison , and the rest of the ministers were banished , some to one place , some to another . after this he sent forth an edict for the persecuting of all the orthodox in egypt : whereupon many were stript of their raiment , scourged , fettered in prisons , crushed in pieces with stones , beheaded , driven into deserts , where they wandred in sheeps-skins and goats-skins , destitute of aid and succour ; many hid themselves in mountains , in dens , caves and hollow rocks . terentins and trajan , two worthy captains , used some liberty in admonishing the emperour to abstain from persecuting of the innocent ; but the lord was minded to destroy him , and therefore he could receive no wholesome admonition ; for many of the goths , whom he entertained as souldiers to assist him against his enemies , turned against himself , so that he fled , and was overtaken in a village , which the goths set on fire , whereby he died miserably , leaving none to succeed him , and his name a curse and execration to all ages . collected out of magd. hist. socrates and theod. the persecution by the donatists . about the year of our lord . there sprang up in africk the donatists and circumcellions , who first made a great schism in the church , and afterwards raised up a great persecution against the orthodox : concerning which , st austine complains in sundry places ; and in his . epistle to earl boniface , he thus writes of it , in hoc labore multi catholici , & maxime episcopi , & clerici horrenda & dura perpessi sunt , quae commemorare longum e●t , &c. in this disturbance , the orthodox , especially the bishops and ministers , suffered hard and horrible things , the particulars whereof are long to recite ; for some of them had their eies put out : some bishops had their hands and tongues cut off , and some were slain out-right . to speak nothing of the cruel slaughter of others that were sound and sincere : of the plundering of their houses , of the out-ragious burning , not only of their private habitations , but of their churches also ; yea , so vile and violent were they , that they sticked not to burn the sacred scriptures . optatus in his second book tells us , that when julian the apostate came to the empire , the donatists preferred a petition to him , wherein they desired leave to return to their places in africk , from whence formerly they had been banished . julian knowing what furious and turbulent spirits they were of , and how prejudicial their return would be to the catholick church , easily assented to their petition , and so they returned full fraught with malice and revenge , and presently imployed all their abilities , partly by subtilty to seduce the common people , partly by violence to oppress the orthodox bishops and ministers , of whom , some they thrust out of their churches , others they slew . some of their chief bishops , taking armed souldiers with them , went to the castle of lemella , where finding the church shut against them , they commanded their attendance to get upon it , to uncover the roof , and so having broken into it , they set upon some deacons , whom they found there , wounded some , and slew two of them outright . in all places where they came , they profaned all holy things ; the sacramentall bread they threw to their dogs ; but behold the just judgement of god against these profane schismaticks ; those very dogs shortly after running mad , fell upon their own masters , and tore them in pieces . virgins they defloured , and wives they defiled . so usual a thing it is for those which adulterate the holy truths of god , to be given over to corporal uncleanness . these furious persons dispersed themselves all over africk , and would not suffer the orthodox to preach the truth against their errors : by their violent assaults , thieveries , rapines , burnings and murthers , they destroyed many , and afrighted all , &c. chap. xx. the persecution of the church in africk , by the arrian vandals , which began anno christi , . the cruel vandals , passing out of spain into africk , under genserick their captain , finding the province peaceable and quiet , set upon the flourishingest part of the land , wasting and destroying all before them with fire and sword , not sparing so much as the shrubs and bushes which bare fruit , lest they should minister relief to those poor christians which hid themselves in dens , in mountains , and steep cliffs : but especially they raged against the churches and temples of the saints , burning all them to the ground , and where they found any of them shut they brake them open with their maces . the bishops and ministers they destroyed especially , with many kinds of torments , seeking by tortures to force them to deliver up whatsoever gold and silver they had of their own , or belonging to the church ; and where they gat any , they still tormented them afresh , to inforce them to confess more . the mouths of some they wrested open with iron , thrusting into them stinking mire and dirt : some they tormented by wresting their fore-heads and legs with bow-strings , till they crackt again ; into the mouths of others they poured sea-water , vinegar , with the dreg● of oyl and grease ; and neither weakness of sex , nor respect of nobility , nor reverence of their ministry , mitigated their cruel minds ; yea , their fury most abounded where there appeared any dignity or worthiness . many of the ministers and nobles they loaded with mighty burthens , as if they had been camels or horses , and made them carry them after them ; and if they went slowly , they hasted them with iron pricks and goads , so that some of them under their burthens , gave up the ghost . reverend gray hairs found no priviledge of mercy ; guiltless infants felt their barbarous rage , whom they dashed against the ground , violently pulling little ones from their mothers breasts to brain them ; of others , by wide stretching of their tender legs , they tore them in pieces , from the fundament ; the stately buildings they burnt down , and levelled with the earth : the chief churches in carthage they imployed to their own heretical worship . where any strong castles were held against them , they brought multitudes of christians , slew them , and left their bodies lying about the castles , that by the stench thereof they might force them to surrender . who can express the number of ministers that were by them tortured ! pampinian the bishop of mansuetus was tortured with burning plates of iron all over his body . the bishop of urice was burnt to death . then did they also besiege the city of hippo , where st. augustine was , who before that time had compiled two hundred thirty two books , epistles innumerable besides his expositions on the psalms and gospels , and his homilies to the people . see more of this in my first part of lives in the life of st. austine . when they had taken the regal city of carthage , they enslaved the citizens and senators , publishing a decree that they should presently bring forth whatsoever gold , silver , precious stones , or rich apparel they possessed , and thereby dispoiled them of all in one day ; then did they take the bishop and all the ministers of that city , and thrust them naked into weather broken-ships , and so banished them , whom yet the lord of his great mercy directed , and brought in safety to the city of naples . the senators and nobles they first banished from the city ▪ and then drave them beyond-sea . the dead bodies of the christians they would not suffer to be buried but in the night , and without any solemnity . the bishops and ministers through all the province , being dispoiled of all their substance , and turned out of their churches , assembled together , and presented a petition to genserick , that they might , at least in private , be suffered to instruct their people to whom he proudly answered , i have decreed that none of your profession shall remain in the countrey , how then dare you prefer such a request ? and withal , he would at that instant have drowned them all in the sea , but that the importunity of some about him , stopt him . there was also a noble earl , called sebastian , a man of great wisdom and courage , whom genserick much feared , and therefore sought occasion to put him to death : which that he might the better effect , he moved him to be re-baptized by one of his priests , and to turn arrian : the earl therefore requested him to call for a fine manchet , which being done , he said , this loaf , that it might be fine and white , hath been boulted from the bran , moistened with liquor , and baked : but if you now cause it to be broken in pieces , steeped in water , kneaded and baked again , if it come out better , i will do as you would have me . genserick understanding his meaning , could not tell what to answer for the present , yet afterwards he caused him to be put to death . if any minister in his sermon occasionally did but mention pharaoh , nebuchadrezzer , herod , &c , presently it was laid to his charge that he meant it by the king , and thereupon he was banished . yet notwithstanding all this cruelty , the people of god stood fast in their holy profession , and rather increased then otherwise . afterwards at the request of valentinian the emperour , genserick suffered the orthodox in carthage to choose them a bishop , which they did ; and not long after genserick with his vandals took the famous city of rome , carrying away with him , not only all the treasure that of a long time had been stored up there , but many of the people also ; who , when they were brought into africk , were shared between the vandals and the moors , so that husbands were separated from their wives , parents from their children ; which this godly bishop hearing of , he caused all the gold and silver vessels belonging to the church , to be sold for their redemption , that so married persons , and parents , and children might enjoy the comfort of their relations : then also did he provide food and lodging for them , and night and day went amongst them himself , to see how they did , to minister to their wants , and comfort them ; but this procured him such hatred amongst the arrians , that they sought to slay him ; but the lord about this time took him to himself , whereby he escaped their malice . one of the gensericks colonels , having some christian slaves , and a beautifull and a godly virgin amongst them , he took occasion to vex them with fetters and torments , thereby to force them to re-baptization , which they constantly refusing , he caused them to be stripped , and beaten with ragged cudgels till their flesh was torn in pieces , &c. at last they were banished to capsur , an heathen kingdom of the moors , where it pleased god so to bless their labours , that many of them were converted , and sending for an orthodox minister , were baptized . this coming to gensericks ears , he commanded these servants of god to be drawn at a chariots tail thorow thickets of thorns , till they were torn in pieces , and these newly converted moors , he caused their naked bodies to be haled backwards and forwards , thorow bushes and brambles , and others of them to be tied to wild beasts , and so to be rent in sunder ; the poor christians saying thus each to other , o brother pray for me , god hath fulfilled our desire , o this is the way to the kingdom of heaven . genserick further raging against the orthodox , sent one proculus into the zeugian province , to dispoil all the churches of their ornaments , and the ministers of their books , that thereby they might be disabled to holy services ; which command was executed with all rigour : and whereas the bishop of habensa refused to deliver them up , he was expelled the city , and all men at great penalty were forbidden to harbour him , so that , being above eighty years old , he lay naked for a long time , under the open skie . about easter , when the christians were met together in a church , to celebrate the remembrance of christs resurrection , the arrians with a great power of armed men , set upon this innocent company , who with their naked swords slew many : the minister that was preaching , they shot through the throat with an arrow : and such of them as escaped death , were by the command of the king , executed by sundry kinds of torments . in other places , when the christians were administring the sacrament , the hereticks rushed in amongst them , taking the bread and wine , and trampling them under their profane feet . then did genserick command , that none but arrians should bear any office , either about himself or his children : and a bishop called armogastes , they took , and first nipped his fore-head and legs with bow-strings ; then did they hang him up by one foot , with his head downward , yet did he seem to all men as if he slept in a feather-bed , which so enraged theoderick the kings son , that he commanded him to be beheaded , but some about him disswaded him from it , because said they , he will be accounted a martyr . then was he banished to dig in mynes ; yet afterwards he was sent for again , and made a cow-heard near to carthage , that he might be a continual object of scorn . there was also one saturus , a noble man , eminent for holiness , whom the tyrant much laboured to draw to the arrian profession , but he refusing , the king told him , that if he presently consented not , he should forfeit his house and goods , that his children and slaves should be sould , and his wife should be given to the camel-driver : yet no menaces could shake his faith . his wife hearing of her doom , went to her husband as he was praying , with her garments rent , her hair disheveled , her children at her heels , and a sucking infant in her hands , whom she cast at her husbands feet , and took him about the knees , saying , have compassion ( o my sweetest ) of me thy poor wife ; and of these thy children ; look upon them , let them not be made slaves ; let not me be yoaked to a base marriage , &c. that which thou art required to do , thou dost it not willingly , but by constraint , and therefore it will not be laid to thy charge : he gave her an answer in the words of job , thou speakest like a foolish woman : thou actest the devils part ; if thou lovest thy husband , thou wouldst never seek to draw him to sin , which will procure the second death . i am resolved therefore as my lord commands me , to forsake wife , children , lands , house , &c. that i may be his disciple ; and accordingly he was dispoiled of all , and turned out a begging , yet all were forbidden to harbour him . genserick having reigned thirty seven years and three moneths , died . genserick being dead , his son hunrick succeeded him , who at first was more moderate to the christians , insomuch as they began to hold their meetings as before time . the manichaean hereticks he sought out , and though most of them were of his own religion , yet he burnt some , and banished others . at the request of the emperour zeno and placidia his wife , he suffered the church of carthage to chuse their own bishop , having been destitute of one for twenty four years . then they chose eugenius , an humble , holy and charitable man , whose fame increasing , the arrian bishops much envied him , and put into the kings head to forbid him to preach , and not to suffer any to enter into the church , that were attired after the manner of the vandals ; to which command eugenius thus answered , the house of god is free for all : those which enter , no man may drive forth . the king being incensed with this answer , placed tortures at the church door , who when they espied any man or woman in a vandals habit , about to go into the church , clapping flesh-hooks on their heads , and twisting them in their hair , with a strong twitch they pulled off hair , scalp and all , whereby some lost their eies , and some their lives . the women , besides these torments , they carried thorow the streets , to be made a publick laughing-stock , yet could they not force them to altar their religion . then did hunrick ordain , that none of his countries which dissented from his religion , should receive their ordinary pensions and salaries . then did he send many of them who had been delicately brought up , to utica , in the parching heat of the sun , to dig the land for corn ; yet they went cheerfully , and comforted themselves in the lord. then did he command that no man should be a knight , or bear any publick office except he turned arrian : whereupon very many with invincible courage , forsook their honours and offices , rather then their faith . many virgins he caused to be proved by the midwives in a most shamefull manner ; hanging them up from the ground with mighty weights at their feet , and putting to their sides ; breasts , back and bellies , red hot plates of iron , to compell them to confess that their bishops and ministers lay with them , that so he might from thence have an occasion to persecute them . many of these died under the pain , and others remained lame and crooked all their lives after , yet would they not confess any such thing . then did he banish into the wilderness , of bishops , ministers , deacons , and other members of christ , four thousand nine hundred seventy six ; some of them being lame with the gout , others blind with age : amongst whom also was foelix bishop of abiris , possessed with a dead palsie , and therefore unable , either to go or ride ; which the cruel king being informed of , and requested that he might be suffered to stay ; he answered , if he be not able to ride , let wild bulls be coupled to drag him to the place appointed : so that they were fain to carry him on a mules back across , as if he had been a sack . then were all these holy confessors , brought to the city of sicca , where the moors were to receive them , and transport them thence to the wilderness . thither came two arrian earls , and with great subtilty sought to withdraw them from their stedfastness , saying , what mean you to be so obstinate , as not to obey the kings laws , whereas by complying with him , you may be preferred to honour ? then did they all cry out , we be christians , we be catholicks , we believe , and confess the trinity in unity . hereupon were they shut up in a grievous prison . many mothers also voluntarily followed their little children , much rejoycing that they had born martyrs : others sought to draw them to rebaptization by the hereticks but , through gods grace , they could not prevail . as they passed on the way travelling more by night then by day , because of the excessive heat , a woman hasted after them , leading in her hand a little child , encouraging him , saying , run sirra , seest thou all the saints how merrily they go forwards , and hasten to their crown ? one of the company rebuked her , and asked her whether she went ? to whom she answered , pray for me , i go with this little boy , my nephew , to the place of banishment ▪ least the enemies finding him alone , should seduce him from the way of truth into the way of error . the enemies being more enraged because of their constancy , when they came to their lodgings , penned them up in narrow places . then was denied to them all the comfort of access of their friends , for permitting whereof formerly , their keepers had been beaten with staves . these blessed saints were tumbled one upon another , as grains of corn , neither could they have means of stepping aside to ease nature , so that the stink of their excrements exceeded their other pain . then were they brought forth , their garments , heads and faces besmeared with dirt in a pitifull manner , and by the clamorous moors they were hastened forward in their journey ; yet they went singing with great joy unto the lord , loe , this honour have all his saints . then came to them the blessed bishop cyprian , who to their singular consolation , comforted every one of them with fatherly affection , and with streams of tears was ready to lay down his life for the brethren , and would fain have accompanied them , if he might have been suffered : he bestowed all that he had amongst them , for which he afterwards suffered imprisonment and much hard-ship , and at last had his hearts desire in being banished . there came great multitudes from sundry countries and cities , to behold these servants of god , and many casting their children at their feet ; cryed thus , to whom will you leave us wretches whilest you go forward to your crown ? who shall baptize our infants ? instruct and administer the sacraments to us ? our hearts serve us well to go with you if we might . but now none were suffered any more to go with them for their comfort , but they were pressed forwards , and made to run . when any of the aged , or tender children fainted , they were first punched forwards with staves : then were the moors commanded to tie ropes to the feet of such as were unable to go , and to hail them thorow the rough places , so that first their garments were rent , then their flesh , and their heads were dashed against the sharp edges of rocks , whereby very many of them died . the rest that were stronger came at last to the wilderness , where , like beasts , they had barly given them for their food ; there were also abundance of venemous serpents and scorpions in that place , whose sting was deadly , yet , thorow gods great providence , none of these servants of christ gat any hurt thereby . hunrick in the seventh year of his reign , directed his mandate to eugenius bishop of carthage , and told all other bishops in africk , that they should by such a day meet at carthage to defend by disputation their faith against the arrian bishops ; but withal , by the tenour of the decree , they perceived that he would not suffer any of them to live within his dominions , which caused great heaviness amongst them . eugenius returned answer , that since it was the common cause of all the christian churches , it was but equal that bishops out of other countries should be requested to be there present also ; and this he did , not because they suspected their own abilities to defend the truth , but because he knew that strangers might use more liberty of speech then they could , and that other bishops might be witnesses of their sufferings , but this request did but more enrage this unreasonable tyrant . the appointed day approaching , many bishops resorted to carthage , worn out with afflictions and sorrows , yet for many days after their coming , there was no mention of disputing , till in the mean time the king had singled out the learnedest and skilfullest of them , that by sundry calumniations he might make them away : amongst whom was laetus , a stout and learned man , whom he first imprisoned , and then burnt him in the fire , that so he might strike a fear into the rest . at last the disputation began , and the orthodox , to avoid tumult , chose out some to answer for all the rest . the arrians placed themselves upon lofty thrones , whilest the orthodox stood below upon their feet ; whereupon they said , conference is to be taken in hand , not where proud superiority of power bears sway , but where , by common consent , the disputants upon equal tearms debate the controversies , that truth may come to light , &c. then were all the catholicks commanded to have an hundred stroaks a piece with a cudgel , given them for this speech : whereupon eugenius said , the lord from heaven behold the violence which we suffer , and consider the tribulation which we sustain from our persecutors . then did the orthodox bishops desire the arrians to propound what they intended ; but the arrian bishops seeing them ready to dispute with them , sought out tergiversations , and declined the dispute . hereupon the orthodox drew forth a declaration of their faith , excellently well penned , and exhibited it with this protestation , if you be desirous to know our belief , the faith which we hold is herein comprised . the arrians stormed exceedingly at this , giving them outragious language , and presently by false calumnies they accused them to the king , and so incensed him , that by an edict in one day he caused all the christians churches through africk to be shut up , giving to the arrians all the goods and churches of the orthodox . then did he command that all those godly bishops that were met together at carthage , should be spoiled of all that they had in their lodgings , and so driven out of the city-gates ; having neither servant , nor beast , nor garment to s●ift them in , left unto them ; and all men were forbidden either to harbour them , or give them any sustenance , the king threatning to burn him and all his family that should relieve them . the bishops being thus turned out , lay in the open fields round about the wals : and when the tyrant went forth to the fish-ponds , they met him , saying , why are we so afflicted ? what evil have we done ? if we be called to dispute , why are we spoiled of all we have ? why are we slandred ? why are we forced to remain here amongst the dung-hills , afflicted with hunger and nakedness , far from our churches and houses ? herewith the tyrant was so enraged , that he commanded his horsemen to ride over them , whereby many of them were sore bruised and wounded , especially the aged and weak men : then did he command them to meet him at the temple of memory : and when they came thither , they had this writing delivered to them ; our lord king hunrick , lamenting your obstinacy in refusing to obey his will , and to embrace his religion , yet intends to deal graciously with you , and if you will take this oath , he will send you back to your churches and houses : then they all said with one consent , we are all christians , and bishops , and hold the apostolical and only true faith ; and thereupon they made a brief confession of their faith ; but the kings commissioners urged them without any further delay to take the oath contained in that paper ; whereupon they answered , do you think us bruit beasts , that we should so easily swear to a writing , wherein we know not what is contained ? then was the oath read unto them , which was this , you shall swear that after the death of the lord our king , his son hilderick shall succeed him in the kingdom , and that none of you shall send letters beyond the seas . if you take this oath , he will restore you to your churches . they that were plain-meaning men amongst them , were willing to take it ; but others that saw further into the subtilty of it , refused it . then were those which would take it , commanded to separate themselves from the other , which being done , a notary presently took their names , and of what cities they were : he did the like also by the refusers ; and so both parties were committed to ward , and shortly after the king sent them word ; first to those that would have taken the oath : because that you , contrary to the rule of the gospel , which saith , thou shalt not swear at all , would have sworn : the kings will is , that you shall never see your churches more , but shall be banished into the wilderness , and never perform any ministerial office again ; and there you shall till the ground : but to the refusers of the oath , he said , because you desire not the reign of our lords son , you shall therefore be immediately sent away to the isle of corse , there to hew timber for the ships . he also sent abroad through all africk , his cruel tormentors : so that no place , no house remained free from lamentation , screeching and out-cryes . they spared neither age nor sex , but only such as yielded to their will. some they cudgelled with staves ; some they hung up , others they burned . women , and especially gentlewomen , they openly tortured stark naked without all shame : amongst whom was dionysia , whom when they saw bolder , and more beautifull then the rest , they first commanded her to be stript naked , and made ready for the cudgels , who spake boldly to them , saying , i am assured of the love of my god , v●x me how you will , only my woman-hood disclose you not ; but they , with greater rage , set her naked upon an high place for a publick spectacle : then did they whip her till the streams of blood flowed all over her body : whereupon she boldly said , ye ministers of satan , that which you do for my reproach , is to me an honour . and beholding her only son , that was young and tender , and seemed fearfull of torments , checking him with a motherly authority , she so encouraged him , that he became much more constant then before . to whom in the midst of his terrible torments , she said , remember , o my child , that we were baptized in the name of the holy trinity : let us not lose the garment of our salvation , least it be said , cast them into outer darkness , where is weeping ▪ and wailing and gnashing of teeth : for that pain is to be dreaded , that never endeth ; and that life to be desired , that alwayes lasteth : the youth was so encouraged hereby , that he persevered patient in all his sufferings , till , in the midst of his torments , he gave up the ghost . many by her exhortations and example were gained to god , and animated in their sufferings . not long after , cyrillas the arrian bishop at carthage , stirred up the tyrant against the christians , telling him , that he could never expect to enjoy his kingdom in peace , so long as he suffered any of them to live , hereupon he sent for seven eminent christians from capsa to carthage , whom he first assaulted with flattery and large promises of honour , riches , &c. if so be they would imbrace his faith : but these servants of christ rejected all those profers ▪ crying out , one lord , one faith , one baptism ; saying also , do with our bodies what you please , torment them at your will , it s better for us to suffer these momentary pains , then to endure everlasting torments . hereupon they were sent to prison , loaded with great iron chains , and thrust into a stinking dungeon : but god stirred up the hearts of many godly persons ( by great bribes to the jayler ) to procure daily access to them , and by their exhortations , they were so corroborated in the faith , that they much desired to suffer the like things for christ with these men , and would willingly have laid down their necks to the persecutors swords . the tyrant hearing of it , was exceedingly enraged , caused them to be kept closer , loaden with more chains , and to be put to great torments . then did he cause a ship to be filled with combustible matter , commanding that these holy martyrs should be put into it , and fast bound in the same , and fire to be set to the ship in the sea , that they might be burned to death . when they were brought out of the prison , the multitude of gods people accompanied them to the ship , who as innocent lambs were led to be sacrificed , looking upon their weighty irons , as rare jewels and ornaments . with chearfulness and alacrity they went towards the place of execution , as if they had gone to a banket , singing with one voice unto the lord , as they went along the street , saying , this is our desired day , more festival then any fe●●ivity : behold , now is the accepted time , behold , now is the day of salvation ! when for the faith of our lord god , we endure death , that we may not loose the garment of obtained faith . the people also with one voice cried ; fear not , o servants of god , neither dread the threats of your enemies : die for christ , who died for us , that he might redeem us with the price of his saving blood . amongst these was a pretty boy , to whom a subtil seducer said , why hastest thou , my pretty boy , unto death : let them go , they are mad ; take my counsel , and thou shalt not only have life , but great advancement in the kings court : to whom the lad answered , you shall not get me from the fellowship of these holy men , who bred me up , with whom i lived in the fear of god , and with whom i desire to die ; and with whom i trust , i shall obtain the glory to come . and so being all put into the ship , they were burned together . after the death of hunrick , gundabund succeeded in the kingdom , who continuing in the steps of his cruel predecessors , afflicted the christians grievously by sundry kinds of persecution , during the space of twelve years , at the end whereof he died , and thrasamund succeeded him , a man that excelled all his predecessors in magnanimity and courage . his manner was by perswasions , flatteries , promises and rewards , to seek to draw the christians to his arrian heresie ; but they which would not be prevailed with hereby , he no way punished or molested them . in his time there were great wars between the moors and vandals , the moors had one cabaon for their general , who commanded all his souldiers to use abstinence in their diet , and to abstain from women , and from all injury and wrong-doing . the women he enclosed within trenches by themselves , commanding that under pain of death no man should have access to them . then did he send forth a certain company of moors , commanding them privately to follow the camp o● the vandals , and that wheresoever the vandals profaned any church of the christians , presently after their departure , they should follow and purge the same ; for ( saith he ) if the christians god be a good god , then will he assist them that are devoted to him , and punish the blasphemers . these men in counterfeit base attire , followed the vandals camp ; and whereas the vandals where ever they came , took up the christians churches for their horses and beasts of burthen , carrying themselves very insolently against god and his house : beating and abusing the ministers and church-officers , making them to attend upon them as their slaves . after their departure the moors on the contrary , cleansed the churches , carried out the dung ▪ kneeled down to , and reverenced the ministers , and distributed money to the poor , and thus they did continually . then did cabaon prepare to give his enemies battel ; and whereas the vandals were all horse-men , and very well mounted , their horses were so afrighted at the sight of the moors camels , that they were presently put into disorder , and the moors with darts and arrows did so pelt them , that they put them to flight , and slew many of them , whereupon thrasamund shortly after died of grief . then did ilderick the son of hunrick succeed in the kingdom , who was equally mild and gentle , both to the vandals and christians , and one that kept very fair correspondence with the emperour justinian . but gilimer , a cunning and ambitious man , deposed him , and usurped the kingdom to himself . whereupon justinian sent against him that brave and gallant general billisarius , who overcame him in several battels , took him prisoner , freed the christians from persecution , and subverted the empire of the vandals in africk , after they had reigned there for the space of ninety years , wherein for the most part they had been cruel persecutors of the true church of god. salvian , who was bishop of masilia , and lived at the same season , complaineth , that before these brutish vandals came into africk , the church of god there was much degenerated from its ancient purity , and the power of godliness was much decaid ; insomuch as they which lived exactly according to the rule of gods word , were hissed at as they went in the streets , as if they had been monsters : whereupon , saith he , the passage of the vandals into africk , was not to be imputed to gods rigour , but to the africans wickedness , &c. collected out of a book written by victor bishop of utica , who lived at the same time , and was himself a sufferer under this persecution . here place the fifth figure . the persecution of the church under the papacy . chap. xxi . the persecutions of the waldenses , which began anno christi , . when the darkness of popery had overspread the christian world , so that kings and princes imploied their authority to establish the romish idolatry , appointing to slaughter such as denied transubstantiation , adoration of the host , bowing the knees before it , &c. this occasioned many christians to detest this superstition as unknown to the apostles and primitive church . and first of all god raised up berengarius , presently after the year one thousand , who boldly and faithfully preached the truth , and against the romish errors , continuing his ministry , till about the time that william the conqueror came into england , whereupon the gospellers were called berengarians , till about the year . at which time common notice being taken of their separation from the church of rome , and their disagreeing from so many of their tenents , they were branded with the odious name of hereticks , and twenty years after , when they were grown into a very great multitude , they had one peter bruis for their most famous preacher , who taught long , and publickly at tholouse , under the protection and favour of a noble earl , called hildephonsus , whereupon in those parts they were called petro-brusians . for peter bruis , anno christi , . published their tenents in a book called anti-christ , wherein he declared both the ground of their doctrine , and the causes of their separation from the romish church . twenty years after this , they were grown into a mighty multitude about anno christi , . whereupon the popes of rome now began to lay about them for their extirpation : for which end he stirred up his most learned followers to write against them ; and warned princes to take heed of them , and to banish them out of their territories . anno christi , . they had henry of tholouse for their most eminent preacher , whereupon they began to be called henericians ; and because they were well red in the scriptures , especially in the epistles of st. paul , whom by way of eminency they called the apostle , alleadging texts out of him , nnd would admit of no testimonies for the proof of religion , but only out of scripture , they were called apostolicks . and shortly after god raised up peter valdo a citizen of lions in france , who shewed himself most couragious in opposing the popish inventions , withal taxing divers other innovations which were crept into the church of rome , and he was the more eagerly hearkened unto , because he was in high esteem for his learning and piety , and his liberality to the poor ; for besides the nourishing of their bodies , he did also feed their souls , by exhorting them to seek jesus christ , and salvation by him . the arch-bishop of lions being informed that valdo used thus to instruct the people , boldly taxing the vice , luxury , and pride of the pope , and his clergy , forbad him the same upon pain of excommunication , and proceeded against him as an heretick ; valdo replied , that he could not be silent in a cause of so great importance , as the salvation of mens souls , wherein he must obey god rather then man : then did the arch-bishop seek to have him apprehended , but could not effect it , valdo having many great friends , and being generally beloved , whereby he continued ( though closely ) in lions three years . pope alexander the third being informed that divers persons in lions questioned his soveraign authority over the whole church , cursed valdo , and his adherents , commanding the arch-bishop to proceed against them by ecclesiastical censures to their utter extirpation ; whereupon they were wholly chased out of lions . valdo and his followers were called waldenses , which afterwards spread themselves into divers countries and companies . the opinions of these waldenses for which they were so declaimed against , and cruelty persecuted by the romanists , were these . . that holy oyl is not to be mingled in baptism . . that all such prayers are superstitious and vain which are made over the oyl , salt , wax , incense , boughs of olives and palms , ecclesiastical garments , calices , church-yards , and such like things . . that time is spent in vain in ecclesiastical singings , and saying the canonical hours . . that flesh and eggs may be eaten in lent , and that there is no merit in abstinence at such times . . that when necessity requires , all sorts of persons may marry , ministers as well as others . . that auricular confession is not necessary . . that confirmation is not a sacrament . . that obedience is not to be performed to the pope . . that ministers should live upon tithes and offerings . . that there is no difference between a bishop and a minister . . that it is not the dignity , but deserts of a presbyter that makes him a better man. . that they administer the sacrament without the accustomed form of the roman church . . they say that images are to be taken out of churches , and that to adore them was idolatry . . they contemned the popes indulgences , and say , that they were of no vertue . . they refused to take any oath whereby they should be enforced to accuse themselves , or their friends . . they maintained their ministers out of their own purses , thinking it unreasonable that such should be diverted from their studies , whilst they were forced to get their livings with their own hands . . they held that the miracles done in the church of rome , were false miracles . . that the religion of the frier mendicants was invented by the devil . . that the pope of rome was not to be obeyed . . that whoredom and stews were not to be permitted under pretense of avoiding adultery and rapes . . that there is no purgatory wherein the souls of the deceased are to be purged before they be admitted into heaven . . that a presbyter , falling into scandalous sin , ought to be suspended from his office till he had sufficiently testified his repentance . . that the saints deceased are not to be worshiped , and prayed unto . . that it matters not for the place of their burial , whether it were holy or no. . they admitted no extream unction amongst the sacraments of the church . . they say , that masses , indulgences , and prayers do not profit the dead . . they admitted no prayers , but such as did correspond with the lords prayer , which they made the rule of all their prayers . . lastly , though their adversaries charged them with holding , that every lay-man might freely preach to the people , yet they had bishops , and orders amongst themselves ; as the order of bulgarie , the order of druguria , ; and they who were their ministers were ordained thereunto , though they were not of the romish institution , as nicolus viguierius , and others report of them . valdo himself went into dauphiney , conversing in the mountains of the same province with certain rude persons , yet capable of receiving his belief : his disciples also spread into picardy , whence they were called picards : against whom afterwards k. philip ( enforced by the ecclesiastical persons ) took arms , and overthrew three hundred gentlemens houses that followed their part , and destroied some walled towns , pursuing them into flanders , whether they fled , and causing many of them there to be burnt to death . this persecution caused many of them to flie into germany , and alsatia , where they spread their doctrine ; and shortly after the bishops of mayence and strasburg , raised up a great persecution against them , causing five and thirty burgesses of mayence to be burnt in one fire , and eighteen in another ▪ who with great constancy suffered death . at strasburg eighty were burnt , at the instance of the bishop ; yet multitudes of people received such edification by the exhortations , constancy , and patience of the martyrs , that anno . in the county of passau , and about bohemia , there were above eighty thousand persons that made profession of the same faith . anno christi . some of them came into england , and at oxford were punished in the most barbarous and cruel manner as ever were any christians for religion-sake before the time , as you may see in my english martyrologie . and three years after in the council of turon , or towers in france : viz. . pope alexander the third , made a decree , that these gospellers , and all their favourers should be excommunicated , and that none should sell them any thing , or buy any thing of them , according as it was fore-prophesied , rev. . . but notwithstanding all these devises they had goodly churches in bulgary , croatia , dalmatia , and hungary . the popish monks to make them odious , and to have the better occasion to persecute them , raised up many foul slanders of them , as they were sorcerers , buggerers , &c. that they assembled themselves in the night time , and that the pastors commanded the lights to be put out , saying , qui potest capere , capiat , catch who catch can , whereupon they committed abominable incest , the son with the mother , the brother with the sister , the father with his daughter , &c. they charged them also with many foul and false opinions : from which accusations they by a publick apology and vindication cleared themselves , which they published both in french and their own language . rainerus the monk saith of them , that amongst all those which have risen up against the church of rome , the waldenses were the most dangerous , in regard of their long continuance , for some say , that it hath continued from the time of pope silvester ; and some say , from the apostles time ; and because this sect ( saith he ) is more general , and there is scarce any countrey in which it hath not taken footing : and because it hath a great appearance of piety , for they carry themselves uprightly before men , and believe rightly touching god in all things , holding all the articles of the creed , only they hate and revile the church of rome , and therein ( saith he ) they are easily believed of the people . cesarius saith , that this heresie so encreased , that in a short time it infected usque ad mille civitates , a thousand cities . parsons saith , that they had an army of seventy thousand men to fight for them ; yea , they were so spread in germany , that they could travel from collen to milan in italy , and every night lodge with hosts of their own profession . hereupon the pope hath always used all his art for their utter extirpation , by his thunder-bolts , curses , canons , constitutions , decrees , and whatsoever else might make them odious to kings , princes , and people , giving them over to satan , interdicting them all communion and society with others , making them incapable of any charges , honours , profits , to inherit lands , to make wills to be buried in church-yards , yea , confiscating their goods , dis-inheriting their heirs , and where they could apprehend any of them , they condemned them to be delivered to the secular power , their houses to be razed , their lands and goods to be confiscated , commanding kings , princes , magistrates , consuls , and people , to make an exact inquisition , to shut the city-gates , to ring the toll-bell , to arm themselves , to apprehend , kill , or use any other violence to them , giving to their accusers a third part of their estates , condemning all favorers of them to the same punishment . anno christ , . came some of these godly persons to collen in germany out of the parts of flanders , where they secretly remained for a time in a barn near the city : but the diligence of the popish clergy found them out by their not coming to their church , and so caused , them , to be apprehended , and brought before them ; and after examination because they constantly adhered to the truth , and would by no means be brought to recant the same , they condemned them , and delivered them to the secular power : who carrying them out of the city , ( being four men , and one young woman ) they first bound the four men to a stake , and set fire to them : the people much pitied the young woman , and would fain have saved her , hoping that the burning of her companions would have wrought her to a recantation ; but she perceiving their drift , strugled out of the hands of those that held her , and voluntarily leaped into the fire , whereby she was burned with them . godfridus monachus . anno christi , . aldephonsus king of arragon ( probably by the instigation of pope celestine , and mis-information of his clergy ) published this evil edict against them . aldephonsus by the grace of god king of arragon , &c. to all arch-bishops , bishops , and the rest of the prelates of the church in his kingdom , to earls , vicounts , knights , and all the people of his kingdom , and to all that are in authority , health , &c. because god would have us to be over his people , it is a worthy and just thing that we take continual care as far as in us lies of the salvation , and defence of them : wherefore being imitators of our predecessors , and in obedience to the canons , we judge that all hereticks cast out of the sight of god and of all catholicks , are to be condemned , and persecuted every where , namely the waldenses , or poor men of lyons , whereof there is no number , who being cursed by his holy church : we also command to depart , and flie from all our kingdoms , and places within our power , as enemies to the cross of christ , our selves , and this kingdom . therefore from this day forward shall presume to receive the foresaid waldenses into their houses , or to hear their doleful preaching , or to give them meat , or any other relief , let him know , that he hath incurred the indignation of god , and of us , and that he shall be punished as a traitor , and all his goods shall be confiscated without remedy or appeal . and this our edict we command to be published upon sundays by bishops , and all rectors of churches , &c. through all our dominions . and we command that the foresaid punishments be inflicted upon all transgressors of it by our bailyffs , justices , &c. and if any of the foresaid naughty , people whether noble , or ignoble , shall presume to stay three days after the publication hereof , and not hast their removal , we will , and command all men to bring upon them all mischief , disgrace , and agrievance ( except death , or cutting off their members ) which shall be gratefull and acceptable to us , neither shall they fear any punishment for the same , &c. but this same aldephonsus that made this cruel edict by the just retribution of god , the very next year lost part of his kingdom to the moors , and his son having also fifty thousand of his men slain in one battel . hoveden . the popelings exercising such cruelty against the gospellers , they began to defend themselves by arms , repelling force with force : and when , being overpowred by multitude , they could defend themselves no longer , they left their places , and became souldiers abroad , and many of them became very helpfull to our king henry the second in his wars , when he was molested about arch-bishop beckets death : also our king richard the first at his return out of the holy land , ( as they called it ) made good use of them ( who though they were cursed by the pope , yet were they blessed by god ) for the recovery of his right , and for the defence of his people . valdo notwithstanding all the curses of the pope , continued to publish , that the pope was anti-christ , the mass an abomination , the host an idol , and purgatory a fable : whereupon pope innocent the third , anno , , seeing that the other remedies were not sufficient to suppress these hereticks , as he called them , authorized certain monks inquisitors , who by process should apprehend and deliver them to the secular power , by a far shorter , but much more cruel way then was used formerly ; for by this means the people were delivered by thousands into the magistrates hands , and by them to the executioners , whereby in a few years all christendom was moved with compassion , to see all those burnt and hanged , that did trust only in christ for salvation . the pope seeing that this suppressed not , but rather increased the number of his enemies , sent certain bishops and monks to preach in those places of the waldenses , but their preaching converted not any of them from their former opinions . amongst those monks was dominick , who was a zealous persecutor of these saints of god both in word and deed , who seeing himself to be in authority ▪ instituted an order of begging monks , called after his name dominicans , which order was confirmed by the pope , for their zealous assisting of him against the waldenses , and this dominick laboured in the inquisition with such contentment to the popes , that from that time forward the monks of his order have always been imploied in the inquisition . the power of these inquisitors was without limitation , they could assemble the people by the sound of a bell when they pleased , proceed against the bishops themselves , they could imprison and release without controul : any accusation was sufficient with them : a sorcerer ▪ a whore was a sufficient witness in the case of pretended heresie : it mattered not who accused , or whether by word of mouth , or ticket thrown in before the inquisitors : for process was thereby framed without party , without witness , or without other law , then the pleasure of the inquisitors . to be rich was a crime near to heresie , and he that had any thing to lose , was in the way to be undone , either as an heretick , or as a favourer of them : yea , bare suspition stopped the mouths of parents , kinsfolk , and friends , that they durst not intercede each for other . if any did but convey a cup of cold water , or a pad of straw to the poor saints that lay in stinking dungeons , he was condemned as a favourer of the hereticks , and brought to the same or worse extremities . no advocate durst undertake the defence of his nearest kinsman , or friends : no notary durst receive any act in his favour ; yea , death it self made not an end of their punishment , for sometimes they passed sentence against the bones of the dead , to dis-inter and burn them , it may be thirty years after the death of the party accused . such as were heirs had nothing certain , for if their fathers or kindred were accused they durst not undertake the defence of their own right , possess their own inheritance , without the crime or suspition of heresie . the greatest and richest amongst the people were constrained even to adore these monks inquisitors , and to give them great sums for the building of their convents & houses , for fear to be accused of heresie . and the better to keep the people in aw , these inquisitors would sometimes lead in triumph their prisoners in their processions , enjoyning some of them to whip themselves , others to go in their shirts bare-foot and bare-headed , having a with about their necks ; and a torch in their hands for the greater terrour to the beholders , seeing persons of all estates and sexes in so miserable a condition . some of these accused persons were sent into the holy land , or enrolled for some other expedition against the turks and infidels , where they were to serve for a certain time at their own charge : in the mean time these fathers inquisitors took possession of their houses and goods , and when they returned home , they must not so much as enquire whether these monks had in their absence lain with their wives , lest they would be condemned as back-sliders , and unworthy of favour . anno christi , . a gallant knight that was one of these waldenses , called enraudus , whom henry , earl of nivers had made gonour of his land , was accused of heresie , and brought before the popes legat , who called a common council at paris against him , consisting of the arch-bishop , bishops , and ministers of paris , who after examination of witnesses , condemned him for an heretick , and so delivered him to the secular power , by whom he was burned in the flames . chron. rol. altissiodorensis . in octo. anno christi , . in the town of mont-royal near carcasson in the earldom of tholouse , there was held a famous disputation between didacus bishop of oxon , a spaniard : frier dominick ; peter of the new castle , the popes legat , and raph his colleague on the one party , and arnold hot , pastor of the albingenses , with some other of his fellow-labourers on the other party : the arbitrators were two noble men , viz , bernard de villa nova , and pernail of arras ; and two plebians , viz. raimond godius , and arnold riberia , the questions disputed upon were these : first , that the church of rome is not the spouse of christ , nor an holy church , but an impure one , and instructed by the doctrine of satan . secondly , that their ecclesiastical polity is not good , nor holy , nor established by jesus christ. thirdly , that the mass , as it is celebrated therein , was not instituted by christ , or his apostles . the bishop undertook to prove the contrary : but after three days disputation , he desired fifteen days to commit his arguments to writing ; and arnold hot required eight days to put in his answer . at the day appointed the bishop brought in a very long writing ; and hot desired to answer by word of mouth , intreating his auditors that he might not seem troublesom to them , if he were long in answering so long a discourse ; and it was granted that he should be heard with patience without interruption , and so he discoursed for divers hours four days together , to the great admiration of all that heard him , and so ready was he therein , that all the bishops , abbats , monks , and priests , wished themselves elsewhere : for he framed his answer to each point in order , as it was set down in the writing , and that with such plainness and perspicuity , that he gave all that were present to understand , that this bishop , though he had writen much , yet had he concluded nothing that might truly turn to the advantage of the church of rome against his assertions : then did arnold request , that forasmuch as the bishops , and himself in the beginning of the conference , were bound to prove whatsoever they affirmed by the word of god only , it might now be imposed upon the bishops , and priests to make good their mass as they sing it , part by part , to have been instituted by the son of god , and so used by the apostles , &c. but the bishops were not able to prove that the mass , or any part of it was so ordained or used , whereupon they were much discontented , and ashamed . arnold proceeded to prove that it was not instituted by christ or his apostles . for ( said he ) if the mass were the holy supper instituted by our saviour , there would remain after the consecration , that which was in the supper of our lord , viz. bread : but in the mass there is no bread ; for by transubstantiation the bread is vanished , therefore the mass is not the holy supper of the lord : &c. the bishops , legats , monks , and priests having nothing to answer to these things , retired themselves : not being willing to here any more : and fearing least these gospellers should work such an impression on the hearts of those that were present , as might shake their beliefe touching the masse , they dessolved the assembly . nich vignerius . between the years . which was the time when this inquisition was first erected , to the year . there was so great a havock made of poor christians , that the arch-bishops of aix , arles , and narbonne , being assembled at the request of the said inquisitors , to conferre with them about divers difficulties in the execution of their offices , had compassion of the great number that were accused & cast into prison , saying , we hear that you have apprehended such a multitude of the waldenses , that it is not only impossible to defray the charge of their food , but to provide lime and stone to build prisons for them , we therefore advise you to forbear this rigour till the pope be advertised , and direct what he will have done in this case , &c. yet notwithstanding all this cruelty , there was in the year . according to the report of george morrel in his memorials , p. . above eight hundred thousand persons that made profession of the faith of the waldenses . besides the churches that they had in valentinois , where their faith was propagated from the father to the son , their religion spread also beyond the alps into the valley of pragela , within the jurisdiction of the arch-bishop of turin , from whence were peopled the waldensian valleys of piedmont , la perouse , s. martain , angrogne , &c. this valley of pargela was one of the safest retiring places that the waldenses had , being environed on all sides with mountains almost inaccessible , into the caves whereof they retired themselves in the times of persecution : and though they were weakned on all sides , environed with enemies , and in danger of being apprehended if they looked but forth of their doors ; yet was there never any wordly respect that had power to alter their holy resolution from the father to the sonne , to serve god , taking his word for the rule of their faith , & his law for the rule of their obedience : yea , no sooner were the infants weaned from their mothers breasts , but their parents took a singular delight to instruct them in the christian faith . there pastors also did not only preach to them on the sabbath daies , but went in the week daies to instruct them in the villages and hamlets , not sparing themselves for the roughnesse of the rocks , the coldnesse of the ayr , and the cragginesse of the country , where they were fain to climbe up high mountains to visit their flocks . there was also holy discipline exercised amongst them : the people praied with fervency at night when they went to their rest , and in the morning before the went about their labour : they had schools wherein their children were taught and nurtured . b●t whilest they thus busily sought the advancement of gods glory and their own salvation , the devil raised up a persecution against them . anno . by a monk inquisitor , called francis boralli , who had a commission to enquire after the waldenses in aix , arles , ambrun , viene , geneva , aubone , savoy , the venetian county , the principality of orenge , the city of avignion , &c. which commission he received from pope clement the seventh . this monk cited to appeare before him at ambrun , all the inhabitants of frassiniere , argentire , and of the valley pute upon pain of excommunication : but they appeared not , whereupon they were condemned of contumacy , and excommunicated : and for the space of thirteen years , as he caught any of them , he delivered them up to the secular power to be burnt at grenoble , the number of whom was an hundred and fifty men , divers women , with many of their sons and daughters ; besides about eighty persons of argentire . the inquisitors also adjudged to themselves two par●s of all their goods ▪ and the third part to the temporal powers : they forbad all their bordering neighbours also to assist , receive , visit , or defend them or to converse with them in any sort upon pain of being attainted , and punished as favourers of hereticks , &c. the waldenses of the valley of pragela , anno . were assaulted by their enemies on the side of susa in piedmont : but most of their assaults proved in vain , because these waldenses retired into the high mountains , hiding themselves in the caves and hollow places thereof , from whence they much endamaged those that came to assail them . their enemies seing this , came upon them in the depth of winter , when those poor people never suspected it , all the mountains being covered over with snow : and thereupon they retired into the highest mountain of all the alps , together with their wives and children , the mothers carrying some in their cradles , and leading others by the hand : yet the enemy followed them till night , and slew many before they could recover the mountain : and they which were so slain had the better bargain : for night coming on , these poor people being in the snow , without any meanes to make a fire for their infants , many of them were benummed , and in the morning above eighty of them were frozen to death in their cradles , and most of their mothers died also , and divrese others were giving up the last gasp : the enemies lay all night in these peoples houses , which they ransacked and pillaged , and so returned to susa , but by the way , meeting with a poor waldensian woman , they hanged her upon a tree , and so departed . the vvaldenses of the valley of frassiniere , were greatly persecuted by the arch-bishop of ambrun , anno . who made a monk called john vayleti his commissioner against them , which monk proceeded with such diligence and violence , that scarce any person could escape his hands , but that he was either apprehended for an heretick , or a favourer of them , whereby many papists suffered amongst the rest , which caused them to petition king lewis the eleventh of france , by his authority to stay the course of that persecution : and thereupon the king wrote his letter to the governour of dauphine , signifying , that whereas the inquisitors had daily sent forth their processe against many poor people in those parts without reasonable cause , putting some to the rack , and condemning them for matters whereof they were never guilty , and which they could not prove by any witnesse : and of others they had exacted great sums of money , and divers waies had unjustly vexed , and molested them : he therefore decreed that for the time to come all such processe should be void , and of none effect , nor any wrong done to them in body , goods , or good name , except there were any that obstinately maintained and affirmed any thing against the holy catholicke faith. but the arch-bishop was so far from ceasing the persecution upon this edict , that he grew more violent by reason of the last clause , pretending that he did not any thing contrary to the kings precept , seeing they which were cited , appeared not to justifie themselves , &c. he also suborned many priests , which were his own officers , to depose , that all they which had petitioned the king were vvaldenses : he also hired one john pelegrin to accuse them for assembling themselves in dark places to commit whoredom , &c. and then he sent to the court to justifie himself from the complaint made to the king against him , that he had persecuted the waldenses rather out of covteousness to get their goods , then out of zeal to the catholick faith : but this single witness prevailed but litle , seeing there were many other who deposed , that they had never seen any such villany amongst the waldenses , nor any the least appearance of the same . yet did not the archbishop cease to prosecute them to the uttermost of his power , so that he caused most of them to flie away , only one james pateneri stood to it , averring before the court that he was unjustly vexed , contrary to the kings letters , demanding a copy of the proceedings , that he might right himself by law : ●hereupon the archbishop left him , and fell upon those that wanted the like courage , citing the consuls of frassiniere to answer for themselves , and all the inhabitants of their valley : but they refused , saying , that they had nothing to say before the archbishop , seeing their cause was now depending before the king and his council , protesting against the archbishops power , and demanding a copy of the kings letter : but the archbishop , notwithstanding this protestation , sent them to the fire , without any other indictment . yet the lord left not this cruelty long unrevenged , for shortly after the archbishop died by the stroak of gods justice , and so ended his persecution ▪ anno christi . one villany of the inquisitor valeti may not be forgoten , which was this : when he examined any of the waldenses , whether he beleeved that the bread in the sacrament , after the consecration , was changed into the reall and naturall body of christ which hung upon the crosse ? if the waldenses answered , no ; he set down his answer thus , that he beleeved not in god. when he asked , whether we ought not to pray to saints ? if they answred , no ; he set down , that the railed upon , and spake evil of the saints . when he enquired , whether we ought not to pray to the virgin mary in our necessities ? if they answered no ; he set down , that they spake blasphemy against the virgin mary , &c. and by gods providence these records were kept in the arch-bishop of ambruns house , till the city and their records fell into the hands of the protestants an hundred years after , and so god brought all their knavery to light . anno . pope innocent the eight sent albert de capitaneis , arch-deacon of cremona against these waldenses , who craved aid of the kings lieutenant of dauphine , against them . this lieutenant for his service levied troops of men , and at the arch-deacons request , led them against the waldenses in the valley of loyse , and to colour his proceedings with a pretence of justice , he took a counsellour of the court along with him . but when they came to the valley , they found no inhabitants , for they were all retired into their caves in the high mountains , having carried their little children , and all their provision of food with them . then did this cruel lieutenant cause much wood to be laid to the mouths of the caves , and set it on fire , so that some were choaked with smoak , others burnt with the fire , others cast themselves headlong from the rocks , and were broken in pieces ; and if any stirred out , they were presently slain by the souldiers . in this persecution , there were found within the caves four hundred infants stif●ed in their cradles , or in the arms of their dead mothers : and in all , there perished above three thousand men and women at that time , so that there were no inhabitants left in all that valley : and to prevent the coming of any more of them thither , the lieutenant gave all their goods and possessions to whom he pleased . then did he march against the waldenses of pragela , and frassaniere , but they , providing for their own safety , attended him at the passages and narrow straits of their vallies , so that he was forced to retire . after a while albert de capitaneis , being called to another place , he substituted a franciscan named francis ploieri , who anno . began anew to informe against the waldenses of fressaniere , citing them to appeare before him at ambrun , and for non-appearing , he excommunicated them , and condemned them for hereticks , to be delivered to the secular power , and there goods to be confiscated ; and in this judgement , their assisted one ponce , a certain counsellour of dauphine . these men afterwards caught two of their pastors [ francis gerondin , and peter james ] who being asked why the waldenses increased so fast , and spread so far ; they answered , because the popish priests live so dissolutly , and because the cardinals are so covetous , proud and luxurious , it being commonly known that there is neither pope , cardinall , nor bishop , but keeps his whores , and few or none but had their youths for sodomy besides ; and therefore it is easie for the waldensian pastors to perswade the people , that their religion could not be good , whose fruits were so bad , &c this persecution grew exceeding hot , the inquisitor and councellor sending as many as they could catch to the fire without admitting any appeal : and if any interceded for them , though the father for the childe , or the child for the father , he was presently committed to prison , and indicted as a favourer of hereticks . anno . anthoni fabri , and christopher de salience had comissions sent them from the pope , to commence suit against the waldenses in dauphine , who apprehending the widow of one peter berand , they imprisoned , and oft examined her , and thereby drew from her whatever she knew of the assemblies of the waldenses , of the persons that frequented them , and of the places and times of their meeting , which afterwards brought great trouble to the said churches of christ , and of gain to the inquisitors . king lewis the twelfth succeeding king francis , anno . the inhabitants of frassaniere petitioned him to take some order for the restitution of their goods , which by the inquisitors were deteined from them . the king referred it to his chancelor , who procured a commissary from the poppe , and commissioner from the king , to be sent down to examine the businesse ; these accordingly , having examined divers witnesses against the waldenses , and finding their innocency , did at last absolve them ; the kings commissioner publickely professing , that he desired to be but as good a christian as the worst of those of frassaniere were : and returning to the king , they made report to him of that which they had done : the king thereupon ordered that the goods of the waldenses should be restored ▪ when the kings order came to ambrun , it was the opinion of most men , that seeing most of these goods were in the possession of the arch-bishop , that therefore he should give a good example in begining to restore them , but the arch-bishop answered , that the goods which he held were annexed to his arch-bishoprick , and incorporated to his church and , therefore it was out of the kings jurisdiction , and he did not beleeve that the king would meddle therein : yet being willing to please the king , he profered to restore them their vineyards , provided that the lords of dauphine would restore the goods which they had ; but there was not one that would restore what they had so unjustly gotten , so that the poor people where wholly frustrated of their expectation . then did the summon the arch-bishop and those refusers before the king , but these great ones having more friends and favour at court , then the poor people had , their excuse was admitted , which was , that they could not restore the goods , before the pope had absolved those of frassaniere from the sentence of excommunication . anno . the president of provence made a speech to the assembly of estates to root out these waldenses : whereupon they raised an army for the effecting of it ; but as soon as the men were in arms , it pleased god , by the death of king francis , to put an end to that design , whereby the waldensian churches in dauphine enjoyed peace , and were well furnished with godly pastors , who held them in the exercise of religion , though they were in continuall danger of being persecuted to the death for the same . the waldenses in dauphine , many years before being multiplyed , so that the countrey could not feed them , dispersed themselves abroad into divers parts , whereof some went into piedmont , who lived in great love with those of da●phine , and though they were alwaies oppressed with troubles , yet with hearty love and charity , they ever-succoured one another , not sparing their lives and goods for their mutuall conservation . the first persecution in piedmont were occasioned by the preists , who complained to the arch-bishop of turin , that these people lived not according to the manner and belief of the church of rome ; that they offered not for the dead , cared not for masses , absolutions , or to get any of theirs out of the pains of purgatory , &c. hereupon the arch-bishop persecuted them , complaining of them to their princes to make them odious : but the prince enquiring of their neighbours , heard that they were of a good conversation , fearing god , without deceit or malice , loving plain dealing , alwaies ready to serve their prince with alacrity , &c. he therefore purposed not to molest them : but the priests and monks gaining nothing by their belief , charged them with an infinite number of calumnies , and ever and anon catching one or other of them , they delivered them to the inquisitors , and the inquisitors to the executioners , so that there was scarce a town or city in piedmont , wherein some of them had not been put to death . at turin one of them had his bowels torn out of his belly , and put into a bason before his face , and then was he cruelly martyred , at revel in the marquisat of saluces , one catelin girard being on the block whereon he should be burnt , requested his executioner to give him two stones , which he refused to do , fearing least he would throw them at some body , but he protesting the contrary , at last they gave him two stones , which he held in his hands , and said , when i shall have eaten these stones , then shall you see an end of our religion , for ●hich you now put me to death , and so he threw them on the ground , and died cheerfully . thus they burnt many of them in the fire , till anno . and then they resolved to assault them by open force , because they saw that otherwise they should never be able to extirpate them : besides , their constant sufferings converted many to the faith . hereupon they levied an army of eighteen thousand men , besides many inhabitants of piedmont , who ran to the pillage from all parts . these marched all at once to angrogne , l●cerne , la perouse , &c. they raised also forces in dauphine , where with they over-ran the valley of pragela , so that they being put to defend themselves , could not assist their friends in piedmont . but the enemy by this division of his forces , being weakned , was every where beaten , especially in the valley of angrogne , where the vvaldensians having been informed of the levies of their enemies against them , prepared themselves to receive and resist them , keeping the strait passages , where few men might defend themselves against many . they defended themselves with long targets of wood , whereby they covered themselves from the hurt of their enemies arrows . whilst they were thus bickering with their enemies , the women and children upon their knees cried out , o god help us . the enemies made themselves merry with this fight , and amongst them , one capt. saquet , who as he was imitating the woman , was slain , and tumbled down into a very deep valley . another captain , crying out to the women in derision , was killed with the shot of an arrow in the throat . hereupon the souldiers betook themselves all to their heels , and the greatest part slew themselves , by tumbling down from the rocks . another providence of god was this , that the enemies approaching to the stongest entrance by nature , might their have fortified themselves , and so made themselves masters of that valley : but god sent so thick a cloud , and dark a fog , that they could scarce see one another , whereby they wanted opportunity to discover their advantage , and therefore departed : which the vvaldenses seeing , couragiously pursued them , and by that means the enemy being dispersed , and not seeing which waies they went , the greatest part fell headlong down the mountains , quitting their arms and booty which they had gotten at their first entrance into the valley , by which means the waldenses recovered it again , then it pleased god to move the princes heart ( which was philip the seventh , duke of savoy ; and lord of piedmont ) with pity towards these poor people , saying , that he would not have that people which had been alwaies true , faithfull and obedient to him , to be unjustly destroyed by arms ; being content that twelve of the principall should come to him to pignerol to crave pardon for all the rest , for taking arms in their own defence , without his authority : these he entertained lovingly , forgiving all that was past , during the warre . and having been informed that all their children were born with black throats , with foure rows of teeth , and all hairy , he caused some of them to be brought to him , and seeing them fair and perfect creatures , he was much displeased with himself for beleeving so easily the reports which were brought to him against them , giving command that none should hereafter molest them , but that they should enjoy all the priviledges which they rest of his subjects in piedmont did . notwithstanding which , the monks inquisitors daily sent out processe against them , lay in wait for them , and as they could aprehend any of them , delievered them over to the secular power . this persecution lasted to anno. . at which time the waldenses ordered that there exercises of religion should be performed no more in covert , as formerly they had been , but in publick , that every one might know them , and that their pastors should preach the gospell openly , not fearing any persecution that might happen unto them . the prince being advertised hereof , was highly offended with them , and thereupon caused one of his commanders to hast with his troops into the said vallies , which was performed with such diligence , that he was entred with five hundred horse and foot , before they were aware , ransacking , plundering and wasting all before them . then did the waldenses leave their ploughs , putting themselves into passes , and with their slings charged their enemies with such multitudes of stones , that they were constraned to flie , and to abandon their prey , many remaining dead upon the ground . this news was presently carried to the prince , and withall he was told , that these people were not to be subdued with arms , they knowing bettter the straits of their country , then the assailants , and that the skin of one of the waldenses would cost him the lives of a dozen of his other subjects : where upon he vsed arms no more against them , but as any of them was caught in piedmont , he put them to death , if they changed not their belief . notwithstanding with rigour , they persisted in their resolution , and that things might be carried on in the better order , they assembled out of all their vallies to angrogne , anno . viz. the heads of all their families , with their pastors , where they heard that their brethren of provence , and dauphine had sent two of their pastors , george morrell , and peter masson into germany , to confere with oecolampadius bucer , and others , about their relief , which they had held from father to son , time out of minde . where also the germane divines acknowledged that god had been very mercifull and gracious to them , in preserving them undefiled , in the midst of so many superstitions which had defiled all christendom under the tyranny of antichrist ; encouraging and exhorting them not to bury those talents which god had given them : onely they blamed them for delaying so long to make a publick profession of their adhering to the gospel ▪ and causing it to be preached publickly , leaving the success to god , &c. then were the letters of oecolampadius and bucer , which they sent to them , openly read , together with the propositions and articles of religion which they had agreed upon , which were all approved , signed and sworn to by all the assistants with one consent , to perform , observe , beleeve and retain amongst them inviolably , as being conformable to the doctrine which they had been taught from their fore-fathers for many hundred years , and all taken out of the word of god . when this agreement came abroad to the ears of the priests , they were much astonished , despairing to see these people reclaimed and brought back to the church of rome ; whereupon they retired from amongst them without speaking a word . the waldenses , because they had only the new testament and some books of the old , amongst them in the waldensian tongue , resolved speedily to send the whole bible to the press , all their books hitherto being but manuscripts , and those but a few . they sent therefore some to newcastle in suitzerland , where they gave . crowns in gold to a printer , who brought to light the first impression of the fre●ch bible that was seen in france . they sent also to geneva to make a large supply of books fit for the instruction of the people ; but their messenger , as he passed over the hill de gap , was apprehended for a spy by the lord of champelion , and as soon as they knew him to be a waldensian , they sent him to grenople , where he was first imprisoned ; and then in the night drowned in the river , least he should speak of his belief before the people . shortly after there happened warres between king francis the first , and the princes of piedmont , which , through gods grace , turned to the great peace and quiet of these poor people ; which peace continued till pope paul the third sollicited the parliament of turin to persecute them as pernicious hereticks : whereupon the parliament caused a great number of them to be burnt at turin . then these waldenses petitioned the king that they might not be persecuted for their religion , in which they and their ancestors had lived for many hundred years . but the king reiected their petition , commanding them to live according to the laws of the roman church , upon pain of being punished as hereticks : adding , that he did not burn the lutherans through his whole kingdom of france , to let them amongst the alps escape . hereupon the parliament of turin commanded them presently to send away all their ministers , and receive the priests to sing masse . &c. to which they answered , that they could not receive any such commandment , it being contrary to gods word , whom they would rather obey then men . but through gods mercy , the king had other imploiments elsewhere ; whereby they wanted leasure to prosecute these servants of christ , and therefore they only proceeded by the inquisition , receiving such as the monks condemned to the fire . anno . they increased the persecution , condemning to the fire bartholmew hector a stationer , to be executed at turin , who died with admirable constancy , and so edifying the spectators , that they wept and compassionated him , justifying him in their speeches , and praying for him . hereupon the parliament resolved wholly to extirpate them , and for that end sent two men with authority , either to reform , or root them out . these persons went first to perouse , where by proclamation in the kings name , they command all to go to masse upon pain of loosing their lives . then they went to pignorol , where they cited many to appear before them : and amongst others , a poor simple labouring man appeared , whom the president commanded to have his childe re-bapzed by a priest : the man requested respite to pray to god before he answered him , which with great laughter was granted : then falling down on his knees , he prayed unto god , and when he had done , he said to the president ; i will cause my child to be rebaptised , upon condition that you will give me a bill , signed with your own hand , that you will discharge me of the sin which i shall commit hereby , and bear one day before god the punishment and condemnation which should befall me for the same , taking this iniquity upon you and yours : the president hearing this , commanded him out of his presence , and pressed him no further . the president framed diverse indictments against sundry persons in the vallies , and collected whatsoever he thought might hurt them : and going to one of their churches , he caused a monk , that he brought along with him , to preach in the presence of the people ; and when he had ended , the people desired that some one of their pastors there present might answer his discourse , but that was denied by the president , whereupon there was such a murmur amongst the people , that the president , without any more speech , gat him away to turin , where he reported all to the parliament , and withall told them , that if they sought by violence to reclaime this people , they were resolued to defend themselves ; and that the places of their abode , were of such strength , that it was a work for a king of france to root them out . thereupon , this report and the indictments were sent to the king , who having other occasions , returned no answer that year : only the inquisitors proceeded as they could catch any , to deliver them to the secular power . at the years end , the king commanded the parliament to cause them to do that by force , which they would not by words be brought to . then did the parliament send the president again to angrogne , where he commanded them in the name of the king , to go to masse upon pain of forfeiting their lives and goods ; but they answered , that they could not obey such commands against the command of god. then he commanded that twelve of the principal of them , together with all their ministers and schoolmasters , should presently yeeld up their bodies to the prisons of turin , &c. they answered , that they could not obey that command or appear at turin , because they should thereby endanger their lives . the parliament was so incensed at this answer , that as many as they could apprehend , they burnt , amongst whom was jeffery varnegle minister of angrogne , anno . by whose death the people that were present were much edified , seeing his constancy of invocating god to the last . the protestant princes of germany hearing of this great persecution , interceded in their behalf to king henry the second of france . who promised to have regard to this request of theirs , and indeed they enjoyed peace afterwards , till the peace was concluded betwixt the kings of france and spain , and that the duke of savoy was restored to his estate , which was anno . the year after , the popes nuntio reproved the duke , for that with all his power he had not persecuted the waldenses , and that if he did not now endeavour to reduce them to the romish church , or to root them out , his holinesse should have cause to suspect that he was a favourer of them . hereupon the duke presently commanded them to go to mass , upon the pain of their lives : but the not obeying him he set upon them by open force , and yet at the same time , he caused them to be pursued by the monks inquisitors also : so that a great persecution was raised against the poor christians : some were taken and burnt , who shewed invincible constancy in all their torments and death . to recite all the outrages , cruelties and villanies practised against them , would be too tedious : many fled , and their houses and goods were ransacked and spoiled : one of their ministers was apprehended , and put to a shamefull and cruell death , but he shewed such admirable patience therein , as astonished his very adversaries . some also were taken and sent to be gally-slaves : yet some , through weakness , yeelded to the adversaries , and were more cruelly handled then those that remained constant in the truth . three of the most cruel persecutors of these faithfull servants of jesus christ , were , first thomas jacomel a monk , an apostate , that had renounced the known truth , and persecuted mortally and maliciously the poor christians against his own conscience : he was a whoremonger , and given over to all villanies , and filthy living , a sodomite , &c. his delight was to spoil , rob , and torment the captives of these waldenses . the second was a collaterall , called corbis , who in the examination of the prisoners was very rigorous , and burnt many of them : but in the end feeling a remorse in his conscience , he protested that he would meddle with them no more : the third was the provest of justice , who lay in wait in the high waies to apprehend them when they went abroad in the morning , or as they went to the market . the monks also of pignorol vexed the churches near about them grievously , some they took prisoners , and kept them in their abbies : then they assembled a company of ruffians , sending them to spoil the churches , and to take prisoners , men , women , and childen ; of whom some by torments they forced to abjure , others they sent to the galleys others they burnt . the gentlemen of the valley of s. martin vexed their tenants grievously : spoiling some of their goods , imprisoning others , and vexing them by all means : two of those gentlemen getting some ruffians to them in the night time , set upon a village called renclaret , which the inhabitants perceiving , fled into the mountains covered with snow , naked , and without victuals : in the morning these villains took a minister of that valley , who was coming to visit these people of renclaret , and burnt him : but three nights after they of pragela , pitying their friends of renclaret , sent four hundred men against the ruffians , who fought with them , and without the losse of one man , put them to flight , and restored their friends to their houses . a year after , one of these gentlemen called truchet , with a company of ruffians , arrested the minister of renclaret , as he was at his sermon : but the people were so moved at his outragious dealing , especially the women , that they had almost strangled truchet , and so canvased the rest of his company , that they had no minde to come any more . shortly after they took another minister as he was going to preach in a parish a mile from his house , but the people hearing of it , speedily pursued them , and recovered their minister again ; but when the villains saw that they were like to lose their prey , they so wounded him , that they left him for dead . the monks of pignerol sent some ruffians by night to the ministers house of s. germain , who were conducted by a traitor that knew the house , and formerly had frequented it ; this fellow knocking at the door , and the minister knowing his voice , opened the door , but perceiving himself to be betrayed , he fled at a back-door , yet was quickly taken , and sorely wounded , notwithstanding which , they pricked him with halberds to hasten his pace , as they carried him away : they also slew and hurt many others : the minister , after sore imprisonment , endured a cruel death with much constancy : at his death the inquisitors caused two poor women that they kept in prison , to carry faggots to burn him , and to say to him their pastor , take this , thou wicked heretick ▪ in recompence of that naughty doctrine that thou hast taught us : to whom he replied , a● good women , i have taught you well , but you have learned ill . in brief , they so persecuted these poor people , that they forced them to forsake their houses , and to fly into the mountains , loosing all their estates , so that many that had lived well , and relieved others , were now fain to crave relief and succour of others . the monks with their troops of ruffians continued thus to molest and persecute these poor people , they asked of their ministers , whether it were not lawfull for them to defend themselves against such violence ? the ministers answered , that it was , only they advised them to avoid blood-shed as much as might be . this question being resolved , they of luserne and angrogne sent some to aid their friends of st. germain against the monks . in june , divers of these waldenses went out into the country to reap their harvest , and in sundry places were all taken prisoners , not knowing of each others calamity , but god so wrought , that miraculously they all escaped out of prison , to the great astonishment of their adversaries . at the same time also , others who had been long in prison , and longed for nothing but death , through gods providence , were delivered after a wonderful sort . in july , they of angrogne being at their harvest on the hill side of st. germaine , perceived a company of souldiers that were spoiling the inhabitants of st. germain ; whereupon they made an out-cry , upon which the people of angrogne ran presently thither-ward , some by the valley , others over the mountain : they which went by the valley being above fifty men , met with the spoilers , who were a hundred and twenty men well appointed , with whom they fought , and gave them a great overthrow ; some were hurt , others drowned , and but few hardly escaped ; not one of angrogne being hurt in the fight . the monks were so affrighted with this defeat , that they ran away from their abbey to pignerol , to save their reliques and images , which they carried thither ; and if the ministers would have suffered their people to have attempted it , they might easily have freed their brethren which were imprisoned in the abbey . after this these monks , being assisted by a captain , took many of the inhabitants of the valley of luserne prisoners , spoiling their goods , driving away their cattel ; and in the end ransomed them for great summs of money . about this time a gentleman of campillan promised his neighbours that if they would give him thirty crowns , he would secure them against trouble ; but when he had got the money , he caused some souldiers to come to his house , and in the night sending for the poor men which suspected no danger , he trayterously endeavoured to deliver them into the hands of their mortal enemies : but god , who succours his in their greatest necessity , discovered to one of them the danger they were in , whereby they all fled , and escaped . then were strict commands sent through all the country to banish all the waldenses , together with the gospel , out of the mountains and vallies of piedmount ; but the people still desired that they might have leave to serve god purely according to the rules of the word . in the end of october , a rumour was spread abroad , that an army was raising wholly to destroy them : yea , and such malefactors as were in prisons or banished , were pardoned , upon condition that they should take arms to destroy the waldenses : hereupon the ministers met together to consult what was to be done in so great an extremity . and first they enjoyed a general and publick fast to seek unto god for direction , and in the end concluded that they should not defend themselves by arms , but that forsaking their houses , and taking their best movables with them , they should retire unto the high mountains , but if their enemies pursued them thither , that then they should take such advise as god should please to give them . this counsel all the people submitted to , and for eight days space , were as busie as ants in summer , to remove their goods and provisions , which though they did in great danger , yet with great courage and alacrity , praising god and singing psalms , every one cheering up another . but other ministers hearing of this resolution , wrote to them that they thought it strange that in such an extream necessity , they should not rather resolve to defend themselves against violence , proving that it was lawfull for them so to do , to defend the true religion , and the lives of themselves , wives and children , knowing thar it was not the duke , but the pope that thus stirred him up against them . during this time , their adversaries cryed nothing , but to the fire with them , to the fire with them , and presently by proclamations set up every where , angrogne was exposed to the fire and sword : the army also approached to their borders , and the people retired into the mountains : but when they saw some horse-men not only spoiling their goods , but taking some of their brethren prisoners , they came back , and set upon them , in which bickering some of the enemies were slain , and the rest retired to their camp ; not one of the waldenses was slain or hurt . but two of these horsemen that fled , galloping away before the rest , when they came neer to the army , cryed out , they come , they come : whereupon the whole army was so astonished , that every man fled away , none pursuing , and the captain could not all that day get them into order again . the next day the army under the lord of trinity , was mustered in a meddow , near to angrogne ; they of the town had sent some to stop the passages that the army should not enter , and in the mean time they retired into the meddow of toure , not expecting the army so soon , so that there were but few that kept the passages , but when those few perceived their enemies preparing themselves to fight , they all fell down upon their knees , praying earnestly unto god to pity them , and not to look on their sins , but on the cause that they maintained , to turn the hearts of their enemies , and so to worke that there might be no effusion of bloud , but if it were his will to take them , their wives and infants out of this world , that it would please him mercifully to receive them into his kingdome . their prayers being ended , they perceived their enemies to come through the vines to win the top of the mountain : whereupon the combat began in divers places , and continued untill night : the poor waldenses being but few , and only armed with slings and cross-bows , were much oppressed by the multitudes of their enemies , so that at last they retired to the top of the mountain , where they defended themselves till night . but having found a place where they might withstand their enemies , they turned again and slew divers of them . at even the enemies began to encamp themselves , which the waldenses perceiving , they fell to prayer , desiring god to assist and succour them , for which the enemies flouted and laughed them to scorn . the poor people devised to send a drum into a valley hard by ; and as they were at prayer , the drum beat up in the valley ; whereupon the lord of trinity caused his souldiers to retreat , which was a great advantage to the waldenses , who were weary , thirsty , and in great perill if god by this meanes had not given them some rest : of the waldenses there were but three slain , but many of their enemies , and more hurt , of whom few recovered . this combat much encouraged the waldenses , and as much terrified their enemies , who in their retreat , burnt many houses , and destroyed the wines that were in the presse . then did the lord of trinity encamp in the vally of luserne , by a village , the people whereof had alwaies hated the waldenses , and much rejoyced at this hurt that was now done to them , but they were paid back in their own coyn , being all destroyed by the army . then did the lord of trinity place four garisons in four severall fortresses , so that the poor waldenses found themselves in a sea of troubles : whereupon they first betook themselves to prayer , then sent to their friends for aid , who sent them all that they could make . then did the lord of trinity send his army to villars and tailleret : the lesser part went towards villars ; the people seeing their enemies approaching , called upon god with fervent prayer , then set upon their enemies , slew some , hurt others , and the rest fled . the other company going towards tailleret , they of that place were but few in number , yet making their prayers to god , and commending their cause to him , they set valiantly upon their enemies ; during which bickering , they of villars , encouraged by their late success , came to help their friends , and set so lustily upon their enemies , that they put them to flight : but in the pursuit of them they fell into an ambush , and were environed by their enemies , yet , through gods mercy , they all escaped without the losse of one man ; on the enemies side there were so many slain , that they were laid together by whole cart-loads . another party of the enemies going to spoil a rich mans house , some of his neighbours , not being above seventy , set upon them , put them to flight , took away their drum , and recovered their booty from them . then did the lord of trinity send to them , telling them how much the duke and his dutchesse favoured them , and promised himselfe to mediate for them that they might live in peace : but whilest by these pretences , he sought to make them secure , he sent part of his army to get the hill of tailleret , and another part had already gotten the way that led to the meddow of tour , whereby the angrognians might have been easily enclosed ; but they perceiving it , immediatly sent some to encounter with their enemies , who gat the victory , pursued them to their camp , and slew very many of them , without the losse of one man. the lord of trinity cunningly excused this attempt , and sent to them to draw up a supplication to the duke , which was accordingly done , wherein they promised to render all honour and reverence unto god , according to his word , and all due obedience to the duk , &c. but in the mean time trinity grievously vexed them of tailleret , upon pretence that they had not presented themselves to treat of this agreement , taking their arms from them , and causing them to ask pardon on their knees . but presently after news was brought them , that the enemies had gotten to the top of the mountaine , and had taken all the passages , whereat they were sore amazed , and ran with all speed to defend their wives and children : some they saved , but the most of their goods were already in the enemies hands , who at this time did them much mischiefe . yet after this , the lord of trinity sent word again to them that were fled , that if they would return , he would receive them to mercy : the poor people most of them trusting to his promise , returned , but the next morning the enemies came to apprehend them and their ministers , besetting the place on every side : then they that were swift of foot , escaped , all the rest were taken ; yet god miraculously delivered them : for an old man that could not run so fast as the other , was espied by a souldier , who ran with a naked sword to have slain him , the old man seeing the iminent danger , caught him by the legs , overthrew him , and drew him by the heels down the hill ; the souldier cryed , help , help , this villain will kill me ; hereupon his fellows ran to his rescue ; but in the mean time the old man escaped ; and the rest seeing what the old man had done , though they had lost their weapons , yet took heart of grass , and with stones and slings , drave away their enemies , and thereby they all escaped . the next day the souldiers went again to tailleret , robbing , spoiling , and carrying away all that they could find , but most of the people were retired towards villars ; then did the souldiers range all about , and took divers prisoners , whom they used cruelly , and one souldier bit off one of their ears , saying , i will carry the flesh of this wicked heretick with me into my country : they found also two women , the mother and the daughter , in a cave , whom they wounded to death : and in another cave , an old man of an hundred years old , with his grand-daughter of eighteen years old that fed him ; the man they slew , the maid they would have ravished , who flying from them , tumbled down the mountains , and died . about the same time there was one john martin that made his boasts every where , that if he could meet with the minister of angrogne . he would slit his nose ; but shortly after a wolf met him , and setting upon him , bit off his nose , whereupon he ran mad , and died miserably . a certain souldier promised the lord of trinity to bring to him the minister of tailleret , and accordingly never ceased till he found him , but as he was pursuing of him , some out of the mountains rescued the minister , and slew the souldier with stones . these souldiers were so extream abusive to women , that many papists that lived by , sent their daughters into the mountains to the waldenses to preserve their chastity . then did the lord of trinity promise , that if they would pay him eight thousand crowns , he would with-draw his army , and be gone ; they being desirous of peace , sold their cattel to raise the money , but when he had received it , he continued his army there still . then did the lord of trinity require them to send away their ministers till the matter were determined before the duke , or else by his army he would force them to it ; whereupon by mutual consent they agreed , that the ministers should with-draw for the present , till the army was retired , which was not done without great sighs , and lamentations and tears . at that time there fell an extraordinary snow , so that the people with great difficulty , were fain to make way for their ministers to pass . but the army hearing that the ministers were gathered together , they sent out a company of harquebushers to apprehend them , who came but one hour too late to have taken them : then did they search every cave , house and chest , to seek them ; whereby they robbed the poor people of all their best things . then did they beset the ministers house of angrogne , to whom the lord of trinity had promised safety , but it pleased god that he escaped ; the souldiers pursued him into the mountains , but could not overtake him ; whereupon they plundred his house , burnt his books and writings , and so returned . the next morning command was given to the rulers of angrogne within twenty four hours to deliver up their minister , or else angrogne should be put to fire and sword ; they answered that they knew not where he was , for the souldiers had driven him over the mountains . then did the souldiers burn houses , break the mils , spoil the people , and do all the mischief they could , and so departed . the lord of trinity left garisons in the fortresses , and caused the poor waldenses to maintain them , who , not content with their wages , pillaged and robbed all about them ; and having taken fourteen men , they bound them , and were leading them away prisoners , but their wives and children pursued them so fiercely with stones , that they were glad to let their prisoners go , and had much ado to save themselves . two others that they caught , they hung up by the heels and hands , and having tormented them almost to death , at last released them for a great sum of money . another garison in the night went to tailleret , brake in at the windows and tops of houses , spoiling all , and took also fourteen prisoners , whom they bound two and two together , and were carrying them to the fortress , but two of them getting loose , so valiantly assaulted the souldiers , and beat them with stones , that they forced them to let go their other prisoners . yet two others they took , and carried them to the fort ; one was but a child , whom the captain strangled with his own hands ; the other was sixty years old , whom they bound , and took a crature that lives in horse-dung , and put into his navel , covering them with a dish , which in a short space did eat into his belly , and killed him . the waldenses were in great perplexity , by reason of these garisons , but especially for the want of their ministers : whereupon they resolved to call them back , yet to have preaching only in private , because they would not imbitter the souldiers , till their messengers returned from the duke . these messengers were cruelly handled at the court , and at last sent back with a command that they should entertain priests to say mass , &c. when this report was made to their brethren that sent them , there was wonderfull lamentation , weeping and mourning . then did they send two of their ministers to the church of pragela , to shew them of the pitifull condition of the churches in piedmont , and to ask their advice , how to prevent the danger : and in the next place they all fell to prayer , and having long called upon god for counsel and direction in so great a strait ; they resolved upon debate , that the people in piedmont and dauphine should joyn in a league together , wherein they promised , through gods grace and assistance , to maintain the pure preaching of the gospel , and administring the holy sacraments , to yeeld obedience to their superior , so farre as they were commanded by the word of god , and one to be aiding and assisting to the other ; that none should conclude any thing touching the estate of religion , without the consent of the rest of the vallies . during this treaty , all the housholders were required to be present at masse , and such as would do it , should live in peace , but such as refused should be condemned to be burnt , or sent to the gallies , so that the people were constrained to fly , die , or renounce the gospel : the first they would have chosen , but could not do it by reason of the great snow ; whereupon they exhorted one another saying , we shall be all called for to morrow , to renounce god , and to return to idolatry , let us therefore make a solemn protestation , that we will live and die in the confession of gods holy word ; let us in the morning hear a sermon , and then cast down to the ground , all the idols and altars : and to this all agreed . in the morning they put their resolutions into execution , beating down the images , and casting down the altars : then they went to villars to do the like there ; but by the way they encountred with a band of souldiers , who where going to spoil a village , and to fetch away the inhabitants prisoners : these souldiers seeing them so ill provided , mocked them , and discharged their guns at them ; but they taking courage , with stones beat the souldiers , pursuing them to the fortresse . then did they go to villars , and having destroyed the idols and altars there , they returned to besiege the fortresse , demanding the prisoners that were therein . the judge , with many gentlemen , came that day to enroll their names that would go to masse , but se●ing the resolution of the people , they fled into the castle , where they were besieged for ten daies : then did the captain of to●r go with a company of souldiers , thinking to raise the siege ; but by those which kept the passages , some of them were slain , the rest were driven back again : then came they back with three bands , which caused a furious fight , wherein many of the souldiers were slain and hurt , and not one of the besiegers was hurt . the waldenses attempted often to have taken the fortresse ; but without ordinance it was impossible : also the lord of trinity was come back with his army , and the next day would have raised the siege : but it pleased god that very night that the souldiers in the castle , desired leave to depart , with bag and baggage , which was easily granted to them : and the souldiers whi●h before had so cruelly persecu - the ministers , were now fain to request them to protect their lives , and to conduct them to a place of safty , which the ministers did willingly , and the souldiers were very thankfull for it : that night the fort was razed to the ground . the next day the lord of trinity cunningly sent to them of angrogne , that if they would not aid the other , they should be gently dealt with , but they knowing his fraud , agreed with the rest to defend their religion with their lives , and that no one should make an agreement with out the consent of the rest . then did the lord of trinity assay with his army to enter into the borders of angrogne by certaine streights , but the people having raised up some breast-works , valiantly defended themselves and offended their enemies . trinities souldiers being weary , fresh ones were brought in their stead , so that the fight endured untill night , wherein many of the enemies were slain , more hurt , and but two of the waldenses ; and so the battell ceased for the present . the next day the army marched towards angrogne five severall waies , and there were none to resist , but only a few that kept the watch , who valiantly fought for a space , but seeing themselves in danger to be inclosed , they retreated to an high place , where the combate was renued with greater fiercenesse then before : the lord of trinity seeing the losse of many of his men , sounded a retreat , and went to angrogne , but the people were fled into the medow of tour ; therefore he burned and spoiled all before him : he also oft set fire upon the two churches , where the word used to be preached , but could not burne them , and so he did to the ministers house , and yet it remained whole . amongst them of angrogne , there were but two that were enemies to the word of god , and they were both slain that day . then did the lord of trinity send some to burn rosa ; but the souldiers were driven back four daies together , by them that kept the passages ; whereupon he sent his whole army , yet they valiantly withstood them from morning till night ; at last a party gat behinde them , over a mountaine , so that the poor people seeing themselves environed , saved themselves by running through the midst of their enemies , and others of them gat into the rocks . the enemies being entred rosa destroyed all with fire and sword : the people fled by secret waies toward luserne , wandring all night upon the mountains full of snow , laden with their stuff , carrying their infants in their arms , and leading others by the hand with great pain and travell : they of luserne seeing them , ran to them , praising god for their deliverance ; and they all were very chearfull , notwithstanding their extremities . shortly after the lord of trinity went to luserne by three waies ; they which kept the passages resisted their enemies valiantly , but when they saw themselves assaulted on every side , they fled into the mountains . then did the souldiers sack and burn the houses , staying all they could finde : when they which were fled to the mountains saw their houses on fire , they praised god , and gave him thanks , that thus accounted them worthy to suffer for his name : then did the souldiers pursue them to the mountains , but after they had called upon god , a few of them beat back their enemies , whereupon the army retired . they in the meddow of tour , perceiving a company of souldiers burning the rest of the houses in angrogne , they sent six harque-bushiers against them , who from the higher ground , discharging all their guns together , the souldiers ran all away , when none pursued them . shortly after , as the watch was hearing a sermon , they spied a company of souldeirs marching up the hill , whereupon they ran to encounter them , and easily discomfited them : but whilest they pursued the chase , some cried to them , that another company was entred into the meddow , whereupon they left the chase : or else not one of their enemies had escaped . presently other companies came other waies , which the ministers and people seeing , were much discouraged , and therefore they fell to prayer , and ardently called upon god , with sighs and teares untill night . and whereas seven spies were sent before the souldiers , there went out five of the waldenses against them , and took some , and chased the rest : then went out eight more against the whole company , and pursued them with an undaunted courage from rock to rock , and from hill to hill , and then went out twelve more , who joining with the other , made a great slaughter of their enemies . another company from luserne , having a minister with them , as they used alwaies to have ; after they had made their prayers to god , set upon another company of souldiers , whose hearts were so taken from them , that they presently fled : one of the waldenses , a very young man , carried a greate staff in his hand , with which he laid so lustily at his enemies , that he brake his staff , and slew many of them , he also brake four of their own swords , in pursuing of them : also , a boy of eighteen years old , slew the lord of monteil , master of the camp , which much dismaid the enemies : another threw down charles truchet , and then leaped upon him , and slew him with his own sword ; upon which all the rest fled , and were pursued till night hindred . the minister seeing the great effusion of bloud , and the enemies flying , cried to the people that it was enough , and so exhorted them to praise god : they that heard him obeyed , and fell to prayer . in this battell they gat much armour , which was a great advantage to them afterwards . thanks were returned unto god in every place , every one saying , who sees not evidently that god fighteth for us . presently after , the lord of trinity returned to burn the villages , but especially to pursue the poor people in the mountains . and one company with many horsemen ascended the mountain of comb by an unsuspected way , where were no warders ; but they which were next , seeing them , called upon god for aid , and though they were but thirty in number , yet they valiantly beat them back twice ; many of the enemies were slain , and not one of the waldenses . trinity seeing his men thus beaten back , sent out most of his army to assist them , which were about one thousand five hundred men : and there came about a hundred to help the warders : the combat was very cruel ; at last the poor men were fain to retreat with the losse of two of their men ; at this the enemies exceedingly rejoyced , blowing their trumpets and triumphing : but the people crying all together to the lord , returned again , with greater violence , assaulting them with their slings ; so that the enemies being weary , rested themselves , and the while the waldenses betook themselves to prayer , which more affrighted their enemies then any thing else . then did the souldiers charge again furiously , but by the hands of a few they were driven back ; yea little children , fervently calling upon god , threw stones at their enemies , as also did the women : such as were unfit for war kneeled on the ground with their faces towards heaven , crying , lord help us . then came one running that brought word , that the angrognians were coming to help them , which the enemies hearing , presently retreated . another party of the army of an hundred and fourty , went another way ; but by seven men they were strongly resisted and driven back : a third party was met by the angrognians and driven back . the lord of trinity intending to be revenged upon them in the meddow of tour , assembled all the gentlemen of the country , and an army of about seven thousand : and when the poor people saw them coming , glittering in their harnesse , and so many in number , they were at first astonished , but pouring out their prayers unto god to succour them , and to have regard to the glory of his name , &c. they marched to encounter with their enemies , and seasonably by the way , they met with some aid that was coming to them from luserne , so that uniting themselves , they soon discomfited their enemies . the captain of the enemies had in the morning promised to do great matters that day , but in the evening he was carried back , weak and wounded , and not like to live : whereupon a papist said to him , monsieur , there religion is beter then ours . another part of the army set upon an house in a passe , wherein were but five men , yet they lustily defended it , drave out their enemies that had entred , and kept the place , till some of their friends came to relieve them . another half of the army , assaulted another bulwork on the side of the mountaine ; and they within suffered them to come very near , but then with slings and guns , they slew many of them , others rouled down great stones , which killed divers , so that when they had attempted all waies to take it , they were forced to retire ; the lord of trinity weeping to see his men slain so fast , and at last , having lost very many of his men , he was forced to retreate ; many of the army crying out , god fighteth for them , and we do them wrong . in all that conflict there were but two of the waldenses slain , and two hurt ; whereas they never shot at their enemies but they killed some , and sometimes two at one shot : the souldiers confessed that they were so astonished that they could not fight : others said , that the ministers by their prayers , conjured and bewitched them . it was a wonderfull work of god , that shepherds and cowherds should encounter with so mighty a power of strong and brave souldiers ▪ well furnished with ammunition , and themselves having nothing but slings , stones , and a few harquebushes , and yet should beat them , and in all those fights , they lost not above fourteen men . shortly after a company of souldiers went to angrogne to destroy the vines , &c. and mocking the waldenses , they said , that they were valiant men behinde their bulworks , but if they came into the plain , how they would beat them : then came thirty of the waldenses , and set upon them in the plain , and fought with them a long time , hand to hand , slew many of them , and at last forced them to run away , and that with the losse of one only man of their own . the night after , some thought that it would have been an easie matter to take the lord of trinity , and to have spoiled his whole army , but the waldenses would not do it , least they should offend god , and passe the bounds of their vocation , intending only to defend themselves . then did trinity betake himself to his old shifts of entertaining a treaty for agreement ; but in the interim , he sent a company of spaniards one way , and other companies other waies , to surprise the meddow of tour. the spaniards were entred the meddow , before they were perceived : but when the people spied them , they betook themselves to prayer , then winded their horns , and so prepared for resistance : the first that opposed themselves were but twelve men , who yet stoped them in a passe , and others rolled down stones from the mountains upon them , whereby many of the spaniards were slain , the rest were forced to retreat . shortly after the ministers and chief rulers of the waldenses , requested the lord of raconis to deliver a petition , which they had drawn up to the dutches of savoy , wherein they declared the equity of their cause , protesting all due obedience , &c. ▪ and at last , through gods mercy , they came to a good agreement , and according to the promise of god , all things turned to the best to those that feared him , that were called according to his purpose . after the death of the duke and dutchesse of savoy , charles emmanuel their son succeeded , who maintained them in peace according to the treaty formerly made : yet the inquisitors were alwaies watchfull to apprehend one or other of them : and amongst others , one bartholmew copin of luserne , being at ast in piedmont , with his merchandize , and at evening supping with some other company , one began to speak much to the disgrace of the waldenses for their religion . copin thought that he was bound not to be silent when he heard such blasphemies : whereupon he began to argue in their defence . are you then a waldensian , said the other to him ? he answered , yea. and do you not beleeve that god is in the host ? no , said copin ▪ fie upon you , said the other , what a false religion is yours ? my religion , said copin , is as true , as it 's true that god is god , &c. the next morning copin was called before the bishop of ast , who told him , that he must either recant the opinions he held over night , or be punished : copin said , he had been provoked to that discourse ; yet he said nothing but what he would maintaine with his life : adding that he had some goods , and a wife and children , yet he had lost the affections that he bare unto those things , neither were they dear to him , to the prejudice of his conscience . yet said , that behaving himself honestly , he ought not to be molested ▪ when he came about his merchandize , the turks and jews being permit●ed to come to fairs without molestation . notwithstanding which the bishop presently sent him to prison . the next day the bishops secretary went to him , professing great love , and telling him , that except he acknowledged his fault , he was in great danger of his life : copin answered , that his life was in the hands of god , and he desired not to preserve it to the prejudice of his glory ; and having but a few paces to walk in his journey to heaven , his hearty prayer to god was , to give him grace not to turn back . some few daies after he was examined by an inquisitor in the presence of the bishop , who exceedingly tormented him with sweet and gentle perswasions , by fair words seeking to draw him to an abjuration : but copin alwaies convinced him by the word of god : alleadging that if he should be ashamed of , or deny christ before men , christ would be ashamed of , and deny him before his heavenly father . then said the monk , go thy waies thou cursed heretick to all the devils in hell , and when thou shalt be there tormented by them , thou wilt remember this good and holy counsel that we have given thee , &c. after many violent encounters , they caused his wife and son to come to him , promising if he would confesse his fault , he should have liberty to depart with them ; they suffered them also to sup together , which time he spent in exhorting them to patience , telling them that god would be more then a husband and father to them : for his own part he was not bounde to love wife or childe more then christ ; and that they should esteem it their happiness , that god was pleased to do him the honour to be a witnesse to his truth , with the losse of his life , &c. he enjoyned his wife to bring up his children in the fear of god : his son he commanded to obey his mother , he desired them to pray for him , that god would strengthen him against all tentations , and so taking leave of his wife , and blessing his son , he dismissed them , his wife and son shedding fountains of tears , and crying out in so lamentable a manner as would have moved the hardest hart to compassion . the bishop knew not well what to do with him : if he let him go , he feared a scandall , and that many would be encouraged by his impunity : if he punished him , he offended against the agreement betwixt the duke and the waldenses . and thereupon he sent his indictment to the pope , to know his pleasure . shortly after copin was found dead in prison , it appearing manifestly that he was strangled : and after his death , he was condemned to be burnt , which was accordingly executed . chap. xxii . the persecution , of the vvaldenses in calabria . anno christi . the waldenses of pragela and dauphine grew so numerous , that they sent their younger people to seek some other country to inhabit . in their travell , they found in calabria , some wast and untilled lands : yet seeming very fertil , fit for corn wine , oyl and chestnuts , and that the hils were fit for cattel , and to furnish them with fuell and timber ; they came therefore to the lords of those places to treate with them touching their abode there . the lords received them lovingly , agreed to orders much for the advantage of these new inhabitants ; agreed about rents , tenths , tolls , penalties , &c. and so assigned to them certain parts of the countrey . then did they return to their parents , shewing how it fared with them , and so receive what they pleased to bestow upon them , and many of them marrying , they returned into calabria , where they built some towns and cities , as st xist , la garde , &c. the lords of those countries thought themselves happy in that they had met with such good subjects as peopled their waste lands , and made them to abound with all manner of fruits ; but principally because they were honest men , and of good conscience , yeelding all those duties and honours which they could expect from good subjects . only the priests complained of them , that they lived not after their religion , made not their children priests and nuns ; loved not tapers , masses , &c. that they adorned not their churches with images , went not on pilgrimage , &c. hereupon the lords feared , that if the pope should take notice , that so near his seat , there were people that contemned his laws , they might chance to lose their subiects : they therefore perswaded the priest to be silent , since in other things they shewed themselves honest men , inriched the country , yea and the priests themselves , by their tithes . these lords also stopped the mouths of their neighbours , who exceedingly murmured , because by no means they could draw them into alliance with them , and because all that they had , prospered exceedingly : they were wise and temperate , not given to drinking , dancing , swearing , &c. and living in a country , where the inhabitants were given to all manner of wickednesse , they were as precious stones in a common sink . thus they were preserved in peace by their lords , till anno . at which time these waldenses resolving to make a publick profession of their religion ; sent for two ministers from geneva , who did much establish the exercise of religion amongst them . pope pius the fourth hearing of this , presently concluded their utter ruine and extirpation , giving the same in charge to cardinal alexandrino , a violent man , who chose two monks inquisitors of his own humour , and sent them , first to begin with the inhabitants of st. xist ; there they assembled the people , gave them good words , promising that they should receive no violence , if they would accept of such teachers as the bishops should appoint , which if they refused , they would lose their lives , goods and honors , and would be condemned for hereticks : and further to prove them , they appointed a mass to be sung : but the people with their wives and children , presently quit their houses , and fled into the woods . from thence the monks went to la garde , where they caused the town-gates to be locked , and the people to be assembled , telling them that they of st. xist had adjured their religion , and went to mass , &c. promising that if they would do the like , no man should injure them . these poor people , believing what was told them , were content to do what they would have them ; but when they heard that their friends of st. xist refused to go to mass , and were fled into the woods , they were exceedingly grieved at their own revolt , and resolved with their wives and children , to go to their brethren . in the meane time the monks sent two companies of souldiers after them of st. xist , who ran after them as after wilde beasts , crying , kill , kill , and so slew divers : but such as could get to the top of the mountain , called to the souldiers , beseeched them to have pity on them , their wives and children , telling them that they had been inoffensive in their conversations , &c. yet if they would not suffer them to continue in their habitations , that at least they would license them to depart , either by sea or land , that they might retire themselves whether the lord should be pleased to conduct them , beseeching them also , for gods sake , not to force them to defend themselves - but this more enraged the souldiers , who presently violently assaulted them : then did they so defend themselves , that by gods assistance , they slew the greatest part of the souldiers , and put the rest to flight . hereupon the inquisitors wrote to the viceroy of naples , speedily to send some companies of souldiers to apprehend the hereticks of st. xist and la garde , whereby he should do a work very pleasing to the pope , and meritorious for himself . then did the viceroy come himself with his troops , in the mean time the waldensian women came home to seek for food for their husbands and children that were in the woods - the viceroy proclaimed through all naples , that all such banished persons as would come to fight against the hereticks of st. xist , should be pardoned all their offences : whereupon great numbers resorted to him , and were conducted to the woods , where they chased these poor people , slaying some , wounding others , the rest fled into caves , where most of them died of famine . then were they of la garde cited before the inquisitor , and many fair promises were made unto them if they would appeare ; but contrary thereunto , thirty of them were apprehended , and put to the rack . one charlin was racked with such violence , that his bowels brake out of his belly , and all to extort from him a confession , that in the night , the candles being put out , they committed whoredome , and abominable incest , yet would he never confesse any such wickednesse . another with extreame pain upon the rack , promised to go to masse , the inquisitor seeing that he had shewed such weaknesse , urged him to confesse the forementioned wickednesse , which , because he refused , he left him eight hours together upon the rack , yet could he not get from his mouth so foul a slander . another was stripped stark naked , whipt with rods of iron , drawn through the streets , and burnt with firebrands : one of his sons was killed with knives : another thrown down from an high tower , because he would not kisse a crucifix : another was condemned to be burnt alive , and as he went to the fire , he threw to the ground a crucifix , which the executioner had fastened to his hands , whereupon they covered him all over with pitch , and so burnt him . the inquisitor panza cut the throats of eighty , as butchers do their sheep's ; then causing them to be divided into four quarters , he set up stakes for the space of thirty miles , and appointed a quarter to be fastned to every stake . four of the principall men of la gard he caused to be hanged . another young man , because he would not confesse himself to a priest , was thrown from an high tower . the vice-roy passing by before he was dead , and hearing him implore gods mercy , kickt him on the head , saying , is this dog yet living ? take him and cast him to the hogs . sixtly women were racked so violently , that the cords pierced into their arms and legs , and being then cast into prison , they died there , only nine of the handsomest being delievered to the fathers of the inquisition , were never heard off after . many others were delivered to the secular power to be burnt , and if any interceded for them , he was presently put on the rack as a favourer of hereticks . pope pius the fourth sent the marquesse of butiane , promising that if he would wholly cleare calabria of these waldenses , he would make his son a cardinall : but he was put to no great pains to do it , for the inquisitors and the vice-roy of naples had by sundry deaths killed all the men , women and children that they could light of . one of their ministers was famished in prison : another was carried to rome , where he was condemned to be burnt ; the pope and his cardinals would needs see that pleasing spectacle : but the minister spake so many things out of gods word , against the pope , that the pope gnashed his teeth for anger , wishing that he had been some where else . and thus were these godly people wholly rooted out of calabria . chap. xxiii . the persecutions of the waldenses in provence . these came from piedmont , when their vallies were over-peopled . the country of provence , at their first arrival , was a desert , but within few years , by gods blessing upon their labours , it-abounded with corn , wine , oil , chesnuts , and other fruites . there habitations being near to avignion ( many times the popes seat ) they were exposed to sundry persecutions , as anno . and at other times : but the greatest of all began about the year . in the time of king lewis the twelfth ; who being informed that in provence was a certain kind of people that lived not according to the laws of the church of rome , but were an accursed people , committing all kindes of wickednesse and villanies : he gave commission to his parliament in provence to take cognizance of it , and to punish them according to their demerits . the court prosecuting this order with rigour ; and the king hearing that diverse innocent persons were put to death , he sent his master of requests , and confessor into provence , to finde out what kinde of persons these were , who at their return , certified him that all the former suggestions were untrue , that they were neither socerers , nor whoremongers , but lived honestly , did hurt to none ; caused their children , to be baptized , taught them their belief , and the ten commandments and that they carefully kept the lords day , and had the word of god purely expounded to them : whereupon the king swore an oath , that they were honester then himself , and his catholik subjects . upon this information he sent and sta●ed the persecution . then did the waldenses send two of their ministers [ george morrell and peter masson ] to oecolampadius , capito , b●cer and haller , to confer with them about matters of religion , and to have there advice in many things . in their return , masson was apprehended at dijon ; where he was condemned and put to death for a lutheran . morrell escaped with his letters and papers , and came safe to provence , where he much comforted and confirmed the churches . yet all this while did the parliament of aix apprehend one or other of them , condemning some to the fire , others to the gibbet ; they which scaped best , returned with marks in their forheads . anno christi . the inhabitants of merindoll were summoned , and some of the chief appearing for the rest , they were all condemned to be burned alive , their children and families to be outlawed , and that the place of their habitation should be laid waste , the woods cut down two hundred paces round about , and so left desolate . the king being informed of the rigour of this edict , and of the innocency of the people , countermanded the execution of it : but his letters were suppressed , and the cardinall of tournon obtained for a great some of money , the revocation of them . anno . the president of opede proclaimed war against them both at aix and marseilles : divers companies of souldiers were listed , and five bands of the old souldiers of piedmont were joyned with them , and presently they began to set fire on the villages of cabrieres , pepin , &c. the poor people without any resistance were slain , women and their daughters ravished , some great with child murthered ; the breasts of many women were cut off , after whose death their poor infants died of famine . opede also proclaimed , that on pain of death no man should give any relief or sustenance to them . all their habitations were pillaged , sacked and burnt , and none of their persons spared , but such as were reserved for the gallies . opede comming to merindol , found none there but one simple lad , who had yielded himselfe prisoner to a souldier , and promised two crowns for his ransom ; but opede paid the money to the souldier , and caused the lad to be shot to death ; then he utterly razed the town , and laid it levell with the ground . then did he march against cabrieres , and with the cannon battered the wals : there was within only about sixty poor sick pesants , who sent him word that he needed not to spend powder to batter the wals , for they were ready to open the gates , and quit the country , if they might but have leave with their wives and children to go to geneva , or germany ▪ and to leave all their goods behinde them ▪ opede entring the town , caused all the men to be brought into a field , and to be cut in pieces , the souldiers striving who should shew the best manhood in cutting off heads , arms and legs : the women he caused to be locked in a barn with much straw , and so put fire to it , where many women great with childe were burnt : one souldier moved with pity , opening a hole in the wall , that some of them might come out ; but opede made them to be beaten back againe into the fire with pikes and halberts . some of them that came forth he slew with his own hands , ripping open their bellies , so that their children came forth , whom he trod under his feet : many were fled into cellers and caves , whom he caused to be dragged out , had into the field , stripped stark naked , and then slain . others were bound by two and two together , and slain by the captains , who rejoyced in their bloudy butchery . then did this tyrant ( worse then herod ) command one of his captaines to go into church , into which many women , children and infants were fled ; and to kill them all , which the captain at first refused , saying , that it was a cruelty unbeseeming men of warre : whereat miniers being displeased , charged him upon pain of rebellion against the king to do it . the captain fearing what might be the issue , entred with his souldiers and destroyed them all , sparing neither young nor old . other souldiers that ransacked the houses , found many poor persons who had hid themselves in secret places , whom they flew upon , crying , kill , kill , the souldiers without the town killed all they could meet with , so that above a thousand men , women and children were slain in this place . many persons which were escaped into the mountains , sent by some that had most interest in miniers , to desire him to give them leave to go whither the lord should please to leade them , with their wives and children , though they had nothing but the shirts on their backs : to whom he answered , tha● he knew what he had to do , he would send them to dwell in hell amongst the devils . then did he send part of his army unto costa , which they overcame , and committed there great slaughter : many of the inhabitants fled into an orchard , where the souldiers ravished many women and maidens , and having kept them there a day and a night , they used them so beastly , that the women with childe , and younger maidens died presently after . many of these merindolians hid themselves in rocks and dark caves , where some were famished , others were choaked with fire and smoak set to their caves mouths . many more were the outrages and cruelties which this wicked opede committed : but the lord found him out at last , striking him with a strang kinde of bleeding at the lower parts , neither was he able to void any urine , so that by degrees his guts rotted within him : no remedy could be found for this terrible disease , worms bred in his bowels , which continually gnawed him . then did he send to arles for a famous chyrurgion , who cured him of his difficulty to make water , after which , desiring all to depart the room , the chyrurgion in private exhorted him to repent of his former cruelty and bloud-shed , telling him that this his strange bleeding was gods just hand upon him for shedding so much innocent bloud : but these words pierced the impure conscience of this wicked wretch , and more troubled him then the torments of his disease , so that he cryed out to lay hands on the chirurgion as an heretick : whereupon he conveyed himself away , and returned to arles . yet not long after he was sent for again , and great promises were made for his security : but when he came back , he found miniers past cure , raging and casting out most horrible & blasphemous words , feeling a fire within him which burnt him from the navel upwards , which was accompanied with extream stink of his lower parts , and so he ended his wretched life . in the beginning of this persecution , there was one john de rom● , a monk , who gat a commission to examine those whom he suspected to be hereticks ; whereupon he afflicted the faithfull with all kindes of cruelty : amongst other horrible torments that he used , this was one ; he filled boots with boiling grease , and put them upon their legs , tying them backwards over a form , and their legs hanging down over a soft fire : thus he tormented very many , and in the end most cruelly put them to death . francis the french king being informed of the hellish cruelty of this wicked monk , sent to his parliament at provence that they should apprehend and condemn him : but he being informed of it , fled to avignion , where he hoped to enjoy all that wealth which so mercilesly and unjustly he had extorted from the poor christians : but shortly after he was robbed of all that he had , by his own servants ; and then he fell sick of a most horrible and strange disease unknown to the physitians : he was intollerably tormented with pains all over his body , so that no means could give him ease for one minute of an hour ; neither was their any man that could tarry near him , no not of his nearest friends ; so great was the stink that came from him : then was he removed to an hospital : but the stink and infection so encreased , that no man durst come near him no ; nor he himself was able to abide the horrible stink of his own body , full of ulcers and sores , and smarwing with vermine , and so rotten , that the flesh fell from the bones by piece-meal . in these torments he often cried out in great rage . o who will deliver me ? vvho will kill and rid me out of these intollerable paines , which i know i suffer for the oppressions which i did to the poor men ? oft-times he himself endeavoured to destroy himself ; but he had not the power . in this horrible anguish , and fearful despair he miserably ended his accursed life . when he was dead no man would come near to bury him ; till at last a young novice caught hold of his stinking carcase with an iron hook , and so dragged him into an hole that was made for him . in the time of this persecution the bishop of aix , with some other bishops and their courtizans , walking along the streets of avignion , saw a man selling baudy images and pictures , with filthy rimes and ballades annexed to them : all these goodly pictures the bishops bought up . when they had gon a little further , there was a book-seller that had set to sale certain bibles in french ▪ which the prelates were greatly moved at , saying to him , dar'st thou be so bold as to sell such merchandise in this town ? the book-seller replied , is not the holy bible as good as these goodly pictures that you have bought for these gentle-women ? then said the bishop of aix , i renounce my part in paradise , if this fellow be not a lutheran , take him away to prison . then did his attendants cry out , a lutheran , a lutheran , to the fire with him , to the fire with him ; and one gave him a blow with his fist , another pulled him by the hair , another by the beard , so that the poor man was all imbrued in bloud , before he came to prison . the next day he was brought before the judge , where , by the instigation of the bishops , he was condemned to be burned the same day , and so was carried to the fire with two bibles about his neck , one before , and another behinde , where he made a most christian end . the waldenses were dispersed also into several other countries , as bohemia , austria ▪ germany , flanders , england , poland , italy , spain , dalmatia , croatia , sclavonia , grecia , philadelphia , livonia , sarmatia , bulgaria , &c. in all which places at one time or other they suffered persecutions ; concerning which there is not much left upon record , and something will be spoken again of it in other places of this book , and therefore this may suffice for the present . chap. xxiv . the persecution of the albingenses . these were the same with the waldenses , differing only in name from their habitation in the country of albi. divers of waldo's disciples going into this country , and amongst them one arnold ( from whom they were called arnoldists ) laboured with so good successe , that in a short time there was scarce any found that would go to masse . pope alexander the third was much moved to anger , when he saw many great provinces to shake off his antichristan yoak , and therefore he condemned them for hereticks in the councel of lateran : yet did they so multiply , that anno . they possessed many and great cities ; yea , they had many great lords that took part with them , as earl remund of tholouse , remund earl of foix , the vicount of bezieres , &c. pope innocent the third pretended a great desire to reclaime them by preaching and conference ; and thereupon there was a famous disputation at montreall , wherein the popish doctors were shamefully baffled by arnold : but the popes pollicy was thus to rock them asleep whilest he raised armies against them to destroy them : the pretended occasion whereof was this ; there was one frier peter that was slain in the dominions of the earl of tholouse ; whereupon the pope sent preachers abroad through all europe to assemble men together to take vengeance on the hereticks , for the innocent bloud of friar peter , slain amongst them ; promising paradise to all that would come to this warre , and bear arms for fourty daies . this he called the holy warre , and gave the same pardons and indulgences to those that came to this war , as to those which went into the holy land against the saracens . then did he thunder against earl remund , charging all arch-bishops and bishops through their diocesse to pronounce him accursed and excommunicated , and that with the sound of a bell , and extinction of candles every sabbath and festivall day , for murthering of a good servant of god ▪ he also absolved all his subjects from their oaths of allegiance to him ; commanding every good catholike to pursue his person , and to take and possesse his land , &c. he also wrote to all christian princes to stirre them up to get this pardon , rather by fighting against these albingenses , then by going against the turks . earl remund hearing of all these preparations against him , sent to the pope , humbly beseeching him not to condemn him before he was heard , assuring him that he was no way guilty of the death of frier peter , but that he was slain by a gentleman , who immediatly fled out of his country , otherwise he would have severely punished him for it . but all was in vain , for presently came armies of crossed souldiers to pour down their vengeance on him and his lands . amongst these were many noble men , and ecclesiasticall persons , arch-bishops , bishops , abbots , &c. to all which the pope promised paradise , but gave them not a peny . the earl of tholouse perceived that he must either prepare for defence , or submit ; the latter he thought the safer , and therefore he went presently to the popes legate at valance ; to whom he began to say , that he thought it strange that so many armed men should be brought against him , who used no other arms for his defence but his own innocency : and that concerning the death of the frier , they should first have enquired the truth of the fact , before they thus moved heaven and earth against him ; yea , if he had been guilty , yet there was an ordinary course of justice to be used against him , and not to wreak their anger on his innocent subjects : and therefore sir ( said he ) since i come voluntarily to you , armed only with the testimony of a good conscience , what further use is there of these armed pilgrims ? pray you therefore counte●mand these souldiers before they go to make any further spoil in my territories : for my own person may serve for a sufficient pledge , &c. the legate answered , that he had done well in coming to him , yet could he not send back the souldiers , except he would put seven of his best castles into his hands , which should serve for a hostage ; now did the earl when it was too late see his own folly in putting himself into the legates hands , and thereby making himself a prisoner , but there was no remedy , now he must take laws from him that had him in his power , and therefore be told him that both his person and possessions were at his disposall , beseeching him that his subjects might receive no more damage by the souldiers . the legate presently sent to put garisons in those seven castles , commanding all the consuls of every city presently to appear before him : and when they were come , he told them that earl remund had delivered up his castles to the pope , and therefore they were to take notice of it , that so they might acknowledge themselves lawfull subjects to his holinesse , in case the earl should falsifie his oath to the pope . the consuls were much astonished thus to see their lord devested of all his possessions : but that which most afflicted them was , to see him led to s. giles to be reconciled to the church , where the legate commanded the earl to strip himself stark naked all but his linnen drawers : then did he put a cord about his neck , whereby he led him nine times about the grave of frier peter , scourging him with rods all the while : the earl demanded satisfaction for so sharp a penance seeing he was not guilty of the fact : the legate answered , that he must submit if he would be reconciled to the pope , yea , he must be thus scourged before the earls , barons , marquesses , prelates , and all the people : he made him also to swear to be obedient all his life to the pope and church of rome : and to make irreconcileable warre against the albingenses , &c , then did the legate make him general of the crossed souldiers for the seige of beziers : the earl knew not what to do : for to conduct an army to fight against the albingenses , was to sin against his conscience , and if he should fly away , it would furnis● them with new matter of persecution against him and his subjects . in this extremity he stayed in the army a few daies , and then went towards rome to reconcile himself to the pope . then did the army come before the city of beziers , and provided all manner of engines for battery , reared up ladders for a general escalado : this the earl of beziers beholding , and judging it impossible to defend the city , he went out : and cast himself down at the legates feet , beseeching him not to punish the innocent with the nocent , which must needs be , if the town were taken by storm : he told him , that there were in the city great numbers of good catholicks , which would be subject to the same ruine with the albingenses : he desired him also to commiserate him now in his minority that was a most obedient servant to the pope , and had been brought up in the romish church , in which he would live and die : the legate told him that all his excuses prevailed nothing , and that he must do as he may : the earl returned into the city , assembled the people , and told them that he could obtain no mercy from the legat , except all the albingenses would come and abjure their religion , and promise to live according to the laws of the church of rome : the popish party requested the albingenses to yield to this , but the albingenses answered , that they would not forsake their religion for the base price of their frail life : that god was able , if he pleased , to defend them , but if he would be glorified by the confession of their faith ▪ it should be a great honour to them to die for his sake : that they had rather displease the pope , who could but kill their bodies , then god , who could cast both body and soul into hell , &c. then did the popish party send their bishop to the legate , beseeching him not to include them in the chastisement of the albingenses : and that the best way to win the others was by gentle means , not by rigour : the legate grew into great choler at this , swearing that if all the city di● not acknowledg their fault , they should all taste of one cup without distinction of religion , sex or age : and accordingly he summoned the city presently to yield to his discretion , which they refusing , he caused that his engines should play , and that a generall assault should be given . it was impossible for them within the city to resist so great violence , being assaulted by above an hundred thousand pilgrims : so that the enemies entred , and slew a great multitude , and set the city on fire , and burnt it to ashes : when the city was first taken , the priests and monks came forth of the great church with banners and crosses , singing , te deum laudamus ; but the souldiers , who were commanded by the legate to kill all , ran upon them , made their heads and arms to fly about the streets , so that they were all cut in pieces . in this city of beziers they slew sixty thousand persons , the popes legate saying to the captains and souldiers , caedite eos omnes , novit enim dominus qui sunt ejus , kill them all ] catholicks and hereticks ] for the lord knoweth who are his . then were these pilgrims presently conducted to carcasson before the fourty daies of service , which they had vowed to the church of rome , were expired . the earl of beziers when he saw that he could obtain no favour of the legate , before the city was taken , left his charge to the bishop , and went to carcasson , endeavouring to prepare and furnish it for a long siege : but the legates army followed him presently , unto which there came a new supply of crossed souldiers out of sundry countries , so that his army now consisted of three hundred thousand fighting men . near to the city of carcasson was a town of the same name : the city was seated on an hill , and fenced with a double wall ; yet the pilgrims thought to take it at the first sight , and therefore ran with great violence upon the first rampier , filling the ditch with fagots , but they were beaten back with such courage , that the ground was covered with their dead bodies : the young earl of beziers won much honor in this first encounter , encouraging his men , and telling them , that it was better to die fighting , then to fal into the hands of such cruel and merciless enemies , &c. the albingenses much encouraged hereby , swore to him that they would spend their lives for the preservation of the city . the next morning the legate commanded a general assault to be made upon the town of carcasson which was two miles from the city : & the people valiantly defended themselves , but being oppressed with multitudes , the souldiers entred the town , putting all to the sword and fire , as they had done at beziers . then came the king of arragon to the camp , and told the legate that he understood that his kinsman the earl of beziers was in the city , and that with his leave , he would go to him , not doubting but that he should prevail with him to do his duty to the pope and church : the legate gave him leave , and the king approaching to the rampier , called for the earl , who came to him : then said the king , that he desired to know of him what moved him to shut up himself in that city against so great an army of pilgrims ? the earl answered , that it was to defend his life , goods and subjects : that he knew well that the pope , under the pretence of religion , resolved to destroy his uncle remund , and himselfe : that he saw the cruelty which they had used at beziers even against the priests themselves : adding also what they had done to the town of carcasson , and that they must look for no mercy from the legate or his army : and that therefore he rather chose to die , defending himself with his subjects , then to fall into the hands of so inexorable an enemy as the legate was : that though he had in his city some that were of another religion , yet they were such as had wronged none , and were come to his succour in his greatest extremity , and for their good service he was resolved not to abandon them , and that his trust was in god the defender of the oppressed , that he would assist them against that world of ill advised men , who forsook their own houses to burn , sack , and ransack , and kill in their houses other men without reason , judgement , or mercy . the king returning to the legate , told him , that his cozen was much discontented with his former dealings against his subjects of beziers & carcasson , that he believed , seeing they spared not the romish priests , their war was not for religion , but a kinde of theevery : that he would not yield himselfe to the descretion of such mercilesse men , &c. the legate , after some debate , told the king , that for his sake he would receive the earl of beziers to mercy , and that with him , twelve more might come out with bag and baggage , but for the rest he would have them wholly at his discretion , and that they should all come forth stark naked , men , women , maids , and children , without shirts , smocks , or other covering , and that then they might hope well of his mercy , he being the popes legate , &c. the king much distasted this propositions , yet reported it to the earl of beziers , who returned answer , that he would not come forth upon such unreasonable and unjust propositions , but would defend himself and his subjects , as god should enable him . then did the legate cause all his engines to play , commanding , that they should take the city by storm , but he was little pleased when he saw the losse of a great number of his pilgrims : for they in the city threw down stones , fire , pitch , brimstone , and boiling water , wherewith they so galled the assailants , that the earth●●s covered , and the ditches filled with their deads bodies , which 〈◊〉 a wondrous noysom stink both in the city an camp. this overthrow caused divers of the crossed souldiers , having accomplished their fourty daies service , and thereby gained paradise , to refuse to conquer more after so faire a purchase , and therefore they returned home . the legate being much troubled to see his army so decreased , thought of this stratagem , he sent for a gentleman , telling him that he might do a piece of service , whereby he might not only merit heaven , but gain a great reward here : which was by going to the earl of bezires , endeavouring to put him into great fears , and then to perswade him to have recourse to the legates mercy , and withall that he should perswade him with great oaths and execrations ( whereof he could absolve him at his pleasure ) to come with him to the legate , with assurance that he should be dismissed safe and sound . this gentleman plaied his part so well , that he brought the young earl with him : the legate presently told him , that he was now his prisoner till carcasson was taken , and till his subjects had better learned their duty : the earl astonished hereat , cried out that he was betraied , and that faith was violated with him , &c. but this nothing prevailed , for he was presently committed to the guard and custody of the duke of burgonne . the inhabitants of carcasson understanding this , brake forth into tears , and were so astonished , that they now thought of nothing but how by flight to escape the danger , but that seemed impossible , being environed with such an army : at last one told them , that he heard some old men say , that there was a certain vault under ground , great and large , which went to the castle of cameret three leagues off : then were all the citizens imploied to search for this vault , and having at last found it , they began their flight in the evening , with their wives and children , carrying with them only some victuals for a few daies . this departure was accompanied with much sorrow thus to leave all their worldly enjoyments : the next morning they came to the castle , and from thence dispersed themselves , some to arragon , others to catalonia , others to tholouse , whether it pleased god to conduct them . in the morning the pilgrims were strangely astonished , hearing no noise nor seeing any man stirring in the city , yet they approached the wals with much fear , lest it should be but a stratagem to endanger them , but finding no opposition , they mounted the wals , crying out , that the albingenses were fled , and thus was the city with all the spoils taken , and the earl of beziers committed to prison in one of the strongest towers of carcasson . then did the legate call all the prelates , and great lords of his army together , telling them , that though it was requisite that there should be alwaies a legate in the army , yet it was likewise necessary that there should be a secular general , wise and valiant , to command in all their affairs , &c. this charge was first proffered to the duke of burgonne , then to the earl of ennevers , and to the earl of s. paul : but they all refused it : lastly , it was proffered to earl simon of montfort , who after some excuses , accepted of it . the earl being made general , settled himself at carcasson with four thousand pilgrims , all the remainders of that huge army . after this earl remund of tholouse , went to the french king for his letters of commendation to the pope , to be by him fully cleared from the death of frier peter , and the pope thereupon received him courteously , gave him full remission and absolution , and thereby declared him sufficiently justified . shortly after the earl of beziers died in prison , and earl simon was put into possession of his lands , whereupon all that bordered upon him began to fear him , for that he gave it out that the spring following he would have a great army of pilgrims , wherewith he would chastise those that had not acknowledged his authority given him by the church . upon this occasion castris sent unto him the keys of their city ; the castle of pinies yielded to him , and so did all round about carcasson : but the king of arragon secretly encouraged the gentlemen of the vicounty of beziers , telling them that his pilgrims would be uncertain , and would not stay long with him , and that if in the mean time they would but keep themselves in their garisons , when he was weak by the departure of his pilgrims , they might then set upon him , and reduce him to reason . these messages gave such encouragement to the gentry , that the earl simon being gone to montpelliar , they took arms to shake off his yoak , besieging some of his souldiers in a tower near to carcasson : the earl hearing of it presently returned to succor them , but the tower was taken before he came , which affront brought him into some contempt : then captain boucard belonging to earl simon , attempted to surprise the strong castle of cabe●et , making his approach thereto as secretly as he could : captain roger commanding therein for earl remund , was come forth with eighty horse to forrage : boucard on the sudden charged him : but roger doubled the charge in so furious a manner , that he overcame boucards party , and brought him prisoner into that castle that he came to surprise . gerad of pepios took part with the albingenses , so that the warre grew hot : but all the men that earl simon took , he caused a great fire to be made , and cast them into it : neither did his men escape scot-free , when they fell into their enemies hands . the city of carcasson was hereupon stricken with great fear , having little hope to defend themselves , but by flight , being environed on all sides by their enemies . about this time earl simon wrote to all the prelates through europe , that if in the spring following they did not send him good store of pilgrims , he could hold out no longer against his enemies , having since the last departure of his pilgrims , lost above fourty towns and castles ; and whilest that he waited for these new succours , he surprised the castle of beron , where he pulled out the eyes of above a hundred albingenses , and cut off their noses , leaving only one with one eye to guide the rest to cabaret . anno . earl simon being shut up in carcasson for want of souldiers , heard that his wife was comming from france with many pilgrims , whereupon he went out to meet her : these pilgrims he imployed against the castle of menerbe , which at last was yielded up to him for want of water . this castle was defended by remund , lord of termes , and was scituated in narbonne : one argument which earl simon used to stirre up his crossed souldiers to fight manfully against it , was , for ( that saith he , ) there hath been no masse sung in it since the yeare . which is now thirty years , upon the surrender of the castle they laboured to draw this noble lord to recant his religion , and turne papist ; but finding him immovable , they shut him up in a straight prison , where shortly after he died : they also took his wife , sister , and daughter , who was a maid , and other noble women , with whom they laboured to withdraw them from the truth both by flattery and frowns , by faire speeches , and cruell threats , but when they saw that nothing would prevaile , they made an huge fire , casting them into the same , and burning them : god fridi annales . also after his taking of the said castle , he caused a frier to preach to the people , and to exhort them to acknowledge the pope and church of rome : but they not staying till he had done ▪ cried out , we will not forsake our faith , you labour but in vain , for neither life nor death shall make us abandon our beliefe . then did the earl and legate cause a great fire to be made , and cast into it a hundred and fourscore men and women , who went in with joy , giving god thanks for that he was pleased so to honour them , as to die for his names sake : they also told earl simon that he would one day pay dear for his cruelties . all that saw their valour , and constancy were much amazed at it . then did the earl besiege the castle of termes , which also at last was taken for want of water ; yet they within the castle , when they perceived that they could hold out no longer , one night quit the place and passed away undiscovered . the castle de la vaur , was also besieged , in which there were many godly people : thither came many pilgrims to the legate , from all countries ; and amongst others , six thousand germanes , of whose coming the earl of foix hearing , he laid an ambush for them , overthrew and slew them all , not one escaping but an earl that carried the news to earl simon . after six moneths siege the castle of vaur was taken by assault , where all the souldiers were put to the sword save eighty gentlemen , whom earl simon caused to be hanged , and the lord aimeri on a gibbet higher then all the rest , the lady his sister was called girauda , was cast into a ditch , and there covered with stones . and for the rest of the people a very great fire was made , and they were put to their choise , whether they would forsake their opinions , or perish by the flames : there were scarce any of them found that would doe the first , but exhorting one another , they went into the kindled fire of their own accord , saith altisiodore , but more probably they were forced into the same , where joyfully they resigned up their spirits unto god : some say that they were about foure hundred persons that thus perished by fire . after the return of the earl remund from the pope , the legate still fought to entrap him , but the earl would not come againe within his reach . then did the legate send the bishop of tholouse to him , who pretended a great deal of love and friendship to the earl , and by his subtilty at last prevailed with him to profer his strong castle of narbonnes to them to lodge in as they passed that way : but as soon as the legate and his company were entred , they seised upon it , and put into it a garison , which was a continuall vexation to all his subjects . then did the legate resolve upon the utter extirpation of earl remund , and all his house , as the head of the albingenses ; but presently after this legate dying , earl simon was frustrated of this hope . about this time the english who now possessed guienne , which bordereth upon the earldom of tholouse began to help the albingenses , being stirred up thereto by reinard lollard , a godly , and learned man , who by his powerfull preaching converted many to the truth , and defended the faith of the albingenses ; for which they were so eagerly pursued , and constantly suffered martyrdom : and this they did the rather , not only for their neighbour-hoods sake , or for that simon earl of lecester was a rebell , and traitour to their king , but because this remund earl of tholouse , whom they so cruelly whipped , and other wise abused , and had now also excommunicated , was brother in law to king john. for his former wife was joane sometimes queene of sicilie , which joane was k●ng johns sister , and bare to the earl of tholouse , remund , who succeeded his father both in the earldome , and in his troubles . john le maier much commendeth this lollard , saying that he foretold many things by divine revelation , which ( saith he ) came to passe in my time , and therefore he putteth him into the rank of holy prophets : and for his learning it is evident by his comment upon the revelation , where he setteth forth many things that are spoken of the roman antichrist . this worthy man was afterwards apprehended in germany ; and being delivered to the secular power , was burnt at collen . anno . a new legate called theodosius was appointed to succeed who excommunicated earl remund , and the bishop of tholouse thereupon sent the earl word that he must depart out of the city , for that he could not say masse whilest an excommunicated person was in the city : the earl returned this answer , being netled at his insolency , that he ( the bishop ) should presently depart out of his territories , and that upon pain of his life : accordingly the bishop departed , and took with him the canons of the cathedrall church , with the crosse , banner , and host , and all of them barefooted in procession : coming thus to the legates army , they were received as persecuted martyrs , with the teares of the pilgrims , and generall applause of all . then the legate thought that he had suffici●nt cause to prosecute earl remund , as a relapsed and impenitent man ; but first he sought by craft to get him into his power , and with his fair flatering letters , he at last drew him once again to arles : the earl had requested the king of arragon to meet him there . when they were both come , the legate commanded them upon the pain of his high indignation , that they should not depart , but with his leave : whilest they were there , the earl was privately shewed by a friend , the articles of the legate to which he would enforce him to subscrib , which were these . . that the earl of tholouse should presently dismiss , and cashiere all his men at armes , not restraining one . . that he shall be obedient , and subject to the church : and repaire all the costs , and damages which the church hath been at . . that in his lands , no man should eat of more then two sorts of flesh . . that he shall expell out of his territories all the hereticks , and their allies . . that he shall deliver into the hands of the legate , and of earl simon , all those persons that shall be named unto him . . that no man in his lands whether noble , or ignoble , shall were any costly apparell , but black course clokes . . that all his castles of defence shall be razed to the ground . . that no gentlemen of his shall live in any city , or castle , but in country houses , or villages only . . that he shall not levie in his land any taxes , or tolls , but such as in old time were accustomed . . that every master of a family shall pay yearly four tholousian pence to the legate . . that when earl simon shall passe through his countries , he shall beare their charges . . that after his performances of these things , he shall go into the holy land to fight against the turke , and never return againe into his owne country , but by the leave of the pope , or his legate . remund having read over these articles shewed them to the king , who advised him presently to mount on horseback , least seising upon him , they might the better become masters of all his estate which accordingly he did . the legate was much troubled that he had thus lost his prey , and despairing to do any more by subtilty , he resolved to set upon him by force : and thereupon he besieged the castle of montferrand , where baldwin , the brother of the earl of tholouse was governour : baldwin , at least pretending inability to defend the place , yielded it up , and abjuring his opinions turned papist . the earl of tholouse seeing himselfe thus betrayed by his brother , lamented exceedingly : but a greater mischiefe soone after befell him : for the legate , and earl simon wonne from him by their subtilty , the king of arragon , his only prop under god : and that by this meanes they agreed that the king of arragons daughter should be married to earl simon 's eldest son , in consideration whereof the king of arragon invested simon in the earldom of beziers : and now they intend jointly to besieg tholouse : for which end the bishop of tholouse was sent to levy souldiers in france , and at his returne hasted to tholouse : which earl remund hearing of , sallyed out of the city with five hundred horse , and some foot , marching to the bridg which goeth over the river of garenne not far from tholouse , hoping either to gaine it , or to breake it down : but being overpowered by multitude , he was forced to make a retreat , and the enemie pursued him to the very gates of tholouse : but earl remund seeing their insolency , sallyed out againe with a greater strength , and charged them so gallantly , that he beat them back to the bridge , which being but narrow , he slew almost all of them there : and took prisoner amongst them , aimery the son of earl simon . earl simon hearing of this loss , hasted with all his army to the city , and gave a furious assault to it , but the ditches were soone filled with the dead bodies of the enemie beaten from their scaling laddars : and the earl himselfe was beaten from his horse . in the middest of this assault , came the earl of campeigne soon enough to be well beaten for his welcome , earl simon finding such stout resistance from the citizens , caused his pilgrimes to spoil the orchards , gardens , and vineyards about the city , which being perceived ; the president of argeves issued out of the city suddenly , and slew a number of the pilgrims , and on another part , the earl of foix slew as many as he could meet with . the earl of bar seeing the disorder of the popish army cried out a bar , a bar , but the citizens of tholouse charged him so bravely , that being discomfited , he was faigne to fly amongst the rest . after this victory earl remund returning to tholouse caused publike , and solemne thanks to be returned unto god , for the same . earl simon after this lead his army into the country of the earl of foix , who was now sick , where he took some townes : also the legat with another part of the army went to roquemaur , and in his way took the tower of cassas ; and caused above an hundred men that were found therein most cruelly to be burned alive , and levelled the tower to the earth . earl remund being much afflicted for the loss , and alienation of his ancient friend the king of arragon , studied how he might regaine him , and for that end propounded a match betweene his only son , and heire , and the king of arragons daughter , which motion the king readily imbraced , and so their amity was againe revived . not long after the king of arragon sent a letter of defiance to earl simon , who sent the same all over christendom to stir up pilgrims to assist him for the destruction of the king who ( as he said ) was now become the captaine of the albingenses : and in the meane time the popes legate raising an army in france , went speedily into the earldome of foix , and took some towns , putting all to the sword without distinction of sex or age , and taking also st. anthonies , he caused thirty of the principall men to be hanged in cold blood , after he had granted them their lives . anno christi . peter king of arragon with a great army of arragonois , and tholousians besieged muret , a strong towne scituated upon the river garronne near unto tholouse : there was in his army the earls of tholouse : comminges , and of foix ; but the night following , the popish bishops sent two friers to him , desiring him to take pitty on the church : and not to undertake the defence of the hereticks , but they laboured in vaine , for the king would not desert them , whereupon they prepared the next day to give him battle , and whilest simon montfort was encouraging his souldiers , the bishop of tholouse carryed a crucifix in his hand , whereupon the captains a lighting , adored it with and humble kiss . then the bishop of comminges , getting upon an high place took the crosse in his hand , and blessed the army with it , promising forgivenesse of all sins to all that dyed in that quarrell : hereupon simon divided his army into three battalia's in the name of the trinity , and so joyning battle , they fought very gallantly on both sides ▪ till at length the king of arragon was slaine , and so god ( who doth not alwayes prosper the best cause ) gave the victory to the popelings , and they were slaine in the fight , and pursute about two millions of the albingenses , as their enemies reported . the albingenses attributed this loss to gods judgement upon the humane confidence of the king , who trusted too much in his great numbers , and was feasting whilest his enemies were plotting , after this victory the popes agents sent abroad their letters into divers countries for a new supply of pilgrims utterly to root out the hereticks . with this victory earl simon was so puffed up , that he summoned the earls of tholouse , foix and comminges , and the prince of bearn , to deliver to him the keyes of those cities and castles which they possessed : they returned no answer , but each of them betooke himself to his own territories , to provide the best they could for their affairs . earl remund retired to m●ntalbon , writing to them at tholo●se , that understanding that the bishop of arras was coming with a great army of pilgrims against them , and that he was altogether disabled to defend their city , he had advised them therefore that they should make the best terms they could for themselves with earl simon , yet desired them to reserve their hearts for him , till god should give him meanes to free them from those miseries . in the interim , the earls of foix , comminges , and the prince of bearn did what they could to infest the enemies armies . upon the former advice the citizens of tholouse sent some deputies to earl simon , to profer him the keyes of their city , whom he received honourably , and presently wrote to lewis son of king philip , that the city of tholouse was offered to him , but his desire was that he should come and have the honour of taking it : the prince went thither immediately , and had tholouse delivered to him : yet the legate resolved that the pillage of it should be given to his pilgrims , and the city dismantled , which was presently executed , though contrary to the promise made to the citizens , that no wrong should be done to the city . then came there a new legate of the popes called bonaventure with those that had taken on them the crosse. viz. the earle of saint paul , the earle of savoy , the earle of alenzon , the vicount of melun , mathew de montmorency , and other great lords . the legate seeing so many pilgrims , feared least prince lewis should take upon him to dispose of divers places held by the albingenses , to the prejudice of the church : whereupon he presently sent to all those places absolution and protection , so that when the prince came against them , they shewed that they were under the protection of the church : yea the legate told the prince , that since he had taken upon him the crosse , he was to be subject to his commands ; because he presented the person of the pope , whose pardons ( saith he ) you come to obtaine by obeying the church , and not by commanding as the son of a king. the prince dissembled his displeasure at this audaciousnesse ; and the poore albingenses were so oppressed by new armies of pilgrims , that they sunk under the burthen of it . the prince , when his fourty daies service were expired , retired himself , being much discontented to see so much tyranny exercised against the albingenses . then did earl simon besieg the castle of foix , but having lain ten dayes before it , he found to his cost that the place was not to be won by him : for where as earl simons brother quartered at varilles , the earl of foix dislodged him , and slew him with his launce , putting to flight all his men . news hereof being brought to earl simon he swore that he would drive the earl of foix behinde the pyrenaean mountaines : but presently he had intelligence that a great army of the arrogonois , and catalunians were come into the earldom of beziers , threatning to be revenged on him for the death of their good king , where upon he levied his siege in hast , and marched thitherwards : but the earle of foix , who knew the passages better then he , lay in ambush for him in a place fit for his turne , and suddenly setting upon his pilgrims , slew a great number of them : only earl simon with a few others escaped , and went to carcasson : but before he came thither , the arrogonois were gone , else might they easily have discomfited him , yet shortly after they returned again , and earle simon was foundly beaten by them , so that he was forced ▪ to shut himself up in carcasson till he had a new supply of pilgrims . shortly after came remund the son of earl remund out of england , where he had been bred under his uncle king john , with an army , and quickly made himself master of the city of beaucaire , and almost famished them that held the castle , so that they yeelded it up to depart with their baggage . there earl simon lost a hundred gentlemen that he had laid in ambush neer unto the city , whom young remund in a sally cut in pieces . anno . the legate called a councel at montpelier , for renuing of the army of the church , and to confirm the authority of earle simon ; where they declared him to be prince of all the countries conquered from the albingenses , which title was confirmed to him by the pope also . who stiled him the active and dexterous soldier of jesus christ , and the invincible defender of the catholick faith. but whilest earl simon was in the council receiving this his new honour , a great rumour was heard in the city , and a messenger brought word that the people , hearing that earl simon was there , betook themselves to their arms , purposing to kill him ; whereupon he stole away by the walls of the city on foot , without any company , and so escaped ; so that in one houre he saw himself honoured as a god , and flying disguised , hiding himself like a base scoundrell , for feare of the rascall multitude . anno christi . their was a councill held by the pope at lateran , where they gave the inquisitors such power against the gospellers , that poor people were every where horribly tortured that were but suspected for heresie , and ( as tritemius saith ) frier conradus of marpurg , the popes inquisitor , if he but suspected any as guilty of heresie , vsed to trie them by the judgment of red hot irons , and such as were burned by the irons he delivered as hereticks , to the secular power , to be burned in the flames : whereupon most of those that were accused were by him condemned to be burnt , few escaping the hot irons : in so much as noble , ignoble , clerks , monks , nuns , burgesses , citizens , and countrymen were under the name of heresie ( by too headlong a sentence of the inquisitor on the same day where on they were accused ) cast into the cruell flames , no refuge of appeale or defence doing them any good ▪ by the same lateran councill , earle simon had the forementioned lands of the albingenses confirmed to him , and thereupon he hastened to the king of france to receive investiture , and as he went ( saith the monk of sernay ) in every city and towne the popish clergy , and people met him , crying , blessed is he that commeth to us in the name of the lord , and every man thought himself happy that could but touch the hem of his garment . when he had recived his investiture from the king of france , being attended with an hundred bishops that had preached the crosse in their diocess , and with an exceding great army of pilgrims he hasted to make himself lord of all those countries , which the pope had given him . so that all men trembled at his reproach , and with this great army of pilgrims he took in divers places , using great cruelty , putting men women and children to the sword . then was he marching to tholouse , purposing to pillage and raze it to the ground : but by the way his wife sent him word that he must speedily come to her relief , being besieged in the castle of narbonnes , by the earl of tholouse ; but by this time many of his pilgrims were returned into france . yet earl simon hasted to the relief of his wife , and being come before tholouse , the people by their frequent sallies made that place too hot for his abode . the legate perceiving that he was much astonished at it , said unto him ; fear nothing , we shall quickly recover the city , and then we will destroy all the inhabitants ; and if any of our pilgrims are in the fight , they shall , as martyrs , immediately passe to paradise . hereupon one of earl simons great captains said , monsieur cardinall , you talke with great assurance , but if the earl believe you , it will be little for his profit , for you , and other prelates have been the causers of all this evil , and will be of more , if he believe you . then was it resolved that the city should be besieged on the side of gascon , but the citizens made such a blunt salley , that they put their enemies to flight ; and presently the earl of foix coming with new supplies , fell upon earl simon ▪ chased him to the river garonne , where many of his pilgrims were drowned , and the earle with his horse fell into the river , and hardly escaped . the earl remund caused publick thanksgiving to god for this happy victory . earl simon being in great perplexity , a bishop bid him be of good comfort , for that the cardinal had sent messengers throughout the world to raise him succours , and so he was inforced to wait , with much impatiency , the coming of these new supplies , anno . there came to him a hundred thousand pilgrims , and he was resolved that they should earn their pardons , knowing that at the end of fourty daies they would vanish : whereupon the next morning they were ordered to give a generall assault to tholouse : but earl remund perceiving in the night that they were very secure , because of their great multitude , he sallied out upon them , and that with so good successe , that ere morning all the field was covered with their dead bodies , and the earl with his men being weary with killing , returned into the city to give thanks unto god for his assistance . then did earl simon enter into the castle of narbonnes to see if he could discerne any way to enter into the city , but finding none , it much troubled him , whereupon two lords gave him counsell to come to some honourable agreement : yet the cardinal betrand told him that there was no need for him so to do ; to whom one of them answered , monsieur cardinal , pray you where finde you that you should take from earl remund , and his son that which belongs unto them : if i had known as much as i know now , i had never taken upon me this business . after nine moneths siege the citizens of tholouse made another sally , killing as many of the crossed souldiers as they encountered with ; and earl simon coming in to the reliefe of his men , had his horse shot in the head with an arrow , which caused him to run away with him , which one of the albingenses seeing , with his cross-bow he shot him thorow the thigh ; simon perceiving that he lost much bloud , was labouring to get out of the presse , but just at that present , a woman discharging an engine from the walls of tholouse , a stone parted his head from his shoulders ; and thus by gods just judgement , he that had been the deflourer and murtherer of many women , was himselfe slaine by a woman . upon his death , the legate and all the bishops fled , never staying till they came to carcasson , the pilgrims disbanded and returned to their homes , and earl remund caused a publick thanksgiving to be returned to almighty god for this so signall a deliverance . afterwatds , at the instigation of the pope , prince lewis of france went , and besieged tholouse , but finding the business too hot for him , he returned without doing any thing of note : yet in this iourney he tooke the towne of miromand , wherein he cruelly put to the sword men , women , and children to the number of five thousand . upon his returne the legat bertrand being weary of these warres , wrote to pope honorius the . desiring to be recalled because of his age : yet with all , he signified a necessity of continuing these warrs otherwise ( saith he ) not only the lands of the albingenses wil be lost , but the church of rome itself will be ruined , the doctrin of the albingenses shaking the authority of the popes themselves : and ( saith he ) this war hath cost us very deare , for within less then fifteene years there hath dyed above three hundred thousand crossed soldiers : and therefore all wil be lost , except these hereticks be utterly destroyed . this occasioned the pope to send a new legat [ conradus bishop of portua ] also he granted to all crossed soldiers that fought against the albingenses the same in dulgences as to those that went to fight against the saracens in the holy land : moreover he tooke king , philip of france into his protection , and made peace betwixt him , and young king henry the third of england : so that philip wholly bent himself to roote out the gospellers . anno christi . earl guido of monfort , son , and heire to earl simon went against the albingenses , but was soone after slaine by the e. of sant giles as he besieged a castle in tholouse : then did his brother almerick besieg the same castle , and swore that he would never depart from it till he had taken it : but after a while , his hoped-for aides failing him , he was faigne to leave the siege and depart . after whose departure the albingenses recovered many places . anno christi . the young emperor frederick , by the instigation of the pope , published a cruell , and bloody edict against the gospellers with in his dominions , where in he damned them with perpetuall ignominy , and declared them publick enemies : commanding their goods to be confiscated , without redemption ; and their sons to be disinherited . as also that all of them that were apprehended by the inquisitors or others , should be kept in prison , till they were killed with an abomminable death : the like punishment he commanded to be inflicted on all such as should aide , or assist them . also he tooke away all benefit of appeale from such as were receivers , or favourers of them . and further he commanded that their houses , and the houses of such as should receive , defend , or favour them , either where they have taught , or where they have laid on hands , should be plucked downe , and never more repaired . also the same yeare some of these albingenses going into bosina and dalmatia drew many of the people to imbrace their faith , whereupon the bishop of collen was sent thither by pope honorius as his legate , and required to force them to returne to the catholick faith ( as they called it ) either by perswasion , or by the arms of the crossed souldiers , but where neither prevailed , he being a weary of the work , left it to the frier predicants to see if by arguments they could convince and convert them , columminus the king assisting them : and ( saith mine author ) when they had got footing , they burnt with fires those that were obstinate in their heresies , and purged the churches which were defiled by them : leander de viris illust . ordinis praedicatorum . anno christi . bartholmew , the bishop of the albingenses of tholouse , ordeined a bishop for bulgary , croatia , and dalmatia , where their faith spread so fast , that bishops themselves were drawn to be of their opinion , whereupon conradius bishop of portua , the popes legate wrote to the arch-bishop of roan , and his suffragan bishops , to meet , with others bishops at a councill to be held at sens against the said bartholmew : who ( saith the legate ) in his letters , stiles himself servant of the servants of god : and runs about , creating bishops , and endeavoring perfidiously to gather churches . mathew paris . anno christi . ( saith the same author ) the crosse was preached all over france by romanus the popes legate , against the albingenses , where in he commanded all that were able to beare arms to signe them selves with the signe of the crosse against the earl of tholouse , and his people : and at his preaching , a great multitude of prelates , and lay men tooke upon them the signe of the crosse , yet more for fear of the king of france , and for favour of the legate , then induced by the justness of the cause . but the king of france being signed with the crosse , would not take upon him the expedition , unlesse the pope would forbid the king of england under paine of excommunication to move war against him for any land that he possessed at that present , either iustly or unjustly : which accordingly the pope did , and our king henry the third upon receipt of the popes letters assembled his nobles to consult with them what he should do upon this inhibition , at which time their was present one mr william perepund , skilfull in astronomy , who constantly affirmed before the king ; that if the king of france took upon him this expedition , he should either never returne alive , or else should meet with as greate confusion as might be , both of his person , estate , and followers . the king of france having thus settled his affaires at home , he together with the legate , appointed a peremptory day for the crossed-souldiers to come to a rendevous with their horses , and arms at lyons , from which at the time appointed he began his expidition with an huge army which was accounted invincible , whom the legate followed with arch-bishops ; bishops &c. in the army there were reckoned to be fifty thousand knights , and men at arms on horsback , besides an innumerable company of footmen ; and then did the legate publickly excommunicate the earl of tholouse , putting all his favourers , and lands under interdict . the king thus marching with his glittering arms ; and terrible army on whitson-eve came to avignion , the first city in tholouse , purposing to destroy the whole land of the earl , from one end to the other , and utterly to root out the inhabitants thereof : yet very cunningly the king and the legate sent to the citizens , only desiring passage through the city , that they might follow their iourney the neerest way ; the citizens consulting together , returned answer , that they suspected fraud , neither would they admit them into the city , where upon the king in a great rage , swore that he would not depart thence till he had taken the city . the citizens valiantly defended themselves so that the sieg lasted long , and the earl of tholouse being a skilfull warrior , before the comming of the french army , had withdrawne all kind of victualls together with the women , children , and cattell into places of safety : hereupon the kings army fell into great wants , so that multitudes perished by famine : their horses and beasts also were starved ; for the earl had caused all the meddowes to be plowed up in the whole country so that they had no fodder but what was brought out of france : and their wants daily increasing , many legions went out of the kings camp to seek for food , and fodder , but the earl of tholouse with a flying army , many times lay in ambush for them , and cut off multitudes of them . they also that lay in the siege before the city were miserably wasted by darts , and stones shot in ingines from the walls by the citizens valiantly defending themselves ; and a generall famine overspread all , but it raged most amongst the poorer sort , who had neither food nor money : also out of the dead carkasses of men , and beasts their bred certaine great , and blackflies , which comming into there tents by swarms with an horible humming , infected their meat , and drink , and when they were not able to drive them from their cupps , and dishes , many of the pilgrims perished suddenly by their meanes . but the king and legate were especially troubled , and confounded to think what reproach it would be to them , and to the church of rome , that so gallant , and numerous an army should vndertake such an expedition , and be able to effect nothing : then the chiefe princes , and captains being weary of the long siege amongst so many deaths , sollicit that a generall storme might be given to the city , hoping by their multitudes to oppresse the citizens , which being resolved upon , such a great multitude of armed men thronged upon the bridge that goes over the river of rhodanus , that the bridge breaking under them , three thousand of them were drowned in that swift river . presently after as the french were one day at dinner the citizens discovering there carlesness , suddenly sallied forth , & violently setting upon them , suddenly slew twenty thousand of them with out any losse to themselves , and so retired : and the king of france commanded the dead bodies to be throwne into the river affording them no other buriall : then did he also remove his sieg to afarther distance , and to prevent the like attempts , caused a great ditch to be cast up between the city and his camp : and the legate with his prelates not knowing how otherwise to reveng themselves , anathematized the earl of tholouse , and all the subjects : but whom they cursed , the lord blessed : for shortly after he sent a very great plague into the french campe , so that king lewis , to escape the same , retired himself into the neighbouring abbey of monpensier , where he resolved to remain till the city should be taken unto whom came henry , earl of compaigne , desiring to be dismissed , having now sereved his fourty daies : but the king denyed his request . to whom the earl said , that having performead what was injoyned , he neither might nor would be staid any longer : the king being very angry hereat , swore that if he departed , he would wast his whole land with fire , and sword : yet the earl , according to his former resolution , went his waies : and shortly after the lord struck the king with sickness whereof he dyed : the legate , and great captaines concealed his death for a month together , and in the interim sent messengers laboring to draw the citizens to a composition , and commissioners , being sent to the camp , the legate perswaded them to resigne up their city to him upon promise , that they should injoy their lives estates , and liberties in a better manner then they had formerly : but they answered , that they would not live under the power of the frenchmen , whose pride , and insolency they had often tryed . after along parlee the legate desired that himself and the praelates , might be admitted into the city , swearing with a great oath that he had continued the sieg so long only that he might seek the salvation of their souls . the citizens giving credit to his promise , not suspecting his treachery , after mutuall oaths given on either side , admitted him with the praelates , and their followers into the city : but contrary to their oaths the frenchmen followed , violently rushing into the city when the gates were open , and seizing upon the citizens they bound them , plundered their houses , and slew many ; and having thus by treachery made themselves masters of the city , they brake downe the walls , and the strong towers of that noble city . during this sieg their perished more then . of the pilgrims , by famine , sword , pestilence , and other waies : and so the rest returned to their owne homes . anno christi . the pope [ now gregory ] being implacably bent to rout out the albingenses , stirred up the young king of france against them , who sent a great army into provence vtterly to destroy them , which army hearing that the earle of tholouse was in the castle called saracen , they purposed to besieg him as being there shut up : but the earl having notice of their intent , with strong troopes he lay in ambush in a wood through which they were to passe : & when they were come to the place , he gallantly assaulted them & after a bloudy fight , slew many , took two hundred knights , & about two thousand men at arms : the knights he imprisoned : but of the other he caused some of their eyes to be pulled out , others to have their noses cut off and so dismissed them . that summer the king of france sent three armies against them , all which were either put to flight or taken , and imprisoned by the said earl. mathew paris . yet the same yeare , imbert of beavim went against them with a great army of crossed souldiers , amongst whom were three arch-bishops , every one with the pilgrimes of his jurisdiction : and the earl of tholouse ( being as it s●emes unprovided ) was faigne to shut up himselfe within the wals of tholouse , where he was strongly besieged by the pilgrimes , who also wasted , and spoiled his country , and harvest , far and nere on every side : and the siege continuing , the citizens suffered great famine , and when they were brought to this extremity the abbat of grandsylue went from the popes legate to offer peace to earl remund , and the tholousians : some of the earls captains disswaded him from it , knowing the perfidiousnesse of the papists , but the cries of the hunger starved multitude prevailed , so that a truce was agreed upon for certaine daies , and earl remund upon the day appointed went to the place where the peace should be concluded . but when he came thither , the abbat perswaded him that it was necessary that the agreement should be perfected in the presence of the queen mothers , who was regent of france , and pawned his faith to him , that if he would go to her , she should go ; and returne in safety . the earl overcome by these promises assented , and meaux was the place chosen by the queen for their meeting . but as soone as earl remund came thither , contrary to all oaths , and engagements , he was made a prisoner , and had a guard set upon him that he might not start aside ; and instead of a treaty , he must submit to whatsoever should be enjoyned ▪ it was a lamentable thing ( saith the historiographer of languedock ) to see so brave a man , that for so long a time was able to resist the whole power of france , to come in his shirt , and linnen breeches barefoot , and bare-leged to the altar in the presence of the cardinals , and their to accept of such hard , and unreasonable conditions as they were pleased to impose upon him : amongst which these were some : that he should abjure the heresie which hitherto he had defended ; that for the future he should be subject to the church of rome . that he should cast all the hereticks out of his dominions : that he should give his only daughter joane in marriage to one of the king of france his brethren : that he should pay a yearly stipend to six popish professors of the liberall arts , and to two grammarians at tholouse : that he should take upon him the crosse , and for five years wage warre against the saracens , and other enemies of the faith , and church : and lastly , that he should levell with the ground the walls of the city of tholouse , and the walls of . other cities , and castles at the appointment of the legate , and fill up their ditches , and so remaine a prisoner in the louver at paris , till his daughter joane was discovered to the kings messengers at carcasson . anno christi . . diverse councils were held against the albingenses : one at tholouse , the acts whereof were proclaimed in that city by romanus , the popes legate , another at narbonne , where more , and more cruell decrees were made against them . a third at beziers exceeding in rigour both the former : and amongst the rest an oath of abjuration , whereby all persons , males at fourteen yeares old , females at twelve yeares old , were to abjure all heresie as they called it , and to swear that they would keep the faith , and defend the catholike church , and persecute all the opposers of the same : and that all that took not this oath within fifteen daeis , should be held suspected of heresie , and proceeded against accordingly : also another article was in these words : item we forbid the use of the old , and new testament to the lay people : forbidding expressely that they have not the said books turned into the vulgar tongue . also the same yeare on munday , thursday , pope gregory proclaimed ecclesastical censures against them , and sent the prime inquisitors of dominicks order into france to put the same in execution , he wrote also to lewis king of france to cast all those hereticks out of france , and to cause the earl of tholouse to do the like in his dominions , and to place new counsellors about him that might instruct him in the catholike faith , and manners , and to cast all such from about him as might corrupt him . and whereas the kingdom of arragon was infected with heresie , pope gregory gave the arch-bishop thereof , and his suffragans power to erect an inquisition against them . anno christi . . died fulco arch-bishop of tholouse , who had labored twenty six years in extinguishing the gospellers whom , remund of fulgaerio succeeded , and so manfully behaved himself , that in his first year he caused nineteen of the albingenses to be apprehended and put to cruell deaths within his diocess . anno christi . . queen blanch , and the popes legate , so over awed the earl of tholouse , that they caused him to make cruell edicts against his owne subjects of the albingensian religion : that they should be persecuted , searched out , and taken : that whosoever could apprehend any one of them , should have a mark for each of them so taken : that all that were suspected to be of their religion should be excluded from office bearing , that all houses should be pulled downe , wherein any of them should be found , that all their goods and inheritances should be confiiscated : that the like should be done to all that should aid or abett them , or that should hinder , or not assist the inquisitors in the execution of their office : that whosoever should be suspected of their heresie , should have an oath given him to keep the peace , and the catholike faith : that the houses of such as should be detected of heresie after their death should be pulled downe . that whosoever should refuse to weare the cross should have his goods seized on . &c. the same year the inquisitors were informed that in the territories of brixia there had lately lived one guido de lacha , who was much honoured for his austerity , and integrity of life , but that he dyed out of the communion of the church of rome , having been infected with heresie , whereupon they ordered his bones to be digged up , and burned . the earl of foix , and comminges , and the prince of bearne yet remained to be conquered : and the popes legate thought that the earl of tholouse was the fittest person to deale with them , whereupon he caused him to write to them to perswade them to embrace the catholike faith , &c. but the earl of foix returned answer ; that he could not forsake his faith in such a time wherein men might think that he did it rather out of feare then from any good grounds , and that it was fitter for them to convince him of the truth of their way then to allure him by promises , or force him thereto by armes : and that if they brought that world of pilgrims against him which they threatned , he trusted in god that he should make them know the justice of his cause , and repent of the rashnesse of their vow . but the earls subjects fearing that their lord , being aged , and without wife and children , should leave them to the mercy of the first conqueror , intreated him to come to a composition with the legat , whereupon he began to treat , and at last yielded up diverse castles into the hands of the king of france , upon promise that he would rule with justice and equity . anno christi . . the opinions of the albingenses were much spread abroad in the parts of spai●● , and other adjacent countries : and they had bishops among them who boldly preached against the romish errors , and especially against transubstantiation : whereupon a croisado was preached against them , and a very great army of pilgrims being assembled together were by pope gregory sent against them , who slew them all with their bishops , seized of their city and plundered them , whereby ( saith mathew paris ) they returned rich , and joyfully into their own countries . also about the same time another army of these pilgrims went against others of them on the borders of germany , who retiring into a fenny place for there security , were their all slaine . but the same yeare the lord raised up trancavel , the natural son of the earl of beziers deceased , who was encouraged , and assisted by a number of valiant captaines , as oliver de fumes , bertrand hugon de serrelong , bertrand de villenense , & jordaine de satiat , who told him that they would assist him to revenge the outrages done to his father , who was deprived of his land , betrayed , imprisoned , and poisoned , whereupon he resolved to recover by the sword what was so unjustly taken from him : and before the enemies had notice of his designe , he took in diverse strong castles , so that the popes legate , and bishop of tholouse were much astonished to see these men stand up for the albingenses , whom they supposed to have been utterly suppressed . then did the popes agents cause the cross to be preached , and the bishop of narbonne animated the people of his diocess to go against them , and to make an end of the poor remainder of the albingenses . an army being raised , the popes legate led it to tholouse , and when the citizens appeared upon their ramparts , he told them that he was come thither for their preservation : they thanked him , but withall told him , that if he did not instantly retire himselfe , they would give him the chase . and presently came trancavell , who so bravely , and valiantly set upon the legates troops , that he quickly overthrew them , and chased them to the very gates of carcasson , and the legate had much adoe to save himselfe , but that which most angered the legate was , that trancavell found intertainement in some part of carcasson , so that the pilgrims durst hardly peep out of the city gates : and when he heard of any more pilgrims comming to the legate , he used to meet them , to lay ambushes for them , so that usually overthrowing them , their designes were marred . this man kept the field till the year . and still prevailed against all the crossed souldiers that came against him , whereupon ameline the popes legate wrote to the pope , that if he caused not the cross to be preached in many parts of europe , the church was like to sustain much damage by this enemy : for ( saith he ) he is more cruell , and subtile , then any before him . but a little before the bishop of tholouse was informed of a certain matron , who having her children , brethren , and friends about her , was dying an heretick , whereupon he ran to her , and found it even so by the confession of the woman her selfe : who desired to die in the faith of the albingenses , and doubted not to be saved : then did the bishop condemne her , and delivered her to the secular power , who presently carried her forth in the bed wherein she lay sick , and burned her . anno christi . . earl remund getting from paris , returned into his owne country , and forbad the citizens of tholouse to company with the friers predicant , and shortly after expelled them the city : and the monastery of narbonne belonging to the same order of friers was pulled down by the albingenses . and in june following pope gregory the ninth made new inquisitors against the albingenses in arragon , and france . anno christi . . king lewis of france wrote to the pope that earl remund had violated the covenants which he had made with the church : and had cast the bishops clergy , and friers out of tholouse , and brought hereticks into their roomes , whereupon he desired that he might be reduced into order &c. and indeed by the power of the pope , and king , he was forced to recall the popish clergy , and to banish the albingenses , and to take upon him the signe of the cross for the aid of the holy land , by way of penance for his former deeds . the same year many imbracing the faith of the albingenses be-beyond the alps , inquisitors were sent against them ; especially one frier robert , who caused many of both sexes to be apprehended , and when they continued constant in the true faith , and would not renounce the same , in the space of two or three moneths , he caused fifty of them ( saith mathew paris ) either to be burnt , or burned alive . anno christi . the king of france having garisoned divers castles within the country of albingenses who greatly oppressed them , they betook themselves to armes , besieging those garisons , whereupon they sent to the king of france , craving that present aid might be sent to them . then did the king of france send the lord iohn of bellemont , with a great army to aid them , who , comming into that country , besieged the strong castle of mont-reall , and at last took it , together with divers others belonging to the albingenses , whereby the were suppressed for that ●ime . but the year after the earl of tholouse took armes againe , and assaulted the earl of provence , who presently sent to the french king for aid : and the french that were about avignion hasted to the reliefe of the earl of provence , which the earl of tholouse hearing of , he lay in ambush in their way , and suddenly setting upon them , slew many , and dispersed the rest , and the war so prospered in his hand , that in a short space he recovered to his former dominion above . castles from the french , and earl of provence , and sharply punished his rebels . about the same time the citizens of millan , being provoked thereunto by the pope , and emperor : burnt many of the albingenses , who were their fellow-citizens . anno christi . the earl of tholouse continuing his warrs against the earl of provence , almost beat him out of his country , so that the earl of provence was feigne to send to the kings of england and france ( who had married his second daughters ) to mediate for him , and they writing to the earl of tholouse , obtained peace for their father in law . anno christi . . the bishops of narbonne , and albium , and the seneschall of carcasson apprehended two hundred of the albingenses in a certaine castle of tholouse , who had bernard martine of cathavell , and raimund agulbuerus , for their pastors , and ministers : all these upon examination , adhering constantly to the true faith without wavering , were cruelly burnt in the flames . vignier , hist. eccles. and the year following there were . more of them burnt likewise . shortly after , it pleased god , that great contentions arose between the pope , and emperor , whereby the gospellers enjoyed some breathing time from their former miseries : yet , anno christi . . pope vrban hearing that through that peace their doctrine was spread exceedingly , he made a decree in this tenour . albeit we be bound by our office alwaies to endeavour the rooting out the deadly poison of hereticall pravity from all parts in the christian world , yet now in a speciall manner this duty is incumbent upon us , when we perceive this plague to be growne up in our neighborhood through the iniquity of the times to the detriment of the catho-faith . that therefore the office of the inquisition may be the more effectually executed against the hereticks in the province of lombardy : and parts adjacent , we enjoyne you , upon remission of your sins , that you doe your uttermost endeavours for the extirpation of it , and that you see that all papall and imperiall lawes be executed against them : and for my owne part i will implore the aid of christian kings , and princes , that heaven , and earth may be moved against them . anno christi petrus cadarita , and gulielmus calonicus , were sent as inquisitors from the pope into the kingdom of arragon , severely to punish those that had imbraced the faith of the albingenses , and amongst others they condemned arnaldus castlebonius the viscount , and his daughter ermesenda , countess of foix : they also decreed their memory to be detestable , commanding their bones to be digged out of their graves , and to be burned : they also called roger the nephew of ermesenda , into judgement for the same crime . anno christi . . there was a great persecution raised against the gospellers in the country of albi , by one william de gurdon , captain and president of carcasson under phillip the french king , who by a proclamation commanded all the albingenses to be extirpated , and searched out of their dens and lurking holes , and all such as favoured them to be utterly rooted out , as also that the innumerable company of their children , which would not be reduced to the catholike faith , and unity of the church of rome , should not be admitted unto the city of realmont , or the territory thereof , nor to the place of any honour or office : that such likewise as favoured or concealed any of them , should be banished forever from the city of realmont , and their goods wholly confiscated , and their children be excluded from all honours and dignities . yet notwithstanding the severity of this edict , god hid and preserved many of them even in realmont it selfe , as diamonds in dunghils , though many of them fled into arragon , and sicily , where they might enjoy more freedom of conscience . anno christi . . gareldus and segarellus of parma , and dulcinus of noudria , preached and spread the doctrine of the albingenses in parma , and in many cities of lumbardy ; whereupon pope honorius by a publick edict condemned their doctrine , and commanded them to be rooted out . bzorius . anno christi . . pope boniface commanded guido , the inquisitor , to dig up the bodie of hermanus ( one of the albingenses ) and to condemne and burn it in ferrara twenty yeares after his death . anno christi the friers inquisitors raised a great persecution against the gospellers in passaw in austria , and burned many of them ; who continued very constant in the faith , & took their death very cherefully : amongst the rest one of them that was burnt at vienna , confessed that their were eighty thousand of them in bohemia , and austria at that time , their cheifest ministers were bartholomew faustus , iames iustus , bononatus , william , and gilbert : of whom james was murthered between two walls by the mercilesse inquisitors ; bononatus was burned alive , and william , gilbert , and bartholomew were condemned after their death , the house where they used to preach was pulled to the ground , and all that adhered to them were anathematized . anno christi . . lollard walterus ( from whom our english professors were called lollards ) was taken at collen , where he had privately preached , and through gods blessings drawne many from ignorance and errors to imbrace the truth , & persisting constantly in his opinions , he was condemned , and burned alive . yet notwithstanding all cruelties used against them , their enemies could never prevail to a totall extirpation of them , but they still lay hid like sparkles under the ashes , desiring and longing to see that , wich now through gods grace their posterity do injoy , viz. the liberty to call upon god in purity of conscience , without being inforced to any superstition and idolatry : and so instructing their children in the service of god , the lord was pleased to preserve a church amongst them , in the middest of the romish corruptions , as a diamond in a dunghil , as wheat amongst chaff , as gold in the fire , till it pleased god to disperse the gospell in a more generall and publick way , by the ministry of luther , and his associates and fellow-labourers in the lord , at which time these albingenses received with greediness the doctrine of the gospel , and so became more eminent in their profession of piety then they were formerly . laus deo. collected out of a book called luthers forerunners , and out of cades justification of the church of england , and diverse other authors . here place the sixth figure . chap. xxv . the persecution of the church of god in bohemia , which began anno christi . the bohemians were heathens and idolaters , till their duke or captain borivoius going into moravia , anno cristi . by a strange providence of god was converted to the knowledge and faith of christ , whereupon he together with thirty other palatines was baptized ; at his return into bohemia , he took along with him methudius bishop of moravia , by whose ministry , ludomilla the dukes wife was converted and baptized . borivoius , busying himself in erecting divers schooles and churches , it pleased god that in a short time a great harvest was gathered , many of the nobility and commons being daily converted and baptized : but satan envying the progresse of the gospel , presently raised up persecution against the professors of it : for first of all borivoius was banished by the wicked faction of the idolaters , and then compelled to resign his dominion to his eldest son , who being dead , his younger son boratislaus succeeded , who was a very holy man yet was drawn to marry drahomira , famous for nobility and beauty , but a heathen : yet she promised , after instruction , to be baptized , and during her husbands life she cunningly concealed her hatred against christians , but he being dead , the grandmother ludomilla educated the elder son wenceslaus , and drahomira took the younger , bolislaus , and usurped the government , commanding the christian churches to be shut up , the exercises of their worship to cease , prohibiting ministers from instructing the people , and schoolemasters from teaching youth : such as disobeyed were imprisoned , banished , and put to death . at prague , the magistrates were changed , and cruell idolaters substituted in the rooms of christians , by whose incitements the poor christians were secretly , openly , and unworthily murthered and abused : whilest the murtherers went away with impunity : but if any christian killed a heathen though in his own defence , ten christians were massacred for that one . yet the insatiable cruelty of drahomira was not satisfied herewith , but that she might destroy all the christians , she dealt with one balloius , a cruell wretch , whom she had set over the city of prague , earnestly entreating him by fraud or force to effect it , promising him a great reward if he did it . he thereupon arms six hundred conspirators at his own house , with whom he hastens to those that were designed for slaughter : but the plot , through gods mercy , being discovered to the christians , four hundred of them met to defend their own lives : the issue of the fight was victory to the christians , the streets being polluted with the bloud of eight hundred that were slain . then did drahomira pretend that she was much displeased with the tumult , commanding that the arms of both parties should be brought in to the city magazine , severely forbidding any man to walk with dart or sword : the christians , though suspecting her fraud , yet that they might not seem disobedient , brought their arms to the magazine , the enemies pretending also to do the like . this being done , drahomira imploies her cut-throats in the night to set upon the unarmed christians , whereby above three hundred of them were slain in one night ; this drahomira much rejoyceth at , but yet not satisfied , she commands the major of prague to destroy all the christians : whereupon he besets all the streets , and passages , and slaies all that he meets withall : till the christians gathering themselves together , encounter with him , put him to flight , and in the pursuit slew this wicked person . this so enraged drahomira , that she commanded the two churches to be burnt down , in one of which her husband was interred . whilest she thus raged against the christians , wenceslaus now grown to years , by the advice of his grand-mother , and the christian nobility , took upon him the government , and the better to establish peace , he assigned the city of bolislavia , and the adjacent parts to his mother , and younger brother . drahomira yet laid not aside her hatred and bloudy designs against the christians , which she first shewed against holy ludumella , substituting two wicked villains in the night to murther her , these fellows finding her at her prayers in her oratory , strangled her : some there were that much provoked wenceslaus to revenge that wicked act , which he refused , because he judged it contrary to that duty which he owed to a mother , and to the modesty and patience of a christian. but he was shortly after ill requited by this unnaturall monster , who affecting domination , began to defame wenceslaus as sluggish and unfit for government , but when she perceived that his subjects loved him exceedingly , she waited a fitter opportunity , which thus fell out . bolislaus having a son , she invited wenceslaus to the baptising of this his nephew at bolislavia , he going thither , she entertained him with much dissembled love : but in the night as he was making his prayers to god : his brother bolislaus assaults him , and beeing assisted with some other cut-throats slew him , anno . bolislaus having by this fratricide obtained the government , threatned imprisonment and death to all the ministers and christians if they did not presently depart bohemia : his mother added , that their dead bodies should not be buried : hereupon many fled , others were seized on , and tormented to death diverse waies ▪ but god suffered not drahomira to escape his revenging hand , for in that place , where the ministers bones lay unburied , the earth opened of it self , and swallowed her up alive with her chariot , and all that were in it , which place is to be seen before the castle of prague to this day . others also who were her instruments in massacring the innocent christians , some of them ran mad , and threw themselves down from high places , others slew themselves with their own swords , wherewith they had murthered the innocent men , and the place where wenceslaus blood was shed , could never be washed off , but remained as a perpetuall witnesse of that villany . these things so affrighted bolislaus , that he became more milde to the chistians . anno. . woytich the second bishop of prague , labouring seriously in converting the reliques of the gentiles , and reforming their wicked lives : they raised so great a sedition against him , as enforced woytich to a voluntary banishment : then did the pagans rise up against his brethren , and murthered five of them , and then conspired against their prince , but were overcome in battel , &c. not long after the pope having usurped domination over other churches , sought to obtrude his superstitions upon the bohemians also : but especially he commanded that all their sacred service should be in the latine tongue and that they should not have the cup in the sacrament : the bohemians sent two ministers , and four others to rome , anno . to the pope , desiring to be eased of these grievances , and at last obtained their request . yet afterwards they were againe inhibited the use of their own language in holy services , whereupon urateslaus duke of bohemia ( who shortly after for his valiant service to the roman empire , was created king ) sent embassadors to rome , requesting a confirmation of the liberties formerly granted to them ; but the pope [ hildebrand ] absolutely refused it . anno . pope celestine sent a cardinall into bohemia , to inhibit ministers marriage , and to divorce such as were married , but the bishop and ministers almost stoned him to death . also when afterwards the cup was taken away in the sacrament , there were many that opposed that sacriledg , and amongst the rest john melicius of a noble family and fervent spirit , much honoured for his rare learning and holinesse of life ; in his ministry he earnestly exhorted his auditors to a frequent communicating in both kindes : at last he was much moved in spirit to go to rome , and there to testifie that the great antichrist was come , and did then reign . he prayed unto god , with fasting and teares , desiring that unlesse these thoughts came from gods spirit , he might be delivered from them : but when yet he could finde no inward quiet , he went to rome , and wrote upon the cardinals doors , antichrist is come , and sitteth in the church . he also in his conferences with many , asserted the same : for this the pope imprisoned him , and excommunicated both him , and his auditors . mr. mathias of prague also , was a zealous defender of the communion in both kindes . anno . he with some other learned men went to king charles that then raigned , requested him to call a oecumenicall counsel , for the reformation of the church . charles sending to the pope about it , he was so incensed at the message , that he commanded the king to punish those rash and hereticall men : whereupon mathias was banished the kingdom ; and then was the use of the sacrament in both kindes prohibited through all bohemia : so that the godly could not administer and receive it but in private houses , in woods and caves , and yet neither so , but with the hazard of their lives : for they were set upon in the high-waies , plundred , beaten , and drowned in rivers , so that at last they were necessitated to go together in companies , and armed : and this continued to the daies of john husse . concerning the persecution of john husse , and jerome of prague , see in my first part their lives : but when these holy men of god were so unjustly burned at constance : the adversaries were not satisfied with their bloud , but took further counsell for the destruction of the whole nation : for when fifty eight of the chief nobles of bohemia , in the name of all the commons , anno . had sent letters from prague to the council , complaining that their pastor , an innocent and holy man , and faithful teacher of the truth was unjustly condemned : the council instead of answering them , wrote their letters to some violent papists who were in authority , to assist their legate in oppressing the hereticks . thus the bohemians were incited more and more to mutuall contentions : the priests daily from the pulpits divulged their excomunications and execrations against the hussites , and to stir up the greater hatred against them , they used lying signs ; for , putting dirt about the wicks of their tapers , when the flame had burned the wax to the dirt , the taper went out : then cried they out , that god by miracles declared his hatred of those wicked hereticks , who were unworthy to enjoy the light : and thereupon they persecuted them all manner of waies , and they used such violence , as raised a tumult at prague anno . wherein the enraged multitude threw twelve senators of prague with the maior , out of the windows of the senate-house , who fell upon the points of spears . after this the pope publikely excommunicated the bohemians at florence , exciting the emperour , kings , princes , dukes , &c. to take up arms against them , entreating them by the wounds of christ , and their own salvation , unanimously to fall upon them , utterly to extirpate that cursed generation , promising universal remission of sins to the most wicked person , if he did but kill one bohemian : hereupon great wars were raised against them but it pleased god still to give them the victory under that brave captain zisca : whereof see more in my second part , in zisca's life . yet still as the popish party prevailed at any time , they exercised all manner of cruelty upon the poor servants of christ , insomuch that at cuttenburg , where were deep mettall-mines , anno . they threw into one of them a thousand and seven hundred persons , and into another a thousand thirty eight , and into a third a thousand three hundred thirty four persons . also a merchant of prague coming to preslaw in silesia , the emperour and popes legate being their , was in his inne drawn into discourse , where pleading for husse , and the sacrament in both kindes , he was cast into prison , the next day a student of prague was cast into the same prison : the merchant exceedingly encouraged him , saying , oh my brother ! what an honour is it , that we are called thus to bear witness to the lord jesus ? let us undergo the trouble with cheerfullnesse ; the fight is but short , the reward is eternall : let us remember the lord , what a cruel death he under went for us , and with what guiltlesse bloud we are redeemed , and what torments the martyrs have patiently endured , &c. but when they were brought to execution , and the ropes by which the horses were to drag them through the streets , were fastened to their feet ; the student affrighted with the terrors of death , and allured by the fair promises of the legate , recanted : but the merchant , like an unshaken rock , told them , that their hopes of any recantation from him were but vain ; i am ready to die ( saith he ) for the gospell of the lord jesus : and so being drawne slowly through the streets , he was brought to the place of execution , and there burnt , anno . pichel the chief magistrate of the city of litomeritia , having taken twenty four of the chief citizens , and amongst them his son in law , put them in an high tower , and at last he brought them out , half dead with hunger and cold , and adjudged them to be drowned . when they came to the river albis , their wives , children , and friends greatly mourning ; the majors own daughter came wringing her hands , and falling at her fathers feet , beseeched him to save her husbands life ; but he , harder then a rock , bad her give over , saying , what ? can you not have a worthier husband then this ? to whom she answered seeing his inexorablenesse , you shall never more espouse me to any ; and so beating her breast , and tearing her hair , she followed amongst the rest . when the martyrs came to the river , whilest ferries were preparing , they with loude voices call heaven and earth to witnesse their innocency , and so taking their leave of their wives , children and friends , exhorting them to constancy and zeal for the truth : they were carried and cast into the middest of the river , with their hands and feet bound together and so drowned ; and if any were driven to the banks , they were stabbed with iron forks and pikes . the majors daughter seeing her husband thrown into the river , leaped in to him , caught him about the middle , but being unable to draw him forth , they were both drowned ; the next day they were found embracing one another , and were both buried in one grave , anno . about the same time a company of souldiers going towards prague , seized upon a godly minister , and four other men , and four boys , the eldest not being aboue eleven years old , for administring , and receiving the sacarament in both kindes , and carried them to their colonel , the colonel sent them to the bishop who required , them to abjure , or else he would burn them ; the minister stoutly answered , but the gospel teacheth otherwise , so that you must either approve what we do , or blot it out of your bible . hereupon one of the troopers smote him so violently on the face with his gantlet , that the bloud ran out of his mouth and nose . the bishop made this minister the subject of his mirth and scorn all that night , and the next day being the sabbath , he burned them all in one fire ; and when the bishop would have perswaded them to abjure the cup in the sacrament , the minister answered , that he would rather suffer a thousand deaths , then deny a truth so clearly revealed in the gospel . another captain violently entring into a church where many godly people were met together , he killed some , and took others prisoners ; and going to the communion table , he took the cup , being full of wine , and drunk to his horse , who having pledged him , he said , his horse was now one of the communicants in both kindes . about the same time also a godly tayler was burned at prague . also one martin loquis should have suffered the like death , but his life was begged by the thaborites . afterwards , taking another associate with him , he was travelling towards moravia , but by the way , they were taken by a captain , who manacling them with irons , examined them about the sacrament : martin answered , the body of christ is in heaven , and he hath but one , not many bodies : hereupon the captain gave him a box on the ear , as not enduring such blasphemy , and would have had him presently burned . then did a priest beg him to see if he could convert him : but when that succeeded not , he thrust them into a dark , stinking dungeon for two moneths : then did he torment them with fire , till their bowels came forth , to extort from them who were their companions : afterwards they were both shut up in a tub , and so burned anno . a godly and eloquent preacher in prague , was , together with twelve more , apprehended by a captain , carried into the common-hall , and there privately beheaded , but their bloud running out , caused a great tumult in the city , wherein some of the senators were slain , and others saved themselves by flight . not long after there sprung up a schism amongst those that were called hussites , for some of them began in other things to comply with the pope , only they insisted upon the cup in the sacrament , whence they were called calixtines : others of them stuck close to husse his doctrine , and cried down all superstition : and this contention was cunningly fomented and increased by some that sought thereby the advancement of the pope and emperour : and to make the professors of the pure doctrine odious , they branded them with the hatefull name of piccards , by which name the waldenses in piccardy were called . yet both these parties , when they were assaulted by the emperour , joyned together in opposing him , and obtained many great victories against him : yet anno . the thaborites were utterly oppressed by fraud and force . anno . there were divers godly people in bohemia , ministers , nobles and commons , who being much pressed in conscience about the superstitions in the church of rome , obtained of their king [ george pogiebracius , ] a place in the hilly countrey near to silesia to inhabit , where throwing off all superstious practices , they applied themselves to the form of the primitive simplicity , calling themselves brethren and sisters . the beginning of this church displeased the devil , and therefore he raised a sudden and violent tempest to overthrow it : for the same of it being spread abroad , the priests in every pulpit stirred up the hatred of the people against them , crying out , blow out these sparks , blow them out before they grow into a flame . anno . one of their ministers with some others of them coming to prague , to visit their friends , were betrayed , and some officers coming to apprehend them , said to them , all that will live godly in christ jesus must suffer persecution , therefore come forth , and follow us to prison , which they did . the king believing the slanders that were raised against them , as that they were attempting some sedition , &c. he commanded the aged minister to be tortured , but he falling into an extasie , felt no pain at all ; the tormentors supposing him to be dead , took him down from the rack , but after some hours , he came to himselfe , and by the intercession of a friend , was dismissed . presently after their came forth from the king an edict , forbidding all pastors to administer holy services without ceremonies : and withall , threatning death to those that should administer to the brethren , called now by the hateful name of piccards . the brethren hereupon were brought into great extremity , being like sheep destitute of shepherds . yet presently came forth a new edict that none of them should be suffered to live either in bohemia , or moravia . hereupon they were dispersed amongst the woods and mountains , dwelling in caves ; where yet they were scarce safe , so that they were forced to make no fire , nor dresse any meat , but in the night time , least the smoak should betray them . in the cold winter nights , sitting by the fire , they applied themselves to the reading of the bible , and holy discourses . when in the snow they went ab●●ad to provide them necessaries , they went close together , and lest their foot-steps should betray them , the hindermost of them did draw after him a great bough , to cover the prints which their feet had made . these brethren chose by suffrage , certain elders , to whom they promised obedience : and by the advice of these elders , the chiefest of the brethen in bohemia and moravia , were called together in a synod , in the mountaines to ordain ecclesiastical laws , whereby they should be governed ; they appointed also sundry daies of fasting and prayer for themselves , and their dispersed friends ; taking counsell from gods word , concerning those things which were required to the fuller reformation , both of life and doctrine . that which most afflicted them was for want of pastors , not knowing where they should have new ones , after those were dead , who then lived with them ; but after debate , they resolved , that christ had given this authority to his church , that such as were ordained themselves , might ordain others : yet some scruple arose , whether such as were but presbyters , might ordaine without a bishop : for which cause they met together , and with fasting , prayers and teares , they sought unto god to reveal his will to them in this difficulty ; and afterwards making a scrutiny by lot , the lord answered them , that it was lawfull for presbyters to ordain presbyters , which occasioned great joy unto them . then did these brethren deliberate among themselves , whether they should joyn with the waldenses in moravia and austria ; and so be one people with them , and one church : the purity of their doctrine and christian conversation did much please ; but again , it much displeased them , that they concealed the truth , not openly professing it as they ought , but to avoid persecution , they frequented the churches of the papists , and so communicated with idolaters . therefore they concluded to admonish them of this evil ; and for this end they sent some able men to them , to acquaint them with it : the waldenses answered , that to be in unity with them was very gratefull , and for the evils objected against them , they were not ignorant of them , nor would defend them , but rather would labour to amend them : concluding that they desired to have a sixt day of meeting with the brethren , in which they would take some further order about this businesse . but before the time came , the papists having some intelligence of it , raged so violently against the waldenses , that they burnt one of the chiefest of them at vienna , and so persecuted the rest , that they were fain to provide for their own safety by flight . anno . there came out a new decree against these brethren , requiring all the nobles of bohemia , within their severall jurisdictions , to apprehend as many as they could , and to proceed against them . many therefore were apprehended and put into prison , where they were kept for a long time : but thr●●gh the wonderfull working of god , the more the enemies laboured to put out this spark , the more it brake forth into a great flame , for many of their peers submitted to the discipline of the brethren , building churches for them in their towns and villages , so that anno . they had in bohemia , and moravia about two hundred churches . after the death of pogiebracius , uladislaus , a polonian succeeded in the kingdom , to whom the brethren wrote an apology , by reason of many foul accusations that were carried to him against them : this so exasperated their enemies , that they endeavoured by a most impudent invention , to stir up the hatred of all men against them . the way they used was this . they suborned a wicked villain , to say that he came from amongst them , and that he had been an elder , but had therefore forsaken them , because in their meetings they used to blaspheme god , the virgin mary , and the saints , to traduce the sacraments , to mingle themselves incestuously , after the manner of the adamites , to commit murther ▪ and practise witchcraft , &c. this man they led through the townes and cities as a spectacle ; they brought him to their church , where he must abjure his errors , and beseech the people to pray for him , a most miserable sinner , and to take heed , by his example , of the wicked piccards . they also published his confession in writing , being confirmed with the seals and subscrip●ons of some deans and priests , causing them to be read in the churches to the people . but the devil was befooled herein , for the brethren , by publick writings did confute these lies ; and the villain trembling so often to forswear himself in the sight of the people , confessed at last that he was suborned to do what he did , and that he knew not any of the piccards : yet thus far it made for good , that some to make experience of so great villanies , began privately and disguised , to frequent the assemblies of the brethren , and finding it to be farre other wise then it was reported , did associate themselves with them , as with true christians . anno . mathias king of hungary , banished the brethren from moravia , which caused some hundreds of them , taking a minister along with them , to go into moldavia ; whereupon the brethren in bohemia sent one of their elders to them , to exhort them unto patience under this persecution , which was for the truth . shortly after the restless enemies of god and his church , raised another persecution against the brethren in bohemia ; for some bishops consulting together , suborned the queen , great with childe , so that they conceived that the king would deny her nothing in that state , to request of him , that he would severely punish the piccards : the king displeased at her request , only nodded his head , but gave no answer at all : yet the bishops , in his presence , began to draw up the edict . the king going into his chamber , fell down on his knees , and with tears besought god to forgive the guilt of those bloudy counsels , and to grant no successe to them : and god heard his prayers , and shewed some examples of his severe judgements on the authors of this conspiracy . the queen who proposed to her fancy , what gratefull spectacles she should have in seeing the piccards brought to prague , and there , some burnt , some beheaded , and others drowned in the water , presently fell in travell , and when she was not able to bring forth , the physitians advised that the childe should be cut out of the mothers womb , which was accordingly done , whereby the childe lived , but the mother died . two years after , the bishops by their importunity prevailed with the king that sharp remedies should be used against those growing evils , as they were pleased to call them ; whereupon an edict was sent forth that all the piccards , without distinction of sex , age or quality , should be slain . this mandate was brought to the assembly of states at prague , by two bishops , but divers of the chiefest nobles opposed it , so that eighteen moneths were spent in debate , before any thing was done ; but at last , by the cunning artifice of the chancellor , and his bloudy associates , it was confirmed by the greatest part of the nobility , in the presence of the king ; and a mutuall confederacy was entred into , that it should be prosecuted with an armed power , but god following some of the chiefe contrivers of it with sundry judgements , it almost came to nothing . yet in these troubles most of the ministers were turned out of their places , so that they durst not preach nor pray , but in private . and a certaine noble man , having apprehended six of the brethren , cast them into prison , and when they were brought forth to be burnt , they went chearfully to the fire ; and when the chief officer , taking affection to one of them , offered him his life , if he would recant his error , profering him withall to give him a years time to consider of it ; he pawsed a while , but by and by answered , it is too much by such a delay , to lose my brethrens company , and so going along with them , they were burned together . shortly after the chancellor that had procured the passing of the edict against the brethren , as he returned from the parliament , visiting a certaine noble man by the way , he with great pleasure reported to him what was agreed upon against the brethren : the noble man having a servant by , that was much edicted to the discipline of the brethren , asked him how he liked it ; the servant answered , that all were not agreed : the chancellor suspecting some new conspiracy , asked him who durst oppose the states of the kingdom , & c ? the servant said , in heaven there is one , who if he were not present at your counsels , you have consulted in vain : the chancellor replied , thou knave , thou shalt finde that as well as the rest : and rising up in fury , immediately a carbuncle rose upon his foot , which turned to a disease , called ignis sacer , whereof he died miserably . another of the great sticklers in this businesse , returning homewards , as he was a lighting out of his chariot to make water , he struck his member on a sharp nail that was in the boot , whereby he drew out his entrails with him , and not long after he gave up the ghost . also d· augustine , who by slanderous libels had endeavoured to stirre up the king against the brethren , died suddenly as he was at supper . another noble man of these persecutors , as he was hunting , his horse threw him , and his arrow ran into his thigh , and came out at his loins , whereby he died a most paineful death . many others of them felt the like judgements of god ; so that it grew into a proverbe amongst them : if you be weary of your life , attempt something against the piccards , and you shall not escape a year to an end . about this time god stirred up in germany , undaunted luther , the thunderbolt against the pope , which occasioned many of the calixtines to resolve to embrace the purer doctrine of the gospel , and to seek for the ordination of their ministers from wittenberg , rather then from rome . but amongst these there was one zahere , an apostate , who to ingratiate himselfe with the king and pope , would enforce the pastors and citizens of prague to subscribe to sundry articles , or else they must be proscribed . and first of all six pastors were banished , then sixty five of the chiefest citizens : then to colour greater cruelty , a rumour was spread abroad of a conspiracy made by the brethren against the calixtines ; and to extort a confession hereof , three citizens were brought to the rack , who rather chose to suffer all torments , then falsly to accuse the innocent : yet divers were persecuted : amongst others , a cutler that had found an orthodox book about the sacraments , was whipped openly in the market-place , and banished : another was branded in the forehead ; a third was thrust into prison , and there murthered . then in the assembly of estates it was decreed , that the mandate of the king should be put in execution against the piccards : whereupon a new persecution was raised against the brethren , their churches being shut up , and their exercises forbidden . anno . a godly and learned man , together with his hostesse with whom he lodged , a widow of sixty years old , were both burnt in the fire for picardism , together with the books that were found about them . another godly woman being brought before the magistrate , made a hold profession of her faith , and then being required to prepare her garments to be burnt in , she answered , they are ready , leade me away when you please . the crier declaring openly that she had bla●ph●med , she with a loud voice denied it , saying , it is false , i am condemned because i deny the reall presence of christ in the sacrament ; give no credit to these priests , they are dissembling hyp●crites , adulterers , sodomites , epicures , &c. being commanded to pray to the crucifix , she turned her back to it , and lifting up her eyes to heaven she said , there is our god , thither we must look , and so chearfully mounting the pile , she was burned , anno christi . the year after two german tradesmen were caught at prague , accused by the monks of lutheranism , and condemned to be burnt : as they went to execution , such gracious words proceeded out of their mouths , as drew tears from the spectators eyes : when they came to the pile , they exceedingly encouraged one another ; on● of them saying , since our lord christ hath suffered such grievous things for us , let us chearfully suffer for him , and rejoyce that we have found so much favour with him , that we are counted worthy to die for the law of god : the other said , i in the day of my marriage found not so much inward joy as i do now . when fire was put to them , with a loud voice they said , lord jesus , thou in thy sufferings prayedst for thine enemies , therefore we also do the like . forgive the king , the men of prague , and the clergy , for they know not what they do , and their hands are full of bloud ; and so they slept in the lord. but one of their chief persecutors , who wished that all the piccards were hanged , beheaded or burnt by his own hands , had all these befall himself by gods just judgement : for being much in debt , he hanged himself , and when his friends had privately buried him ; the common people hearing of it , digged up his carcasse , and cast it away , which by the magistrates command was ordered to be burnt ; but when the woodstack was consumed , and the carcasse only scorched , his head was stricken off . zahera the apostate , when under colour of an inquisition against the piccards , he raised up civil commotions , was by the king banished , where he died miserably : the like befell another of those cruel persecutors . anno . ferdinand the first succeeding in the kingdom , the popish party cunningly stirred up the calixtines to persecute the brethren : whereupon , they suffering many grievous things sent a petition , together with a confession of their faith to ferdinand at vienna , subscribed by twelve barons and thirty three knights , complaining how unjustly they were accused by their enemies , and that the priests ordinarily cried out that the piccards might be slain without controul , and that a lesse sin was thereby committed , than if one killed a dog , ferdinand returned answer , that he had not leisure to consider of their papers , yet promised that nothing should be done either against law or equity , till he had further knowledge of the cause . in the mean time the brethren being much encouraged by letters from luther , bucer and capito , went on constantly , and through gods mercy , a great nummber was added to the church , till that fatal year . at which time charles the fifth putting in execution the decrees of the counsell of trent , raised warres against the protestant princes in germany : at which time his brother ferdinand sollicited the bohemians for aid , but they refused it in regard of their ancient league with the house of saxony . but the german protestants being overcome in warre , ferdinand entred bohemia with an army , seizeth on prague , imprisoneth the principall nobles , barons , and citizens , some he scourged , some he beheaded , and upon others he laid grievous fines , and of others he sequestred all their estates : also he disarmed the city of prague , took away their privileges , banishing some , whilst others went into voluntary exile . then did the devil raise up some to lay all the blame upon the brethren , to which malicious suggestions the king giving heed , first by open proclamation commanded all their churches to be shut up , and then he took away their peers , and banished them all out of his realms . when this thunderbolt came abroad , the brethren agreed amongst themselves that they would be more faithfull to god and their consciences then they had been : and so by common consent , dividing themselves into three companies , they went into poland : and all of them had experience of an admirable divine protection in their journey : escaping some that might , and would have robbed them , but that they were restrained by god : as also in most places where they came , they found christian commiseration and liberality of men towards them , and courteous entertainment in poland , though most of them were papists ▪ yet not long after the bishop of that part where they were , got a mandate from the king to drive them away : then were they forced to goe into the farthest parts of prusia , whereby d. albert brandenburg they had a place of habitation alloted to them , and one paul speratus , a protestant bishop , having conferred with them about their faith , was very courteous and charitable to them . the next edict that ferdinand set forth against the brethren , was for the apprehending of all their ministers , whereupon some of them retired into moravia , others , that they might be near their flocks , hid themselves in private places , & in the night-time they visited the faithfull , which continued for some years , but at last three of them fell into their enemies hands : yet one of them , through the admirable providence of god , escaped out of a deep dungeon in the castle of prague , and fled to his brethren in borussia , and he sometimes passing through polonia , and preaching the gospel , through gods mercy , many of the nobility , and others were converted by his ministry : so that in a few years he erected twenty churches in poland . the enemies having imprisoned john augusta , they much rejoyced at it , because he was a chief minister amongst the brethren , and as luther in germany against the pope , so he , both by his ministry and writings had mightily confuted the calixtines , and thereupon they laid to his charge his refusall to raise forces for the assistance of ferdinand , and intentions of bringing in john frederick , elector of saxony to be king in bohemia , and for the discovery of this pretended conspiracy he was cruelly racked three times , but when they could draw nothing from him , they yet kept him in prison seventeen years . anno . ferdinand published another decree for the extirpating both of the brethren , and lutherans : and the ministers that had received ordination in germany , or that were married , were banished out of the kingdom to the number of about two hundred . also the baron of schanow , a man of much experience and learning , being apprehended under the pretence of some conspiracy against ferdinand , was imprisoned , examined , and then laid on the rack : he with an heroical indignation cut out his tongue , and cast it away , and being asked why he did it , he wrote on the wall , i did it because i would not by any tortures be brought to say any thing falsly against my selfe or others . he also in a writing taxed the tyrannical proceedings against himselfe and other innocents , citing the king and his counsellors to appear and answer it before the tribunall of god , and so shortly after died . about that time ferdinand brought jesuites into prague , and built a stately college for them , who sought by all means to overthrow the church of christ , and added fuell to the fire of persecution . after the death of ferdinand maximilian succeeded anno . who being of a peaceable disposition could by no means be induced that any should suffer for their faith . after him rodulphus succeeded , anno . who treading in his father steps , the church of christ enjoyed peace under him , yea , pure religion so flourished through the whole kingdom , that there was scarce one amongst an hundred that did not professe the reformed religion : but alas ! with liberty of religion , by little and little men began to be licentious in their lives , and carnal security so encreased , that some began to presage that an horrible tempest should again overwhelm them . after the death of rodulphus succeeded mathias , who comming into bohemia , anno . he called an assembly of the states , but it being harvest time , few appeared : to them that did appear , mathias , complained , that since he had no issue he would adopt ferdinand for his son , commendeth his vertues , and desires that he may be crowned : the orders assembled , affirmed , that a matter of that consequence could not be done in the absence of the united provinces : caesar urged , that what bohemia should do would be confirmed by all the rest , that he grew faint , and it could not be deferred till another time . in brief , the oorders protested , that the term of receiving him king , was new , that he ought first to be chosen , and then received : and some perceiving that there was no place for a free voice , departed : others , partly allured by promises , and partly deterred by threats , staid , and were present at the cronation of ferdinand , after which he presently went into moravia , silesia , and lusatia , requesting to be received for their king. the persecution of the church in bohemia , which began anno christi , . ferdinand the second emperour of germany , being thus obtruded upon the bohemians for their king , contrary to the ancient constitutions and customes of the kingdom , and not lawfully elected thereunto , as he ought to have been , retired presently into germany : and thereupon the enemies of the truth began to crow , and openly to threaten the protestants : and it appeared sufficiently that ferdinand sware to the orders with his mouth , but in his heart to the pope , and presently after his departure , the popish bishops , clergy , and nobles , began to vex his subjects for religion , contrary to that assurance which the king had given to them : they attempted also the like in prague , the jesuites daily threatning that their liberty in religion should not last long . then did they strictly prohibit the protestants from printing any thing unlesse licensed by the chancellor of the kingdom , themselves in the mean time divulging their own slanderous pamphlets and dangerous writings against the protestants . then instructions were given to the captains and judges that they should suffer no meetings in churches except themselves were present , and except they had a popish priest to administer only in one kinde . then the burgrave , who had the custody of the crown , and priviledges of the kingdom , was apprehended ; because in the late parliament he had stood for the free election of a king , and delivered prisoner to one of the bitterest enemies of the protestants . in other places they destroyed the churches of the protestants . in the begining of the year the governors of the university and consistory met together , having formerly had power given them so to do , and choosing six persons , two barons , two knights , and two citizens : to consult what was best to be done in this time of their enemies insolency ; there presently came an injunction in caesars name to inhibit them to call any together , and that if any man was called , he should not dare to appear upon the pain of high treason . notwithstanding which , the major part of the states met , and when as new prohibitions and threats were spread abroad , and the states were informed that those thunderbolts came not from the king , but from the castle of prague , their abused patience was turned into severity , and being guarded with a great troop , they went to the castle , and apprehended two of the chief authors of these troubles , and threw them headlong out of the castle windows , together with their secretary that was privy to all their designs : but god intending to preserve them to be the bohemians scourges , they caught no hurt in the fall , falling upon the grasse , and greate store of papers . hereupon a great tumult was raised in prague , but the states appeassed it ; & the first thing they did was to banish the jesuits out of bohemia , as the chief contrivers of these mischiefs : then did they write to caesar , that they had no intention against his royall majesty , but only to bring to punishment the disturbers of the publick peace , being authorized thereto by his majesties letter , and bound by their protestation : yet he resolved to revenge this treason ( as he called it ) by force of arms , and the bohemians on the other side resolved to defend themselves , and for that end they chose thirty directors , and the moravians and silesians resolved to joyn with them , when they perceived religion to be the cause of the quarrell . and indeed this was that which the enemies aimed at , and therefore they provoked the bohemians by all waies , that so they might make a conquest of bohemia , and for this end an imperial army presently entred the kingdom under dampier , and a spanish army under bucquoy . in the mean time the states resolved not to admit ferdinand to be their king , who was so open an enemy both to their religion and liberties , and who was obtruded upon them without a due election : they sent also embassadors to franckford , where the electors were met together to choose a new emperour , desiring that ferdinand might not be admitted amongst them as king of bohemia , notwithstanding which , he was admitted and chosen emperour : the bohemians in the mean time choosing frederick elector palatine , for their king ; this more enraged their enemies , so that , they sent another army under maximilian of bavarie , which took two protestant towns by storm , and put all to the sword , and every where made great slaughter of the protestants : then the imperiall armies came to prague , which being struck with a pannick fear , the protestant army being overthrown in a set battell under the wals , and their new king fled , they delivered up the city to them , the conqueror promising to keep articles agreed upon , but performing nothing lesse . for they did more mischief to the church of christ by their subtile and slow proceedings , then lately by their outragious fury , when the sword fire , and wheel were the instruments of their rage against the faithfull . for a little before , when it was debated at rome how they should deal with the bohemians , and germans after the conquest ; it was agreed , that seeing their former strong purges which they had used to expell hereticall humours , had not proved effectuall : they therefore resolved not to put them to death wherein they did glory as in martyrdom , but rather to weary them and to change the hatefull name of inquisition into the milder name of reformation . and whereas there was a debate amongst the imperialists at prague , whether all the protestants should be presently banished , the negative was resolved on , because they would then carry much away with them , and so spoil the province , and indure their banishment with greater ease , & therefore they concluded that they must first be squeezed , and deprived of their goods : and for this end the souldiers at prague were authorrized to plunder the houses of noblemen and citizens , yet this was done at several seasons , and mostly in the night , by which meanes , as the enemies boasted , they took from the protestants some millions of gold : for indeed hither were all their riches brought in the time of war , as to a place of the greatest security : but as this fell to the commanders shares , so the neighbouring places were exposed to the fury of the rest , the common souldiers robbing and spoyling villages , towns , and churches , burning and killing without any restraint : the souldiers that were placed in garrisons would not only have free-quarter , but extorted mony from their landlords every day . then were comissions sent abroad , promising security to those noblemen , knights , corporations , and ministers , that would bring in a good sum of money to pay the army , which yet they would not receive as a free gift , but only desired to borrow it . caesars protection was also promised to those that were liberall , the rest were threatned to be plundred by the souldiers . they set down also what sums they expected from every one within such a time : they promised also that when that was paid , the souldiers should be removed , which made every one to bring in their plate , money , and jewels the more willingly . then were commissioners sent to require certain cities , that belonged to the protestant noblemen , to mantaine the standing forces of the kingdome , and to contribute corn for their publicke granaries : but whilest they were fed with a vaine hope of lessening and removing the souldiers , there were more listed , which raised the taxes so high as was impossible for the people to pay : and where as some were allured to deny the truth that they might be eased of taxes , and quarterings of souldiers , this was not performed , whereupon they complained that promise was broken with them , but the jesuits answered them , that they had no cause to complain , for they had provided for their souls , and therefore they ought cheerfully to help the king by contributions and quarterings of souldiers , and that hereticks must be dealt with , as mad men and children , from whom ●f you desire to get a knife , you must shew them something else , though you never intend to give it them . thus the kingdom being emptied of gold and silver , counterfeit and adulterate money was coined in great abundance , that so the common people might rejoyce in their plenty ; but in the mean time the souldiers would rec●ive none but good money . gold and silver also was raised to ten times the price of it , and on a sudden the emperour diminished the value ; making every piece of money to be worth but the tenth part : whereby the bohemians were more impoverished suddenly , then if they had lain under the burden of an army ten years . then was it ordered that the creditor should lose all the money that he had lent in the time of the rebellion , as they called it , and thus they were first impoverished , after which the enemies insulted over them by infamous books , insolent pictures , and proud words . then did they send abroad their commissioners of reformation , who in every town and village endeavored to bring protestantism into disgrace , and highly to magnifie and set abroad their owne cause : the most eminent men for honour and estates are invited to apostasie , the inferiour sort are either fooled by their examples , or compelled by thre●tnings . then was there an high-court of reformers set up , from which there was no appeal in the next place the souldiers exercised barbarous tyranny against the ministers of jesus christ. one aged minister lying sick in his bed , they shot him to death as he lay : the next day they robbed and murthered another ; another as he was preaching to his people , they came into the church ; and shot him to death . another nobleman , and a minister hearing of souldiers that were coming that way , conveighed themselves away into a place of safety the souldiers when they came , caught a schoolmaster , and binding him in cords , examined him where the lord of that place , and the minister were , and where they had hid their treasure ; he professed , that he knew neither the one nor the other , whereupon they beat him , first with their fists , then with cudgels , then stripping him naked , they so extreamly singed him with fire , that at last he promised to bring them where the treasure was , shewing them a ditch full of stones , which for greediness of gold they emptied , but finding nothing , they beat him afresh , and when he professed that he knew of no treasure , though through pain he had said so much , they cudgelled him , and with clods beat him into the ditch , and buried him under the stones . presently after they lighted on another godly minister , whom they so miserably tortured that he ●ied within five daies , shamefully abusing his daughters also whom they led away with them . another godly minister for a moneth together they excruciated with new invented mockeries : they spit in his face , buffeted him with their fists , exposed him to be beaten by every vile rascall : they with a knot●y cord twisten about his forehead , with a stick so strained his head , that his very eyes were ready to start out : then they let loose a wilde horse upon him , which yet leaped quite over him , and did him no harm : at last , with much adoe he redeemed himself with five hundred florences . another pastor they lighted on , and because he had a better estate then the former , they tormented him more , sometimes covering him over with hot burning coals , sometimes with ice , till they had forced him to pay a thousand five hundred florences for his ransome , though shortly after through extremity of the pain , he died . another minister they fetched from his house , and miserably tortured him by twisting a cord about his head , then tied they his hands behinde him , and his legs with a small cord , intending the next morning to torture him with fire , but in the night time as he was earnest at his prayers , repeating those words , in thee o lord is my trust , he perceived his hands and feet miraculously to be loosned , whereupon getting up , he went to the gate , where were three watchmen , one of them standing with his hand on his sword , yet he passed by them undiscovered : when he came to the town-gate , he was known by the souldier that stood sentinell , but he , being a bohemian , was overcome by entreaty , and let him passe over the bridge , whereby he escaped . another minister together with his wife they cruelly burnt : another was hanged upon a crosse-beam , and making a fire under him , they broiled him to death : another they cut into small peeces : another minister they sought for , but he being escaped , they took a young man in his house , laid him on his back , filled his mouth with gunpowder , which setting fire to , they miserably tore his jaws in pieces , and then killed him . when some souldiers came to the house of another , he entertained them courteously , and made good provision for them , but when they knew he was a minister , they first beat him cruelly , then killed him , stripped , and plundered his house ; they also burnt his library , and would not suffer his body to be buried for seven weeks , during their abode there . another aged minister and his wife , were so sorely burned by a souldier that demanded money of them , that presently after they died . another was hung up by the privy members , being seventy years old , and his own books burnt under him , and at last was shot through , and slain . another was first assessed at seven hundred florences , then had his house plundred , and lastly himself was murthered . another they caught and wounded , cutting his neck half through : but being afterwards carried by some friends to a chirurgion , he lived about two years , but in much pain and torment . another being above seventy years old , they carried into the market-place , where laying him upon a fire , they burnt him to death : another was beaten so , that he died three daies after . the jesuites laid wait for one pescinus , a man eminent for learning and piety , at last they suborned an apostate to betray him , who discovering him as he rode in a coach with a nobleman , fourty horsemen came suddenly , and took him away : but by the importunity of some noblemen , he was ransomed for four thousand florences , and ended his life in banishment . another being bound to a tree , was made a mark for the musquetiers to shoot at , and though they did not hit him , yet by reason of the affrightment he died within three daies . another being met by a notable papist , was ran thorow with a spear : but all this was done through military licentiousnesse ; now we come to what was acted by processe of law. anno . six articles were exhibited to the protestant congregations in prague . . that they should lend some thousands of pounds to caesar for the paiment of his army . . that they should publickly renounce the coming in of frederick . . that they should bring into the church the popish rites and ceremonies . . that their ministers should be ordained anew . . that the ministers should leave their wives , or get a dispensation from the archbishop . . that such as would renounce their ecclesiasticall functions , should have publick promotions , and the favour of caesar. but they answered unanimously , that they would doe nothing against their consciences . then came forth an edict , wherein the blame of all the former rebellion ( as they called it ) was laid upon the ministers of prague , because they had stired up , by their seditious and lying sermons ( as they pleased to stile them ) and by their writings , not only the common people , but the nobles also against caesar ; and that they were the authors of the choice of frederick , and that they still laboured to stirre up in the people an hatred against caesar. thereupon all the ministers within prague , were required within three daies to depart out of prague , and within eight daies to depart out of all the kingdom , and the provinces belonging thereto , and never to return again ; and if any under what pretence soever , should stay or returne again , or if any should presume to harbour or conceal any of them , that both the one and the other should suffer death : this was anno . then were their churches in prague given to the jesuits . it can not be expressed what lamentations and mournings there were amongst the people , when thus they must leave their pastors , and that for ever . yet the german ministers , whereof there were two , were suffered to continue in favour to the duke of saxony . then did as many as understood dutch , flock to their congregations , which so vexed the jesuits , that they obtained , not a banishment , but a gracious dismission of them as they would have it called . multitudes of people followed them , with great lamentations and tears , and in the field they heard their farewell sermon . the next design was , to remove the ministers out of other free cities , and the commissioners of reformation were imployed herein : one of them with a troop of horse coming to slana , and going to church , the minister ( a godly and learned man ) was reading the gospel : the commissioner sent a souldiers to him to bid him give over , but the minister still going on , himself went to him with his sword drawn , crying out , thou foolish preacher , leave off thy babling , and withall he dashed the bible out of his hand with his sword : the minister with eies , hands , and voice lift up to heaven , repeated often , woe , woe unto you , you enter not into heaven your selves , and forbid them that would ; woe , woe , woe unto you . but they mocking at these words , presently laid hands on him , justling him to and fro , whereupon he said , i for the name of my lord jesus christ am ready to suffer all this , and what else you shall impose . the people were much affrighted , but the chief magistrates and many good women interceding for him , he was at last dismissed , provided that he should depart the city within three daies ; and thus was this faithfull shepherd , not without the greate lamentations of his people , banished , where , about three years after he died . in a neighbouring city , the minister for fear of these barbarous proceedings , went a way of himself , yet the commissioners extorted a great summe of money from his church , and banished him in his absence . in another place they commanded the minister to depart from his parish within three daies , and from the city within eight daies ; he modestly asking the reason of his banishment , they told him caesar by conquest was master of all the churches , and that therefore he would put into them whom he pleased . but , into the rooms of these godly preachers , were put in unclean men , wicked , blasphemers , and men illiterate , and of no worth ; and yet they could not provide for all places : so that one of their hirelings supplied divers churches , and in stead of the wholesome food of gods word , he fed them with poison . then brought the ignorant monks out of poland , unprofitable burthens to the earth , yet fit enough to be scourges to unprofitable and common gospellers . then a commissioner , with some troops of horse , entring into ctutenburg , a place famous for maintaining the orthodox faith , cals before him the ministers , casts them out of their places , and puts jesuits into their churches : and these jesuits urging it , the ministers were commanded to depart out of the city gates before break of day , and out of the kingdom within eight daies : hereby were twenty one ministers driven away , many citizens accompanying them : one of them at the parting , preached upon that text , they shall cast you out of the synagogues ; exhorting them to perseverance . all the multitude much bewailed their losse , and with great lamentations , wailing and kissing each other , they recommended themselves to the blessing and protection of the almighty . in every place the ministers were cast out of their livings , some imprisonned , and after a while dismissed , and all commanded to depart the kingdom , upon pain of death . some were stifled with stink whilest they lay in prison . at last , anno . an other decree came forth from the king , whereby all the ministers of the gospel were commanded to depart the kingdom , by a peremptory day prefixed , because , as was alledged , they were seditious men , and seducers of the people : yet herein they used this artifice , that in most places this edict was concealed , till the time was almost or altogether elapsed , so that by this means the ministers not having time to communicate their counsels together , went into severall provinces , and some were faigne to hide themselves in caves & dens , and those either returned privately , and visited their auditors , or comforted such as came to them in the mountains and woods , preaching and administring the sacraments to them . but as soon as the enemies understood it , they presently published a new decree , wherein a punishment was preposed to those that should conceal the ministers , and a rewarde to such as should betray them : whereupon some of the ministers were taken and cast into prison : then by the jesuits were they by all waies sollicited to apostacy ; and fear of death , hunger , cold , the stink of the prison &c. prevailed with some to renounce their ministery : but most bore up couragiously against all storms , and at last some by paying great fines , others by giving it under their hands , that they would never returne into bohemia , were dismissed . one godly minister was examined by tortures , when , where , and to whom he had administred the sacraments of baptism or the lords supper , &c. he answered , that he had neither laide down , nor slacked his ministry , which he received from christ , and not from caesar : being profferred life if he would change his religion he answered , this body of mine is subject to corruption , and now it begins to decay already , why would you have me hinder it ? being brought forth to execution , the crier with a loud voice proclaimed that he was guilty of sedition : but he with a loud voice said , i suffer for the truth of christ. none of the citizens were suffered to accompany him , yea they were threatned to be shot , if they did but look out at their windows : and that his voice might not be heard , the drums and trumpets sounded continually . as he was passing on , he chearfully said : this day shall my soul be with christ : the captain said , with the devil in hell : the martyr replied , but you with your impious crew will run headlong thither , except ye repent . then was his right hand cut off , wherewith he gave the cup in the sacrament : then was his head cut off , his bowels taken forth , and wrapped in his shirt , his quarters set upon four stakes , and his head upon the fifth . then did the commissioners go into moravia , to a noble baron called charles de zerotina , a man for wisdom and vertue famous through all europe , a constant professor of religion , and one who maintained twenty four ministers of the brethren within his jurisdiction : they told him that they had an express command from cardinall ditrichsteine to expell all those ministers out of the country : he answered , that in matters of religion he ought not to be subject to the cardinall ▪ and therefore from him he appeals to caesar. then did they grant him fourteen daies to prosecute his appeale , but the baron being not in health ; could not go in that time to caesar , then they came again to him , an told him that it should be in his choice whether he would send them a way himself , or suffer them to do it ; the baron answered , that he could not banish those whom he knew to be the servants of jesus christ , nor could consent that they should do it : yet that night they sent abroad their citations to require all the inhabitants of that village to appear before them the next morning , at which time the minister and people came ; then did they read to them caesars edict , asking them if they would submit to it ; they answered that they wholly relied upon the will of god , whom they served in the gospell of his son , and therefore they were resolued to undergo what punishment they should inflict , seeing they suffered only for the name of jesus christ , and not for any ill deeds : then they demanded of them , whether the would forsake their heresie , and returne to the catholick church ; which they unanimously denied . the commissioners would have given them time to consider of it , but they all answered , that in so religious a cause as this , they needed no deliberations ; hereupon in caesars name they banished them , commanding them to depart within eight daies : these godly persons obeyed , and by the baron , at his own charge they were conveyed into hungary . the like they did in other places , so that the ministers of the gospel through all bohemia and moravia , were thrust out , and ignorant and illiterate persons set in their rooms . the next design of the enemies was against the nobles : the crime was for taking up arms for frederick their lawfull king , against an usurper : for though hope of pardon was granted , if laying down arms they would submit to caesars mercy , yet divers of them were apprehended : and first they seized upon some that were of the rank of defenders of the kingdoms liberties , and then all those whom they knew to have done any thing for the common good of religion and liberty ; or feared that they might be able to do for the time to come , and all such as feared to break their faith given to frederick . these were about the number of fifty men , famous for learning , skill in military affairs , and prudence in government , who were the light , delight and safeguard of their countrey . all of these in one night , and at one hour , were apprehended in their houses , when they suspected no danger , and by the captains were commanded to get up into wagons , and so some of them were carried to the castle of prague , others to the majors house . the next day proclamation were issued out , requiring all those that had hid themselves , or departed the kingdom , to appear within six weeks ; but they not appearing , sentence was pronounced , that all such as were guilty of treason , should forfeit goods , honours and lives , and then their names were set upon the gallows : the next day sentence was pronounced against their heirs , that all their goods should be confiscate to the king. then did they proceed to the triall of the noble men whom they had taken : two appostate civilians were appointed to examine them , with some of the nobility , who tired them out with a thousand impertinent questions , labouring to extort that from them whereof they were never guilty : which one of them not able to endure , renting his garments , and opening his breasts , said , tear into a thousand pieces this body , and search into my heart , and you shall finde nothing there but what is expressed in my apology . the love of religion and liberty made us unsheath our swords ; but seeing god would have caesar prevail , and hath delivered us into your hand , his will be done . others of them also stoutly maintained that their cause was not the worse , because of the successe . after some time when none of these noble men would yeild , or acknowledge themselves in an errour , or sue unto them for mercy , they proceed to execution ; their judgements were committed to such as were sworn enemies to the gospel . after sentence was passed , it was sent to caesar to consider of it : and he was so troubled , that he slept not that night , and the next morning calling his confessor , he said to him , i adjure thee upon thy conscience to tell me whether i may with a safe conscience pardon these that are condemned , or whether i should suffer execution to passe on them ? the confessor answered , o caesar , both are in thy power . then did he with his pen pardon some , and left others to execution , with a great addition of shame and ignominy . presently after they were brought out singly to hear their sentence , wherein some were condemned to death , others to perpetuall imprisonment , others to banishment , and some were reserved to caesars further pleasure . then were each sort of prisoners carried to their severall prisons ; the noble men into the inward prison of the castle , the citizens to the majors house ; and as they went , some villains were suborned to insult over them , saying , why doe they not now sing , the lord reigneth ? then did the wives , children and kinsfolk of the condemned persons , humbly petition for their lives ; but answer was made , that all the favour which could now be granted to them , was , that they should have leave to bury the corps of their friends . in the evening , the condemned men , which were twenty seven in number , had notice given them of the day wherein they were to suffer ; and therefor● they were advised to send for jesuits , or capuchins , or a minister of the augustine confession , for the good of their souls ; but they must expect no minister of the brethren , for that would not be granted to them . the jesuits and capuchins not staying till they were called for , flocked to them , using many perswasions , promising life , &c. if they would turn ; but god so strengthened them , that all those endeavours of satans imps were in vaine . then were some ministers of the augustine confession sent for , who spent that time which remained in religious exercises , conferences , prayer , and singing of psalms , and lastly by administring the sacrament to them . they which were of the brethren , willingly admitted these ministers , protesting that they acknowledged them for brethren , though they differed from them in some things ; only two of them did not partake of the sacrament for fear of some false accusation , comforting themselves with that saying , beleeve , and thou hast eaten . they which were prisoners in the majors house , being called to supper , the night before they were to suffer , comforted themselves , saying , that this was their last supper on earth , but to morrow they should feast with christ in his kingdom ; whereupon a great papist flouted , saying , hath christ cooks for you in heaven ? when it was told them that the noble men were coming to the scaffold in the market place , where they were to suffer , they hasted to the windows , and entertained their fellow martyrs , with singing the . psalm . the night after they spent in psalms , prayer , godly discourse , and mutuall exhortations , that since it pleased god to call them before others , to this honour of martyrdom , they hoped by their constancy to confound the world , to glorifie christ , and to leave a good example to others ; and singing the . psalm , where in david praies to god , to shew some token of good upon him ; one of them said , shew therefore some token of good upon us o god , whereby we thy servants may be strengthened by thy goodnes●e , and our enemies confounded : and being full of faith , he said further , be of good chear , for even in this god hath hard your voice , and to morrow he will shew some wonderfull signe , whereby he will witnesse that we suffer for his cause . early in the morning they washed their faces , and put on clean clothes , as if they had been going to a wedding ; and cut off the collars of their dublets , that when they came to the scaffold , there should need no new making ready . then did they earnestly pray to god , that he would be pleased to confirm and strengthen both themselves and the people concerning their innocency . presently after the sun rising , a beautifull bow appeared , and compassed the heavens , the ministers , souldiers , and many others looking upon it : the martyrs looked out at the window , and saw a rainbow of an unusuall colour , the heavens being very clear , and no rain of two daies before , whereupon falling upon their knees , they lifted up their voices and hands , praising god for this sign that he shewed from heaven . then presently was a gun discharged , which was a warning for their bringing forth to execution ; whereupon those champions of christ encouraged one another , praying that each of them might be strengthened , &c. then troops of horse and foot came to fetch them , the streets , market-place and houses , being filled with multitudes of spectators . the martyrs being called forth one by one , went to their death with and undaunted courage , hasting as if they had been going to a banquet : when one was called for , he thus took his leave of the rest , farwell most loving friends , god give you the comforts of his spirit , patience and courage , that what formerly with your mouths you have professed , you may confirm by your glorious death : behold i go before , that i may see the glory of my lord jesus christ ; you will follow me that we may together see the face of our heavenly father . at this houre all sorrow departs from me , and joyfull eternity shall succeed it . then did the rest answer , god above to whom you are going , prosper your journey , and grant that you may passe happily from this vale of misery , unto that heavenly country ; the lord jesus send his angeles to meet you : go , dear brother , into thine and our fathers house , and we will follow after , presently we shall meet in the heavenly glory , and this we are confident of through him in whom we have beleeved . the first was the lord schlik , a man of admirable parts , about fifty years old : when he was condemned to be quartered , and his parts to be scattered here and there ; he said , the loss of a sepulchre is easie : being exhorted by a minister to courage , he said , i have gods favour so ; that no fear of death doth trouble me ; i have formerly dared to oppose antichrist , and i dare now die for christ. the jesuites troubling him when he came to the scaffold , he shaked them off , and seeing the sun shining bright , he said , christ thou son of righteousness , grant that through the darknesse of death , i may passe into eternall light ; and so having ended his prayers he constantly received the stroak : his right hand and head were hung on the high tower upon the bridge . the lord wenceslaus was next , about seventy years old , famous for learning , religion , and his travels through divers countries : his house was formerly plundered , even to his wearing apparell , he only saying , the lord hath given , and the lord hath taken away . being asked why he would engage himselfe in fredericks cause , he said , my conscience pressed me to do what i did ; i am here , my god , dispose of me thy servant as seems good in thine eyes ; i am full of years , take me out of this life , that i may not see that evill that is coming on my country . afterwards holding forth his bible , he said , behold my paradise , it never yeelded me so much nectar and ambrosia as now . when he was sentenced , he said to the judges , you have a long time thirsted after my bloud , but know withall , you will finde god a revenger of innocent bloud , for whose cause we suffer . a frier saying to him , you are deceived in your opinion , he answered , i rely not on opinion , but on the infallible truth of god , for i have no other way but him who said , i am the way , the truth , and the life . on the scaffold , stroaking his long beard , he said , my gray hairs , behold what honour remains for you , that you should be crowned with martyrdom : and so praying for the church , his country , his enemies , and commending his soul to christ , his head was cut off , and set on the tower. the next was the lord harant , a man that had gained much experience by his travels in asia , africa , and europe ; his crime was that he had taken an oath to be true to frederick , and durst not violate it . as he was going to suffer , he called the minister to him , and told him that he much feared his wives inconstancy in religion , and therefore desired him to exhort her to constancy , and not to suffer her self to be drawn from her religion by any allurements , assuring her that it is the infallible way to salvation . then to exhort her to use more clemency to his subjects , rather easing then over-charging them with burthens . lastly to require her to have a care of his children , and to bring them up in the pure religion , &c. being called to execution , he said , i have travelled through many countries , through many barbarous nations , escaped many perils by sea and land , and now suffer innocently in my own countrey , and by them for whose sake i , and my forefathers have spent our estates and lives ; father forgive them . then he said , in thee o lord have i hoped , let me not be confounded . on the scaffold he said , into thy hands o lord i commend my spirit : in the o lord have i trusted from my youth ; i am confident that i shall be accepted by that ignominious death of my saviour ; and falling upon his knees , he said , to thee o lord i commend my spirit , for thou o god , just and true , hast redeemed me : and so he received the fatall stroke with the sword . the next was casper kaplitz a knight , of eighty six years old : when the minister came to him after his condemnation , he said , see me a miserable old man , who have often intreated my god that he would have mercy upon me , and take me out of this miserable life , but have not obtained it , for god hath reserved me to be a spectacle to the world , and a sacrifice to himselfe , gods will be done : my death indeed is disgracefull in the eyes of men , but glorious in the sight of god ; for god will account that death precious in his sight , which i suffer for his glory and truth : and when it was told him that he might have his life , if he would ask pardon ; he answered , that he would ask pardon of him against whom he had committed many sins all his life , but he never offended the prince , and therefore would not give occasion to suspect that he had committed some crime , for which he had deserved death , &c. god forbid therefore , said he , that i should be separated from this holy company of martyrs . as he was going to the scaffold , being feeble with age , he said , oh my god strengthen me , lest i fall down , and become matter of scorn to the enemies . being crooked with age , and hanging down his head , the executioner could not well come at his neck , whereupon the minister said to him , my noble lord , as you ha●e commended your soul to christ , so now offer up your heavy head chearfully to god , and lift up your sel●e towards heaven . then lifting up his head as well as he could , he said , lord jesus into thy hand i commend my spirit , and so is head was cut off . the next was procopius dorzecki , who after his condemnation said to the minister , i ha●e had a great contention all night with old adam , so that it made me sweat againe ; but thanks be to my god , by whom my soul hath overcome all tentations : saying further , o almighty god , strengthen thy servant that i may not be made a derision to mine enemies by any fear of death ; and as thou wa●● wont to encourage thy holy martyrs , so i ●trongly belee●e thou wilt comfort me . when he was called forth to execution , he said , thanks be to my god , who doth now call me to himselfe , to him i have lived , and for him i will die ; for my saviour hath therefore died and risen again , that he might be lord both of the living and the dead : i know that my soul shall li●e , and my body shall be raised like to his glorious body . upon the scaffold he said to the imperi●ll judges , tell caesar that we are now under his ●udgement , bu● he shall undergoe a more grievous , yet just judgement of god : and seeing a gold medal hanging about his neck , wherein was ingraven the coronation of frederick , he delivered it to one that stood by , saying , i require ●hee , that when my dear king frederick shall recover the throne of this kingdom , thou deliver him this , and tell him , that for his sake i wore it till my death , and that now i lay down my life willingly , for god and my king , and so presently after he lost his head . the next was the l. frederick de bile , who suffered death likewise patiently and piously . the next was the l. hen. otto . a man of great judgment , who having received the sentence of condemn●tion , said , o caesar , do you indeed establish your throne by our bloud ? but what account will you make to god of it in the day of judgement ? &c. kill my body disp●●se my members whither you please : yet d● i belee●e ●hat my saviour will gather them together againe , and clothe 〈…〉 so that with th●s● eyes i shall see h●m , with these ears i shall hear him , with ●his to●gue i shall praise him , and rejoyce with this heart f●re●er . afterwards when the minister came to him , amongst other 〈◊〉 he sai● , i was ●roubled , but now i feel a wonderfull refreshing in m● heart , adding , with his hands lift up to heaven , i give thee thanks o most mercifull saviour , who hast be●n pleased to fill me with so much 〈◊〉 now i fear death no longer , i will die with joy : as he was going to the ●ca●fold he said to the minist●r , i am sure that christ jesus will meet my soul with his angels , that he may bring it to an everlasting marriage , where i shall drink of a new cup , a cup of joy for ever : this death i know shall not separate me from him : upon the scaffold lifting up his eyes to heaven , he said , behold i see the heavens open , pointing with his hand to the place , where others also observed a certain brightnesse which dazled their eyes : after he had prayed silently , he said , into thy hands o lord god i commend my spirit , have pitty on me through jesus christ , and receive me that i may see thy glory : and so he received the stroak of the sword . the next was dionysius zervius formerly a papist , but being told of the promises made to the people of god concerning the pardon of sins , and assurance of salvation to those that believe in christ , he struck his breast , and with tears in his eyes , cried out , this is my faith , and in this i die , i rest in the grace of christ , and i trust in my god , that he will graciously accept my contrite spirit : when upon the scaffold the jesuites exhorted him , he listned not to them , but turned from the crucifix , and falling down on his knees he prayed softly : then looking up towards heaven , he cried , they can take away the body , but they cannot take away the soul : o lord jesus i commend that unto thee : and so he ended his life being fifty six years old . the next was an aged man about seventy years old , that had been long lame : his crime was that he had assisted frederick with his counsel and wealth : at the time of his death , he said , o lord jesus , who being innocent didst undergo death , grant that i may die the death of the righteous , and receive my soul into thy hands . the next was the lord of rugenia , a man of excellent parts , and full of zeal for god ; when he was iudged to die , he said , that it was more welcome to him then if the emperour had given him life , and restored him to his estate with addition of more : afterwards he said to the minister : god is our witnesse , that we fought for nothing but the liberty of religion : and in that we are overcome and condemned to die , we acknowledge , and finde that god will not have his truth defended by our swords , but by our bloud , &c. when he saw divers called out before him , he said , what is the matter my god ? thou knowest that i resign my self wholly unto thee : ah do not despise thy servant , but make haste to take me away : and when the sheriff came for him , he rejoyced , and said , praised be my god , that i shall now be taken out of the world , that i may be with christ : and so he went to meet him : on the scaffold he comforted himself with that promise , father , i will , that where i am , my servants may also be , to behold that glory which thou gavest me : therefore ( said he ) i make haste to die that i may be with christ , and see his glory , and so he suffered martyrdom couragiously . the next was valentine cockan of about sixty years old : during his imprisonment , he was full of heavenly discourse , and at the scaffold he said , grant me o god to passe through this valley of death , that i may presently see thee , for thou knowest my god that i have loved thy word , bring me o god through the paths of life , that i may see fulnesse of joy in thy presence : and kneeling down , he said , into thy hands o lord i commend my spirit , and so holily ended his life . the next was toby steffick a man of a composed temper , and sincere in religion : he spent most of the time of his imprisonment in silent sighs and tears : before his execution he said , i have received many good things of the lord all my life long , shall i not therefore receive this cup of affliction ? i imbrace the will of god , who by this ignominious death makes me conformable to his son , and by a narrow way brings me to his heavenly kingdom : i praise god who hath joyned me undeservedly to these excellent men , that i might receive with them the crown of martyrdom : when he was called to die , he said : my saviour being about to die , said , father , not as i will , but as thou wilt : thy will be done . shall i therefore who am but a worm , yea , dust , and a shadow contradict his will ? far be it from me : yea , i come willingly my god , only have mercy on me , and cleanse me from my sins , that no spot or rinckle may appear in me , but that i may appear pure in thy sight , and so he lifted up himself full of sighs , yet full of hope , and as he was praying he rendered up his spirit unto god. then was jessenius , a doctor of phisick , called forth , a man famous for piety and learning all over europe : having hard his sentence , he said , you use us too cruelly and disgracefully : but know , that our heads shall be buried , which you ignominiously expose for a spectacle : which afterwards came to passe , anno . when the king of sweden with his army took prague , and caused the martyrs heads to be taken from the tower , and solemnly and honourably buried . when the hangman required his tongue to cut it off , he willingly put it out , and falling upon his knees , as he was praying , his head was cut off , his body quartered and set upon four stakes . the next was christopher chober who much encouraged his fellow-martyrs , and then cited the words of ignatius , i am gods corn , and shall be ground with the teeth of wilde beasts : so we ( saith he ) are gods corn , sown in the field of the church , and that we may be for our masters use , we are now to be torn by beasts : but be of good chear , the church is founded in bloud , and hath ever encreased by bloud : god is able to raise up a thousand worshippers of himself out of every drop of our bloud : for though truth now suffers violence , yet christ reigns , and no man shall throw him from his throne : being called to execution , he said , i come in the name of my god , neither am i ashamed to suffer these things for his glory , for i know whom i have beleeved : i have fought the good fight of faith , and finished my course , &c. then praying , into thy hands lord i commend my spirit , he received the crown of martyrdom . john shultis was next , who on the scaffold , said , why art thou so sad o my soul ? hope thou in god for thou shalt yet praise him : &c. the righteous seem to die in the eyes of fools , but indeed they go to their rest : lord jesus thou hast promised that whoso comes to thee , thou willt not cast off : behold i now come , look on me , pity me , pardon my sins , and receive my soul , to thy self : then kneeling down , he said , come come , lord jesus , and doe not tarry , and so he was he headed . the next was maximillian hostialick , a learned , and pious man : after his condemnation he was sadder then the rest , and being asked by the minister the reason of it , he said , the sins of my youth doe now come into my minde : for though i know that nothing remains to condemn them which are in christ jesus : yet i know that god exerciseth justice as well as mercy towards his own : being called to death , he said , look upon me o lord my god , and lighten mine eyes , lest i sleep the sleep of death ; and lest mine enemies say , we have prevailed . afterward repeating the words of simeon , now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace , for mine eyes have seen thy salvation , he was beheaded . the next was john kutnaur , who when the jesuites began to speak to them , said , pray you trouble not our consciences ; we are sufficiently furnished against the fear of death , we need none of your help : and when they would have proceeded , he said , why do you create unprofitable labour to your selves , and trouble to us ? then said they one to another , they are hard rocks , and will not suffer themselves to be removed : to whom he answered , you sa● true , christ is an hard rock , and we are firmly fixed on him . afterwards he said to his fellow-martyrs , i understand that i must be hanged , but whether by the neck , middle or feet , i know not , nor ca●e not ; this only is my grief , that my bloud may not be mingled with yours , that we might be made one sacrifice to god : when he was called forth to execution , he was besprinckled with the tears of his friends , to whom he said , play the men , brethren , and refrain fron weeping , i go before , but it is but a short time and we shall meet in the heavenly glory ; when he was upon the ladder , he said , i have plotted no treason , committed no murder , i have done nothing worthy of death ; but i die because i have been faithfull to the gospel , and my country ? o god pardon my enemies , for they know not what they do : but thou o christ have pity on me , for i commit my soul unto thee , and so he slept in the lord. the next was simeon sussickey , who when he saw the jesuites comming , he said to his companions : these birds of prey are flying hither , but they shall not feed on these carcasses , but return hungry ; for god hath promised to perserve his own as the apple of his eye , and therefore he will not suffer us to be seduced . the last night he had a great conflict with the flesh , because the scripture saith , cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree : but when the minister told him that that curse was taken away by the death of christ , he was well satisfied : he went to his death praying and singing , and being hanged next to kutnaur which was his son in law , after he was dead , he turned towards him , and so near that their mouths touched each other : so that their enemies said , these were such obstinate rebels that they cease not to plot after death . the next was nathaneel wodnianskey , who when the jesuites sollicited him to apostacy , he said to them : you take away our lives under pretence of rebellion , and not content with that , you seek to destroy our souls ? glut your selues with sight of our bloud , and be satisfied with that , but we shall leave a sting in your consciences : afterwards his own son saying to him , my father , if hope of life should be proffered you , upon condition of apostacy , i pray you be mindefull of keeping your faith to christ : he answered , it is very acceptable to me my son , to be exhorted to constancy by you , but what makes you to suspect me ? i rather advise and exhort you to follow your fathers steps , and to exhort your brethren , sisters , and children , to that constancy whereof i shall leave you an example : and so he patiently ended his life upon the gallows . the next was wenceslaus gisbitzky , to whom were given great hopes of life : but the minister fearing satans stratagems , advised him to take heed of security , and to prepare himself for the encounter of death : upon the scaffold , seeing his hopes frustrate , he fell on his knees , and said : we are prostrate before thee , o eternal father , do not forsake us , have pity on us through jesus christ : we would say more , but we are not able to expresse it : into thy hands doe we commend our souls , perfect that which thou hast begun to work in us . render to us our inheritance that we may sing holy , holy , holy , &c. and so in the midst of his prayers he ended his life . there was also one martin fruin , an eminent citizen of p●ague , who being taken in his own house , was scoffed at by the souldiers , beaten with their fists , and afterward cruelly tortured , and so burnt in the privy parts , that for six moneths he was troubled with most grievous pain : he was shut up in prison from all company , and at last was found dead in the castle ditch under the tower. presently after the execution of these holy martyrs , all their goods were confiscated , as also of those that were driven into banishment . then was a proclamation published , wherein a generall pardon of all crimes was offered to all the inhabitants of the kingdom , only their goods were confiscated , either in whole or in part , which must be brought into his majesties treasury , to pay his debts which were contracted by this necessary war : besides which , they were to make a confession of their faults in a form prescribed before cardinall lichtenstein , who was caesars viceroy , and if any did not appear , he should lose this favour . hence it was that the enemies publikely boasted that none were punished but such as were convicted by their own confession . then by edict all were forbidden to diminish , or waste their goods , by selling them , or conveying them over to others : and if any man should send away his goods to another place , all should be lost : and whosoever received such goods , should pay so much of his own to the emperour . yet the merry judges turned all this to a jest , saying to divers that pleaded their innocency from having any hand in bringing in frederick , that though they had not actuall sins , yet they were infected with the original sin of heresie and wealth , and therefore could not be exempted from punishment . then did they proceed to take from the protestants all their castles , towns , and villages , whereby they were deprived of their livelihoods , and driven into strange places : some were forced to cast themselves upon their popish friends , others to become servants to their own destroyers . afterwards all their personall estates were sequestred , scarce leaving so much as a garment for them wherewith to cover their nakedness : and lest any man should should have money at use , they commanded all to bring in all their bonds , upon pain of losing all their debts , if they concealed the least : and when any considerable sum was brought in , the kings treasurers were at hand , who protesting that the emperour had need of it to defray his charges of war , took it away , giving to the party a note that so much was due to him from the emperour , which yet was never repaied . and thus the protestants being commanded to depart the kingdom , the popish party divided their confiscated goods and lands amongst themselves : and as it lay commodious for any of them , they added this or that village , town , castle , or lordship to their own , but the greatest part fell to strangers shares , spaniards , italians , or germans which were commanders in the imperiall army , instead of their pay . if any widows or orphans had lands or goods not taken away , their popish neighbours would either circumvent them by craft , or weary them ▪ out by quartering souldiers upon them , and so enforced them to sell them their lands , at what prices themselves listed to make thereof , and yet afterwards not paying that neither . then did the emperour call for the ancient charters of the kingdom , which he immediately rent , and threw into the fire . the ministers being all banished , the noble lord charles de zerotine did yet not onely retain his houshold-chaplaine ; but he sustained also many others privately in their caves with bread and water ; and not fearing man , he did not only give liberty to his own subjects , but to divers others in neighbouring places to resort to the holy exercises which were performed in his castle . then did the enemies by a new edict publish , that all such barons , noblemen , and citizens , as kept any protestant tutor for their children , should presently dismisse him : otherwise he should be taken and punished . then by another edict all the protestants were cast out of protection of the laws , and were to have no benefit by them . the enemies being every day puffed up with their successes and victories , made a decree that all the protestant noblemen should presently depart out of the kingdom , and the emperour published a proclamation , that to prevent all divisions which were dangerous to the kingdom and magistrates , therefore he was resolved no longer to tollerate any of the inferiour , much lesse of the superiour estates of either sex , who was infected with hereticall errours : and withall he granted to the superiour states the term of six moneths , to learn the holy roman catholick faith : and for that end he appointed commissioners of reformation to instruct them requiring them , to be obedient to his will , and to be diligently instructed by them , otherwise they should not be suffered to stay in the kingdom , much less to possesse their goods : and therefore he required all those which at the end of that term of six moneths did not turn catholicks , immediately to depart the kingdom and never to returne again . hereupon they which loved religion at their hearts , did presently separate themselves by banishment : others sollicited caesar by petitions , either to change the decree , or to grant them a longer time : others there were that thinking to deceive the emperour and pope , did buy false testimonies of the priests , that they had been at confession , and communicated in one kind , and so made shew of a dissembled apostacy , thereby to avoid banishment . then was the fore-named act extended unto widows , and the protestants children were commanded to be delivered to the care and instruction of chatholicks , or else to be shut up in monasteries : and this caused extream grief and groanes , when noble-mens sons , and daughters , even maids that were marriageable , were pulled from their parents , and friends , and thrust into jesuites colleges , or monks cels : their goods being taken also from them , and committed to papists . the cunning craftinesse of those seducing reformers , deceived many unwary persons , whilest they told them that they might hold their former opinions ; only for order sake they must acknowledge the roman bishop to be the visible head of the church : hereby the simpler sort , thinking that they were not constrained to any other faith , but what they had formerly learned , thought that they might with a safe conscience promise that outward obedience . and if these seducers saw any one of more nobility then ordinary , they presently suggested to them how much it grieved caesar that those ancient families which had formerly been the ornaments and props of the kingdom , should cast themselves out into banishment through there unadvisedness , when they might remaine and flourish under the favour both of god and caesar : and this ruined many of the protestants nobility , who preferred their earthly , before the heavenly country . yet above a hundred families , leaving their inheritances , and all their possessions , went away : amongst these was the lord de zerotine , who might have lived in his countrey if he would have deprived himself of the worship of god , by the losse of his minister , or if he would have used it covertly , yet he rather chose to suffer affliction with the people of god , then to continue the enjoyments of his earthly possessions . and whereas many of these protestants were gone into silesia , and lusatia , the emperour set forth a proclamation , wherein he protested , that it was not his intention to remove them out of bohemia and moravia , and to suffer them in the incorporated provinces , and therefore he commanded them to depart from thence also , or else they should be brought to punishment : requiring them also to send back their children which they had carried with them , upon penalty of losing all the goods which any of them could demand in his countrey . presently after he published another edict wherein he required all the protestant wives of the catholicks , either to reform , or to go into banishment : but when many of the chief officers of the kingdom had protestant wives , and they would not indure that they should be thus divorced from them , he set forth another edict , whereby they were tolerated till the death of their husbands , and then they should be excluded from their inheritances , and sent into banishment : and required that in the mean time they should absent themselves from all festivall and nuptiall solemnities , or else should take the lowest places after the catholicks . and whereas some of the protestants did privately teturn , or stay to make the best of that little that did remain unto them : proclamation was sent out that all such should be apprehended and imprisoned : and to warn all such as had harboured any of them , upon their allegiance , to appear before the chief officers in the castle of prague : requiring that if any knew where any of them lay hid , they should secretly and suddenly attach them , and bring them to prison . then did the emperour repeal , and disannull diverse of the ancient statutes of the kingdom , that made most for the peoples liberties , as concerning their free election of a king , &c. that he might the better every where oppresse them . then in all the free cities men of base and mean quality were appointed to determine a●l businesse , and to be the chief officers , and to these were added some of the chief of the souldiery , the better to procure subjection . these cities also they impoverished by taxes and contributions , which continued divers years , and were extorted by the souldiers power . then masse-priests were put into the places of godly ministers , and people were compelled to frequent the masse : marriages were forbidden , except amongst the catholicks : such as turned apostates were promoted to all places of magistracy in the cities , though men of no judgement , nor experience . then were these articles given to the captains of distresses . . that whosoever is not of the kings religion , all traffick and commerce shall be debarred him . . whosoever shall suffer private preaching , baptism , or matrimony in his house , shall pay a great fine , or suffer six moneths imprisonment : but if he harbour a preacher , he shall lose goods and life . . if any shall work upon catholick holidaies , he shall be imprisoned , and pay ten florences . . it shall not be lawfull for any non - catholick to make a will : if he do , it shall be null . . no youth shall be bound apprentice , or learn any art or trade , unlesse he learn the catholick religion . . the poor people in hospitals , except they be converted by such a day , shall be turned out , &c. after the taking of the city of prague , papists were examined upon oath to declare what they knew or heard that the protestants had spoken or done against caesar. then was an act published to the rest of the citizens , that though they had forfeited their whole estates , yet they should not be wholly sequestred , but every one should contribute part of his estate to support the army : all men also were required upon oath to discover what their estates were : according to which they were injoyned to pay a ransome to obtain a pardon : yea all trading inhibited to such as were not catholicks . in the city of kutterberg were abundance of silver mines , and the inhabitants generally were zealous professors : hereupon so soon as they began to be molested for religion , the kings revenue began to diminish , most of the workmen giving over the work : the king seeing this , he farms his revenues to the citizens for ten years , promising that in the interim they should not be troubled with souldiers , nor for their religion : and hereto he set his hand and seal : but satan envying their place and liberties , stirs up the jesuits , to move the king to break his covenant within four mouths after : and the souldiers were sent thither again , and they began again to be questioned about their religion : the citizens astonished at this manifest breach of covenant , humbly petition that no violence might be offered to them , which would overthrow the mettall-works : but instead of answer , the major and chief aldermen had twenty musquetiers apiece put into their houses upon free quarter , till they had shriven themselves to a priest : the souldiers domineered exceedingly , wasting these mens estates by their profuseness , and abusing them divers other waies at their pleasure : yet the patience of the one , overcame the tyranicall behaviour of the other : these godly men so long as they had it , provided for the souldiers , but when all was gone , some of them withdrew themselves from danger by flight ; others resigned their houses and goods to these domineering villains : delivering the keys to them , and so departing . when yet this prevailed not , the task of reforming that city was committed to don martin , who accompanied with a troop of curiassiers , and himself brandishing a naked sword , entred into the city , the citizens trembling at his coming , hearing of the cruelty which he had exercised in other places , whereupon that very night multitudes of them betook themselves to flight , thinking to hide themselves in neighbouring villages , this caused don martin to get an edict that none should harbour exiles upon a great penalty . the year after a senate at kutterberg was elected out of the apostates : the major being a base and illiterate person , so that all the citizens being still oppressed with the souldiers , either fled with their wives and children , leaving all behinde them , or else were fain to submit their necks to the antichristian yoke . the next city whither these reformers went , was bolislavia , where the orthodox religion had continued for two hundred years , and it was the principall seat of the brethren . the ministers being ejected , they placed in their rooms two crafty friers , that by all means sought to pervert the people , but when this prevailed not , they brought in three companies of souldiers to quarter upon them . then were some of the citizens banished , others cast into prison , and three of the principal was sequestered to strike a terror into the rest ; the cause pretended was , because they said , as was alledged , that none had power to command their consciences , &c. but when yet the citizens remained constant , they were all warned to appear in the court , and being come , they were shut up in severall rooms , and called out and examined one by one . the first was the town-clerk , a weak and timorous man , and therefore they had set a ruffian in a corner , with a sword in his hand , whom the fearfull man seeing , was so terrified , that he promised to turn catholick ; they so rejoyced at this beginning , that they dismissed all the rest , bad them consider of it , and do as the town-clerk had set them an example . amongst these there were two burgomasters , learned men , who exhorted their fellow citizens not to be affrighted with these imaginary terrors . afterwards one of them being called for , was partly with threats , & partly with flatteries so wearied out , that at last he tooke time to consider of it : the other being called for , & an old man proposing the others example to him , he spit in his face , saying , traytor is this your constancy ? and so both he , and the rest of the citizens remained as unmoveable as a rock . the first burgomaster considering what he had done , and being ashamed of it , came and gave them such a positive answer , as that with the rest he was sent to prison . one bartholomew lang told them to their faces , that he had rather die by the sword , then deny his faith ; whereupon with divers others he was thrust into a stinking dungeon , where they kept them prisoners for seventeen weeks , their houses in the meane time being possessed by the barbarous souldiers . one of these godly persons died in prison : and about that time bethlem gabor warring with the emperour , and count mansfield entring silesia , with the king of denmarks army , these tyrants were struck with such a terrour , that presently proclamations came forth , that it was not his majesties pleasure that any man should be forced to the faith , by violent meanes ; by which proclamation the inhabitans of bolislavia had some respit . but the year after , when gabor was retired , and the king of denmark beaten out of silesia , their tyranny againe revived and a new proclamation came forth to inhibit the protestants all trade and commerce ▪ and to command them to abjure their heresies under pain of the severest and inevitable punishment . hereupon some were banished , others voluntarily went into exile , others were denied traffique , the friers taking away such commodities as they set to sale , so that the citizens which stayed , were forced to take the mark of the beast , that they might buy and sell. in the city of litomericia , anno . there was an unanimous agreement amongst the citizens , that none should be made free amongst them , but such as professed the reformed religion : and that whosoever should move for the nulling of this act should be disfranchised ; this continued inviolate for a hundred years till two jesuites sued to be made free men of the city , which being denied , they entred their complaint in the chancery , whether some of the principall aldermen were summoned , and kept for nine weeks space , till by threats they had obtained from them to make these two men free . five moneths after one of them is made an alderman , that so they might have their spies in every place ; there were also cunning seducers sent thither to withdraw the people from their religion . but when this prevailed not , anno . they took the names of every citizen , commanding them constantly to come to the masse , and every one to s●ew his name to the sexton , that they might know that all were there present , or else for every omission they should forfeit five pound . then bringing in more souldiers , they commanded all the inhabitants to be present at their idolatrous procession , and because the recorder came not , they sent a whole company of souldiers to plunder his house , who also abused and threatned his wife . the year after they brought more in souldiers , quartering them in the principall mens houses , in some ten , in some twenty , and in others thirty , who abused them fearefully , but , through gods assistance , they bore it with such admirable patience that the enemies were weary with plaguing them , and began to be more moderate ; yet they published an order , that whosoever would not turn catholick , should , with their wives and children , depart the city & kingdom by a certain day , wherevpon many of them removed into misnia . at the city of radecium they drave away the ministers , and placed there a merry archdeacon , who protested that all violent means were displeasing to him , and therefore he entertained the citizens with jests and merry speeches , and would draw them to taverns and gameing houses : but when after four years triall , he found that he had not converted any one of them by these means , he brought in souldiers for his help : then did he assemble the people , requiring them to go in procession with him , but when none would follow , the souldiers rushed in amongst them with their drawn swords ; whereupon the people ran , some one way , some another , others were forced to follow the procession whether they would or no , and some for refusing were slain . then was a whole regiment of souldiers sent thither , with expresse charge not to depart , till the city was reformed . the archdeacon taking some of these , went to a physitian that had been lame for some years , and asketh him whether he would become a catholick ? which he stoutly refused , saying , that he had rather his half rotten carkasse should be drawn through the fields , and torn in pieces , then to do any thing against his conscience . then were all the inhabitants called together : the city gates shut , and the people grievously threatned if they would not turn , and such as refused , were thrust into prisons , and souldiers were sent to their houses , who raged and domineered over their wives and children ; wherupon they ran to their husbands with tears and intreaties , and prevailed with many of them to desire time to be given them to learn the romish religion , only twenty eight of them , together with their wives and children forsook their earthly estate , and went into banishment to preserve their consciences clear . don martin went also to bidsove , ten-miles from prague , attended with his souldiers , and assembling the citizens , he made an oration to them to turn catholicks , they answered , that they could not unlearn that in an hour , which they had been learning all their life , this so enraged martin , that he assaulted the man that answered for all the rest , with a club , beating him extreamly , and then he commanded the chief officer to carry him out of the city , not suffering him so much as to visit his house before his departure : this so terrified the rest , that they promised to be taught within a certaine time ; and whereas some of them thought to save themselves by flight , sending their wives and some of their goods privately before , with whom went also some godly widows ; martin having intelligence of it , sent some souldiers after them , that stript them of their goods , and brought them back and cast them into fetters , refusing to release them , till both they and their husbands turned catholicks . at zaticum , another city , famous for religion , the minister being banished , friers were put into his place , who being assisted with souldiers used to cane those that would not bow to the host , and because the major and some of the aldermen were absent at a solemn procession , they sined them . then came thither don martin , and proclaimed , that whosoever had any bibles , or other evangelicall bookes ; if they brought them not in 〈◊〉 , they should be fined at a hundred florences , or suffer five weeks imprisonment . as also whosoever refused to come to masse , should pay five florences , and three pounds of wax : all the books that were so brought , he burnt them without the wals ; and for such as still stood out , he quartered troopers upon them , which extorted mony from them day by day : hereupon many forsook their houses , and betook themselves to the hardship of a banished life . then did he proclaim that without his leave none should go out of the gates upon pain of death : the next day he arrested the major , and would not release him , but upon the promise of apostacy . two of the aldermen he bound with iron chains for refusing to adore the host , and for fourteen daies together tormented them grievously , till he had forced their consent to the like apostacy . then assembling the whole senate , he commands them presently to submit to caesars will , to go to auricular confession , and to communicate in one kinde , promising that such as obeyed should be eased of souldiers , that the others should have their burthens doubled , requiring every one in order to answer for himselfe , whether he would promise to perform this within three weeks : one of them modestly pleading to be excused , in regard of his conscience : the furious beast fell upon him , beat him about the head , and abused him with cursed words , saying , thou art an unworthy knave to be in this place , i will have thee bound hand and foot , and cast into a deep dungeon , and when thou hast vomited out thy wicked soul , i will deliver thee to the hangman to be buried , &c. then he cals to his souldiers for chains and fetters , with which they bound his hands and feet , and put an iron coller about his neck , with a thick chaine , and so brought him to the dungeon , where he was tormented for three weeks , neither wife nor children being suffered to come to him , and fed with bread and water ; the jesuites also were daily molesting him : then was he sentenced to death , which he chose before apostacy . then said one of the jesuites , he is possessed with the devil , & therefore he commanded him to be bound more straitely , whereby at last he was forced to go to auricular confession , but by that means getting out of the prison , he fled into misnia to escape their tyranny . all the best citizens did desire banishment , but the city gates were kept strictly , least any should get out , or carry out their housholdstuff ; whereupon many escaped by the mines of the wall , and among these , a lords wife , leaving all her rich housholdstuff behinde her , crept out at the common sewer , to follow her husband into banishment . many of the exiles in misnia , having spent all that little which they carried with them , were forced to seek alms in bohemia , where being betrayed , they were cast into prison , and so tormented , till some of them were almost distracted , and then they were sent away to other places ; some of these were persons of good quality . at tusta a chief officer of the kingdome sollicited the citizens to turn catholicks , which they refusing to do , he complained of it to the jesuites at prague , whereupon don martin is sent thither , who entring the city , sends his souldiers into the senators houses , licensing them to abuse them at their pleasure , so that in a short time many were forced to apostasie . then did that other officer set a great fine upon the city , because they turned catholicks for another mans sake , and would not do it for his : and thus the poor protestants were abused on every hand to satisfie the lusts of these tyrants . then did another noble man , with a band of souldiers , go to the city of rokizan , and tyrannically abuse them for their religion , forbearing no kinde of insolency that they could think of : amongst other projects this was one ; he caused all the citizens to write their names in three books : in the first such as were already catholicks ( which were but six late apostates ) in the second the names of such as would become apostates within a fortnight , which were very few : in the third such as absolutely refused , and so were opposite to god and caesar , and in this were almost all the names , which so enraged him , that he resolved to use all manner of cruelties , saying , that they deserved the crosse , the wheel , yea and hell it self . then did he command all the citizens to come to the church the next day , to receive the sacrament in one kinde ; but when , coming himself to church , he found few or none there , he runs through the streets , and into the houses , driving all that he met with to the church with his stick . when he came thither again , he espied one john foelix , a chief citizen , but a calvinist , he therefore fell upon him with a knotty club , beating him about the head , shoulders and hands , till he was all gore bloud , and then he said to him , get thee hence thou beast , with thy cursed calvin-bloud . then did he rage against the other citizens cursing them , beating some , and spitted in the faces of others : and from one of the grave citizens he pulled off his beard , and strewed it on the floor . after this he again sent word to foelix , that except he changed his minde by the morrow , he would act a new tragedy with him , but that night he escaped , leaving behinde him his dear wife and children , and an aged mother of eighty years old . then did the earl imprison his wife , and sequestred his estate , and enforced the rest of the citizens to subscribe that they did freely , and with all readinesse of minde , imbrace the catholick religion . one martinitz was appointed to reforme the city of slana , who substituted one hansbursky , an apostate , to see this work done . this man that he might ingratiate himself with the jesuites , appointed a solemn procession , and either by fraud or force , brought to it most of the citizens : amongst others , he required one john blyssa to accompany him , but he refused , saying , as oft as i have received the lords supper , so oft have i obliged my self to god , and against these abominations : then said the other , thou shalt not resist the emperours pleasure : but said he , in those things which belong to caesar , i will not , but here gods business is in hand : then said the other , thou shalt be forced to it : god , replied he , seeks willing , not forced worshippers ; whereupon he was presently committed to prison , for nine weeks and so was another godly citizen , and fined , and then together with his wife , driven out of the city . afterwards also was blyssa and his wife banished , for procuring his childe to be baptized by a protestant minister privately , and his estate was sequestred , having nothing left him to support him in his banishment . then by divers kindes of torments he compelled some to a forced obedience ; as he did fifty men whom he shut up in a narrow room , where they could neither stand , sit , nor lie , nor have leave to go forth to ease nature : so that after three daies enduring of this pain and stink , they were forced to promise to learn the roman religion . the like dealing he used to divers women in his own chamber : but so soon as they could , most of them went into voluntary banishment . the city of prachatice they entred by force , and slew the major , who was bringing to them the keys , together with a thousand six hundred men , women and children , sparing none but such as fled , or hid themselves in secret places : the karcasses they left unburied for divers daies , all dirty , and shamefully naked . afterwards when the city began again to be inhabited , the commissioners of reformation came thither , promising them that if they would turn catholicks , they should have their liberties restored to them , but if they refused , they should be restrained from all trading , and when this prevailed not , they thrust men and women , young and old into prisons , where they miserably afflicted them for four whole moneths . the like cruely they used to all other cities , where they shewed and used all manner of impostures , deceits , tyrannies and impudent practices , till they had rooted out the reformed religion , and set up their idolatrous and superstitious worship in the stead of it . the godly ministers being generally removed , the next design of the enemies was to take all bibles , and other profitable books out of the peoples hands , that so the heat of religion might in time grow cold : the friers also which were placed in the churches : did not presently thunder , but dealt fairly , beseeching and confirming the truth of their religion with oaths , and dreadfull cursing of themselves , promising also the emperours favour , and easing of their burthens ; yea they sought by works of charity to oblige the poorer sort to them . one frier promised a bushell of wheat to every one that would come to confession ; but when his garners began to waste , he gave but half the measure , whereupon one flang away in anger , saying , what , is my soul viler then the rest ? but when they perceived that they gained but few by their fox-like subtilty , they returned to their wolvish cruelty , compelling men to come to masse , and taking the names of all such as absented themselves ; and if any went to private religious meetings , they were fined , imprisoned and whipt . some godly persons being met together with a minister , in a private chappel , two colonels , with some troops came upon them , encompassed the church , rusht in with their drawn swords , took the minister from the communion-table , stript off his cloaths , and sent him away to prison , then they cast the bread upon the earth , poured out the wine , and trampled upon it : then they fell upon the people , stripping men and women naked , it being f●●st and snow , so that many of them died ; some were wounded , others so affrighted that they fell into diseases : modestly forbids to tell how they used the women , even in the church . then came out an edict that whosever refused to turn papist , whether men or women , young or old ; bond or free , their names should be returned to the council of state , who would give instructions what should be done with their persons and estates . marriage , buriall and baptism were forbidden to the protestants , and if any did it privately , they were imprisoned , and not dismissed without apostasie , or a great fine . then was all trading inhibited , or means of getting their living , and at last buying of food , so that the poor people being oppressed with hunger and want , were either forced to fly , or to apostatize . the countrymen they fetched out of their houses , yea out of their beds , by troopes of souldiers , driving them like beasts before them in the sharpest cold , and filled the common prisons , towers , cellers , stables , yea and hogsties with them , where they were killed with hunger , cold and thirst . a godly chirurgion , with others , was cast into a place full of snakes . another company was thrust into a stable , and all the windows stopt up , that the were almost stifled for want of breath . in some places they shut them up in privies , that they might be poisoned with the stink . in some places they mad holes , and knockt them full of iron spikes , wherein those that were shut , could neither sit nor stand , but bending and crooked : it was not possible that any man could endure this posture above two or three hours , their sinews in the mean time trembling and their members quivering , and their ▪ hearts ready to faint with anguish ; so that some were forced to promise to turn catholiks , others that refused were brought back to torture . then the devised a prison upon the water , very narow , and not above a cubit and an half in length , wherein the prisoner could by no meanes lay himself at length , and if he turned himself unawares , he must fall into the water . another design was , first to assault men of greatest authority , to make them an example to the rest . in the town of minion the commissioner demanded of the people a positive answer , whether they would turn catholicks : and one of them in the name of the rest saying , that conscience neither would nor could be forced , he was presently laid upon the ground and beaten , and still denying to turn catholick , when he could hardly speak , he was torn in pieces ; the rest affrighted at this terrible spectacle promised obedience if time were given them . in another place the senator refusing to turn apostates , the cheifest of them was made to ride the wooden horse , in the market-place , for six hours space , though he was very ancient , so that he was lame and half dead , when he was taken off . when any desired to die , ra●her then to forsake their religion , it was answered : that the emperour did not thirst after their bloud , but rather after the welfare of their souls : to others they said , oh , you affect the glory of martyrdom , but you are base knaves , and are unworthy to have any thing to glory in . there were many who would have died in the maintenance of their christian faith , but there were none that would inflict death upon them ; for these cruel tyrants brought up in the devils school , would not kill the body but the soul , and therefore they sought by lingring and continual punishments to bring them first to stagger , and then to deny the truth . when any man desired to be convinced by scripture , they answered with scoffs and jears , accusing the scripture of imperfection , of obscurity , of ambiguity , saying that it was the fountain of heresie , the sanctuary of hereticks , and that laymen had nothing to do with it : they called the bible wiblia , which in the bohemian language , signifies vomit . they took away all orthodox books from the people , that thereby they might be the more easily led into error . in some places they shut up the people in the church and forced them to receive in one kinde ; and if they would not fall down to the host , they used to beat their legs with clubs , till they fell down : some they imprisoned and racked severall times to force them to auricular confession . of others they set open their mouths with gags , and thrust the host down their throates . in other places they forced the people , not only to abjure the cup , but to throw it down , and to spit upon it , and tread it under ●oot . if any to avoid this tyranny fled into the woods and secret places hunger drave them out again , whereby they became a prey to their , adversaries ; if they went to neighbouring places , some or other would betray them . edicts also were published , forbidding all to entertain such as fled upon pain of forfeiting a hundred pieces of silver for every nights entertainment . yet these miserable people could not go out of the kingdom , not being acquainted with any other language : besides , they were told that ere long the like tragedy should be acted every where four men of kossenberg continuing constant after long imprisonment , they were first exposed to cold for five weeks together in the depth of winter : then for nine daies they were pined with hunger , they having only a small portion of bread that kept life and soul together , and drinking their own urine , and when they were threatned harder usage , if they turned not , they answered , we willingly imbrace all afflictions of famin , hanging , burning , or any thing , rather then we would sin against god. thereupon , only twice a week there was given them a mouthfull of bread , and a draught of water . then were they parted asunder , one thrust into the sink of the prison , another into a furnace ; and none permited to visit them ; and when nothing would prevail , they set a fine upon them , and banished them . others were kept in prisons and bonds till they died . one was kept in a filthy prison till his feet rotted off , and yet he passed away the time with singing of psalms , as if he injoyed all manner of deligths . another man being tired out with imprisonement , promised to turn catholick , and was released , but presently ( as himself wrote afterwards ) god chastened him for this his fault , holding his conscience captive for an whole year together , so that he could have no hope in gods mercy : yet he recalled to minde former sinners , who upon their repentance obtained mercy of god : thereupon he cried unto god a whole year together , night and day watering his bed with his tears , because he thought himself damned ; but at last god ( saith he ) sent his angel to me , and i saw this glory brighter then the sun , and i had gods spirit bestowed upon me , &c. after which he was apprehended , beheaded and quartered . the pictures of john husse and jerom of prague they defaced ; all the bibles that they could meet with , they burned ; the graves of the ministers they opened , took out their bones and burnt them . the statutes of king frederick they beat in pieces , and trampled them under their feet . one man they fined at five hundred dollars , for giving his son the name of frederick , before these calamities befell the bohemians , god gave them warning by sundry prodigies . in severall places divers suns were seen together . at prague the sun seemed to dart out bals of fire : also a flying dragon , flaming horribly , was seen throughout all bohemia and silesia . also a spring flowed with bloud for an whole moneth together . in another place a fish-pond was wholly turned into bloud for the space of three daies . a great flock of crows and daws , fought together for a whole daies space , whereby multitudes of them were slain . at prague it rained brimstone , and the image of the crucifix being set up , was struck down with a thunderbolt . the gates of some cities opened of their own accord . many bibles being thrown into a great fire , were untouched , only the margin a little scorched . many apostates tormented by the sting of conscience , cried out , they were damned . some to avoid these terrors hanged themselves ; others drowned themselves . some died in fearfull despaire , others died suddenly ▪ one as he was about to abjure , was stricken dumb , and being carried home was possessed with a great trembling all over , and gnawing his own tongue , he died miserably . dr knapper a great persecutor was slain by the appointment of his wife an adultresse , for which she was afterwards hanged . another vomited out his ungodly soul with bloud . another ran mad , and cast him self down from the top of his house , and so roaring fearfully he breathed his last . another shot himself to death with his own pistoll . another ran mad , fell into such a disease , that none could come near him for stink , and at last was choaked with vomiting up abundance of bloud . another being taken with a sudden disease , waxed as black as a cole , uttered his speech like the barking of a dog , and within three daies died with terrible pains . another , by the breaking of a great gun , was torn all to pieces . another had a terrible disease in his throat , his tongue rotted , many holes were eaten in his throat , whereout his food and medicines came , so that he died myserably . collected out of a book called historia persecutionum ecclesiae bohem. written by some bohemian exiles . having thus given you a brief narrative of the persecutions of the church in bohemia , from the first planting of the gospel amongst them , to our present times : before i proceed any further , let us a little look back to see how god fought for them , against their popish adversaries , and thereby after a wonderfull manner plagued their persecutors . much may be read hereof in my second part , in the life of zisca ; but after his death , there was a great fear , and sorrow seized on his army , and the souldiers being divided amongst themselves , one part of them chose for their captain procopius magnus , who still retained the name of thaborites . the other part , thinking none worthy to succeed zisca , named themselves the orphanes , by reason of the losse of their captain ; yet whensoever their popish adversaries came against them , they both joyned together to defend themselves , and the liberty of the gospel in bohemia . about this time pope martin perceiving the gospel and the professors of it to increase daily in bohemia , he sent the cardinall of winchester an english man , into germany , to stirre up the emperour and german princes to make war against the bohemians . hereupon three armies were levied , one under the duke of saxony ; the second under the marquesse of brandenburg , the third under otho archbishop of trevers : these three armies entred bohemia three waies , and at last joyning all into one , besieged the city of misna , which but the night before was won from the papists by one prichicho , a learned and zealous protestant , and therefore the popish armies resolved to take that place before they marched any further : but so soon as news came that the protestants had raised an army , and were hasting to the relief of misna , they speedily fled before they ever saw an enemy , leaving all their engines of warre , and a great booty behinde them . the cardinall meeting them in their flight , used all the arguments that possibly he could to the nobles and captains , to turn them back again , magnifying their number and prowesse , and vilifying their enemies , but when nothing would prevail , himselfe was fain to accompany them in the flight . presently the bohemians pursuing , fell upon their rereward , which made their flight much more fearfull and disordered then it was before , neither did they leave flying till the bohemians left pursuing of them . the emperour hearing of this shamefull flight , went to noremberg and by the assistance of the cardinall , a new army was raised under the command of frederick marquesse of brandenburg , which entred bohemia one way , and another great army under albert arch-duke of austria , which entred another way . in these two armies were all the chiefest nobles and bishops in germany , being above fourty thousand horsemen , besides foot . the bohemians as soon as they heard of their enemies approach , gathered their host with all speed to encounter them : but god marvellously fought for them , for before the bohemians came near them , the popish army was struck with such a marvellous sudden fear , that they began most shamefully to run away ; the cardinall wondering at it , went up and down to the captains , exhorting and encouraging of them , telling them that they were to fight for their lives , honour , religion , and the salvation of souls , &c. but notwithstanding all that he could say and do , the ensignes were suddenly snatched up , and every man ran headlong away , so that the cardinall was forced to do the like : the protestants encouraged hereby , speedily pursued them , and obtained a very great booty . this so astonished both the pope and emperour , that afterwards they sought rather by subtilty to entrap them , then by force to compell them to forsake their religion , as we have seen in the foregoing story . chap. xxvi . the persecution of the church in spaine , which began anno christi , . anno . there was one francis romane , sent by the spanish merchants of antwerp , to breme to take up some money that was due to them ; where , being at a sermon ( through the marvelous working of gods spirit ) he was so effectually wrought upon , that after the sermon he went to the preacher , and repeated the contents of his whole sermon to him , and then betaking himself to the searching of the scriptures , and conferring with learned men , in a short space he had attained to a great measure of knowledge in the word of life ; which the minister observing , and withal finding him of a fervent spirit , he directed and exhorted him to circumspection in his carriage , more and more instructing him in the knowledge of the gospel , which he so greedily received as one that could never be satisfied . this made him give over seeking after temporal treasure , and instead thereof he bought good books , by reading of which , and conference with the minister , he much improved his knowledge in all the chief articles of religion . then did he write letters to his countrey-men at antwerp , wherein he first gave thanks to god for revealing his truth to him ; then did he bewaile the grosse ignorance of his countrey-men , beseeching god to open their eyes to understand the word of salvation , and so promised shortly to returne to them to conferre with them about the grace of god , which he had received ; and lastly he declared his purpose of going into spaine to acquaint his parents and friends with that wholesome doctrine which god had communicated to him . then wrote he other letters also to the emperour charles the fifth , opening to him the miserable state of christs church , desiring him to tender the good thereof ; especially to reforme the grosse corruptions of the church of spaine ; he wrote also a catechisme , and some other treatises in the spanish tongue . the merchants at antwerp having received his letters , sent for him , pretending much good will , but secretly practising his destruction : for against his coming , they suborned some friers , who so soon as he was alighted from his horse , seized upon him , rifled his books , and carrying him into a merchants house , examined him ; but he mightily confuting them , they bound him hand and foot , calling him lutheran ; they also burnt his books before his face , threatning to burn him likewise . then was he sent prisoner to a tower six miles from antwerp , and cast into a deep dungeon , where he endured much misery for eight moneths , at the end whereof , the merchants , supposing that he would be better advised for the time to come , released him . then did he go to lovain , where he had much conference with driander , who advised him to continue in his calling of a merchant , wherein he might have many opportunities of doing good ; and for religion , that he should do nothing for favour of men , whereby the glory of god should be diminished . he advised him also to take heed of inconsiderate zeal , lest he should do as some , who going beyond the bounds of their vocation , thinking to do good , and to edifie , they destroy and do harme . for said he , it is god that takes care of his church , and will raise up faithful ministers for the same : neither doth he approve such as rashly intrude themselves into that function without any calling thereto . this advice francis willingly hearkned unto , promising to follow the same . not long after going to ratisbone , where the emperial diet was held , having opportunity , he boldly stept to the emperour , beseeching him to deliver his countrey and subjects of spaine from false religion , and to restore them to the sincerity of christs doctrine , protesting that the protestants of germany were in the truth ; and that the religion of spaine was greatly dissonant to the word of god , &c. the emperour all this while heard him gently , promising him to consider of the matter , and so to do therein as he trusted should be for the best . francis being encouraged with this answer , went again to the emperour a second and third time , and still received a quiet answer as before ; yet not satisfied herewith , he went a fourth time , but was repulsed by some spaniards about the emperour , who were so incensed against him , that immediately they would have thrown him headlong into the river danubius , if the emperour had not restrained them , willing that he should be judged by the lawes of the empire : then was he cast into prison , till the emperours voyage into africk , at which time he , with some other captives , was carried into spaine , and there delivered unto the inquisitors , who cast him into a dark prison under ground ; he was oft examined , loaden with many reproaches and contumelies , yet ever remained firme and unmovable , so that at last they condemned him to be burnt for an heretick . as he was led to the place of execution , they put upon him a miter of paper , painted all over with ugly devils ; as he passed by a woodden crosse , they required him to worship it , to which he answered , that the manner of christians was not to worship wood : being laid upon the pile of wood , when he first felt the fire , he lifted up his head towards heaven ; whereupon the inquisitors thinking that he would recant , caused him to be taken down , but when they found his constancy , they threw him on again , where he slept in the lord. then did the inquisitors proclaime that he was damned , and that none should pray for him , and that they were hereticks whosoever doubted of his damnation . there was also dwelling at saint luca● in spaine one rochus , a skilful graver of images : but the lord pleasing to enlighten him with the saving knowledge of his truth , he gave over making of idolatrous images , and imployed himself in making of seals : only he kept standing on his stall an image of the virgin mary , artificially graven for a signe of his occupation . an inquisitor passing by , and liking the image , asked the price of it : rochus set him a price , but was not willing to sell it : the inquisitor bade him half so much : the other answered that he could not afford it so , and that he had rather break it than sell it ; yea , said the inquisitor , let me see that if thou darest ? with that rochus with a chisel cut off the nose of the image ; whereupon the inquisitor presently commanded him to prison , and within three dayes he was condemned to be burnt . at the place of execution he poured out his fervent prayers to almighty god , and so made a blessed end , anno . divers other godly persons being by the inquisitors cast into loathsome dungeons , ended their lives there . anno . at validolid , the inquisitors brought forth thirty prisoners together , of high and low estate , as also the coffin of a certain noble woman with her picture lying upon it , she being dead long before , to eceive judgement and sentence : for the solemnities whereof they had erected three great stages ; the first for the kings sister , the lady jane , and his eldest sonne prince philip , with other states : the second for the fathers inquisitors : and the third for the prisoners . multitudes of people being assembled together , these dear servants of jesus christ , clothed with sambito's , a yellow cloth hanging down before and behind , powdred with red crosses , and having burning tapers in their hands , and miters upon their heads painted with devils , were placed in their rankes : then was a sermon preached , after which an oath was administred to the princes and nobles by the inquisitors , that they should favour the holy inquisition , and consent to the same , and that they should employ their uttermost endeavour to see all them executed which should swerve from the church of rome , and adhere to the lutherans , without respect of persons , of what degree , quality , or condition soever ; and that they should compel their subjects to submit to the church of rome , and to obey all its lawes , &c. then was doctor cacalla called forth , a man of excellent learning , who had often preached before the emperour whilst he was a friar ; but being now accounted to be the standard-bearer to the lutherans , he was called forth to hear his sentence , which was , that he should be degraded , and presently burnt , and his goods confiscated . the like sentence of condemnation was pronounced upon his brother francis , a preacher also , who having spoken boldly against the inquisition , they so stopt his mouth that he could not speak a word . then blanch their sister received the like sentence , and so did most of the other , only some few of them were condemned to some years imprisonment , and to wear their sambito's all their life time , &c. then was the coffin of the dead lady with her picture it upon condemned likewise to be burnt . this good woman , whilst she lived , was a worthy maintainer of the gospel , of great integrity of life , and one that had divers assemblies in her house for the true preaching of the word of god ; wherefore her house was also sentenced to be razed down , and a pillar to be set up in the place thereof , with an inscription shewing the cause . then were all these that were sentenced to death , together with the coffin , delivered to the secular magistrate , and so every one of them being set upon an asse with their faces towards his taile , they were guarded by many souldiers to the place of execution : at which place there was for each of them a stake set up , to which every of them were bound , and so they were first strangled , and then burnt to ashes ; only one of them , who had been most vehement against them , was burnt alive , and his mouth stopped that he should not speak to the people . all men marvelled at their constancy and quiet end . at the same time also there were in prison at validolid thirty seven others , which were reserved for another tragedy and spectacle of the bloody inquisition . but seeing much mention is made of the spanish inquisition , and of the cruelty exercised thereby against the poor servants of jesus christ , i shall here set down the first original , and progresse thereof , as hereafter followeth . chap. xxvii . the original , progresse , and practice of the spanish inquisition . when king ferdinand and isabel had expelled the turks out of the city and territories of granata , and other places of spaine , who had lived there seven hundred , seventy , and eight years , they set upon the reformation of religion ; and granted the conquered moors liberty to stay , & to enjoy all their goods , provided that they would turn christians ; and whereas also there were very many jews , who had continued there since titus conquered jerusalem , they gave them leave to stay upon the same condition ; but all such as refused , were commanded presently to depart out of spaine . yet afterwards , finding that those persons were only christians in name , and had submitted only to save their estates , instead of providing godly ministers with meeknesse to instruct them , and to draw them from their errours ; ( by the advice of the dominican friers ) they erected the inquisition ; wherein the poor wretches in stead of instructions , were robbed of all their estates , and either put to most cruel deaths , or else suffered most intolerable torments by whipping , &c. and leading the rest of their lives in ignominy and poverty ; neither was this only inflicted upon such as blasphemed christ , but for the observation of the least jewish , or moorish ceremony , or the smallest errour in the christian religion . but this inquisition at first erected against jews and moors , was afterwards turned against the faithful servants of jesus christ , and for the suppressing of the gospel , and the profession of it ; and thus briefly you have the original of it ; let us now see what their practice and exercise is . as soone as information is given in against any one , though but for a very small matter , they do not presently cite the person to appear before them , but they suborn one of their officers , called a familiar , to insinuate himself into his company , who taking occasion to meet the pa●ty accused , uses thus to greet him ; sir , i was yesterday by accident at my lords inquisitors , who said that they had occasion to speak with you about certain of their affairs , and therefore they commanded me to summon you to appear before them to morrow at such an hour : the party not daring to refuse , goes to the place , sends in word that he is come to attend them , and so when he is called in , they ask him what suit he hath to them ? and when he answers , that he comes upon summons , they enquire his name . for , say they , we know not whether you be the same man or not : but since you are come , if you have any thing to inform this court of , either concerning your self or any other , you may let us hear it , for the discharge of your own conscience ; the parties safest way is constantly to deny that he hath any thing to declare to them . but if through simplicity he doth accuse himself , or any other they rejoyce , as having attained their desires , and so presently commit him to prison . if nothing be confessed , they dismisse him , pretending that for the present they know not whether he be the party or no : after his departure they let him alone for some space , and then send for him again , exhorting him that if he know , or hath heard any thing that concerns their holy court , to disclose it to them ; for ( say they ) we know that you have had dealing with some persons suspected in religion , and therefore remember your self well ; if you confesse you shall fare the better , and you shall but do therein as a good christian ought to do . if still he refuse , they threaten , and so dismisse him . yet they have alwayes one or other to keep him company , to creep into his bosome , and grope his conscience : who under the colour of friendship shall visit him daily , and have an eye to all his dealings , observe what company he keepeth , with whom he conferres , &c. so that without gods special assistance , it is not possible to escape their snares ; the inquisitors also if they meet him , speak courteously to him , promise to befriend him , &c. and all to make him more carelesse of himself , that they may undo him before he be aware . but if the party be a stranger , or one that is like to make an escape ; or that they hope to gain any thing by his confession , they presently clap him up in prison : in which prison great numbers die , either starved with hunger , or by extremity of racking of them , &c. if any one that is accused chance to make an escape , they have many devices to finde and fetch him again . they have store of searchers , to whom besides the common signes , they give his lively picture , whereby they may easily know him : an italian at rome having wounded an apparator , fled to sivil : the familiars were sent to seek him , and when they had found him , though they had his counterfeit , yet by reason that he had altered his habit , they were doubtful whether it was he or no , the rather because he had changed his name , whereupon they followed him only upon suspicion : but one day as he was walking , and earnestly talking with some gentlemen , two of these familiars suddenly called him by his old name : the party earnest in talk , and not minding it , looked behinde him , and made answer , whereupon they presently apprehended him , clapt him in irons for a long time , then whipt him , and condemned him to the gallies during his life . so soone as any is arrested by the familiars , they take from him all the keyes of his locks or chests whatsoever , and then they take an inventory of all his goods , leaving them with some man that will undertake to be accountable for them : but in the sequestring and rifling the houses , if they have any gold , silver , or jewels , these familiars , which usually are bawds , theeves , shifters , and the vilest of people , will be sure to filch some of it ; and the reason of this sequestration is , that if the party be condemned , the holy inquisition may enjoy his whole estate . as soone as the prisoner is entred within the first gate of the prison , the jailor asketh him if he have a knife about him , or money , or ring , or jewels ; and if a woman , whether she hath knives , rings , chains , bracelets , or other ornaments , and all these the jailor strips them of as his fee : and this is done that the poor prisoners may have nothing to relieve themselves with , during their imprisonment ; they search them also to see whether they have any writing or book about them , which likewise they take from them : then they shut them up in a cabin , like to a little-ease , where they have little room for cleanlinesse , and but little light . some are thus kept all alone for two or three moneths , some as long as they live , others have company , as the lords inquisitors please . when the party hath been in prison a week or two , the jailor perswades him to petition for a day of hearing , telling him the sooner the better , and that it will much further his cause , and bring it to some good effect , &c. whereas it were farre better for him to stay till he be called for ; for then he hath nothing to do but to answer their objections : but the poor prisoner , not knowing this mystery , is usually ruled by his keeper , intreating him to stand his friend to procure him a day of hearing , whose suit is easily heard , and the prisoner is brought into the consistory . then do the inquisitors ask him , what is his request ? the prisoner answereth , that he would gladly have his matter heard ; then they labour by threatning him with worse usage if he conceal the truth , to cause him to confesse the thing whereof he is accused , and if they can but draw him to this , they have their desires ; for usually they draw more from him than they could have proved against him : then they advise him to let it come from himself , promising that if he acknowledge his faults , he shall presently be released , and sent home : if yet he stand mute , they then charge him to disburthen his conscience , and in the mean time to return to his prison , till he hath better bethought himself , and then he may sue for a new day of hearing , and so they dismisse him . then after some dayes they call for him again , asking him he be ye● determined to confesse ought ? but whether he plead his innocency , or confesse some little , they still urge him to disburthen his conscience , perswading him that they advise him for the best , and in love and compassion to him ; but if he now refuse the favour proffered , he shall finde them afterwards sharp justices , &c. and so send him back again to prison . the third time he is called for , they use the like subtilty to draw him to confession , telling him that if he refuse , they must use extremity , and do what they can by law ; by which word they mean extream tormenting and mangling of him ; then if the party confesse any thing ; nay , say they , we are not yet satisfied , we have not all you can say , you keep back something on purpose , and so they remand him to prison . having thus excruciated him day by day , if they can yet get nothing out of him , they then require an oath of him , and hold a crucifix o● crosse before him , whereby the poor christian must at last neeeds shew himself : for knowing that he ought to swear by god alone , who hath reserved his honour to himself , he must refuse the oath ; which if he do , then they read a large enditement against him , wherein they lay to his charge things that never no man accused him of , and which it may be , himself never thought of ; and this they do to amaze him , and so to try if he will confesse any of these misdemeanours , or if they can trip him in his answers , and so catch him in their net . then they put him to answer to every article particularly ex tempore , without any time of deliberation : then they give him pen , ink , and paper , requi●●ng him to set down his answer in writing , to see if they can find any difference betwixt his former answer and this : and if the partie chance to confesse ought , then th●y enquire of whom he learned it , and whether he hath spoken of it before others , and who they are , and hereby many are brought into trouble ; for whether they liked it or not , they are sure to be questioned , because they did not come and declare it to the fathers inquisitors . then pretending to shew him favour , they appoint him an advocate to blind the peoples eyes , as if they proceeded according to the rules of justice ; but this advocate dares not tell his client any point of law , that may do him good , for fear of angring the inquisitors ; neither may he speak privately with his client , but either before an inquisitor , or a notary . two or three dayes after the party hath had the copy of his accusation , he is called into the court , where his advocate is , as if he intended to defend his cause ; but indeed he dare say nothing to the purpose for fear of angring the inquisitors ; only he chears up his client , and bids him tell the truth in any case , as the only way to prevail in that court , and then is the prisoner sent back again who hopes that now his cause will be heard , and his businesse dispatched , whereas usually these good fathers let him lie , two , three , or four years in prison , without ever calling for him again ; and if through loathsomnesse and intolerablenesse of the prison any sue to come to hearing , it may be with much ado he obtains it , but usually that favour is denied him : yet at length when they please , they call for him to hear the depositions of the witnesses against him : which yet is not done till the poor prisoner by his grievous imprisonment is brought so low , as that they think he will rather choose death than such a life , and therefore will be willing to tell all , that so he may be rid out of his misery . then between rebuking and a gentle admonition , they tell him , that though he hath stood out so long , yet at length they would have him wiser to confesse the truth ; but if he yet refuse to be his own accuser , then the fiscal produceth the depositions , which are delivered to the prisoner , but they are drawn up so intricately and ambiguously , that he knows not what to make of them ; and this they do to conceal the witnesses , lest he should except against them , and to set him on guessing , that so if he chance to reckon up any others to whom he spake any thing about any of those matters , they may thereby get more grists to their mill . for they presently out-law such persons as favourers of hereticks , for suffering an heretick to sow such pestilent seeds amongst them , without complaining thereof to the inquisitors . the keeper of the prison also is examined what he hath seen and observed of him in the prison , and his testimony is as good as two witnesses to take away the prisoners life . they have also promoters to bring in accusations , who are admitted , though frantick bedlams , or the veriest varlets that be : and in their informations , if they chance to want words of weight , the inquisitors will help them out , and prompt them word by word . then after three or four dayes the prisoner is called again to put in his answer to the depositions ; but in the interim his advocate never comes at him to assist or direct him , but he is left to himself without all help , save of god alone . his answer being viewed , he is remanded to prison again with this item , that if he confesse not the truth , they will extort it out of him by extremity . after two or three moneths more , he is called for once again , and required to speak what he hath for himself , or else they must draw to an end : and if he still shrinks not , but stands firme in his own justification , they proceed to other dealings , in comparison of which all their former proceedings are not only sufferable , but seeme very reasonable and full of gentlenesse . for their future actions farre exceed all barbarousnesse , the devil himself being not able to go beyond them in their monstrous tyranny : for not long after the prisoner is called in before the inquisitors , who tell him that they have deeply considered his whole case , and found out that he doth not declare the whole truth , and therefore they are resolved that he shall be racked , that by force they may draw from him what by fair means he will not acknowledge : and therefore they advise him rather to do it voluntarily , and thereby to avoid ▪ the paine and peril that yet attends him ▪ yet whether he confesse or not confesse , all is one , for to the rack he must go ; then is he led into the place where the rack standeth , which is a deep and dark dungeon under ground , with many a door to passe through ere a man come to it , because the shreekes and cries of the tormented should not be heard : then the inquisitors set themselves upon a scaffold hard by the rack , and the torches being lighted , the executioner comes in , all araied from top to toe in a sute of black canvas , his head is covered with a long black hood that covereth all his face , having only two peep-holes for his eyes : which sight doth more affright the poor soul , to see one in the likenesse of the devil to be his tormentor . the lords being set in their places , they begin again to exhort him to speak the truth freely and voluntarily : then with sharp words they command him to be stripped stark naked , yea though the modestest maid , or chasest matron in the city : whose grief in regard of the rack is not half so great as to be seene naked in the presence of such manner of persons : for these wicked villains without any regard of honesty , will not by any prayers of godly matrons , or chast maidens forbear one jot of that barbarous impudence : as if a shirt or smock could hinder the violence of the rack from sufficiently tormenting them . the party being thus stripped , the inquisitors signifie to the tormentor ▪ how they would have him or her ordered . the first kind of torment is the jeobit , or pully ; but first one comes behind him , and binds his hands with a cord eight or ten times about , the inquisitors calling upon him to strain each harder than other ; they cause also his thumbs to be bound extream hard with a small line , and so both hands and thumbs are fastened to a pully , which hangs on the jeobit : then they put great and heavy bolts on his heels , and hang upon those bolts , between his feet certain weights of iron , and so hoise him , or her up from the ground ; and whilst the poor wretch ▪ hangs in this plight , they begin to exhort him again to accuse himself , and as many others as he knows of ; then they command him to be hoised up higher to the very beam till his head touch the pully . having hung thus a good while , they command him to be let down , and twice so much weight to be fastened to his heels , and so hoised up again , and one inch higher if it may be : then they command the hangman to let him up and down , that the weights of the iron hanging at his heels may rent every joynt in his body asunder . with which intolerable pains if the party shreek or cry out , they roare out as loud to him to confesse the truth , or else he shall come down with a vengeance . then they bid the hangman suddenly to slip the rope , that he may fall down with a sway , and in the mid-way to stop ; then give him the strappado , which being as soon done , it rends all his body out of joynt , armes , shoulders , back , legs , &c. by reason of the sudden jerk , and the weights hanging at his legs . if he yet remain constant , they adde more weight to his heels the third time , and the poor wretch already half dead is hoisted up the third time , and to encrease his misery , they raile upon him , calling him dog , and heretick , telling him that he is like there to make his end . and if the poore creature in his pangs call upon christ , intreating that he would vouchsafe to aid and assist him , thus miserably tormented for his sake ; then they fall to mocking and deriding him , saying , why callest thou on jesus christ ? let jesus christ alone and tell us the truth ; what a crying out upon christ makest thou ? &c. but if the party desire to be let down , promising to tell somewhat , that 's the ●eady way to make him to be worse used , for now they think that he begins only to broach the matter : for when he hath done they command him to be haled up again , and to be let down as before : so that usually these torments ▪ are exercised upon him for three hours together . then they ask the jailor if his other torments are ready , to affright the poor soul ; the jailor answereth that they are ready , but he hath not brought them with him : then the inquisitors bid him to bring them against the morrow ; for say they , we will try other ways to get the truth out of this fellow : and so turning to him that lies in miserable pain , having all his joynts out ; how now , sirra , say they , how like you this gear ? have you enough of it yet ? well , see that you call your wits to you against to morrow , or look to die then ; for what you have yet felt is but a flea-biting in comparison of what is behind ; and so they depart . then the jailor plays the bone-setter so well as he can , setting his joynts , and so carries him back to prison , or drags him by the armes or legs most pitifully ; if they mean to rack him no more , after two or three dayes they send for him again , and cause him to be brought by the rack , where the hangman stands in the likenesse of a devil as before , the more to affright him . when he comes before the inquisitors , they fall a perswading him to confesse the truth at last : and if he confesse any thing , he may chance to go to the rack again , whereby they hope to extort more ; and when indeed they intend to rack the party again , then at three dayes end , when the ach in his joynts is most grievous and painful to him , they send for him , requiring him to declare all his heresies , and to peach all such as he hath had conference with , about them , and all such as he knows to be of that minde : or else he must prepare himself for the rack ; and if he continue constant , he is again stripped of his cloths , and hoisted up with weights at his heels as before , besides which , as he hangs at the pully , they bind his thighs together , and legs about the calf with a small strong cord , and with a short piece of wood they twist the cord till it be shrunk so deep in the flesh that its past sight , which is an extream and terrible torment , worse than any that he hath yet endured , and in this plight they let the poor soul lie two or three hours : the inquisitors in the mean time not ceasing to exhort , perswade , threaten and scoffe at him . yea sometimes they proceed to another kind of torture called the aselli , which is after this manner ; there is a piece of timber somewhat hollowed on the top like a trough , about the middle whereof there is a sharp barre going a crosse , whereon a mans back resteth that it cannot go to the bottom : it s also placed so that his heels shall lie higher than his head : then is the naked party laid thereon : his armes , thighs and legs bound with strong small cords , and wrested with short truncheons , till the cords pierce almost to the very bone . then they take a thick fine lawn cloth , laying it over the parties mouth as he lies upright on his back , so that it may stop his nostrils also ; then taking a quantity of water , they pour it in a long stream like a threed , which falling from on high , drives the cloth down into his throat , which puts the poor wretch into as great an agony as any endure in the pains of death , for in this torture he hath not liberty to draw his breath , the water stopping his mouth , and the cloth his nostrils , so that when the cloth is drawn out of the bottome of his throat , it draws forth blood with it , and a man would think that it tore out his very bowels . this is iterated as oft as the inquisitors please , and yet they threaten him with worse torments if he confesse not ; and so he is returned to his prison again . yet many times after he hath lain there a moneth or two , he is brought again to the rack and used as before , yea sometimes five or six times , even as oft as they please , for their lust is a law . and yet they have another torment with fire , which is no whit inferiour to the former ; they take a pan of burning charcole , and set it just over against the soles of the parties feet , just before he goes to the rack , and that the fire may have the more force upon them , they bast them with lard or bacon . but if all the extremity of torments wil not force him to confesse what they desire , nor to deny the truth , they use other means by subtil interrogatories , and frequent questionings to draw him into some snare or other : yea , if yet they cannot prevaile , then some one of the inquisitors comes to him in private , and shews himself much affected with his misery , weeps with him , comforts him , gives him advice , seems to impart such a secret to him as he would scarce impart to his father , or dearest friend alive : and this they use most with women , whereas they are but faire baits upon deadly hooks , whereby they seek to destroy them ; whereof we have this example . at sivil there were apprehended , a godly matron , two of her daughters , and her neece , who all of them underwent the forementioned torments with manly courage and christian constancie , because they would not betray each other , nor other godly persons in that city . then one of the inquisitors sent for the youngest maid oft to his chamber , pretended much compassion towards her , spake much to comfort her , told her what a grief it was to him to see her torments ; then used familiar and pleasant communication to her , then told her that he would advise her the best way to free her self , mother and sister from these troubles : that he would undertake the ordering of their businesse ; and then perswaded her to disclose the whole truth to him , and he bound himself with an oath that he would stop all further proceedings against them , and procure their dismission . having thus outwitted the poor maid , who gave too much credit to him , she told him of some points of religion which they had wont to confer of amongst themselves , and so when he had gotten out of her what possibly he could , like a perfidious villain , contrary to his vows , promises , and oath , he caused her to be racked again to get more out of her , yea they put her also to the intolerable pain of the trough , and through extremity of pangs and torments they at last extorted from her a betraying of her own mother , sisters , and divers others , which were immediately apprehended , tortured , and at last burnt with fire . but when they were brought in great pomp upon the scaffold , and had the sentence of death passed upon them , this maid went to her aunt , who had instructed her in the principles of religion , and boldly without change of countenance , gave her hearty thanks for that great benefit which she had received by her means ▪ intreating her to pardon her for what she had offended her at any time , for that she was now to depart out of this life . her aunt comforted her stoutly , bid her be of good cheere , for that now ere long they should be with christ. this woman was openly whipt , and kept in prison during her life ; the rest were all presently burned . another device that they have is this : when they think that prisoners which are together do talk together of religion , exhorting and comforting one another as they have occasion or opportunity , the inquisitors commit to prison under a colour , a crafty knave whom they call a flie : who after two or three dayes will cunningly insinuate himself into the bosoms of the other prisoners , and then pretending a great deal of zeal to religion , he will proffer discourse to them , and by degrees get out of their mouths something whereof he may accuse them . then doth he move for a day of hearing , and so getting to the inquisitors , he peaches the prisoners , who shall be sure afterwards to hear of it to their smart . yea these flies , as soone as they are out of one prison , for the hope of gain , will be content presently to be put into another , and then into a third , where they will lie in chains , as the other prisoners do , enduring hunger , cold , stink , and the loathsomnesse of prison , and all to betray others . and this mans accusation is as strong and valid as the testimony of any other witnesse whatsoever . other flies also there be that serve the holy inquisition abroad , slily insinuating themselves into the companies of the common people , who are suspected to be lutherans , and when they can pump any thing out of them , they presently betray them . they have yet this other device , when they can catch any man that is noted for religion , or a minister that hath instructed others , after he hath been in prison awhile , they give it out that upon the rack he hath discovered all his disciples , and acquaintance , and they suborn others to averr that they heard it , and this they do to draw the simple people to come of their own accord , and to confesse their faults to the inquisitors , and to crave pardon , whereupon they promise them favour . the inquisitors and their officers use to call their prisoners dogs and hereticks : and indeed they use them much worse than most men do their dogs . for first , the place where usually each of them is laid , by reason of the straitnesse , ill air , and dampnesse of the earth , is liker a grave than a prison : and if it be a loft , in the hot weather , it is like a hot oven or fornace : and in each of these holes usually two or three are thronged together , so that they have no more room than to lie down in ; in one corner is a stool of easement , and a pitcher of water to quench their thirsts . in these cels they have no light , but what comes in at the key-hole , or some small crany : other some there are much worse , not being long enough for a man to lie in , so that such as are put into them , never likely come out till they be half rotted away ▪ or die of a consumption . their diet is answerable to their lodging : the rich pay large fees to the holy house , and every prisoner is rated as the inquisitors please : but such as are poor , the king allows them three pence a day , out of which the steward , landresse , and some other necessary charges are deducted , so that one half of it comes not to the prisoners share ; and if any be moved with compassion to relieve them , it is counted such an hainous offence , that it will cost him a scourging till blood come at least . it once happened that there was a keeper appointed for their prison , in the castle of triana in sivil , that was of a courteous disposition by nature , who used the prisoners well , and closely , for fear of the inquisitors , shewed them some favour : at which time there was a godly matron and her two daughters committed to prison , which being put into several rooms , had a great desire to see each other for their mutual comfort in their distresses ; whereupon they besought the keeper to suffer them to come together , if it were but for one quarter of an hour : the keepe yielded , and so they were together about half an hour , and then returned to their former prisons . within a few dayes after , these women being racked in a terrible manner , the keeper fearing lest they would confesse that little favour which he had shewed them , of his own accord went to the inquisitors , confessed his fact , and craved pardon ; but they deemed this so hainous an offence , that they presently commanded him to be haled to prison , where by reason of the extremity shewed him , he fell mad . yet this procured him no favour : for after he had been a whole year in a vile prison , they brought him upon their triumphing stage , with a sambenito upon him , and a rope about his neck , and there they censured him to be whipt about the city , and to have two hundred stripes , and then to serve in the gallies for six years . the next day one of his mad fits coming upon him , as he was set on an asses back to be scourged , he threw himself off , snatched a sword out of the officers hand , and had slain him , if the people had not immediately laid hold on him ; whereupon he was bound faster on the asses back , had his two hundred stripes , and was for this offence condemned four years longer to the gallies . another keeper at another time had a maid , who seeing how miserably the prisoners were used , pitying their distressed condition , who were hunger-starved , and almost pined , she would sometimes speak to them at the grate , exhort and comfort them as well as she could , and sometimes would help them to some good and wholsome food : yea , by her means the prisoners came to understand one anothers condition , which was a great comfort to them . but this at last coming to the inquisitors ears , they enjoyned her to wear the sambenito , to be whipped about the streets , to receive two hundred stripes , and to be banished the city for ten years , with this writing on her head , a favourer , and aider of hereticks . and whereas all other sort of persons in prison and bondage are allowed to recreate and refresh themselves with singing at their pleasure , these poor souls are forbidden this small solace in their great misery : for if any of them sing a psalm , or openly recite any portion of scripture , the inquisitors take it very hainously , and presently send to them , requiring them to be silent , upon the pain of excommunication : and if the prisoner make light of this warning , he shall have a bit set on his tongue to teach him obedience : and this they do , both to deprive the poor souls of all kind of solace , and to keep other prisoners from knowing how their friends do : so that it often falls out that a man and his friend , the father and sonne , yea the husband and wife shall be in one prison-house two or three years together , and not know of each others being there till they meet upon the scaffold upon the great day of triumph . by reason of this cruel usage many of the prisoners die , some , of their torments , others , of the stink of the prison , and others , of diseases contracted by hunger , cold , ill diet , &c. they have also an hospital , unto which they remove such as fall sick in their prisons , where yet they are not dealt more gently with in any thing , save that they have physick allowed them for their healths sake : but none are suffered to come to them but the physician , and the servants of the hospital : and as soon as the patient is on the mending hand , he is carried back to the place whence he came . if the prisoner be half naked , or want something to lie on , and thereupon pray the inquisitor that his necessity may be considered ▪ the answer which he receives is this , well , now the weather is warm , you may live full well without either cloaths or couch ; and if it be winter time , his answer is : true , it hath been a great frost of late , but now the cold is come down again , and it will be more seasonable weather . care you for the garments wherewithal you should cloath your soul , which consisteth in uttering the truth , and discharging your conscien●e before this holy house : and if the prisoner desire to have some good book , or the holy bible to enable him to passe that troublesome and careful time to some profit ; the inquisitor answers him , that the true book is to speak the truth , and to discharge his conscience to that holy court , and that he ought to be occupied in laying open his wounds to their lordships , who are ready to give him a plaister : whereby it appears that all their care and desire is , that the poor prisoner may have nothing to look on or think on but his present miserable state , that the grief thereof grating upon him , may force him to satisfie their requests . the last act of the tragedy remaineth , wherein both parties are pleased and have their desire ; the inquisitors in obtaining their prey , the prisoners in finding some end of their miserable usage ; but two or three dayes before the solemnity , they use severally to call before them , all such whose estates are confiscated , examining them what lands or goods they have , where they lie , charging them upon great penalties not to conceal one jot , telling them , that if any thing be afterwards found , felony shall be laid to their charge , and he with whom it is found , shall pay foundly for it , and when all is confessed , they are returned to prison again . the night before the festival , they cause all the prisoners to be brought into a large roome , where they are informed of the several kinds of pennances that they are to do the next day : the next morning very early , the familiars come and attire the prisoners in their several habits , in which they are to appear before the people : some in sambenito's , which is a long garment painted all over with ugly devils : on his head he hath an high-crown'd hat whereon a man is painted burning in the fire , with many devils about him , plying him with fire and fagots . besides , their tongues have a cleft piece of wood put upon them , which nips , and pincheth them that they cannot speak ; they have about their necks , cords , and their hands fast bound behind them . on this sort come these constant martyrs disguised , first to the stage , and then to the stake ; and in the like sort do all the rest come forth , arraied as the other , and set forth with the like notes of infamy , either more or lesse , as the inquisitors please to disgrace them in the sight of the people . on each hand of every prisoner goeth a familiar , all armed , to guard him : as also two friars with every one that is to die , who perswade him tooth and nail to deny that doctrine that formerly he hath professed , now at their going out of this world ; which wicked importunity is a great grief to the poor servants of jesus christ. the inquisitors also passe in great pomp from the castle of triana to their scaffold : and when all are set in their places , a sermon begins , framed on purpose in commendations of the holy house , and in confutation of such heriticks as are presently to suffer : but the greatest part is spent in slanderous reproaches , wherewith they vilifie and disgrace the truth , and the professors of it . the sermon being ended , the sentences against the prisoners are read ; first , against such as have easiest punishments , and so in order to the greater ; which sentences are commonly these , death without mercy ; whipping in such extremity that the persons seldome escape with their lives ; condemnation to the gally ; forfeiture of all their estates , &c. then doth the chief inquisitor absolve all such as have forsaken christ , and are come home to the church of rome , from all the errours for which they shewed themselves penitent ; but though hereby they are absolved from the fault , yet not from the punishment ; for notwithstanding their recantation , they must abide the punishment without mercy . and whereas multitudes of people resort to this spectacle , some coming twenty leagues to see it ; the inquisitors have this trick to uphold their kingdome , they cause all the people present , to take an oath to live and die in the service of the church of rome , hazarding both life and goods against any that shall oppose it ; as also to their power , to uphold and maintain the holy inquisition , and to defend all the officers thereof , &c. then if there be any amongst the prisoners to be degraded , they proceed after this manner . first , they apparel him in his massing robes ▪ then they despoil him again of every part thereof ; then are his hands , lips , and the crown of his head scraped with a piece of glasse , or a sharp knife till they bleed again , to scrape off the holy oyle , wherewith he was anointed at his ordination . in the end of their sentence which is pronounced upon such as are to be burned , they use this abominable hypocrisie : they bequeath him to the secular power , with this humble request to them , to shew the prisoner as much favour as may be , and neither to break any bone , nor pierce the skin of his body : this shews their great impudence , that having already given sentence on him to be burned , they yet should pretend such mercy and clemency towards him , whom all along themselves have used with such extream cruelty . they use also this trick further , that in reading the crimes for which he is condemned , they do not only misreport such things as he confessed upon his examination , but they devilishly father upon him such things as he never spake , or thought of in all his life : and this they do to disgrace him , and to make him and his opinions more abhorred of all men , and to encrease their own estimation and credit , as being necessary officers to rid the world of such pestilent persons ; and all this while the prisoners tongue hath a cleft piece of wood upon it to his intolerable pain and grief , that he cannot answer for himself , nor gainsay that they charge him with . all these things being finished , the magistrate takes them into his hand , and conveys them presently to the place of execution , with divers instruments of satan about them , calling and crying to them to forsake the truth ; and when they cannot prevail , after the prisoner is tied to the stake , they break his neck in a trice , and then they report amongst the common people that they recanted their heresies at the last houre , and so came home to the church of rome , and therefore they felt no pain in the fire at all , which made them take it so patiently . such as are not condemned to die , are carried back to prison , and the next day brought out to be whipt , after which some of them are sent to the gallies , others kept in prison all their life time : but all have this special charge given them , that they never speak of any thing that they have heard , seen , or felt , during their imprisonment in the inquisition ; for if the contrary be ever proved against them , and that they utter any of their secrets , they shall be taken for persons relapsed , and be punished with greatest severity , their judgement being death without redemption ; and hereby they keep in all their knavery and tyranny close and secret to themselves : and if any of them be released because their faults were but small , they are yet so careful lest their cruelty should come to light , that they inhibit them the company or conference with any other , than such as they shall appoint and allow them ; neither will they suffer them to write to any friend , except they first have the perusing of their letters . sometimes also , after they have imprisoned men in such a miserable state , for a year or two , and can extort nothing out of them by their torments , nor prove any thing against them by witnesse , so that they must necessarily dismisse them , they then call them into the court , and begin to flatter them , and tell them what a good opinion they have of them , and that they are resolved to send them home , for the which fatherly favour extended towards them in saving their lives & goods , they are to account themselves much beholding to their lordships , &c. and so at last they dismisse him with special charge of silence : and when he is gone , they have special spies abroad to see how he takes the matter ; and if they find that he complains of his punishments , or discloses their secrets , they presently commence a new suit against him . on a time the inquisitors at sivill apprehended a noble lady ; the cause was , for that a sister of hers , a very vertuous virgin , who was afterwards burned for religion , had confessed in the extremity of her torments , that she had sometimes had conference with this her sister about matters of religion : this lady when she was first apprehended , was gone with child about six months , in respect whereof they did not shut her up so close at first , nor deal so severely with her as they did with others ; but within foure dayes after she was brought to bed , they took the child from her ; and the seventh day ●fter , they shut her up in close prison , and used her in all things as they did other prisoners ; the only worldly comfort that she had in her misery , was , that they lodged her with a vertuous maiden that was her fellow-prisoner for a time , but afterwards burned at the stake : this maid whilst they were together , was carried to the rack , and so sore strained and torn thereon , that she was almost pulled in pieces , then was she brought back and thrown upon a bed of flags , that served them both to lie on ; the good lady was not able to help her , yet shewed singular tokens of love and compassion towards her . the maid was scarce recovered when the lady was carried out to be served with the same sauce , and was so terribly tormented in the trough , that by reason of the strait straining of the strings , piercing to the very bones of her armes , thighs and shins , she was brought back half dead to her prison , the blood gushing out of her mouth abundantly , which shewed that something was broken within her : but after eight dayes the lord delivered her from these cruel tygers by taking her mercifully to himself . upon one of their dayes of triumph there was brought out one john pontio , of a noble family , a zealous professor of the truth , and one of an holy and blamelesse life , and well learned ; he was eminent also in works of charity , in which he had spent a great part of his estate : being apprehended for the profession of the gospel , he was cast into prison , where he manfully maintained the truth in the midst of all their cruel dealings with him ; at last they cast into prison to him one of their flyes , who by his subtilty and craft , so wrought upon him that he drew from him a promise to yield obedience to the romish church . but though god suffered him to fall a while to shew him his frailty , yet afterwards in much mercy he raised him up again with double strength to that which he had before , and before his execution he manfully defended the truth against a subtil friar . the things which he was condemned for , were these ; that he should say , that from his heart he abhorred the idolatry which was committed in worshipping the host : that he removed his houshold from place to place , that he might shun coming to the masse : that the justification of a christian resteth only in the merits of jesus christ apprehended by faith , &c. that there was no purgatory : that the popes pardons were of no value , &c. and for my self , ( saith he ) i am not only willing but desirous to die , and ready to suffer any punishment for the truth which i have professed : i esteem not of this world nor the treasures of it more than for my necessary uses , and the rest to bestow in the propagation and maintenance of the gospel : and i beseech god daily upon my knees for my wife and children , that they may all continue in this quarrel even to the death . and when he came to his execution , he patiently and comfortably slept in the lord. at the same time there was also brought forth one john gonsalvo , formerly a priest , but by his diligent study of the scripture it pleased god to reveal his truth to him , so that he became a zealous preacher of it , labouring in all his sermons to beat into mens minds the true way , and means of our justification to consist in christ alone , and in stedfast faith in him : for which he was apprehended and cast into prison , where he endured all their cruely with a christian courage ; at last with two of his sisters he was condemned : his mother and one of his brothers were also imprisoned with him for the truth , and executed shortly after : when he with his sisters went out at the castle gate , having his tongue at liberty , he began to sing the . psalm before all the people , who had oft heard him make many godly sermons : he also condemned all hypocrites as the worst sort of people : whereupon they stocked his tongue : upon the stage he never changed countenance , nor was at all daunted . when they all came to the stake , they had their tongues loosed , and were commanded to say their creed , which they did chearfully : when they came to those words , the holy catholick church , they were commanded to adde , of rome , but that they all refused : whereupon their necks were broken in a trice : and then 't was noised abroad that they had added those words , and died , confessing the church of rome to be the true catholick church . there was in sivil a private congregation of gods people , most of which the inquisitors consumed in the fire , as they could discover any of them ; amongst others that were apprehended , they took four women , famous above the rest for their holy and godly conversation , but especially the youngest of them , who was not above one and twenty years old , who by her diligent and frequent reading of the scriptures , and by conference with godly and learned men , had attained to a very great measure of knowledge : so that whilst she was in prison , she non-plus'd and put to shame many of those friars that came to seduce her . another of these women was a grave matron , whose house was a school of vertue , and a place where the saints used to meet , & serve god day and night ; but the time being come wherein they were ripe for god , they , together with other of their neighbours , were apprehended and cast into prison , where they were kept in dark dungeons , and forced to endure all the cruel and extream torments which are before mentioned : at last they were condemned , and brought forth to the scaffold amongst other prisoners : the young maid especially came with a merry and cheerful countenance , as it were triumphing over the inquisitors , and having her tongue at liberty , she began to sing psalms to god , whereupon the inquisitors caused her tongue to be nipped by setting a barnacle upon it : after sentence read , they were carried to the place of execution , where with much constancy and courage they ended their lives : yet the inquisitors not satisfied herewith , caused the house of the matron where the church used to meet , to be pulled down , and the ground to be laid waste , and a pillar to be erected upon it with an inscription shewing the cause . there was also apprehended another worthy member of the same congregation called ferdinando ; he was of a fervent spirit , and very zealous in doing good : a young man , but for integrity of life very famous : he had spent eight years in educating of youth , and had endeavoured to sow the seeds of piety in the hearts of his scholars , as much as lay in him to do in a time of so great persecution and tyranny ; being at the last apprehended for a lutheran , he was cast into prison , and terribly tormented upon the jeobit , and in the trough , whereby he was so shaken in every joynt , that when he was taken down , he was not able to move any part of his body ; yet did those cruel tormentors draw him by the heels into his prison , as if he had been a dead dog : but notwithstanding all his torments , he answered the inquisitors very stoutly , and would not yield to them one jot . during his imprisonment god used him as an instrument to recal and confirme a monk , who had been cast into prison for confessing the gospel openly : but by means of the inquisitors flatteries and fair promises he had somewhat relented : gods providence so ordering it , that ferdinando was cast into the same prison , and finding the monk wavering , he rebuked him sharply ; and afterwards having drawn him to a sight of , and sorrow for his sinne , he at last strengthned him in the promises of free grace and mercy ; hereupon the monk desired a day of hearing , where , before the inquisitors , he solemnly renounced his recantation , desiring that his former confession might stand , whereupon the sentence of death passed against them both : after which the inquisitors asked ferdinando whether he would revoke his former heresies ; to which he answered , that he had professed nothing but what was agreeable to the pure and perfect word of god , and ought to be the profession of every christian man , and therefore he would stick to it to the death : then did they clap a barnacle upon his tongue , and so they were burned together . there was also one juliano , called , the little , because he was of a small and weak body , who going into germany , was there conversant with divers learned and godly men , by which means he attained to the knowledge of the truth , and became a zealous professor of it , and earnestly longing after the salvation of his countreymen , he undertook a very dangerous work , which was to convey two great dry fat 's full of bibles printed in spanish , into his own countrey : in this attempt he had much cause of fear , the inquisitors had so stopped every port , and kept such strict watch , to prevent the coming in of all such commodities ; but through gods mighty protection , he brought his burden safely thither , and , which was almost miraculous , he conveyed them safe into sivil , notwithstanding the busie searchers and catch-poles that watched in every corner . these bibles being dispersed , were most joyfully and thankfully received , and through gods blessing wrought wonderfully amongst gods people to ripen them against the time of harvest . but at last the matter broke out by the means of a false brother , who going to the inquisitors played the judas , and betrayed the whole church to them . so that there were taken at sivil at one time , eight hundred christians , whereof twenty of them were afterwards roasted at one fire . amongst these , this juliano was one of the first that was apprehended and sent to prison , where he lay without any company laden with irons above three years ; yet was his constancy so great and wonderful , that the tormentors themselves were sooner wearied in inflicting , than he in suffering torments ; and notwithstanding his weak and wearyish body , yet he remained undaunted in mind in undergoing all their tyrannies , so that he never departed from the rack more dejected than he came to it ; neither threatnings , nor pains , nor torments made him shrink or yield one jot to them : but when he was drawn back to his prison , he would tell his fellows how he had conquered and confounded his enemies , saying , they depart vanquished , they depart vanquished ; the wolves flie with shame , they flie with shame . in the day of their triumph , when he was brought out to be apparelled ( with his other fellow prisoners ) in all their shameful habits , he exhorted them with a cheerful countenance , saying : my brethren , be of good cheere , this is the houre wherein we must be faithful witnesses unto god and his truth before men , as becomes the true servants and souldiers of christ , and ere long we shall have him to witnesse with us again : and within a few houres we shall triumph with him in heaven for ever ; but hereupon they presently clap't a barnacle upon his tongue that he should speak no more , and so he was led to his execution ; but though he could not speak , yet by his countenance and gestures he shewed his cheerful and quiet minde : then kneeling down , he kissed the step whereon he stood , and being tyed to the stake , he endeavoured by his looks and gestures to encourage his fellow martyrs in their sufferings , and so they quietly and patiently resigned up their spirits unto god. there was also john leon , a tailor by trade , who out of a blinde devotion to serve god , resolved to enter into a monastery , but by gods providence it so fell out that he entred into a cloister at sivil , wherein most of the monks were well affected to the true religion , amongst whom in two or three years space , he was so grounded in the principles of religion , that he resolved to leave that kinde of life , which accordingly he did , and went into the countrey , yet after a time he had a great mind to conferre with his former schoolmasters : but when he came back to the cloister , he found that they were all fled in●o germany ; hereupon he resolved to follow them , and through many dangers and perils , it pleased god at last after a long and tedious journey , to bring him safe to franckfurt , where he met with some of his old acquaintance , and with them he travelled to geneva : about which time queen mary suddenly dying , and queen elizabeth of blessed memory succeeding her , the english exiles that lived in those parts were called home : whereupon divers spaniards that sojourned at geneva , thinking england a fitter place for their congregation , resolved to accompany the english men ▪ and for this end they dispersed themselves into several companies that they might travel with the more safety : the inquisitors took the departure of these monks so ill , that not sparing any cost , they sent their flies abroad to apprehend them , who way-laid them , especially at collen , franckfurt , antwerp , and in all the ways that led from geneva . this john leon had got him a companion , with whom he travelled towards england , who being discovered at argentine , were dogged into zealand , and as they were ready to take ship , they were apprehended . john leon took his arrest very composedly , never changing countenance at it : they were presently carried back into the town , where they were miserably ●acked to discover their fellows , and not long after were shipped for spain , having great irons , wrought like a net , that covered both head and face , within which also was another piece of iron made like a tongue , which being thrust into their mouths took away their speech ; they were also loaden with other engins and fetters of iron , wherewith they were bound hand and foot , and in these continual pains and torments they lay a shipboard till they came into spain , and then john leon was sent to sivil , and his companion to validolid , where afterwards in defence of the truth he suffered martyrdome : but john remained long in prison , where he tasted of the inquisitors tyranny , suffering both hunger and cold , and enduring all their torments one after another , and at last was brought out in their solemn shew , arrayed after their usual manner ; it was a sad sight to see such a ghost as he was , his hair so grown , his body so lean , that he had nothing but skin and bones left on him , and his pain much encreased by having a barnacle upon his tongue : after sentence of death pronounced upon him , they set his tongue at liberty hoping that he would have recanted , but he made a stout and godly confession of his faith , and so quietly ended his life in the flames . there was also burned at the same time a godly virgin , that had formerly been a nun , but being , through gods grace , converted , she left her cloister , and joyned her self to the church of christ : being apprehended by the inquisitors she was intreated as others had been before her : and at last was brought out to the scaffold , where with a manly courage she put the inquisitors to a foul foil , not only constantly affirming the truth , but sharply rebuking those fathers , calling them dumb dogs , a generation of vipers , &c. being brought to the stake , with a cheerful countenance she underwent the pains of death , and so quietly slept in the lord. there was also one christopher losada , a physician , a learned man and very well studied in the scriptures , as also of a very holy conversation , insomuch as he was chosen super-intendent of the church of christ in sivil , which at this time was very great , though dispersed into corners : at last he was apprehended by the inquisitors , before whom he made a good confession of his faith , for which he endured ha●d and sharp imprisonment , with most cruel torments , and the open infamy of their solemn shew , and lastly was adjudged to the fire : as he stood at the stake , the barnacle being taken from his tongue , he disputed notably with some monks that came to seduce him ; and when they spake latin that the common people might not understand them , losada also began to speak in latin so copiously and eloquently , as was strange to hear that he should have his wits so fresh when he was ready to be burned : after which he patiently resigned up his spirit unto god in the fire . there was also in sivil one arias , a man of a sharp wit and well-studied in divinity , but withal of a crafty wit and inconstant nature ; which vices he yet covered with a cloke of religion , whereby he deceived many : about this time there were also in that city two sorts of preachers , and both had a great number of auditors : the one taught school-divinity , and were continually calling upon their hearers to often fastings , mortification , self-denial , frequency of prayer , humility , &c. but themselves practised nothing lesse than these things : and indeed all their religion consisted in works and bodily exercises , as running to masses , hallowed places , shrift , &c. the other sort dealt more sincerely with the holy scriptures : out of which they declared what was true righteousnesse , and perfect holinesse : by means whereof that city above all others in spain , bore the name for just and true dealing ; and it pleased god that the brightnesse of this light did discover all the counterfeit holinesse , and pharasaical devotion of the other party ; the chief labourers in this harvest were constantino , aegidius , and varquius , all doctors , and sober , wise , and learned men ; who by this kind of preaching procured to themselves many enemies ; but above all others , arias was the most spiteful and malicious ; yet he carried it so cunningly , that he still kept up his reputation with these men ; but it was not long before he discovered himself : and that upon this occasion ; there was one ruzius , a learned man , questioned before the inquisitors , for something that he had delivered in a sermon about the controversies in religion ; the inquisitors appointed him a day of hearing ; and two or three days before , arias met him , saluted him courteously , and discoursed familiarly with him ; then did he pump out of him , all those arguments wherewith he intended to defend himself before the inquisitors : when the day came , and ruzius appeared , arias went on that side where his opponents were , which much amated ruzius , and in the disputation , arias being prepared , did so wittily enervate all his arguments , that ruzius had nothing to say for himself , and so was fain to yield the cause , and arias went away with the honour of the field , though he got it by treachery . yet did this arias , being of saint isidores monastery , preach so practically , that a great light began to dawn in that dark place ; for the whole scope of his sermons was to overthrow all their profession ; he taught them that singing and saying of their prayers day and night was no service of god , that the holy scriptures were to be read and studied with diligence , whence alone the true service of god could be drawn , and which alone teach us the true obedience to his will , to the obtaining whereof we must use prayer as a means , proceeding as well from a sense and feeling of our own infirmities , as grounded upon a perfect trust and confidence in god. by laying these foundations , through gods blessing , he began to make them out of love with their monkish superstition , and much provoked them to the study of the holy scriptures . besides also his sermons , he read daily a lecture upon solomons proverbs very learnedly , and made application thereof with good judgement and discretion ; also in his private conference he did much good . the lord also so ordered it in his wisdome , that he met with schollers that were very tractable , such as were not greatly wedded to their superstitions . and such was the force and might of gods election , that these few good seeds so fructified , that in the end they brought forth a great encrease of godlinesse . for divers of the monks , that hereby had their consciences awakened and cleared to see their former hypocrisie and idolatry , sought out for further instructions , and , through gods mercy , they light upon those preachers which taught the truth with more sincerity : of whom they learned the principles of pure and perfect religion , so that by degrees they left that evil opinion which they had formerly conceived against the lutherans , and were desirous to read their books : and god miraculously provided for them , that they had all sorts of books brought them that were extant at that time , either in geneva or germany : whereby it came to passe that there were very few in all that cloister but they had some taste of true religion and godlinesse , so that instead of mumbling their mattens , they brought in divinity-lectures , &c. vain fasting was turned into christian sobriety , neither were any taught to be monkish , but to be sincerely and truly religious . but considering that when this should be once known they could not live in any safety , they resolved amongst themselves to forsake their nest , and to flie into germany , where they might enjoy more safety of their lives , and freedome of their consciences ; but how to get thither was all the difficulty ; if one or two should go first , the rest would be exposed to danger : if many should go together , a thousand to one but they would be taken again , being to travel from the furthest part of spaine into germany : yet upon debate they concluded , that they must all either speedily depart , or shortly be apprehended by the inquisitors , who now had got some inkling of the matter ; and god seeing them in this distresse , shewed them a means how , under an honest pretence , a dozen of them might depart together within a month , and each betake himself a several way towards geneva , where they appointed , by gods assistance , all to meet within a twelve month ; the rest which were but young novices were left behind , who yet not long after were so strengthned by god , that they endured the brunt of persecution when it came , three of them being burned , and divers others diversly punished . the aforementioned servants of jesus christ forsook that place where they lived in honour , ease and plenty , and by undertaking , for christs sake , a voluntary exile , exposed themselves to shame , ignominy , wants , yea and were in continual danger of their lives also : and under god , arias was a great means of this , who , by his ministry , had first inlightned them with the knowledge of the truth : for which he was often complained of to the inquisitors , and was convented before them , where he so cunningly answered the matter , that he was still discharged ; but his last apprehension , through the mercy of god , brought forth in him the fruits of true repentance ; for he did so deeply and unfainedly bewail , and repent of his former with-holding of the truth in unrighteousnesse , that whereas he used to be exceeding fearful of the rack , he being brought to it and upon it , with a marvellous constancy withstood the enemies of gods truth , and took up the inquisitors roundly : withal telling them that he was heartily sorry , and did most earnestly repent him , for that he had wittingly and willingly in their presence impugned the truth against the godly defenders of the same : many other sharp rebukes he gave to the inquisitors so often as he came to his answer : but at last he was brought forth arraied in their accustomed manner upon their day of triumph , at which time he also made a notable profession of his faith , and so was led from the stage to the stake with a merry and chearful countenance , where , by the notable example of his repentance at his death , he made satisfaction to the church of christ for all his former unfaithful and hypocritical dealing with them , and so quietly slept in the lord. the life of doctor aegidio . dr . aegidio , who is before mentioned , was brought up in the university of alcala , where he took all his degrees , and was a hard student in school-divinity : but the study of the holy scriptures was there so neglected and contemned , that if any one read it , he was in contempt and scorn called a good bibler ; afterwards being publick reader of divinity in that university , he grew famous all over christendome , and was sent for to sivil to be divinity-reader in the cathedral church , where he was so highly esteemed , that soon after he was chosen sub-deane , yet did he not attempt to preach openly , nor had once so much as opened the bible to read and study the scriptures : and therefore the first time that he came into the pulpit , contrary to all mens expectations , he was found so unfit for such a function , that he grew out of conceit with himself , and was contemned by others , insomuch as they fell to repent themselves , the one for admitting him so unadvisedly , the other for taking upon him that office so arrogantly : but having passed over some time , it so fell out that he met with a plain man , which gave him such instructions , that after a few hours conference he learned by him what the office and duty of a preacher was , and by what means he might attain thereto ; and , through gods blessing , his advice was so effectual , that now dr. aegidio was quite altered and become a new man , thinking all his former life and labour ill spent , and therefore he resolved to steer another course ; he also fell into acquaintance with doctor constantino , a man excellently well learned , by whose conference and advice he profited marvellously in his studies , fell to the reading of good authors , and grew to profound knowledge in the holy scriptures : so that after a time , he began to preach as learnedly , godly , and zealously , as he had before done coldly , foolishly , and unskilfully : then did his hearers finde the marvellous force of that doctrine , which was taught them by these three worthy men , aegidio , constantino , and varquia , so that the more they crept out of their former ignorance and grew in knowledge , the more they esteemed and honoured them . hereupon there were daily complaints made against them to the inquisitors , especially against doctor aegidio , who did more openly than the rest inveigh against the adversaries of the truth . but it so fell out by gods providence , that just at the same time the emperour charles the fifth , in respect of his singular learning and integrity of life , elected him to the bishoprick of dortois : then did those hypocritical inquisitors bestir themselves on all hands , citing him to come before them , where articles were exhibited against him , and thereupon they cast him into prison , and examined him . but the emperour , who had elected him to the bishoprick , and the whole chapter of the cathedral church in sivil , became very earnest sutors to the inquisitors in his behalf . it fell out also that just at the same time , whilst aegidio was in prison , three of his greatest adversaries amongst the inquisitors , and the prime enemies against the truth , sickned , and died shortly one after another , whereby he was released , and lived foure or five years after ; at the end whereof he was sent upon an embassie , in which journey he visited the brethren that professed the truth in validolid , and much comforted and confirmed them ; but in his return home , his aged body being sore shaken in that long journey , having not been used to travel of a long while before , he sickned , and within a few days departed out of this troublesome life to everlasting rest . but within three years after , the new inquisitors thinking that the former had dealt too gently with him , digged him out of his grave , and buried in his place a puppet of straw ; then they brought his corps upon the scaffold , and used it in the same sort as they would have used himself if he had been alive . the life of doctor constantino . doctor constantino of whom mention hath been made before , was a most famous divine , and endued by god with such rare abilities as the like were hardly found in that age ; he was a man of a very pleasant wit , and wondrous facetious , which he especially used against the hypocritical monks and friars ; and though he lived in a barbarous age , wherein all good learning was almost lost , yet by his wit and industry he attained to a great deal of skill both in latin , greek , and hebrew , and was also an excellent oratour : and studied the scriptures so hard , that he grew very exquisite therein ; he was also so eloquent in his own language , that all his auditors were brought into a great admiration of him ; he was very discreet in all his doings : which parts he attained to , both by his study and long practice and experience , but especially by profound knowledge in the holy scriptures . whensoever he preached , there was so great a resort to his sermons , that three or foure houres before he began , there was scarce a place in the church to be gotten . he was farre from covetousnesse and ambition , insomuch as having a good canonship in the church of toledo proffered him , he refused it , together with divers other preferments . in his ministry in sivil he did so plainly set forth , and so sharply rebuke those hucksters that sold indulgences , pardons , &c. that they were much incensed against him , fearing that he would prove a plague to the whole generation of them , so that they hated him deadly , yet could finde nothing whereof to accuse him , but what would redound to their own shame . but for all this he neglected not to preach the truth faithfully , though he knew that they lay at catch , waiting for an opportunity to ensnare him ; and it was the singular providence of god that that city should enjoy such preaching , when there were so many powerful and malicious enemies to oppose it . for at this time varquio read upon the gospel according to matthew , and upon the psalmes : aegidio preached daily ; and constantine , though not so often , yet to as great fruit and edification , thus continuing till god sent storms to try each mans faith ; in the midst of which tempest varquio dyed , and constantine was sent for by the emperour to be his houshold chaplain : only aegidio was left alone , like a lamb amongst wolves , to be the object of their fury , of whose end we have heard before ; after whose death constantine left the emperours court , and returned to sivil , where he preached the gospel with as much zeale as ever he did before : then was he chosen to preach every other day in the cathedral , which he refused , because of a great fit of sicknesse which had made him very weak , but he was forced to undertake it , though he was so weak a creature , that sometimes he was fain to be carried to church , and by reason of his faintnesse was necessitated once or twice in a sermon to drink a draught of wine to refresh himself . about this time there was one scobario , a man famous for life and learning , chosen by the magistrates of the city to the government of the colledge of children , who out of his zeal to promote the gospel converted his stipend , to the erecting of a divinity-lecture in the cathedral church ; and constantine , having recovered his health , was chosen to read it ; who performed it excellently well , beginning with the proverbs , ecclesiastes , and the canticles ; which having passed through very learnedly , he began upon the book of job , and proceeded to expound more than half of it . but some evil spirit envying the progresse of the gospel in that city , under a pretence of fervent zeal , caused him to forsake this course , and encombred him so many ways , that he was never clear of those troubles to his dying day . for not long after he was brought before the inquisitors , and had many things laid to his charge ; yet by his quick and ready answers he easily avoided them , and they could not by any means bring him to make an open protestation of his faith , by which all their hope was to circumvent him ; and so he might have escaped , had not god , by a special providence , compelled him as it were briefly and plainly to confesse his faith ; the occasion was this . there was one isabel martin apprehended , in whose house constantine had hid some special books for fear of the inquisitors : this womans goods being sequestred , her son conveyed divers chests of her best goods away to another place . this coming to the inquisitors ears by means of an unfaithful servant , they sent their officer immediately to demand those chests : the womans sonne supposing that the officer came for constantines books , said unto him , i know what you come for , and therefore if you will promise me upon your honest word to depart quietly , i will bring you to them : the officer supposing that he meant the chests , promised him so to do : then did he carry him into a secret place , and plucking forth a stone or two in the wall , shewed him constantines jewels ; of paper indeed ; but farre more precious than gold or pearle ; the officer astonished to finde that which he looked not for , told him that he came for no such thing , but for certain chests of his mothers goods , which he had purloined from the sequestrators ; and that notwithstanding his promise , he must carry both him and his books to the inquisitors : thus came constantines writings into the inquisitors hands , out of which they quickly found matter enough against him . then did they send for him before them , and demanded if he knew his own hand ; he shifted it off at the first , but afterwards perceiving that it was the will of god that he should bear witnesse to the truth , he confessed it to be his own writing , protesting openly that all things therein contained were full of truth and sincerity ; therefore , said he , trouble your selves no further in seeking witnesses against me , seeing you have so plain and apert a confession of my judgment and faith , but deal with me as you shall please ; then was he cast into prison , and kept there two whole years , where partly by occasion of his corrupt dyet , but chiefly of grief to see such havock made of the poor church of christ , which himself and his brethren had with so great pains and care planted and watered , he began first to be crazy , and then not being able to endure the extream heat of the sunne , which made his prison like an hot house , he was forced to strip himself to his very shirt , wherein he lay day and night , by occasion whereof he fell into the bloody flux , and within fifteen days died in the stinking prison , rendring up his soul to christ , for promoting of whose glory he had oft times manfully adventured it . he never indeed felt those cruel torments which the inquisitors used to inflict upon others , but it was not because they regarded such a man of eminency as he was , but because they intended to delay his punishment by keeping him long in prison , not expecting that he should so suddenly have been taken out of their hands . yet did these imps of satan spread abroad a report , that before his death upon the rack he had confessed to them who were his disciples ; and this they did to make men come in and accuse themselves , upon hope to finde the more favour with the inquisitors ; they reported also that he opened one of his veins with a broken glasse whereof he died , that so he might avoid the shame and punishment of his heresies . and against the day of their solemn triumph , his corps was taken out of his grave , and set in a pulpit , with one hand resting on the desk , and holding up the other , just as he used to do when he preached : then they passed sentence upon him , and so afterwards caused him to be burned . thus we have seen in some few examples the rage of these bloody inquisitors against the poor saints and servants of jesus christ , whereof a great number were cruelly murthered in a few years space in that one city of sivil , whereby we may partly guesse how great numbers have suffered in all other places , since the light of the glorious gospel of jesus christ brake forth , untill this day under their cruel and bloody tyranny . collected out of a book called , the discovery of the spanish inquisition , &c. first written in latin by reynold gonsalvius montanus , and afterwards translated into english. the persecution of nicholas burton englishman ▪ by the inquisitors in spain , anno . this burton was a citizen of london , who being about his merchandise at cadiz in spain , there came to his lodging one of the familiars , desiring to take lading to london in the ship which burton had fraited ; and this he did , that he might learn where his goods were ; presently after came a serjeant who apprehended bur●ton , and carried him away to the inquisitors , who , though they could charge him with nothing spoken or written against them since he came to spain , yet they sent him to the filthy common prison , where he remained in irons fourteen dayes amongst thieves : in which time he so instructed the poor prisoners in the word of god , that in short space he had well reclaimed many of those ignorant and superstitious souls : which being known to the inquisitors , they presently removed him , laden with irons , from thence to sivil , and put him into the more cruel prison in the castle of triana , where the inquisitors proceeded against him after their accustomed cruel manner , by racking , &c. neither could he get leave to write to , or speak with any of his countreymen : afterwards they brought him forth with many other godly persons upon their publick day of triumph , in his sambito painted all over with ugly devils tormenting a soul in flames of fire , and with a barnacle upon his tongue , where he received sentence of death , and so with the rest was carried to the place of execution to be burnt ; and he endured the flames with so much patience and cheerfulnesse of countenance , that his popish adversaries said , that the devil had his soul before he came to the fire , whereby his sense of feeling was taken away : they also sequestred all his goods , which could never be recovered out of their hands , though great means were used for the same . this was in queen maries days . there was burned with him at the same time another englishman : and not long after two more , called john baker and william burgate : and about the same time william burges , master of an english ship was burned there also : and william hooker , a youth of about sixteen , was there stoned to death for the bold profession of his faith . here place the seventh figure . chap. xxviii . the persecution of the church of christ in italy , which began , anno christi , . anno christi , . adrian the fourth , an english man , being pope , there was one arnald of brixia , who coming to rome , preached boldly against the corruptions which were crept into the church , and found great favour amongst the senators , and people , insomuch as when the pope commanded this arnald to be driven away as an heretick , they resisted his command , and defended arnald , till at last the pope interdicting the whole city , at the importunity of the clergy , the senators and citizens were forced to send him away : and shortly after he was apprehended by the popes legat , cardinal of st. nicholas , out of whose hands he was rescued by the vicounts of campany , with whom he remained , and to whom he preached the gospel of christ , and was had in such esteem that he was accounted a prophet . shortly after , frederick barbarossa the emperour , coming unto italy to be crowned , the pope sent some cardinals to him , requesting that he would deliver arnald of brixia into their hands , whom the vicounts of campania had taken from his legat at otriculi , whom they held for a prophet in their countrey , and greatly honoured him . the emperour receiving these commands from the pope , presently sent forth his apparitors , and took one of the vicounts prisoner , wherewith the other were so terrified , that they delivered up arnald to the cardinals ; and this the emperour did to gratifie the pope that was to set the imperial crown upon his head . not long after the pope being in his ruff , marching with a brave army into apulia , commanded his prefect at rome to do execution upon arnald , who accordingly most cruelly , first hanged , and then burned him for an arch-heretick at the appointment of the pope . this arnald was born in italy , and was trained up under peter abailardus in france : his heresies were , that he preached against the pride and covetousnesse of the clergy and monks : that he inveighed against the corruptions which were crept into the sacraments , &c. he first preached in brixia , and expounded to the people the sacred scriptures , who earnestly embraced his doctrine ; whereupon the bishops and monks of that city complained of him to the council that was held at rome by pope innocent , who ( to prevent the spreading of his doctrine ) injoyned him silence , and banished him italy . then did he go beyond the alps into a town of germany called turengum , where , for a time he preached the truth , and did much good , till he heard of the death of pope innocent his old adversary : at which time he returned into italy , and went to rome , where what his successe was we heard before : after his body was burnt , they gathered up his ashes , and threw them into the river tybur . otho frising . anno christi , . there was one encenas , or driander , a spaniard , born in bruges , who in his youth was sent by his superstitious parents to be educated in rome , where in process of time , through god mercy , he came to the knowledge of the truth , and thereupon manifesting his dislikes of the impure doctrine of the church of rome , he was betrayed by some of his own countrymen and houshold friends , and by them carried before the cardinals , who committed him to strait prison : and afterwards , being called forth to declare his judgement in matters of religion , he gave a notable testimony to the truth before the cardinals and the popes whole retinue , whereupon they cried out upon him that he should be burned ; yet the cardinals proffered him life , if he would wear the sambito : but he constantly refused to wear any other badge , save the badge of our lord jesus christ , which was , to seal his profession with his blood : hereupon he was condemned to the fire , and suffered martyrdome with great patience and constancy . his brother francis encenas , a very learned and godly man as any was in spain , being in the emperours court at bruxels , offered to charles the fifth the new testament translated into spanish , for which he was cast into prison , 〈…〉 remained in great misery for the space of fifteen months , looking for nothing but present death : but at last , through the marvellous providence of god , at eight a clock at night he found the prison doors standing wide open , and a secret motion in his minde to make an escape , whereupon going out of prison with a leasurely pace , he went without interruption , and so from thence went strait into germany . anno . there was at ferrara one faninus , who by reading of good books , was through gods grace , converted to the knowledge of the truth , wherein he found such sweetnesse , that by constant reading , meditation and prayer , he grew so expert in the scriptures , that he was able to instruct others : and though he durst not go out of the bounds of his calling to preach openly , yet by conference and private exhortations he did good to many : this coming to the knowledge of the popes clients , they apprehended and committed him to prison , where by the earnest solicitations of his wife and children , and other friends , he was so overcome , that he renounced the truth , and so was dismissed out of prison . but it was not long before the lord met with him : so that falling into horrible torture of conscience , he was near unto utter despair for his apostacy , and for preferring the love of his kindred and friends before the service of jesus christ , neither could he possibly by any means be free from these terrours , before he had fully resolved to adventure his life more faithfully in the service of the lord. wherefore being thus inflamed with an holy zeal , he went about all the countrey , doing much good wheresoever he came , whereupon he was again apprehended , and cast into prison , and condemned to be burnt : but he told his judges that his time was not yet come , and so it fell out ; for shortly after he was removed to ferrara , where he continued in prison two years ; then was he again condemned by the popes inquisitors ; and yet his time being not come , he remained a good while after in prison : in which time many godly people came to visit him , which caused the pope to comm●●d him to be kept more strictly : then was he kept close prisoner for eighteen moneths , wherein he endured many and great torments : after this , he was brought into another prison , where were many nobles , great lords and captains for stirring up sedition , who when they first heard him speak , set him at naught and derided him : and some of the gravest of them , supposing it to be but a melancholy humour , exhorted him to leave his opinion , &c. faninus gave them thanks for their friendly good will , but withal , modestly and plainly he declared to them , that the doctrine which he professed was no humour nor opinion of mans braine , but the pure truth of god held forth in his word , which truth he was fully resolved never to deny , &c. with which instructions they were , through the mercy of god , clean altered in their carriage and judgement , highly admiring and honouring him now , whom a little before they derided and contemned ; then did he proceed still to impart the word of grace to them , declaring , that though he knew himself to be a miserable sinner , yet through faith in jesus christ and his grace , he was fully perswaded that his sins were forgiven ; assuring them likewise that if they did repent and believe on our lord jesus christ , they also should have their sinnes remitted unto them . there were in that prison also some that having formerly lived very delicately , could not now endure the hardship of prison , to whom he administred much comfort in this their distresse , insomuch as they rejoyced in ●hese their sufferings , by which they had learned a better kind of liberty than ever they had before . his kinsfolk hearing of his imprisonment , his wife and sister came to him , pitifully weeping and intreating him to consider and remember his poor family , &c. to whom he answered , that his lord and master had commanded him not to deny his truth for his families sake : and that it was too much that once for their sakes he had fallen into that cowardise , which they knew of : therefore he desired them to leave him , and not to solicit him any further in that kind , for he knew that his end now drew near , and so he commended them to the lord. presently after , the pope sent a command that faninus should be executed , whereof when an officer brought him word , he much rejoyced at it , thanking the messenger : then did he begin to make a long exhortation to his fellow-prisoners about the felicity of the life to come . he had life proffered him if he would recant , and he was put in mind what a sad condition he would leave his wife and children in ; whereupon he answered that he had committed them to an overseer that would sufficiently care for them ; and being asked who that was ? he answered , even the lord jesus christ , a faithful keeper of all that are committed to him ; the next day he was removed into the common prison , and delivered to the secular magistrate . in all his words , gestures and countenance , he shewed such modesty , constancy , and tranquillity of mind , that they which before extreamly hated him , and thought that he had a devil , began now favourably to hearken to him , and to commend him : yea with such grace and sweetnesse he spake of the word of god , that many of the magistrates wives which heard him , could not abstain from weeping : yea the executioner himself wept . as he was going to execution , one that saw him so merry and chearful , asked him what was the reason of it , whereas christ before his death sweat blood and water ? to whom he answered , that christ sustained all the sorrows and conflicts with hell and death that were due to us , that by his sufferings we might be freed from the sorrow and fear of them all . at the place of execution , after he had made his most earnest prayers to the lord , he meekly and patiently went to the stake , where he was first strangled , and afterwards burned ; and during the time of his burning there came a most fragrant and oderiferous smell to the spectators , the sweetnesse whereof did so delight and refresh their senses , as his words would have done , if they had heard him speak . there was also one dominicus , sometimes a souldier under charles the fifth in germany , where he received the first taste of the gospel of jesus christ , after which by his conf●rence with learned men he much increased in knowledge , insomuch as he was able to instruct others ; whereupon he returned into italy , and in the city of naples , he taught the word of god to many , anno . from thence he went to placentia , where he instructed the people also in many of the fundamentals of religion , promising that he would next speak to them of antichrist , whom he would paint out in his colours ; but when he came the next day , he was apprehended by the magistrate , whom he readily obeyed , saying , that he wondered the devil had let him alone so long : and being asked whether he would renounce his doctrine , he answered , that he maintained no doctrine of his own , but the doctrine of christ , which also he was ready to seal with his blood , giving hearty thanks to god for accounting him worthy to suffer for his name . then was he committed to a filthy and stinking prison , where he remained some moneths , and was often solicited to revoke his opinions , or else he must suffer death : but , through gods mercy , nothing could remove him from his constancy : being therefore condemned to death , he was brought forth into the market-place , where he most heartily prayed for his enemies , instructed the people , and then was hanged , resting in peace in the lord. in saint angelo , there was an house of augustine friars , to whom there often resorted a friar from the city of pavia , who was a man very expert in the scriptures , and of godly conversation , by whose labours not only divers of the friars , but other townsmen were brought to the knowledge and love of gods word ; and amongst the rest , one galeacius trecius , a gentleman of good quality , very wealthy and bountiful to the poor , was wrought upon to embrace the truth , and was afterward much confirmed and strengthened by caelius secundus , who being persecuted from pavia , came to this place . after some time galeacius having much profited in knowledge , was inflamed with a godly zeal to promote and propagate the knowledge of the truth unto others ; but a light shining in such darknesse could not be long hid : insomuch as anno . he was apprehended and carried before the bishop , by whom he was kept in bands , having only a pad of straw to lie on ; and though his wife sent him a good bed and sheets , yet did the bishops officers keep them from him , dividing it as a booty amongst themselves . thrice he was brought before the commissioners , where he boldly rendred a reason of his faith , answering all their interrogatories with such evidence of scripture and constancy of mind as astonished all that heard him : yet afterwards at the importunity of his friends and kindred , he was by much perswasion brought to assent to certain popish points . but , through the mercy of god , he was after a while , brought to such repentance and bewailing of this fact , that afterwards he became more valiant in the defence of christs quarrel ; neither did he desire any thing more than to have occasion to recover again by confession that which he had lost by denial : affirming that as he never had felt more joy of heart then when he constantly professed the truth , so he never tasted more sorrow in all his life , then when he turned from the same by dissimulation : professing to his christian friends , that death was much more sweet to him with testimony to the truth , then life with the least denial of it , and violation of a good conscience thereby . so that afterwards , through gods mercy , he was so full of comfort , that divers which talked with him , continued all day without meat or drink , and if they might , would have stayed all night too , they were so delighted with him . galeacius thus waiting for some occasion to manifest his recovery , it so fell out that the inquisitors came into the prison to him , supposing that now he would have confirmed what before he had granted unto them , requiring him so to do ; but galeacius on the contrary retracted that , and boldly asserted the truth with more courage than he did before : and hereby his mind was greatly refreshed , and his adversaries went away ashamed : yet did they condemn and deliver him to the secular judge to be burned ; then was he brought forth in the morning to the market-place , and bound to a stake , where he was left till noon to be a gazing stock to all the people : during which time many came to see him , exhorting him to recant , and not so wilfully to cast away himself , and thereby to undo his loving wife and young children , &c. but nothing could alter the firme mind of this constant martyr , and therefore at length fire was put to him , and so he quietly slept in the lord. a little before his execution , he hearing that there was a controversie between the bishop and major of the city , which of them should be at cost to buy wood for his burning , he sent to them to end that quarrel , for that he himself would be at the cost of it , out of his own goods . the life of john mollius . there was at rome one john mollius , who at twelve years old was placed by his parents in the house of the gray-friars , where being of an excellent wit , in a short time he so profited both in the knowledge of the arts and tongues , that at eighteen years old he was made a priest : then was he sent to study at ferrara , where he so profited in six years time , that he was made doctor and reader of divinity in that university , and by his sophistry shewed himself an utter enemy to the gospel . from thence he went to brixia , and the year following to millaine , where he read openly ; then by francis sforce he was brought to the university of papia , to be the philosophy professor , where he remained four years ; then was he called to the university of bononia : about which time it pleased god so to inlighten him with the knowledge of his truth , that he began secretly to expound the epistle of paul to the romanes to a few , but presently his auditors increased so fast , that he was compelled to read openly in the church , where the number of his auditors daily increased , and withal , they shewed such fervency of mind , that most of them came with pen and ink to write what they heard , taking great care to come so early that they might have room to hear him . this was anno . hereupon cardinal campeius set up one cornelius , an arrogant babler , to expound the same epistle , who cried up the pope and his traditions ; as john on the contrary commended and extolled christ and his merits to the people : but cornelius his auditors quickly decreased , and the others increased exceedingly : this angred cornelius , insomuch as by cardinal campeius his advice , they came to an open disputation , and when they could not agree , as john was returning home in a narrow place where his friends could not come to his rescue , he was apprehended and clapt up in prison ; but this caused such stir in the city , that cornelius was faine to hide himself ; then did the bishop send word to john in prison , that he must either recant or be burnt : to the first he answered that he would by no means condescend ; only it grieved him that he should be condemned , and his cause not heard ; yet by the mediation of a friend he was released out of prison , upon condition that within three moneths he should appear at rome : some of his friends disswaded him from going to rome , advising him rather to go into germany , and they would give him mony to bear his charges ; but he refused , saying , that he must preach the gospel at rome also . when he came thither , he requested of the pope that he might have a publick hearing , but that was denied him , and he was commanded to write his opinion : which accordingly he did , about original sin , justification by faith only , free-will , purgatory , &c. all which he confirmed by the authority of scripture and fathers , and so exhibited it to the pope , who referred it to some cardinals : and they disputed with him three dayes upon those points , but could not confute them ; then was he answered , that it was truth which he said , yet not meet for the times ; and therefore he was commanded to abstain from preaching , and to returne to bonony to be the philosophy professour . when he came back , all men longed to hear how he had sped , and in the pulpit he openly declared the whole proceedings to them , giving god thanks for his safe return . but this so offended the cardinal , that by order from the pope , he was removed from bononia to naples : there also his doctrine was so distasted by the viceroy , that he laid wait to take away his life ; yet , through gods mercy , he escaped , and wandred up and down italy , preaching the gospel of christ wheresoever he came : at last he was called back to bonony , where privately he expounded pauls epistles , which could not be long concealed ; whereupon he was apprehended and carried to faventia , where he was cast into a filthy stinking prison , and lay there foure years , no man being suffered to come to him : yet at last by the mediation of some friends he was again released , and went to ravenna , where he preached the gospel of christ with such affections , that he never spake of jesus christ , but tears dropped from his eyes . after a short time he was again cast into prison ; but foure persons of quality proffering to be his bail , through gods mercy , he was released ; after which so many flocked to him , that his adversaries consulted to kill him , lest his doctrine should spread further : and apprehending him , they sent him bound to rome , where again he was cast into prison for eighteen moneths , in which time he was often assaulted , sometimes with flatteries and faire promises , sometimes with terrible threats : but his constancy could not be shaken by either ; whereupon he , with some others , were brought forth to receive the sentence of condemnation , at which time with great earnestnesse , he confirmed his former doctrine , affirmed the pope to be antichrist , &c. citing them to appear before the tribunal of christ. being condemned and carried to the place of execution , he exhorted the people to have no saviours but christ alone , the only mediatour betwixt god and man , and so he was first hanged , and then burned . this was anno christi , . the year after , francis gamba , born in lombardy , having , through gods grace , received the knowledge of the gospel , went to geneva , where he was much confirmed in the truth , and received the sacrament with them ; then returning into his own country he was apprehended and cast into prison , whither many nobles , doctors and priests resorted to him , labouring by all means to disswade him from his opinions ; but he disputing with them , constantly affirmed that what he held was consonant to the word of god , and the evident doctrine of jesus christ , and necessary for all men to believe if they would be saved ; assuring them that rather than he would be found false to christ and his word , he was there ready to shed his blood : he was long assailed by the intreaties of his friends and threatenings of his enemies , but could by no means be discouraged , yea he gave thanks to god for accounting him worthy to suffer rebukes and death for the testimony of jesus christ : and so by order of the senate of millain he was had forth to execution . he went with a great deal of chearfulnesse ; and when a crosse was brought him by a friar , he said , that his mind was so replenished with joy and comfort in christ , that he needed neither his crosse nor him : then , because he declared many comfortable things to the people , his tongue was bored through , and he was first strangled , and then burnt , undergoing death with admirable patience and constancy . anno . there was one algerius , a student in padua , a young man of excellent learning , who having attained to the knowledge of the truth , ceased not by instruction and example to inform others that he might bring them to the saving knowledge of christ ; for this he was accused of heresie to the pope ; by whose command he was apprehended and cast into prison at venice , where he lay long ; during which time he wrote an excellent letter to the afflicted saints , wherein , amongst many other excellent expressions , he thus writeth ; i cannot but impart unto you some portion of my delectations and joyes which i feel and find : i have found hony in the intrals of a lion ; who will believe that in the dark dungeon i should find a paradise of pleasure ? in a place of sorrow and death , dwells tranquillity and hope of life· in an infernal cave , i have joy of soul : where others weep , i rejoyce : where others shake and tremble , there is strength and boldnesse , &c. all these things the sweet hand of the lord doth minister to me . behold , he that was once far from me , is now present with me : whom i could scarce feel before , now i see more apparently : whom once i saw afarre off , i now behold near at hand : whom once i hungred for , he now approaches and reaches his hand to me : he doth comfort me , and fills me with gladness : he drives away all sorrow , strengthens , encourageth , heals , refresheth and advanceth me : o how good is the lord , who suffers not his servants to be tempted above their strength ! oh how easie and sweet is his yoke , &c. learn therefore how amiable and merciful the lord is , who visiteth his servants in tentations , and disdains not to keep them company in such vile and stinking dungeons , &c. and in conclusion he subscribes his letter , from the delectable orchard of the leonine prison , &c. after this the pope sent for him to rome , where , by manifold perswasions and allurements , he was tempted to desert and deny the truth , which not prevailing , he was adjudged to be burnt alive , which death he most constantly endured to the great admiration of all that beheld him . anno . john aloysius , being sent from geneva to be a pastor in calabria , was thence sent for by the pope to rome , where he suffered martyrdome . also james bovellus ; a godly minister in the same place , and at the same time was sent for by the pope , by whom he was sent to messina , and there martyred . pope pius the fourth raised an hot persecution against the people of god in all the territories of the church of rome , whereby many constant christians suffered martyrdome . yea , this persecution was so hot in the kingdome of naples , that many noblemen with their wives , and divers others , were there slain ; anno . a papist writing to a noble lord about the cruelty shewed to some christians , hath these expressions : when i think upon it , i verily quake and tremble : for their manner of putting to death may fitly be resembled to the slaughter of calves and sheep ; for eighty eight of them being thrust up together in one house as in a sheepfold , the executioner cometh in , taketh one and blindfoldeth him , and so leads him forth to a larger place adjoyning , where commanding him to kneel down , he cuts his throat : and leaving him half dead , he takes his butchers knife and muffler , all gore blood ; and goeth back to the rest , and so leading one after another , he dispatches them all : how sad this spectacle was , i leave to your lordship to judge ; for my own part i cannot but weep to think of it ; neither was there any of the spectators which seeing one to dye , could endure to behold another : but truly so humbly and patiently they went to their death , as is almost incredible to believe : all the aged persons went to death more cheerfully , the younger were something more timerous : i tremble and shake to remember how the executioner held his bloody knife between his teeth , with the bloody muffler in his hand , and his armes all gore blood up to the elbows , going to the fold , and taking every one of them one after another by the hand , and so dispatching them all , no otherwise than as a butcher doth kill his calves and sheep . this was in calab●ia , anno christi , . persecution raised by the pope in venice . the city of venice was a long while from the cruel inquisition , whereby the face of a church was discerned there , from the year . to the year . yea , and multitudes of good christians flocked thither from other parts , which so provoked the divel to envy , that he stirred up the pope to send inquisitors , which erected an inquisition in that city , and for divers years the pope sent them money to distribute amongst their flies , and such persons as would betray the faithful to them : by this means many of the worthy servants of jesus christ were apprehended , imprisoned , and after a while sent to rome to be there butchered . then was a new-found manner of death inflicted upon divers others , never till then heard of , whereby they were drowned in the bottome of the sea ; the manner of it was thus ; after any of them had received the sentence of death by the inquisitors , an iron chain was fastned about their middle , with a very heavy stone tyed thereto , then were they laid upon a plank between two boats , and so rowed to an appointed place in the sea , where the boats parting asudder , the martyrs presently sunk into the bottome of the sea and were drowned . yet notwithstanding this cruelty , many godly persons ceased not to assemble together in a place appointed for that purpose , where they talked and discoursed of heavenly matters for their spiritual edification , and made collections for the relief of the poor amongst them . and anno . they called to them a minister of the gospel , and constituted a church , where they enjoyed all the ordinances with much comfort : but some false brethren creeping in amongst them , after a while betrayed them ; then were many apprehended , cast into the sea and drowned : others were sent to rome , where they were cast into prison till they rotted and dyed there . amongst others that were condemned to be drowned at venice , was one mr. anthony ricetto : to whom after his condemnation , his sonne , a youth about twelve years old , came , beseeching him with tears to yield , that his life might be saved , and himself not left fatherlesse : to whom he answered , a good christian is bound to forgoe children , goods , yea , and life it self for the maintenance of gods honour and glory : for which cause ( said he ) i am now resolved to lay down my life , the lord assisting me . the lords of venice offered to restore to him his patrimony , which was partly morgaged , and partly sold , if he would submit to the church of rome ; but he resolutely refused that condition . not long after came a captain to him , and told him of one francis sega , his prison-fellow , that wa● resolved to recant : to whom he answered , what tell you me of sega ? i am resolved to performe my vows to the lord my god : then was he carried forth bound to the boats , and by the way a priest presented him with a wooden crosse , exhorting him to recant , &c. but he on the contrary perswaded him and others to come out of the snares of the divel , and to cleave to jesus christ , and to live , not according to the flesh , but according to the spirit ; for , said he , otherwise your unbelief will bring you into the lake of fire that never shall be quenched . when he came to the place where he was to suffer , the captain lastned the chain and stone to him , whereupon , lifting his eyes to heaven , he said , father forgive them , they know not what they do . lord jesus , into thy hands do i commend my spirit ; and so in the sea he ended his life . a few dayes after one mr. francis spinola was apprehended and committed to prison , and when he was brought forth before the inquisitors , they shewed him a treatise about the lords supper , demanding whether he was the author of it , which he acknowledged , avouching that the doctrine that was contained therein was agreeable to the holy scriptures . then was he return'd to his prison , where the aforementioned sega was , who waiting for his coming , as he passed by , saluted him by his name ; after which they conferred together about the doctrine of the gospel ; and sega having heard that spinola had stood stoutly in the confession of the truth , he was much comforted , saying , that god had reserved him for such a time as this to make him partaker of so great consolation . shortly after the jailor told sega that he was to die one hour within night , at the hearing whereof he entreated spinola to pray with him , and after prayer he said , that his soul was heavy unto death . spinola answered , fear not , for it will not be long before your soul shall partake of those joyes which shall endure for ever . at the appointed time he was fetched out of the dungeon , where he took his leave of spinola and the other prisoners : as he went into the boat , a friar perswaded him to return to the church of rome ; sega answered , that he was already in the way to our lord jesus christ , and so passing on , he called upon the name of god : he seemed to be a little amazed at the fastning of the chaine and stone to his body , yet presently recollecting his spirits , he took it patiently , and so commending his soul into the hands of god , he quietly slept in the lord. spinola being again called before the inquisitors , he boldly reproved the popes legate , and the other judges , for that contrary to their consciences they persecuted the truth of god , calling them the off-spring of the pharisees , &c. the third time that he was called before them , they asked him if he would not recant his errours ? he answered , that the doctrine which he maintained was not erroneous , but the same truth which christ and his holy apostles taught , and for which all the martyrs , both in former and later times , did willingly lay down their lives , and endured the pains of death . yet after all this , spinola by the crafty perswasions of some seeming friends , began to strike saile and to faint ; but , through gods goodnesse , he soon recovered again , and being called before the judges , he openly confirmed the truth , and so had sentence passed upon him that he should be drowned as an heretick . to which he answered , i am no heretick , but the servant of jesus christ ; at which words the popes legate commanded him silence , and told him that he lyed ; the night after he was conveyed into the sea , and there drowned , praising and blessing god with invincible constancy . anno . there was at rome a young englishman , who going into a church , and seeing their grosse idolatry , was so inflamed with zeal that he could not endure the sight of those horrible impieties , and therefore he went out into the church porch , and as the procession passed by him , he waited till the bishop came that did bear the host , and then stepping forwards , he plucked it out of his hands , threw it to the ground , saying aloud , ye wretched idolaters , do ye fall down to a morsel of bread ? this so provoked the people that they had almost torn him in pieces , and yet they spared him and sent him to prison . complaint being made to pope clement the eighth , he was so incensed that he appointed him to be burnt the same day ; but some of the cardinals advised that he should rather be kept in prison , and examined by exquisite torments to find out his abettors and setters on . this accordingly was put in practice , yet could they draw nothing from him but these words , such was the will of god. then was he adjudged to be led from the capitol , naked to his middle , and to wear on his head the form of a devil , his breeches to be painted over with flames of fire , and so to be carried all about the city , and then to be burnt alive . when he heard this sentence , he lift up his eyes to heaven , and implored the help of almighty god. as he passed through the streets he was mocked and derided of all the people , but he continued his fervent prayers to god ; at last he spake something against the filthy lives of the cardinals , which so enraged them , that they caused him to be gagged , which cruelty he patiently endured . when he came before the church where he cast down the idol , the hangman cut off his right hand , and set it on a pole in the cart to which he was tied ; then did two tormentors with flaming torches scorch and burn his flesh all the way as he went through the city of rome , all which he bore with admirable patience ; by that he came to the place where he was to be executed , his body was all over scorched , blistred and bloody , having no part free but his head ; then was he taken from the cart , and seeing the post to which he should be tied , he went of himself to it , and kneeling down , kissed the chains which should bind him to it ; the friars urged him to worship an idol which they presented to him , but he turning away his face shewed his detestation of it , holding on his christian course unto the end : and when the flames of fire seized on him , he bowed his head , and quietly yielded up his soul to god. the same year there was an old godly man that had long lain in the inquisitors dungeons , who was at last brought forth and condemned ; after which the friars brought to him a crucifix , importuning him to kisse and adore it ; he seeing their impudence , said unto them ; if you take not this idol out of my sight , ye will constrain me to spit upon it ; the friars hearing this , sent him away immediately to the fire , where with great courage and constancy he resigned up his spirit unto god. chap. xxix . the life and martyrdom of william gardiner in portugal , anno christi , . william gardiner was born at bristol , and well educated , and when he was grown up , was placed with one master paget , a merchant , by whom when he was twenty six years old , he was sent into portugal to lisbone , the regal city , to be a factor : there he learned the countrey language , and became a profitable servant both to his master and others . he was careful to keep close to god , and to avoid the superstitions of that countrey , and there being divers good men in that city , he associated himself with them , used good conference , and often bewailed to them his own weaknesse , as being neither sufficiently humbled for his sins , nor yet enflamed with a love of godlinesse as he ought : he had also good books which privately he made much use of . now whilst he was here abiding , it so fell out that a great marriage was to be solemnized betwixt the king of portugals sonne , and the king of spains daughter . great preparations were made for it , and a great concourse there was of persons of all ranks that came to it ; and upon the wedding day they went to church in great pomp ; and amongst multitudes of spectators , william gardiner made one , rather for the novelty of the businesse , than for any desire that he had to see their ceremonies , and going to church early in the morning , he got a convenient place to hear and see in . when all were come to church , a cardinal began to say masse : the people standing with great silence and devotion : the fight of these superstitions did wonderfully grieve the mind of william gardiner , not so much to see the folly of the common people , as to see that the king himself , and so many sage nobles should be led away with such abominable idolatry ; wherewith he was so exceedingly moved in his spirit , that he had much ado to refrain himself from doing something whereby he might manifest his dislike ; but the great throng that he was in , hindred him , that he could not come neere to the altar . when all was ended he returned home very sad , seeking out solitary places , where falling down prostrate before god , with many tears he bewailed the neglect of his duty , and studied how he might revoke that people from their impiety and superstition . at length his mind was fully setlet not to defer the matter any longer , whereupon he renounced the world , exactly made up all his accounts , both what he owed , and what was owing to him to a farthing . then did he continue night and day in prayer unto god , and in continual meditation of the holy scriptures , so that he would scarce take any meat by day , or sleep by night , as one pendigrace his bed-fellow testified . the sabbath following masse was to be celebrated with the like solemnity ; whereupon william gardiner went early in the morning handsomely apparalled to church , setting himself neer to the altar ; after a while the king and states came ; gardiner with a new testament in his hand , stood near the altar , privately reading it all the while . a cardinal began the masse , consecrated the host , lifted it up an high , shewed his god to the people , they adored it : yet gardiner contained himself all this while . then the cardinal took the host , tossed it to and fro about the chalice , made divers circles , &c. with that gardiner stept to him , took the host out of his hand , and trampled it under his feet , and with his other hand overthrew the chalice . at first all that were present stood amazed ; then arose a great tumult , and one drawing his dagger wounded gardiner in the shoulder , and as he was about to have slain him , the king commanded him to forbear , whereby his life was saved for the present ; the tumult being ceased , the king demanded of him what countryman he was ? he answered , most noble king , i am not ashamed of my countrey , i am an englishmam by birth and religion , and came hither as a merchant , and seeing so great idolatry committed in this famous assembly , i neither ought , nor could any longer suffer it : neither could i forbear doing what you have seen : which thing , most noble prince , was not done in contempt of your presence , god is my witness , but to seek the salvation of this people . the king hearing that he was an englishman , and considering what alteration of religion king edward had made , presently conceited that he was suborned by some body to do this in scorn to their religion ; wherefore he asked him who was the authour and procurer of this act ? gardiner answered that he was not moved thereunto by any man , but only by his own conscience ; for , saith he , there is no man under heaven , for whose sake i would put my self into such manifest danger , but that i owed this service first to god , and then to your salvation : and if i have done any thing which is dispeasing to you , you ought to impute it to no man , but to your self , who so i●reverently use the holy sacrament of the lords supper to so great idolatry , &c. whilst he thus stoutly spake to the king , by reason of the losse of much blood by his wound , he was ready to faint . whereupon chirurgions were sent for to cure him , that he might be reserved for further torments . then were all other englishmen in the city clapped up in prison , especially his bed-fellow , who was grievously tormented and examined more then all the rest , and scarcely delivered after two years imprisonment ; the rest got off sooner . they searched also all his writings and letters , to see if they could find out any confederates ; then they went to him seeking by torments to extort the author of this fact . they also invented a new kind of torment , exceeding phalaris his brazen bull ; which was this : they made a ball of linnen cloth , which with violence they thrust down his throat to the bottom of his stomack , and with a string fastned to it , they pulled it up again ; and this they did divers times , which caused as bitter pains as the pains of death ; but when by this means they could get no confession from him , they asked him if he did not repent of his wicked fact ? whereto he answered , that he was so far from repenting , that if it were to do again he should do it : yet was he somewhat sorry that it was done in the kings presence , to his disturbance , but they were not to blame him for it , but the king was rather to be blamed , who having power , would not prohibit so great idolatry . when they had used all kinds of torments , and that he was so weakned thereby , that he was not like to live long , they first cut off his right hand , then carried him into the market-place , where they cut off his other hand also : then fastning a rope about his middle , with a pully they hoisted him up an high , and making a great fire under him , they let him down , so that his feet only felt the fire , and so often pulling him up and down , they burned him by degrees : and yet in all these great torments he remained constant , and the more terribly that he burnt , the more earnestly he prayed ; when his feet were consumed , they asked him whether he yet did not repent him of his deed ? exhorting him to call upon our lady and the saints . he answered that what torments soever they used , the truth was the same : that which he had confessed in his life , he would not deny at his death ; and that when christ ceased to be our advocate he would pray to our lady , &c. and when they laboured to stop his p●aying to , and praising of god , he with a loud voice reheased the . psalm : which being almost ended , the rope was burned in sunder , so that his body fell down into the fire , where he changed his momentany pains for eternal rest . but the lord suffered not this cruelty to go altogether unpunished in this life ; for a spark of the fire wherewith he was burned , was driven by the wind into the haven , where it set on fire one of the kings great ships , and consumed it : the new-married prince also died within half a year , and the king himself not long after . the martyrdom of a christian jew in constantinople , anno christi , . this jew dwelling ar constantinople , through gods grace , was there converted , baptized , and became a good christian ; which the turks understanding , were vehemently exasperated against him for it , fearing lest his conversion should prove very prejudicial to their mahumetan religion , and therefore they apprehended and cruelly murthered him , and for his greater infamy they cast out his dead body into the open streets , forbidding all strictly to bury it . thus his dead body lay in the streets nine dayes ; yet , through the power of god , it corrupted not at all , yea there proceeded from it a certain delectable sent or odour , which much astonished the turks , so that at last they took it up , and carried it out of the city , and buried it . chap. xxx . the persecution of the church in germany , which began , anno christi , . the gospel being spread abroad in germany , by the means and ministry of luther , and his fellow-labourers , the pope having tried all other means for the suppressing of it , and finding them ineffectual , he at last provokes the emperour charles the fifth by war to destroy the protestants , and for that end gives him two hundred thousand crowns in money for the maintenance of these wars , and ties himself at his own cost to maintain twelve thousand foot and five hundred horse for six moneths ; yea out of his zeale for the cause , he allows the emperour the one half of the revenues of the clergy , and gives him leave to sell off abby-lands to the value of five hundred thousand crowns , whereupon great preparation was made for this war both in germany , spain , and italy , the consideration wherereof caused the confederate protestant princes to raise a great army also for their own defence ; upon which occasion they were proclaimed guilty of high treason by the emperour . the two armies lay near together , and the protestants offered battel to the emperour , but he refused , assuring himself that they could not long continue together : the army of the protestants was commanded by the duke of saxony , and the lantgrave of hessen , who did not concur very well in their counsels ; besides they wanted both victuals and money , so as they were forced to dislodge and retire further off : the emperour following , forced the elector to fight with disadvantage ; and god who doth not alwaies prosper the better cause , gave the victory to the emperour , the duke of saxony and the lantgrave being taken prisoners , anno . presently after ensued a great persecution in many places : authority armed with laws and rigour , striving against simple verity : it was lamentable to hear how many poor men were troubled , both ministers and christians ; some tossed from place to place ; others exiled out of their own countryes ; some driven into woods , and forced to dwell in caves ; some tormented upon the rack , and some burned with fire and faggot ; amongst others , two young men were burnt at bruxels , viz. henry voes and john esch , formerly augustine-friars ; when they came before the inquisitors they were examined what they did believe ? they answered , the books of the old and new testament , wherein were contained the articles of the creed . then were they asked whether they did not believe the decrees of the councels and fathers : they answered such as were agreeing to the scriptures , they believed , &c. when they were condemned , they gave thanks to god their heavenly father , which of his great goodnesse had delivered them from that false and abominable religion , making them priests to himself , and receiving them to himself as a sacrifice of a sweet odour ; they went joyfully to the place of execution , protesting that they died for the glory of god and the doctrine of the gospel as true christians , and that it was the day which they had long desired ; they joyfully embraced the stake , and endured patiently the torments of the fire , singing psalmes , and rehearsing the creed in testimony of their faith ; whereupon one said to them , that they should take heed of glorifying themselves so foolishly ; but of them answered , god fobid that we should glory in any thing but in the crosse of our lord jesus christ ; when the fire was kindled at their feet , one of them said , methinks you do strow roses under my feet ; presently after they quietly slept in the lord. henry being before demanded if luther had seduced him : he answered , even so as christ seduced his apostles . the year after there was one henry sutphen , who , having been with luther , came to antwerp , from which he was driven for his religion ; then did he go to breme , where he was requested by some godly citizens to preach to them , and the citizens hearing him preach the gospel so sin●rely , they were so in love with his doctrine , that they requested him to tarry amongst them to be their minister ; but the popish clergy presently complained of him to the magistrates , accusing him of heresie , and desiring that he might be banished the town ; but not prevailing there , they complained to the archbishop , and sent their chaplains daily to his sermons to entrap him in his words : but it pleased god so to work upon them by his ministery , that most of them were converted , and did openly witness that he taught nothing but the truth of god. not long after he was set for to meldorp , to preach the gospel to them also ; wherefore he thought good to try what god would work by him there ; but the citizens of breme were very unwilling to part with him , because the gospel had not as yet took much deep root amongst them , and because the persecution was very great , &c. yet sutphen alledged , that in diethmarch there was more need of his labours , the people being as sheep amongst wolves , and that with a safe conscience he could not deny their request , and that he did not intend utterly to forsake breme , but only for a moneth or two , after which he would return to them again . so having made all things ready , he went into diethmarch to meldorp , were he was joyfully received . but before he began to preach , the divel and his instruments began to fret and fume , and consulting together , they resolved to hinder him from preaching , fearing that if the people once heard his doctrine , it would be too late to stop it ; hereupon they grievously complained to the magistrates , telling them that if they suffered this heretick to preach , he would infect all the country as he had done at breme , and that it would be a most gratefull service if they would put him to death . this so far prevailed with these ignorant men , that they resolved that he should be put to death unseen and unheard : they wrote also to forbid him to preach , whereunto , he answered , that since he was come at the request of the whole parish to preach , he resolved to answer that call , and rather to obey god than man , and that if god had determined that there he should lose his life , there was as near a way to heaven from thence as from any other place ; assuring himself that sooner or later he must die for the gospels sake : and accordingly the next day he preached , and the people so liked him , that they resolved to have him for their preacher , and to defend him to their power ; in the afternoon he preached again ; afterwards also he preached a third time with such a spirit and grace , that all men admired him , praying god earnestly that they might long enjoy such a preacher ; but his enemies were not all this while idle : for going to the rulers of the country , they procured some of them to joyn with them , and privately raised five hundred men , with whom they went in the night time to meldorp , brake into the house where sutphen lay , pulled him out of his bed naked , and in their rage had almost pulled him to pieces : they then bound him , and asked him for what cause he came into diethmarch ? he gently declared it to them , yet they led him away barefoot : so that his feet being pitifully cut with the ice , he desired a horse to ride on , for which they jeared him , saying , must we provide an horse for an heretick ? thou shalt go on foot whether thou wilt or no : afterwards they bound him with chains , and set him in the stocks : then was he removed to another place and shut up in a cupboard ; the next day binding him , hands , feet and neck , they carried him forth to be burned . then a certain woman came to them , and proffered her self to suffer two thousand stripes , and to give them a great summe of mony if they would but respite his life till he had a publick hearing , but they threw her underfoot and trod upon her ; they also fell upon sutphen , cutting and mangling of him in several parts : the fire was often kindled , yet would not burn ; then they fell upon him again , cutting and slashing him , and at last bound him to a ladder , and threw him into the fire , and when he began to pray , one of them him struck , saying , thou shalt first be burnt , and then pray and prate thy fill ; another trode upon his breast , and another endeavoured to strangle him : another ran him through with an halberd : another struck him on the breast with a mace till he died : and lastly they rosted him upon the coals , and so he finished his martyrdom . about the same time many other godly persons were thrown into the river of rhene and drowned , and in the town of diethmarch another faithful servant of god suffered martyrdom . in hala a godly preacher was slain by a company of cut-throats , set on by the friars . and not long after the town of miltenburg was taken , sacked , many slain , and others imprisoned for maintaining caralostadius to be their preacher : two other godly persons were burned at vienna . also a godly minister for reproving sin in his prince sharply , was condemned to be hanged , and a cruel gentleman with a troop were sent to apprehend and hang him : the gentleman when he came to his house saluted him friendly ; pretending that he came to make good cheer with him , for he was a good house-keeper , and the gentlemen of the country used oft to resort to him ; the minister in a short time prepared ▪ a sumptuous banquet for them , whereof they ate freely . dinner being ended , the gentleman said to his men , take this priest our host and hang him without delay : his servants astonished hereat , abhorred to do the deed , saying , god forbid that we should commit such a crime , as to hang a man that hath used us so courteously , it s a wicked act thus to render evil for good , &c. but the gentleman still provoked them to accomplish his command : then did the minister say , i beseech you shew not such cruelty upon me , rather lead me to purge my self to my prince , before whom i doubt not to purge my self from any thing wherewith i shall be charged , neither so violate ye the lawes of hospitality which i have shewed to you and to other noble men , which used to resort to my house ; besides consider what a sting this act will leave in your consciences : for i have faithfully and truly taught the doctrine of the gospel , and that 's the principal cause that my prince bears me this ill will , &c. but whatsoever this good man could say in his own behalf , the wicked gentleman continued resolute , provoking his servants to accomplish that which he commanded them , withal saying to the minister , you shall gain nothing by your preaching in this sort , for i am fully determined that the princes will shall be fulfilled . at last the servants took the minister , and with great lamentation and mourning , hanged him upon a beam in his own house , the gentleman standing by and looking on . also about the same time there was a godly learned minister , called master peter spengler in a town called schlat , who faithfully discharged the duty of his place , and was much beloved for his affable and courteous carriage : he was also a great peace-maker , and very prudent in composing differences , well studied in the scriptures , whereby he saw that persecution was at hand , the enemies of the truth beginning now to rage , and proudly to lift up their heads ; yea shortly after he saw many bodies of the saints cruelly tormented , beaten , exiled , drowned and burned ; and to the end that he might not defile himself with fornication , he married his maid , who was one that feared god , and by whom afterwards he had many children . about this time there was a great commotion of the boores , who went to abbies and monasteries , robbing , plundering , and spoiling what they could not carry away ; one company of them came to his house , whom he entertained kindly , yet they ransacked and robbed him of all , even to his very apparel , not leaving him so much as a pair of stockings , though he laboured to convince them of their wickednesse ; as they were going out of his house he fell a weeping , and said to them , i tell you that this your wickednesse will in the end bring much mischief upon your selves ; you pretend the gospel , but walk contrary to the rules of it , &c. but for his good counsel they requited him with scoffs and jeers . it pleased god not long after , that this faithful pastor in the night-time was taken by a company of popish souldiers , who bound him hands and feet with a great rope , and so carried him away to friburg : it would have grieved any heart to hear the barbarous and despightful taunts and scoffs that they gave him ; from thence they carried him to another place , where they cast him into prison , cruelly tormented him in his privy members , and other parts of his body , and at last adjudged him to death ; as he was going to execution , he said , i shall be an acceptable sacrifice to my saviour jesus christ , who hath given me a quiet conscience , as knowing my self innocent from the crimes objected against me : for my death , it is all one whether i die thus or no ; for if you had let me alone , i must shortly have forsaken this skin , which already scarcely hangs to my bones . i know that i am a mortal and corruptible worme , i have long desired my last day , and have oft prayed that i might be delivered out of this mortal body , to be joyned with my saviour jesus christ , &c. then was he cast headlong into the river : which afterwards for a certain space was as red as blood . another godly man there was , who ( after the commotion raised by the anabaptists was quieted ) was apprehended under pretence that he was one of them , and cast into prison , in which he was long detained , and at last they hoisted him up with a cord , with a great stone fastned to his feet , where they kept him six hours , so that the sweat that dropped from his body , through pain and anguish , was almost blood : at last his strength ●ailing , they let him down with great violence : where he lay as a stock almost dead , only they perceived him to breath ; then did they use means to recover him , and gave him some food , after which they let him down into a deep dungeon : there he continued eighteen dayes , in the end whereof they took him forth , and examined him of divers things , which he denied : then did they devise sundry kinds of torments to force him to accuse himself falsly , yet he constantly denied it : afterwards they hired an hangman who left no kind of cruelty unpractised upon him : yet at length he was constrained to give over his cruelty , and pronounce the man innocent , in that he had constantly endured so many and grievous torments : then did they again cast him into the dungeon , and in the mean time suborned two false witnesses against him , whereupon they condemned him unheard , and having let down a cord , they drew him up out of the dungeon to his execution ; as he was going to it , a friar perswaded him to confesse his sins in his eare , and he would absolve him , and so he should go to heaven : to whom he answered , thou wicked friar , get thee from me , i have long since bewailed my sins to god , and obtained absolution at the hands of my saviour jesus christ , and therefore i have no need of thy absolution , &c. at the place of execution , after he had made his prayer to god , and vindicated his own innocency , his head was cut off . these were written by oecolampadius . wolfgang scuch coming to hippolitus in lorrain , was chosen to be their pastor , where through gods blessing upon his ministry , he mightily prevailed with the people to bring them from darknesse to light , so that they forsook their former idolatry , and abolished the masse , and other superstitious practices from amonst them , which much enraged their popish neighbours about them , so that they complained to the duke that they had not only fallen from the pope , but went about to cast off their obedience to him , and to shake off his authority : this so provoked the indignation of the duke , that he threatned utterly to destroy the town with fire and sword ; wolfgang being informed hereof , wrote to the duke in most humble wise , defending his ministry and the doctrine which he taught , and the whole cause of the gospel ; he also excused the people as innocent and guiltlesse , confuted the slanders of their malicious adversaries , and professed their ready and willing subjection to that authority which god had placed over them ; but this epistle prevailed nothing by reason of the virulent accusations of their enemies ; whereupon to save the town from ruine , he went of his own accord to the duke to render an account of his doctrine , thereby deriving all the odium and danger upon himself . as soon as he came thither he was apprehended and cast into a straight and stinking prison ▪ where he was most cruelly handled by the churlish jailor : in this plight he remained a whole year , and yet would not shrink from his constancy , though besides his hard usage , he had a wife and five or six small children to care for : then was he called to justifie his faith , which he did wittily and learnedly confuting all that did oppose him : and though they called him heretick , judas , divel , &c. yet he regarded it not , but went on confirming his doctrine by the scriptures : but when his adversaries could not make their part good against him , they took his bible and burned it , and proceeded to condemn him to be burned ; which sentence when he heard pronounced against him , he sang the . psalm . when he came to the place of his martyrdom , they asked him if he would have his pain shortned , he answered no : for saith he , god that hath been with me hitherto , i trust will not now leave me when i have most need of him . when faggots were heaped about him , he sang the . psalm , and so continued singing till the flame and smoak took away his voice and life . shortly after the commendator that sate as chief judg upon him , died suddenly : also his fellow judge hearing the sudden noise of some guns that went off at the coming of the king of denmak into the town , was so overcome with fear , that he suddenly fell down and died . one john huglin , a minister , was burned at mersperg for religion , anno christi . at munchen in bavaria , one george carpenter was apprehended and cast into prison for his religion , and at last was brought forth before the judges , where he stoultly defended the truth , refusing to recant ; then came a schoolmaster to him , saying , my friend , dost thou not feare death ? wouldst thou not fain return to thy wife and children ? to whom he answered , were i at liberty , whether should i go but to my dear wife and children ? then said the schoolmaster , recant your errours and you shall be set at liberty : george answered , my wife and my children are so dear to me , that they cannot be bought from me with all the riches and possessions of the duke of bavaria : but for the love of my lord god i willingly forsake them all . when he went to execution , being again perswaded to recant , he said , i will confesse christ this day before the whole world , for he is my saviour , and in him do i believe . when he was bound to the ladder , some christian brethren desired him , that as soon as he was cast into the fire , he would give them some sign of the truth of his faith ; to whom he said , this shall be my signe , that so long as my tongue can wag i will not cease to call upon the name of jesus . he never changed his countenance , but chearfully went to the fire , and crying continually jesus , jesus , he joyfully yielded up his spirit unto god. also one leonard keyser , a bavarian , being a student at wittenburg , was sent for to come home , his father lying upon his death-bed ; but so soon as he was come , he was apprehended at the command of the bishop ; and though the duke of saxony , and his own friends solicited very earnestly to the bishop for his life , yet he proceeded to condemn him , and delivered him over to the secular magistrate . as he was led to the place of execution , he said , o lord jesus , remain with me , sustain and help me , and give me strength ; when the fire was ready to be kindled , he cryed out with a loud voyce , o jesus , i am thine , have mercy upon me , and save me , and so he quietly slept in the lord. the martyrdome of a godly minister in hungary . a cruel bishop in hungary took a godly minister for preaching the truth ; and caused hares , geese , and hens to be tied round about his naked body , and then set dogs upon him , that cruelly rent and tore whatsoever they could catch , so that he died thereof ; but god left not this cruelty unrevenged ; for shortly after the bishop fell mad , and raving , died miserably . chap. xxxi . the persecutions of the church in the low-countries , in holland there was a grave widow called wendelmuta , to whom it pleased god to reveal his truth , and she became a zealous professour of it , for which she was apprehended and cast into prison , and afterwards brought forth at the sessions , where many monks perswaded her to recant , but could not prevail . many also of her kindred and other women were suffered to perswade with her , amongst which was a noble matron , who coming to her , said , my wendelmuta , why dost thou not keep those things which thou believest secret in thy heart , that thou mayest prolong thy life ? to whom she answered , truly you know not what you say ; for with the heart man beleeves to righteousnesse , but with the tongue confession is made to salvation . then was she condemned to be burnt to ashes , and her goods to be confiscated , which sentence she took patiently and quietly . at the place of her execution a monk brought her a crosse , and bade her to kisse and worship her god , to whom she said , i worship no woodden god , but only that god which is in heaven ; and so with a merry and joyful countenance she went to the stake , desiring the executioner to knock it in fast that it might not fall ; being bound to it , she ardently commended her soul into the hands of god ; when she was to be strangled she modestly closed her eyes , and bowed down her head as one that went to sleep ; after which she was burned to ashes . anno . there were two godly and learned men apprehended in colen , and cast into prison , where they were kept a year and an half , and the sweating sicknesse raging exceedingly at that time in germany , the popish clergy preached that the way to pacifie gods wrath , and to remove the plague , was to cut off hereticks , whereupon these two godly men were brought out , and condemned , and presently after burned . also one nicholas , a godly man , was apprehended at antwerp , bound up in a sack , cast into the river and drowned . also pistorius , a learned and godly preacher , coming from wittenburg into holland , preached against the masse , popish pardons , &c. whereupon he was cast into prison amongst . malefactors , whom he instructed , and much comforted in their distressed condition ; and one of them being half naked , he gave him his gown ; his father visiting him in prison , encouraged him to constancy : at last he was condemned and carried forth to execution with a fools coat on his back ; when he was tied to the stake , he said , o death , where is thy victory ? and so he was first strangled , and then burned . another for speaking against the masse and reliques , was hanged in suevia . another godly minister being commanded to go to sixteen men that were to be beheaded , to counsel and comfort them at their death : when they were executed , was himself bidden to kneel down , and so they cut off his head . also george scherter , a godly minister , that took great pains in instructing his people in the knowledge of the gospel in a town near salizburg , was apprehended and cast into prison , where he wrote a confession of his faith , and afterwards was condemned , first to be beheaded , and then burned . as he went to the execution he said to the spectators , that you may know that i die a true christian , i will give you a signe : and accordingly when his head had been cut off , so long as whilst a man might eat an egge , his body all the while lying upon the belly , it turned it self upon the back , crossing the right foot over the left , and the right hand over the left : by which miracle many were induced to believe the gospel . another godly man was burned at dornick . anno . a godly minister not far from basil , was murthered in his own house by a popish priest , whom he had kindly entertained ; many other ministers about that time , were , some drowned , some beheaded . anno . notice was taken that there were divers godly persons in lovain , whereupon an inquisitor came from bruxels thither , and having gotten a company of souldiers , in the night time he brake into their houses , plucking men and women out of their beds from their children , and casting them into prison : thither the doctors of lovain came , thinking either to convert them or confound them ; but the spirit of god assisting his saints , the doctors went away confounded themselves : then did they cruelly torment every one of them by themselves ; amongst these an aged minister of about sixty years old was condemned to perpetual imprisonment in a dark and stinking dungeon , where he could neither read nor write , nor might any man come to him , and he was fed onely with bread and water . two were burnt alive in the fire ; an aged man was beheaded : two aged women were buried quick : others for refusing to do pennance , were burned also ; all which took their death very patiently and cheerfully . the year after in the same university of lovain , was one master persival , a very learned and godly man , cast into prison , and because he could by no means be brought to recant , he was adjudged to perpetual imprisonment , and there to be fed only with bread and water : neither would they suffer the citizens to send any relief to him : shortly after he was made away in prison . also one justus insberg in the same city , for having a new testament and some of luthers sermons found in his house , was cast into prison , and command given that none should speak with him . at the same time there were prisoners , in a room under him , aegidius and encenas metioned before , whose door being left open accidentally , they went to this poor man ▪ and much confirmed and strengthned him in the faith , insomuch as when the lovain doctors came to perswade him to recant , he before them all made a bold confession of his faith , from which he would not be disswaded , whereupon he was condemned and beheaded . about the same time there was one giles tilleman , a cutler at bruxels , who by diligent reading of the scriptures , through gods grace , was converted , and became very zealous for the truth ; he was also very humble , mild , and merciful ; whatsoever he could spare from his own necessity , he gave it to the poor , living by his trade himself ; some he refreshed with meat , others with cloathing ; to others he gave shooes , to others houshold-stuffe ; to others he ministred godly exhortations for their edification . one poor woman being delivered of a child , and wanting a bed to lye on , he sent her his bed ; and himself was content to lie on the straw ; at last he was discovered and cast into prison ; where much pains was taken to bring him back to popery , but alwayes his adversaries went away with shame ; after eight months imprisonment he was sent to bruxels to be judged , in which place he comforted many that he found in prison there , exhorting them to constancy that they might attain the crown ; most of his food he divided amongst them , contenting himself with some few scraps : he was so ardent in prayer , kneeling by himself in some secret place , that often he forgat himself ; and being many times called to his meat , he neither heard , nor saw them that stood by him till he was lifted up by the armes . divers friars coming to reduce him , he would still request them to go their wayes , for he was at a point ; and when they reviled him , he would not answer them again , insomuch as they reported abroad that he had a dumb devil in him . but when they spake of matters of religion , he answered them freely , mightily confuting them by the scriptures ; often he might have escaped , the prison doors being set open , but he would not , that he might not bring his keeper into trouble ; afterwards he was removed to another prison , where they sought by torments to enforce him to recant : and when all would not prevail , he was condemned to the fire ; which when he heard of , he gave hearty thanks to god for that the hour was come wherein he might glorifie his name . seeing a great pile of wood prepared for his burning , he desired that most of it might be taken away and given to the poor ; for a little , said he , will serve to burn me : and seeing a poor man by that lacked shoos , he gave him his : being tied to the stake the hangman would have strangled him , but he refused , saying , it needs not , i fear not the fire , and so in the midst of the flames he gave up the ghost . anno . and . there was a great persecution all over flanders , so that there was neither town nor city in all the countrey , wherein some were not banished , beheaded , or condemned to perpetual imprisonment : neither was there any respect either of age or sex : but especially at gaunt , many of the chief men were burned for religion . also at the emperours going to bruxels , there was a terrible persecution and slaughter made of gods people in brabant , artois , &c. so that two hundred men and women were apprehended at one time , whereof some were drowned , some buried quick , some privily made away : others sent to perpetual prison ; yea so many others were put to death , that the hands of the hangman were tired with slaying of men . anno . there was one martin , at gaunt , a fishmonger , who lived very dissolutely to his old age ; but it pleased god by a sermon that he heard , to bring him to the knowledge of the truth and to repentance for his former sins , whereupon he left gaunt , and sought out the company of godly christians , who used much reading of the scriptures , by whom he was further instructed and grounded in the truth ; then after three moneths he returned to the city again , where he visited the captives in prison , comforted them in persecution , and confirmed them in the truth which were led to the fire . the friars seeing this , though formerly he had been very bountiful to them , yet now they conspired against him , whereby he was laid in bands , and by sharp and cruel torments they would have enforced him to recant , but not prevailing , he was condemned , and his goods confiscated ; as he stood at the stake , a friar said to him , martin , except thou dost turn , thou shalt go from this temporal to everlasting fire , to whom he answered , it is not for you to judge me ; and so he quietly slept in the lord. the next day after two other men were burned , and a woman buried alive for the same cause , who joyfully and cheerfully suffered martyrdome . at delden two virgins of a noble stock , who frequently and diligently attended sermons , being apprehended and examined , couragiously confessed and maintained the truth , whereupon they were condemned , and the younger was first burned ; in the fire she prayed so ardently for her enemies , that the judges greatly marvelled at it ; then did they exhort the elder , that if she would not recant , yet at least that she would petition to have her punishment changed into beheading instead of burning , whereupon she answered , that she held no errour of which she had cause to repent , but the truth which was consonant to the scriptures , in which she trusted to persevere unto the end : and for the kind of her punishment she feared not the fire , but would rather follow the example of her dear sister , and so being put into the fire she quietly slept in the lord. but this was marvellous , that after their death , the bodies of them both remained white , and unhurt by the fire , whereupon some christians privily in the night buried them . anno christi , . there was in mechlin one andrew thiessen , who had three sonnes and a daughter , whom he carefully brought up in the knowledge of the truth ; after which he went into england , and there died ; two of his sonnes went into germany to study there , and after a time returned home again , instructing their mother , brother , and sister in the right knowledge of christ , which being taken notice of , they were all carried before the magistrate , and exhorted to returne to the church of rome again ; the younger brother and sister , being not so throughly grounded in the truth by reason of their yeares , yielded something and so were sent home again : the mother , who remained constant , was adjudged to perpetual imprisonment : the two elder brethren defended the truth stoutly against the friars ; disputation not prevailing , they proceeded to torments , endeavouring to know of them who was their master , and what fellows they had ? they answered that their master was christ , who bare his crosse before them ; and for fellows they had innumerable , dispersed in all places . at last they were condemned to the fire ; and at the place of execution , they began to exhort the people , whereupon bals were put into their mouths ; which through vehemency in desiring to speak , they thrust out again , intreating them for the lords sake that they might have leave to speak ; and so singing with a loud voice , they were fastened to the stake , where they prayed for their persecutors , exhorted one another , and endured the fire patiently : one of them feeling the violence of the flame , said , o what a small pain is this compared with the glory to come ! and so , committing their spirits into the hands of god , they finished their race . anno . there was a great persecution in dornick ; and amongst others there was one adrian tailor and his wife apprehended , and upon their examination , the man being somewhat timorous , relented something , and so was beheaded : but the woman , being more constant was put into an iron grate and so buried alive . there was also one master peter bruly about the same time , sometimes a preacher in strasburg , but now at the request of the faithful in dornick , a diligent preacher there ; he used to preach in houses , the door standing open ; the magistrate hearing of it , laid wait for him , shutting up the city gates , and searching three days for him ; but the brethren in the night time let him down in a basket over the wall ▪ and when he was down , one of them leaning over the wall to bid him farewel , unawares threw down a loose stone , which falling upon his leg , brake it in pieces ; he complaining of his hurt , the watchmen heard him and apprehended him . then did he give thanks to almighty god , who by that providence staid him there to bear witnesse to his truth : whilst he was in prison , he ceased not to instruct and confirm all them that came to him in the word of grace : after four moneths imprisonment he was condemned to be burnt , and his ashes to be cast into the river ; the friars took care that he should have but a small fire , that his pain might be the more increased , yet he constantly and chearfully suffered martyrdom . god made the ministry of this good man very powerful to many ; amongst others there was one peter mioce , who had lived long in all manner of wickedness and licenciousness ; but being , through gods grace , converted , he excelled all the rest of the brethren in zeale and holinesse ; at last he was apprehended , and being asked whether he was one of peter brulies disciples : he said that he was , and that he had received much benefit by his doctrine : withall professing that his doctrine was consonant to the holy scriptures ; whereupon he was let down into a deep dungeon full of toads and other vermine : afterwards he was brought forth before the senate , who had provided some friars to convert him : to whom he said , when i lived an ungodly life in all manner of vice and wickedness , you never said word to me ; but now for savouring and favouring the word of god , you seek my blood . then did they examine him about sundry articles of religion , to which whilst he was making a full answer , they cut him off , bidding him answer in two words , yea , or no ; whereupon he said , if you will not give me leave to answer fully to things of such importance , send me again to my dungeon amongst the toads and frogs , who will not interrupt me whilst i talk with my lord my god : shortly after he was condemned to be burned : and having a bag of powder hung about his neck , when the fire came to it , it gave a crack : whereupon the friars told the people , that the divel came out of him and carried away his soul to hell . a tyrannous prince in germany apprehended a godly minister , and for his constancy in the truth , put out both his eyes , and kept him a long time in prison , afflicting him with divers kinds of torments ; then did he cause him to be degraded , shaving the skin off his head , and rubbing it with salt till the blood ran down his shoulders , and paring off the ends of his fingers ; so that four days after he patiently yielded up the ghost . not long after there was a godly minister in antwerp , called christopher fabri , that was betrayed by a woman , who pretended a great zeal to religion , and was cast into prison , where he lay for a long time , and endured much misery : at last he was brought forth and condemned to be burnt alive . and when the margrave brought him forth to execution , the people having first sung psalmes , fell to casting of stones against the executioner , so as the poor prisoner being bound , and fire set to him , the margrave durst stay no longer but ran away , and so did the executioner ; but before he fled , by the command of the margrave , he took a hammer and beat out fabrie's brains , and stabbed him into the back with a dagger , so that the people running to save him from the fire found him dead : after which by the command of the margrave , he had a great stone tied about his neck , and was thrown into the river . anno . one nicholas and barbara his wife , and one austin and marrian his wife , germans by birth , went to geneva , where they lived for a space ; then returning through germany they intended to go into england , but having passed through dornick , they were discovered to the lieutenant thereof , who speedily pursuing them , overtook them ; yet at that time god delivered austin out of their hands : but nicholas and the two women were apprehended and carried back by the souldiers ; coming to an inne by the way , at table nicholas gave thanks : whereat the wicked captain swearing grievously , said , let us see , thou lewd heretick , if thy god can deliver thee out of my hand ; nicholas replyed , hath christ ever offended you that by your blasphemous swearing you thus tear him in pieces ? pray you if you have any thing against christ , rather wreak your anger upon this poor body of mine , and let the lord alone ; then did he bind them hands and feet , and carried them to burges , and cast them into the dungeon . divers friers coming to them , nicholas in disputing with them so confounded them , that they went away ashamed , saying , that he had a divel , crying , to the fire with the lutherane . afterwards the magistrate sought to pump out of nicholas what acquaintance he had in that city : but not prevailing with him , he went to his wife , and by flattering speeches and fair promises , he wrought so upon her weaknesse , that he gat out all that she knew , whereupon ensued a great persecution . shortly after nicholas was condemned to be burned , at the hearing of which sentence , he blessed the lord who had counted him worthy to be a witnesse in the cause of his dear and wel-beloved son jesus christ ; at the place of execution hew a commanded not to speak to the people , for if he did , he should have a woodden ball thrust into his mouth ; yet as he was binding to the stake , forgetting the command , he cryed out , o charles , charles , how long shall thy heart be hardned ? with that one of the souldiers gave him a great blow : then he said , ah miserable people , who are not worthy that the word should be preached to you ; the friars crying out that he had a divel , he answered them in the words of david , depart from me all ye wicked , for the lord hath heard the voice of my weeping ; and so commending his spirit into the hands of god , he ended his life in the midst of the flames . marrian was condemned to be buried quick ; and when some earth was thrown upon her , the hangman stamped upon her with his feet till she died . afterwards austin that had before escaped , was apprehended , and being examined , though by nature he was a very timorous and weak man , yet did he stand to the defence of the truth valiantly , and answered his adversaries very boldly . being condemned to be burnt , as he was going to execution , a gentleman drank to him in a cup of wine , exhorting him to pity himself , at least not to destroy his soule : austin thanked him , saying , what care i have of my soule you may see by this , in that i had rather give my body to be burned , then to sin against my conscience . being tyed to the stake and fire set to him , he heartily prayed to the lord , and so patiently departed . anno . the emperour chales the fifth , having obtruded the interim upon germany , many godly ministers were persecuted and driven from their places for opposing the same , as may be seen in my first part of lives . the city of magdenburg also for refusing it , had an army sent against it , which besieged it for a whole year together , whereby many of the godly citizens lost their lives , and others endured great miseries . but at last , gods providence so ordering of it , warre arose betwixt the emperour and the king of france , whereupon peace was granted unto magdenburg upon good terms , and the inhabitants enjoyed their former religion quietly . anno . there was one hostius born at gaunt , who for some time was a member of the french church here in london in king edwards days : but in the beginning of queen maries reign , he went vvith his family to norden in frizeland : and aftervvards having some businesse to gaunt , he went thither , where he instructed many of his friends in the truth ; and hearing that a friar used to preach good doctrine , he went to hear him ; but the friar that day defended transubstantiation , which so grieved him , that he could scarce refrain from speaking till the sermon was ended . when the friar was come down from the pulpit , he charged him for preaching false doctrine , perswading the people by the scripture , that the bread was but the sacrament of the lords body ; but the people making a tumult , carried him out of the church in a croud ; and he had not gone far before he was apprehended by an officer , and carried to prison ; then came divers friars to reason with him ; and he stood to the trial of the scriptures only , which they refused . during his imprisonment he wrote a consolatory letter to his wife , exhorting her to bring up his children in the fear of god. being condemned , he was commanded not to speak to the people ; being bound to the stake , he prayed for his enemies , and was first strangled , and then burnt . the same year there was at dornick one bertrand , who to enjoy the freedome of his conscience went to wesell ; but being desirous to draw his wife and children thither , he went thrice to dornick to perswade her to go with him ; yet could he by no means prevail with her ; then did he set his house in order , desiring her to pray that god would establish him in the work that he went about ; and on christmas day he went to the great church at dornick ; and the priest being at masse , when he was about to elevate the host , bertrand took the cake out of his hand and trampled it under his feet , saying , that he did it to shew the glory of that god that they worshipped , or rather what little power he had ; labouring to perswade them that the cake was not their saviour ; at first the people stood amazed , but presently they raised such a tumult that bertrand hardly escaped with life . the governour hearing of it , was exceedingly enraged , and sent for bertrand into the castle , asking him whether he was sorry for his fact , and whether he would do it if it were to do again ? bertrand answered , that he would , and if he had a hundred lives to lose , he would lose them all in that quarrel ; then was he thrice put to the rack and tormented cruelly to draw from him who were his setters on ; yet could they get nothing from him : then was he condemned , and drawn from the castle to the market-place with a ball of iron in his mouth : there he was set upon a stage , and had his right hand wherewith he did the fact , crushed between two hot irons with sharp edges , till the form of his hand was quite changed ; then did they bring other red hot irons for his right foot , which they used as they had done his hand , which he with marvellous patience and constancy underwent , putting out his foot of his own accord to them ; then taking the ball of iron out of his mouth , they cut out his tongue : notwithstanding which , he continually called and cryed unto god , which caused them to thrust in the ball of iron again ; then was he let down in an iron chaine upon the fire and pulled up again , and so they continued pulling up and letting him down till he was burnt to ashes , which ashes they threw into the river . from locrane in helvetia the ministers were banished , but were entertained by the tigurines . two other good men born in dornick , went into divers reform●d churches , where they increased much in knowledge and godlinesse , and at last resolved to return to dornick , to do what good they could in their own country ; and it so fell out that on a day when many good people were gone to a wood to hear the word of god preached to them by a minister of jesus christ , their adversaries having intelligence of it , followed them thither , and took about thirty of them , amongst whom were these two men , who fell to singing of psalms , supposing that they should be presently burned ; but afterwards they were condemned to be beheaded ; and so they comfortably ended their lives . also divers godly men and women suffered martyrdome at valence , amongst whom was james faber , an old man , who , when they argued with him about his religion , said , though i cannot satisfie you by reasoning , yet i can constantly abide and suffer for the truth of the gospel . also one godfride , being condemned at dornick for an heretick ; nay said he , not an heretick , but an unprofitable servant of jesus christ. when the hangman would have strangled him to ease his pain in burning , he refused , saying , that he would abide the sentence of death which was passed upon him . besides these , there were both in the upper and lower germany many others secretly made away ; some drowned : some bured quick ; some murthered in prison , &c. a godly minister was also poisoned by a priest at erford for preaching the truth of christ ; besides many others . in the city of lile the gospel was secretly preached for three years together , sometimes in houses , then in woods , fields , and caves of the earth , not without hazard of their dearest lives if they had been discovered ; yet did not dangers cool the zeal of gods people ; but what was preached , was accordingly practised amongst them ; works of mercy and charity were their exercise , not only towards those of the houshold of faith , but towards those which were without also ; so as many by means hereof were drawn and brought to the knovvledge of christ. this so enraged satan and his instruments , that anno , the time being come wherein god had given them power to try and exercise the faith of his people , they neglected not to shew their cruelty upon them : and for that end one night about ten of the clock , the provost of the city with his armed sergeants made search to see if they could find any met together ; but , by gods providence , there was no meeting of gods people at that time ; then went they to the house of one robert oguire , which was a little church ; for all in it , both small and great , were familiarly instructed in the knowledge and fear of god. being violently entred into the house , seeking up and down for their prey , they found certain books which they took away with them : but baudizon the son of robert , whom they principally sought after , was not then at home , being gone abroad to confer of the word with some of the brethren . before the provost was departed , baudizon came home , and knocked at the door . martin his younger brother , who watched for his coming , bade him presently to be gone : but he thinking that he had mistaken him for some other , continued knocking , saying , it is , i open the door . then came the sergeants and opened the door , and laying hold on him , said , ah sir , you are well met , and with that the provost arrested him in the emperours name , withall causing the father , mother , and two sons to be bound , and so carried them away towards the prison ; as they went through the streets , baudizon said aloud : oh lord , assist us by thy grace , not only to be prisoners for thy names sake , but to confess thy holy truth in all purity before men , so far as to seal the same with our blood , for the edification of thy poor church ; they were all cast into several prisons , yet remained chearfull , praising god for accounting them worthy to suffer for his truth ; and after a few dayes they were all brought forth before the magistrates , who speaking to robert oguire said ; we hear that you never come to masse ; that you disswade others from it ; that you keep conventicles in your house , where erroneous doctrine is preached , &c. robert answered , i indeed refuse to go to mass , because the death and precious blood of christ is utterly abolished there , and troden under foot , &c. and i cannot deny but there have met together in my house honest people , fearing god ; not with intention to harm any , i assure you , but for the advancement of gods glory , and the good of many , &c. then one demanded what they did when they met together ; to which baudizon ansvvered , when vve meet together in the name of our lord jesus christ to hear the word of god , vve first , falling on our knees before god , in the humility of our spirits , do make confession of our sins before his divine majesty : then we pray that the word of god may be rightly divided , and purely preached ; then we pray for our soveraign lord the emperour , that the common-wealth may be peaceably governed to the glory of god ; yea we forget not you whom we acknowledge our superiours , intreating our good god that you may maintain this city in tranquillity , &c. thus you hear what we do in our assemblies : and if you will not be offended to hear the summe of our prayers , i am ready to recite the same unto you . one of the magistrates wished him to go on , whereupon kneeling down , he prayed before them all with such fervency of affection , and ardency of zeal , that it forced the magistrates to break forth into tears ; baudizon rising up , said , your masterships may hereby take a scantling how we are imployed in our meetings . being further examined , every one of them made an open confession of his faith , and so were returned to prison again ; and not long after they were tortured upon the rack to make them confesse who they were that met at their house : but they would discover none but such as they knew were at that time out of their reach . four or five dayes after , the men were again convented before the magistrates , who asked them if they would submit themselves to the will of the magistrates : robert and baudizon said they would ; but martin the younger sonne said , he would not submit thereto , but would accompany his mother , and so he was sent back to prison ; and the father with his eldest son were presently adjudged to be burnt alive . sentence being pronounced , one of the judges said , this day shall you go to dwell with all the divels in hell fire ; then were they returned to prison , praising god , and by their patience and constancy , conquerred the rage and fury of their enemies ; in prison there came some friars to them , telling them that the hour was come wherein they must finish their dayes : they answered ; blessed be the lord our god , who now delivering our bodies out of this vile prison , will receive our souls into his glorious and heavenly kingdom . then said one of the friars , father robert , thou art an old man , i intreat thee in this thy last hour think of saving thy soule ; and if thou wilt give ear to me , i le warrant thee thou shalt do well ; robert answered , poor man , how darest thou assume that to thy self which belongs to god alone , and so rob him of his honour ? &c. another wishing him to pity his soul , he said , dost thou not see what pity i have on it , when for the name of christ i am willing to give my body to the fire , hoping to day to be with him in paradise , &c. then said a friar , out dog , thou art not worthy the name of a christian : thou and thy sonne are resolved to damne your soules with all the divels in hell . then would they have severed the father from his son , which baudizon perceiving , said , pray you let my father alone , he is an old man , hinder him not from receiving the crown of martyrdome . another friar said , away varlet , thou art the cause of thy fathers perdition . whilst baudizon was stripping and fitting himself to be sacrificed , some of the friars had fastned a crucifix in the old mans hands , perswading him that it would please the people , and that for all that , he might lift up his heart to god , &c. but so soon as baudizon saw it , he said , alasse father , what do you now ? will you play the idolater at your last hour ? and so pulling the idol out of his hand , he threw it away . at the place of execution they were set upon a scaffold , and baudizon desired leave to make a confession of his faith : answer was made , that he might confess himself to a friar if he would , which he refusing , was readily haled to the stake , where he began to sing the . psalm ; then said a friar , do you not hear what wicked errors these hereticks sing , to beguile the people withall ? baudizon hearing him , replyed : thou simple idiot , callest thou the psalms of david errours ? but no marvel , for thus are ye wont to blaspheme against the spirit of god. then seeing them about to chain his father to the stake , he said to him , be of good courage father , the worst will be past by and by . then did he often breath forth : oh god , father everlasting , accept the sacrifice of our bodies for thy well-beloved son jesus christ his sake . a friar cryed , out heretick thou liest ; god is none of thy father ; the divel is thy father . baudizon fixing his eys upon heaven , said to his father , behold , i see the heavens open , and millions of angels ready to receive us , and rejoycing to see us thus bearing witness to the truth in the view of the world . father , let us rejoyce and be glad , for the joys of heaven are opened to us . then said a friar , i see hell open , and millions of divels are ready to carry you thither . a poor man in the croud cryed out , be of good comfort baudizon , stand to it , thou fightest in a good quarrel , i am on thy side ; which words so soon as he had spoken , he departed , and so hastened himself from danger . the fire being kindled , baudizon oft said to his father , yet a very little while and we shall enter into the heavenly mansions ; the fire encreasing , the last words which they spake , were , jesus christ thou sonne of god , into thy hands we commend our spirits , and so they sweetly slept in the lord. after the death of these worthy champions of christ , many of the popish rabble were sent , if possible , to seduce the mother and son remaining in prison ; and coming to them , the first subtilty they used was to separate them asunder ; then they set upon the woman as the weaker vessel , and so wrought upon her that she began to waver and let go her first faith ; this the adversaries much rejoyced in ; and the poor flock of christ in that place hearing of it , were as much afflicted with the news ; but god left them not in this mournful condition long : for a monk one day going to her , perswaded her to draw her sonne martin to the same recantation with her self , which she promised to do ; but when they came together , martin perceiving the grievous apostacy of his mother , bewailed it with many tears , saying to her , oh mother , what have you done ? have you denied him that redeemed you ? alas what injury hath he done you that you should requite him with so great an injury and dishonour ? now am i plunged into that woe which i most feared ; ah good god that i should live to see this , which pierceth me to the very heart ? his mother hearing his pittiful complaints , and seeing him drowned in tears for her sake , began again to renew her strength in the lord , and with tears cryed out , oh father of mercies , be merciful to me miserable sinner , and cover my transgression under the righteousnesse of thy blessed son : lord enable me with strength from above to stand to my first confession , and make me to abide stedfast therein even to my last breath . presently in came the seducers , hoping to finde her in the same minde that they left her ; but she no sooner saw them , but cryed , avoid satan , get thee behind me , for henceforth thou hast nether part nor portion in me ; i will by the help of god stand to my first confession , and if i may not sign it with ink , i will seal it with my blood : and so after this time , through gods gracious assistance , she grew stronger and stronger ; then were they both condemned to be burnt alive , and their ashes to be sprinkled in the aire . when the sentence was passed , as they returned to prison , they said ; now blessed be god who causeth us thus to triumph over our enemies . this is the wished hour , our gladsome day is come ; let us not therefore forget to be thankfull for that honour that god doth us in thus conforming us to the image of his sonne . let us remember those that have troden this path before us ; for this is the high-way to the kingdom of heaven , &c. hereupon some of the friars , being ready to burst for anger , said unto martin that was most valiant , we see now heretick that thou art wholly possest body and soul with a divel , as were thy father and brother , who are now in hell . martin answered , as for your railings and cursings , god will this day turn them into blessings in the sight of himself and all his holy angels . when they came into prison , there came to them two persons of great quality , of whom one of them said to martin , young man , i have compassion on thee ; if thou wilt be ruled by me , and return to the church of rome , thou shalt not only be freed from this shameful death , but i will also give thee an hundred pounds ; martin presently replyed , sir , you present before me many temporal commodities : but alas ! do you think me so simple , as to forsake an eternal kingdome for the enjoyment of a short temporal life ? no sir , it s now too late to speak to me of worldly commodities ; i will hearken to no other speech but of those spiritual commodities which i shall enjoy this day in gods kingdome , &c. soon after martin and his mother were carried to the place of their martyrdome , and being bound to the stake , the woman said : we are christians , and that which we now suffer , is not for murther nor theft , but because we will believe no more than the word of god teacheth us . the fire being kindled , the heat of it did nothing abate the fervency of their seal , but they continued crying , lord jesus into thy hands we commend our spirits , and so they blessedly slept in the lord. a friar at gaunt called charles coninck , being through gods mercy converted to the truth , left his friars weed , and joyned himself to the brethren ; for which he was apprehended ; and remaining constant , was condemned : then came a special friend perswading him to recant , and he would procure him a cannonship : to whom charles answered , sir , i thank you for your good will and kind offer , but i cannot accept them without offending god ; and that rest is no true rest and quietnesse , which is obtained against the peace of a good conscience : shortly after his death , one of his adversaries which had the greatest hand in procuring of it ; fell into grievous terrour and horrour of conscience , whereof within a few dayes he died . the persecution of the duke de alva in the netherlands . when the light of the gospel was much spread abroad in the netherlands : king philip of spaine sent the duke de alva with a great army to root out the professors of it , who exercised unparalell'd cruelty against all sorts of persons , both of the nobility and commons , permitting his souldiers to ravish honest matrons and virgins , many times causing their husbands and parents to stand by and behold it . this duke on a time boasted at his own table that he had been diligent to root out heresie : for that beside those which he had slain in war , in the space of six years he had put into the hands of the common hangman above eighteen thousand persons . his sonne also don frederick being sent by him to zutphen , was re-received by the bourgers without any opposition , yet was he no sooner entred , but he fell to murther , hang and drown a number of the inhabitants , with infinite cruelties shewed upon wives and virgins ; yea , not sparing the very infants . from thence marching to naerden in holland , the inhabitants made an agreement with him , and he entred the town peaceably ; but never did turks or scythians , or the most barbarous and inhumane nations in the world , commit more abominable cruelties than don frederick did in this town ; for when the bourgers had given the best entertainment that they could to him and his souldiers , he caused it to be proclaimed , that they should all assemble themselves together in the chappel of the hospital , where they should be made acquainted with such laws , according to which they should hereafter govern themselves ; but when these poor people were thus assembled , he commanded his souldiers to murther them all , without sparing any one ; the men were massacred , the women were first ravished , and then murthered most cruelly , the children and infants had their throats cut , and in some houses they tied the inhabitants to posts , and then set fire on the houses , and burnt them alive ; so that in the whole town , neither man , wife , maid , nor child , old nor young were spared ; and then the town was wholly razed to the ground without pity or mercy . after this don frederick besieged harlem , which held out against him for a long time , but at last , their provision being spent , they made bread of linseed of turnups , and lived upon the flesh of horses , dogs , cats , and such like : and this also in the end failing them , they were enforced to surrender the town upon composition , by which they were to pay two hundred and fourty thousand florins to redeem themselves and town from spoil . don frederick having thus got the town into his hands , commanded that at the tolling of the great bell , all the bourgers and souldiers should bring their armes into the state-house , that the townsmen should go into the cloister of zyel , the women into the cathedral church , and the souldiers into another church , this done , all the ensigne-bearers were singled out and imprisoned , and whilst the poor bourgers were guarded in the church , the perfidious spaniards plundered their houses ; the next day this bloody don frederick caused three hundred walloons to be hanged and headed : the next day captain riperda and his lieutenant were beheaded , and a godly minister called stembach , was hanged , and two hundred fourty seven souldiers were drowned in the sea of harlem ; the next day a great number were executed , and the day following three hundred more souldiers and bourgers lost their heads , and with them a godly minister called simon simonson : presently after three of the principal men lost their heads , and shortly after all the english and scots were beheaded , and to fill up this sea of blood , all the wounded and sick were beheaded before the hospital door . in the mean time a party of souldiers that lay without in a sconce , were all starved to death . not long before , the strong town of valenciennes in henault , having set up the free exercise of the reformed religion amongst them , were presently besieged by an army under the signior of noircarmes ; the siege lasted about three months , and the citizens having no hope of relief , at last treated and surrendred the city upon good conditions ; but noircarmes being entred , he kept the city gates shut for divers dayes , and most perfidiously and barbarously hanged up all the french souldiers , with all the ministers and protestant merchants , and confiscated their goods . but besides these generals , let us also view some particulars . anno . there was in flanders one john herwin , a souldier of a very dissolute life : but god having a purpose to shew him mercy , put it into his heart to go into england , and accordingly he came to london in the beginning of queen elizabeths reigne , and by gods good providence was entertained in a brewers family , where both master and servants feared god : his master caused him often to go to the dutch church , where , by the ministry of the word he first began to tast , and afterwards more and more to increase in the saving knowledge of christ. after a while he returned back into flanders , and at furne he was presently laid wait for by the popish bailiffe ; this occasioned his removal to honscot ; and yet there also the bailiffe being informed of him , went in the night with his sergeants , and apprehended him ; by the way they met some drunkards in the streets ; whereupon the bailiffe said , we have , as they say , many gospellers in this town , but it little appears by these disorders . herwin hearing him , said , is drunkennesse a sin master bailiffe ? the bailiffe answered , what of that ? herwin replyed , why then do you not commit these men to prison , seeing it is your office to punish vice , and to protect them that fear god ? to this the bailiffe answered not . in the prison herwin behaved himself so vertuously , that every one admired him . being somewhat long before he was called before the magistrate , he was much troubled at it , his heart being inflamed with an holy zeal to confesse jesus christ before his judges . yet many of the brethren were very fearful of him , considering what his former life had been , and what a novice he as yet was in the profession of the gospel . at last he had his hearts desire , being brought before the sheriffe ; there a priest was provided to dispute with him , to whose questions herwin answered with such soundnesse of judgement and modesty , that it easily appeared that he had profited well in christs school . being asked of christs real presence in the sacrament , he answered , that the highest dwelleth not in temples made with hands , &c. whereupon he admonished his judges to examine the doctrine of the church of rome by the true touchstone of gods word , whereby they might easily see how contrary it is to the scriptures , &c. and having made a free profession of his faith , he craved justice one way or other ; but they still urged him to recant , to which he answered , my faith is not built upon mans opinion , but the lord hath taught me to eschew evil , and to do good ▪ then was he returned to prison again . during his imprisonment he was dangerously assaulted by some subtile and cunning friars , who alledged the sayings of diverse of the fathers , to prove their transubstantiation ; but he , through gods mercy , holding close to the word of christ , overcame them . in prison he used to recreate himself by singing of psalms , and the people used to flock together to the prison door to hear him ; this so angred the popish clergy , that they sought to hinder him from singing , and for this end they caused two desperate malefactors to be put into the same room with him ; but within a few dayes , these villains brake prison and escaped , leaving opportunity to herwin to escape also ; but he , fearing that his flight might be prejudicial to other godly persons in the city , upon whom it would be charged , resolved rather to remain there , than to flie : presently after news was brought him that sentence of death was passed upon him , whereupon he thanked god for advancing him to so high an honour as to be accounted worthy to suffer for his name : testifying the inward joy which he felt in his soul by a letter that he wrote to the brethren , wherein he exhorted them to constancy and perseverance in the doctrine of the truth which they had received from god : within a few dayes after he was carried forth to hear his sentence , at which time the magistrate by earnest intreaties and large promises sought to bring him to a recantation , and to worship their breaden god , promising that thereupon he should be presently released : but herwin refusing their offer of life upon those termes , was bound and carried into a chappel where they celebrated the masse ; at which time , to shew his detestation of their idolatry , he turned his back , winked with his eyes , and stopped his eares . at the elevation of the host one asked him if jesus christ was not now between the priests hands ? to which he answered , no , he is in heaven at the right hand of his father : then was the sentence of death read against him . as he was going to execution , he said to the people , see here how this wicked world rewards the poor servants of jesus christ : whilst i was a drunkard , a player at cards and dice , living in all dissolutenesse and ungodly behaviour , i was never in danger of these bonds ; yea , i was then counted a good fellow , and at that time , who but i ? but no sooner began i , through gods grace , to seek after a godly life , but presently the world made war upon me , and became mine enemy , &c. yet this discourageth me not ; for the servant is not better than his lord ; seeing they persecuted him , no question but they will persecute us . at the place of execution , one gave him his hand , and comforted him : then began he to sing the . psalm , whereupon a friar interrupted him , saying , oh john turn , there is yet time and space ; the martyr disregarding his words , turned his back upon him ; and some of the company said to the friar , turn thou , thou hypocrite ; and so herwin quietly finished his psalm ; many joyning with him in singing of it ; then said the friar , be not offended good people to hear this heretick to sing of god ; the people answered , hold thy peace thou balaamite , here is no body offended . there were present at least four hundred that encouraged the martyr to continue to the end , as he had well begun ; to whom he answered brethren , i fight under the standard , and in the quarrel of my great lord and captain jesus christ. then he prayed , and so went into his cabin made with fagots , saying to the people , i am now going to be sacrificed ; follow you me when god of his goodnesse shall call you to it : and so he was first strangled , and then burnt to ashes . anno . there was apprehended in antwerp one john de boscane , who for his constancy in religion was condemned to death : but the magistrate fearing an uproare if he should put him to death publickly , knowing that he was a man free of speech , and beloved of the people , he resolved for this cause secretly to drown him in the prison ; and for this end a tub with water was provided , and an executioner sent to drown him ; but the water was so shallow , and the martyr so tall , that he could not possibly be drowned therein ; whereupon the executioner gave him many wounds and stabs with a dagger , and so this holy martyr ended his life . about the same time another servant of jesus christ , having made a bold profession of his faith , was in the same city sentenced to death ; and because they du●st not execute him publickly , they privately sent and beheaded him in prison ; his name was john de buisons . the godly in this city of antwerp , being desirous to take all opportunities to meet together in the fear of god , on a day when the popish party was met to behold great triumphs , they withdrew themselves out of the city , and went into a wood , where their minister preached the word of god to them ; the drosart of marksem being advertised hereof , took his officers and went thitherward ▪ by the way he met with some poor boyes that were cowherds ; to whom he promised new cloaths if if they would bring him to the place in the wood where their assembly was ; which they undertaking , he sent some of his officers along with them into the wood , who coming to the place like wolves , the sheep of christ began to flie : the minister seeing their fear , admonished them not to stir ; the persecutors were not above five or six , and the persecuted four or five hundred , so that they might easily have resisted them , but they would not . the officers chiefly aimed to apprehend the minister , and having caught one of the assembly , they thought him to be the man , crying one to another , hold the priest fast , striking him with their pistols and staves , and so carried him to the drosart ; they caught also two or three more , which afterwards made an escape : the man only that remained with the drosart whose name was bartholomew , was often set upon to be turned aside from his holy profession ; why , say they , cannot such a young man as thou art content thy self with our religion and glorious church , adorned with gold , silver , precious stones , in which there is such melodious musick , both of voices and instruments , but thou must needs joyn thy self to that church that is hated , despised , and exposed to all manner of contempt ? bartholomew overcame all these tentations by the power of the almighty , saying , that which is greatly esteemed amongst men , is altogether abominable in the sight of god ; then was he condemned and beheaded ; by which death he glorified god. anno . there were apprehended in antwerp , one scoblant , john de hues , and joris coomans , who being cast into prison were very oyful , confessing that nothing befell them but by gods divine providence , as they acknowledge in a letter which they wrote to the brethren , wherein they thus write , seeing it is the will of god that we should suffer for his name , and in the quarrel of his gospel , we certifie you , dear brethren , that we are joyful ; and however the flesh continually rebels against the spirit , counselling ever and anon according to the advice of the old serpent : yet we are well assured that christ , who hath bruised , will still bruise the serpents head , and not leave us comfortlesse ; we are indeed sometimes pricked in the heele , yet we are not discouraged , but keep our faith close to the promises of god , &c. be not therefore dismayed for our bands and imprisonment ; for it is the good will of god towards us , and therefore we pray that he will give us grace to persevere constantly unto the end . shortly after scoblant was brought to his trial , where he made a good confession of his faith , and so was condemned . returning to prison , he earnestly requested the jailor that he would not suffer the friars to come and trouble him ; for , said he , they can do me no good , seeing the lord hath already sealed up the assurance of my salvation in my heart , by his holy spirit . i am now going to my spouse , and putting off this earthly mantle , to enter into his celestial glory , where i shall be freed from all superstitions . would to god that i might be the last that these tyrants should put to death , and that their thirst might be so quenched with my blood , that the poor church of christ might henceforth enjoy rest and quiet . when he was to go forth to execution , he sung the fourtieth psalme with his fellow prisoners , then said the lords prayer , and so kissing each other , they commended one another unto god with many teares . being tied to the stake , he was burned alive , calling upon the name of the lord. john hues died in prison , whereupon joris wrote thus to his friends ; brethren , i am now left alone , whereas we were three in number . john hues is now dead in the lord ; and yet i am not altogether alone , seeing the god of abraham , isaac and jacob is with me ; he is my exceeding great reward , and will not fail to reward me so soon as i shall have laid down this earthly tabernacle . pray unto god that he will strengthen me to the end ; for every hour i expect the dissolution of this house of clay . when he was brought forth before the judges , and examined of his faith , he answered freely , and proved what he said by the holy scriptures ; and being asked whether he was resolved to die for the faith which he professed ? he answered , i will not only venture to give my body , but my soul also for the confirmation of it ; and so being condemned , he was shortly after burned , dying with much comfort . the persecution growing hot in flanders , one giles annik , and john his sonne removed to emden ; but by reason of their sudden departure they could not take their wives with them ; whereupon in the year . they returned back to fetch their wives , who were at renay ; yet in regard of the danger , they durst not go into the town openly , but took up their lodging in the evening , at an honest mans house called lewis meulin . now it so fell out that that very night the enemies had appointed to make a secret search after such as professed the gospel , and so passing by this house , and seeing the light of a candle in it , expecting their prey , they forced open the door , and took these two , together with their host prisoners , god having appointed them to bear witnesse to his truth : after they had been in prison awhile , they were all three condemned for hereticks ; and presently after giles , the father , was burned . john , the son , being fetched to execution , when he saw the man that first apprehended him , he called him to him , saying , i forgive thee my death , and so he , with lewis meulin , were both beheaded . about the same time there was also a godly widow apprehended and cast into prison , her crime was , for that about two years before she had suffered a minister to preach in an out-house on the backside of her dwelling . she was very charitable in relieving the poor , and every way shewed forth the fruits of a true saving faith : after seven moneths imprisonment she was condemned to die , and a priest coming to her , to hear confession , she spake to him with such a divine grace , and with a spirit so replenished with zeal , that he went from her with teares trickling down his cheeks , saying , i came to comfort you , but i have more need to be comforted of you : when she was carried forth to execution , she went with much boldnesse and joy of heart , and having her head cut off , she sweetly slept in the lord. there was also one christopher gauderin , that at first was brought up under the abbat of hename ; but the abbat dying , he betook himself to the weaving of linnen , and quickly grew expert in his trade ; but having been trained up in a bad schoole , when the sabbath came , he spent riotously what he had gotten all the week by his labour : now , through gods mercy , it so fell out that a godly man working with him , would often tell him of the danger of his present condition , exhorting him rather to distribute his gettings to the poor , assuring him that if he spent his money so wastfully , god would call him to an account for it : these with the like exhortations so wrought upon him through the grace of god , that he began to change his course , and in stead of frequenting taverns , he became a diligent hearer of sermons , and gave himself much to reading of the holy scriptures ; so that not long after he was called by the church to the office of a deacon , which he discharged carefully and faithfully . shortly after having occasion to go to a place called audenard , to distribute some almes to the poor there , he was apprehended ; and the bailiffe that had formerly seene him in the abbats house , asked him how he came to turn heretick ? nay , said he , i am no heretick , but a right believing christian , and what i learned of him i am now ashamed to remember . in prison he had many disputes about his faith , which he so maintained and defended by the word of god , that he silenced all his adversaries . some told him that he would cast away himsef in his youth , being but thirty years old , to whom he answered , that mans life consisted but of two dayes , viz. the day of his birth , and the day of his death , and therefore he must needs die once , and for my part , said he , i am now willing by death to passe into eternal life . when news was brought him in the evening that he must die the next day , he retired himself , and poured out his soul in prayer unto god till ten a clock ; and after his rest , the like he did the next morning : having ended his prayer , he put on a clean shirt and washed himself ; saying to his fellow-prisoners , brethren , i am now going to be married , i hope ere noon to drink of the wine of the kingdome of heaven ; when he came down he found three other prisoners that were to suffer with him . these four exhorted and encouraged one another to suffer patiently and constantly ; then came a friar , saying , that he came to convert them , to whom christopher said , away from us thou seducer of souls , for we have nothing to do with thee ; the hangman coming to put gagges into their mouths ; one of them said , what ? shall we not have liberty at this our last hour to praise god with our tongues ? christopher answered , let not this discourage us , the more wrong our enemies do to us , the more assistance we shall finde from god ; and so ceased not to comfort them till himself was gagged also ; their sentence was that they should be hanged for hearing sermons : and so with admirable constancy they yielded up their souls to god ; one of them being a woman was condemned to be beheaded , because she had sung psalms , and exhorted her neighbours out of the word of god , at a womans upsitting : her body was grown very feeble , so that she was caused to sit on a stool , where she received three blows with a sword overthwart her teeth : yet did she constantly sit still till she received the crown of martyrdom , anno . about the same time there was in a town a mile distant from gand , a minister whom it pleased the lord to illuminate with the saving knowledge of his gospel , whereupon he became a diligent and faithful preacher of it , both in his life and doctrine ; yea , he went from house to house exhorting and comforting every one as he had occasion out of the word of god ; and above all , labouring with them to beware of the abominable superstitions of the papacy . the popish clergy of gand having intelligence hereof , fearing lest by this means , their doctrine and authority would come into contempt , caused him to be apprehended and cast into a deep and dark hole , where he remained bearing his affliction patiently , and calling upon god night and day , praising him for accounting him worthy to suffer for his names sake . whilst he lay there , many good people came to visit him , receiving such instructions and consolation from him , that they could not be drawn to leave him till necessity enforced , neither then could they depart without abundance of tears . the priests and friars sought by all means to draw him to a recantation , but to no purpose , for he still kept himself close to the word of god , which so vexed them , that at last they procured his condemnation to be hanged . the spanish souldiers which carried him to execution , would needs have him burned , binding and straining him exceedingly with cords , and in the way abused him shamefully with mocks and scoffs , thrusting him forwards and striking him ; the captain also gave him a blow on the face with his gantlet , which much disfigured him ; yea they used him worse then a dog , being the more enraged against him , because of his patient and meek carriage ; at last they thrust him into a little cabin piled with fagots , and so burnt him , continually calling upon god till he resigned up his spirit to him . anno . there was a goldsmith dwelling in breda , who had long been a deacon of the church in that place , his name was peter coulogue : in his house the church often met for the service of god ; the popish adversaries being much enraged hereby , cast him into prison , which the faithful much grieved at , and endeavoured to visit and comfort him : this the enemies taking notice of removed him into the castle ; during his abode there , though all others were excluded from him , yet his maid-servant brought him his food daily , never ceasing to confirm and comfort him out of the word of god , as well as she was able , for which at length they imprisoned her also : this she was right glad of , thinking her self happy to suffer for righteousness sake . not long after peter was put to the torment , which he endured patiently ; then did they fetch betkin also to it , whereupon she said , my masters , wherefore will you put me to this torture , seeing i have no way offended you ? if it be for my faiths sake , you need not torment me , fos as i was never ashamed to make a confession thereof , no more will i now be at this present before you , but will , if you please , freely shew you my mind therein ; yet for all this they would have her to the rack , whereupon she again said , if i must needs suffer this pain , i pray you give me leave to call upon my god first : this they consented to : and whilst she was fervently pouring out her prayers unto god , one of the commissioners was surprised with such a fear and terrour , that he fell into a swoon , and could not be recovered again , by which means the poor maid escaped racking . shortly after , these two innocent persons were condemned to be burned , and as they were led to execution , there was much lamentation amongst the people . peter and betkin prayed earnestly unto god to strengthen them , and perfect the good work that he had begun in them , and to assist them till they had finished their course . the courage and constancy of the maid did so work upon many of the people , godly men and women , that not considering the danger , they brake through the multitude , embracing the prisoners , and praising god for their constancy , saying to them , fight manfully , for the crown is prepared for you : at the place of execution betkin with a chearful and amiable countenance spake thus to the people : dear brethren and sisters , be alwayes obedient to the word of god , and fear not them that can kill the body , but have no power over the soul : as for me , i am now going to meet my glorious spouse the lord jesus christ ; then falling upon their knees they prayed to the lord with great devotion ; and the executioner fastening them to the stake , strangled peter , betkin encouraging him till he yielded up the ghost , and till the fire had taken hold of her self ; and in the flames she was heard to magnifie the lord , till she yielded up her spirit into his hands . about this time multitudes of persons were murthered in flanders by the bloody inquisition , whose dead bodies were cast out to be gazed upon in every place ; and multitudes of believers , both men and women were cast into prisons , where they languished till many of them died . in the city of valence there were executed fifty seven persons , most of them burgesses , only because they clave to the true faith of jesus christ. the martyrdom of william of nassaw , prince of orange . the estates of the united provinces , having declared the king of spaine to be fallen from the government of of those countries , they chose william of nassaw , prince of orange , to be their captain general , whereupon he was proscribed by the king of spain , and a great summe of mony promised to him that should slay him ; not long after a desperate villain called joanville was suborned to do the feat ; for which end he was directed to charge his pistol with two bullets , and to shoot him behind in the head ; the day appointed for this execution was march . . upon which day the prince was to be at a great feast at the duke of anjous court ; but the presse being great there , joanville chose rather to do it at the prince of oranges own house as he was at dinner ; the villain being thus desperately resolved , a jacobin friar came to confess him , fortifying him in his resolution with many sweet words , perswading him that he should go invisible , for which end he gave him some characters in paper , and little frogs bones , and other conjurations . being thus assured , he drunk a cup or two of malmsey , and so accomxanied with his ghostly father , he went to the princes court ; at the stair-foot the friar gave him his blessing , encouraged him , and so left him ; the prince of orange was set at dinner , with the earles of laval , hohenlo , and many other noblemen ; joanville came into the dining-room , attired like a frenchman , so that he was taken for a servant to some of those french noblemen ; he thrust forward twice or thrice to come behind the prince to shoot him in the head , as he was directed , but was still repulsed by the princes gentlemen that stood about him ; dinner being done , the prince was going to his retiring chamber , whereupon this villain gat before a window in the hall , close by the door of that room into which the prince was to go ; as the prince passed towards it , he was shewing the earle of laval the cruelties that the spaniards had exercised in the low-countries , which were wrought in the hangings ; and having his face turned , this murtherer discharged his pistol at him ; but the prince , as god would have it , turning at the same instant , the bullet entred in at his throat under the right chap , being so near that the fire entred with the bullet into the wound , burning his ruffe and beard ; it brake out one of his teeth , pierced the jugular vein , but hurt not his toungue , and so came out at his left cheek hard by his nose ; the blow being given , one with an halberd could not contain himself , but thrust the villain through , and slew him . the chirurgions being sent for , found that the fire which entred the wound , had cauterized the jugular vein , and had done him much good , so that the wound was not mortal . the friar was afterwards apprehended and executed . anno . the spaniards thinking they had no greater enemy in the world than the prince of orange , and that if he were dead they should quickly attain their desires in the netherlands ; they suborned one baltazar gerard , an high burguignon , to murther him , who bought a good paire of pistols , and on the tenth of july watched when the prince should go down into the hall to dinner at delpht in holland , and as he passed by , he demanded a pasport of him ; the princesse observing that he spake with an hollow and unsetled voice , she asked her husband who he was ? saying that she did not like his countenance ; the prince answered that he demanded a pasport , which he should presently have : after dinner the prince going out of the hall , the murtherer stood behind a pillar in the gallery , and as the prince passed by , suddenly shot him from the left side to the right , through the stomack and the vital parts , who said no more , but o my god , take pity of my soul , i am sore wounded ; my god , take pity of my soul and of this poor people ; and presently after he gave up the ghost . collected out of sleidens commentaries , and the history of the netherlands , &c. chap. xxxii . the modern persecutions of the church in germany , since the year , . the swedes being possessed of a town called pasewalck , the imperialists took it by storm , beat , killed , and drave out the swedes , and not content therewith , they fell to torturing of the townsmen , ravishing women and gilrs in the open streets and church-yards , yea women in child-bed ; then they killed the men , fired their houses , and burnt many in them ; thrust straw into cellars where children were hidden , and so burnt and smothered them ; then they burnt the churches , and massacred the ministers , and at last burn down the whole town . the like cruelty was used against the city of magdenburg , famous for religion , which being taken by tilly and pappenheim , anno . was in twelve hours space wholly turned into cindars , except one hundred thirty nine houses , by which fire six godly churches were burnt down ; no mercy was shewed to any age , sex , or condition ; above twenty thousand persons were slain , burnt , and smothered to death ; six thousand were drowned in the river elve ; ladies and gentlewomen , like beasts were yoked together all about the country , and driven into woods to be ravished ; and such as resisted were stript stark naked , whipt , had their ears cropt , and so were turned up . anno . the popish army having taken the town of hoxter , they spared neither man , woman nor child , most inhumanely butchering and hewing in pieces all , without respect of age , sexe , or condition ; and what the sword could not spoile , they caused the fire to consume , and the dead corpses they cast into the weser . at griphenburg they kept the senators shut up in a chamber , macecrating and tormenting them so long with hunger and smoak , that divers of them died . in heidleberg they shut up divers reverend ministers and bourgers in prison , allowing them nothing to eat but bread and water . frankendall being surrendred upon articles , contrary to covenants , the grave counsellors and other electoral ministers , were forced to endure such conditions , as were fitter for dogs than men : some were cast into prison , and so abused that they died there ; others were forced to redeem themselves with unreasonable ransoms ; the goods of such as were fled were confiscated ; and though the inhabitants were willing to have left their houses , and all their goods , yet were they detained in the city , and their destruction most cruelly plotted . their rage was so great against the professors of the gospel , that neither turks nor heathens did ever exceed them . princes sacred person were not exempted from their fury ; the old lantgrave of hessen , and the old dutchesse dowager of wittenburgh were taken prisoners , reviled , and abused . in saxoni tillies souldiers tortured the protestants by half strangling them , and pressing their thumbs with wheels . in pomeren they , forced the people to eat their own excrements , and if they refused , they thrust them down their throat , whereby some of them were choaked ; if they suspected that any had hidden their gold or silver , they used exquisite torments to make them to confesse it ; they wound and tied about the heads of some , strong matches or cords , and with short truncheons twisted them till blood came out of their eyes , ears , and noses , yea sometimes till their eyes started out of their heads ; to others they tied burning matches between their fingers , yea to their eyes , ears , noses , tongues , cheeks , breasts , leggs , and secret parts ; yea , such parts that nature hideth , they either stuffed with gunpowder , or hung bags of powder to them , and so giving fire to it , in an horrible manner they burst their bellies , and killed them . with bodkins they made holes , or with knives they cut the skin and flesh of many . they drew strings and cords through the fleshie parts of some , and through the muscles of their thighs , leggs , armes , &c. or through their noses , ears , lips , &c. some they hung up in the smoak , drying them with small fires , and sometimes refreshing them with small drink , or water , taking care lest in their torments they should die too soon . some they put into hot ovens , roasting or smothering them there . some they roasted with fires of straw . some they stifled , strangled , or hanged , and this was a great favour so soon to rid them out of their pain . of many they bound their hands and feet so hard , that the blood spirted out their fingers and toes ends . of some they tied their hands and feet backwards together , stopping their mouths with clouts to hinder them from praying . some they hung up with ropes fastened to their privy parts , and hearing their cries , strove by their roarings to drown their cries , as in sport . where they found poor creatures troubled with ruptures , they enlarged them by villanous means , filling them with gunpowder , and blowing them up as a mine by giving fire thereto . many they drew up on high , hanging great weights at their feet to pull their bodies out of joynt . of some they plained their faces with chisels . some men they openly gelded in the presence of their wives and children . the mouths of some they set wide open with gags , and then poured down their throats stinking water , urine , and other liquid things till they grew sick , and their bellies swelled like tuns , whereby they died leasurely with greater torment . down the throats of some they violently thrust knotted clouts , and then with a string pulled them up again , whereby they displaced their bowels , and put them to miserable torment , insomuch as some were made dumb , others deaf , others blind , and others lame . if the husband intreated for his wife , or the wife for the husband , they would take the intercessour and torture him in the same manner before the others eyes ; and when any of these poor creatures in their torments or agonies of death called and cryed unto god for mercy , they would command , and seek to force them to pray and cry unto the devil . yea their divellishnesse proceeded so far , that they studied to find out new and unheard of torments . some they bound , hung up , and sawed off their leggs : of others they rubbed off the flesh off their leggs to the very bones : of others they tied the armes backwards , and so hanged them up by those distorted parts . many they drew through the streets of the cities stark naked , then brake and wounded them with axes and hammers , and generally used them with such barbarous cruelty , that many begged to be shot or slain instantly , rather than to live and be partakers of such miseries . in most places they took away all the corn and provision of victuals , leaving the places so bare , that many of the best rank for the space of divers dayes after saw not one bit of bread , but were glad to live with roots and water . in other places they spoiled the inhabitants of their garments , exposing them to that nakednesse , that neither man , woman , nor child had clothes to put on . hereby fruitful countries were totally ruinated : cities , towns , and villages , were spoiled and turned into pillars of fire and smoake ; churches lay desolate , the woods were cut down , the ground lay wast and untilled . one reverend aged divine they stripped , bound him backwards upon a table , and set a big cat upon his naked belley , beating and pricking the cat to make her fix her teeth and claws therein . so that both man and cat , with hunger , pain and anguish breathed their last . the crabats laboured much to teach their horses , not only to kill men , but to eat humane flesh ; and consulted how to find out more new and exquisite torments than ever were before used . at the taking of magdenburg , a godly minister of great esteem was found in one of the churches , whom they dragged out to his own house , where they ravished his wife and daughters before his face ; his tender infant they snatched from the mothers breast , and stuck it upon the top of a lance ; and when his eyes and heart were glutted with this so cruel a spectacle , they brought him forth bound into the street , and there burned him with his own books . rapes and ravishings were committed beyond all humane modesty ; maids and matrons , wives and widdows , they forced and violated without distinction , yea , and that in the presence of their parents , husbands and neighbours ; yea , women great with child , and others in child-bed : their beastliness was such that no pen can write it , no faith can believe it ; chappels and churches were not freed from their filthy pollutions ; yea , hospitals , and bedlam-houses were not spared . in hessen land they took divers poor women , some mad , some dumb , some lame , and tying up their coats about their ears so used them , as a modest pen cannot expresse . in pomeren they took the fairest maids , and ravished them before their parents faces , making them sing psalms the while . one beautiful maid being hid by her parents in a dunghil , they found her out , had their pleasure of her , then cut her in pieces , and hung up her quarters in the church . yea very girles of ten years old and under , they ravished till some of them died ; vertuous and chast women , they would threaten to kill , to throw their children into the fire , if they would not yield to their lusts . divers maids and women to avoid the lusts of these hell-born furies , have leaped into rivers and wells , and some have otherwise killed themselves ; and that which was never before heard of , they did not only violate sickly and weak maids and women till they died , but committed the like filthinesse with the dead corpses . the merchants of basil returning from strasburg mart , were set upon by the imperialists in their lodging ; and though they craved their lives upon their knees , yet they killed ten of them , saying , they must die for that they were hereticks ; the rest leaving their goods and garments , escaped by flight stark-naked in the night . two noble countesses with their faire daughters were rifled in their coaches of all that they had , nor sparing the very garments that covered them . neer friburg these bloody miscreants cut in piecs a reverend minister , a man of rare learning and piety ; after whose death the dogs would not lick his blood nor touch his flesh . for the common people , they made not so much account of them as of dogs , murthering them upon every trifling occasion , neither pitying old nor young , men , women , nor innocent babes , whom sometimes most barbarously they used to eat , even when other meat might be had : yea such inhumane cruelty they used , that in some places they scarce left any remaining alive to relate the sufferings of the dead . many times they cut off the noses and ears of the living , carrying them about in bravery . collected out of a booke composed by doctor vincent a divine , who was an eye-witnesse of many of these things . before this great persecution befell the church of god in germany , god gave his people warning of it by many and strange prodigies . for october the . anno christi . there appeared a terrible comet with a great blazing tayle , at first of a red , afterwards of a pale-red colour , which continued for the space of twenty seven dayes , and in some places it was seen longer . this fearfull and ominous link or torch the lord sent to those who had long despised and sleighted his voice in his sacred word preached by his vigilant and faithful ministers , to awaken them from their dead sleep of sin , and by repentance to bring them to the reformation of their lives , or otherwise to assure them that he would come suddenly upon them , and plague them with all those evils and miseries which he had denounced against them by his messengers , and whereof he gave them warning by this dreadfull sign . anno . at groningen in the dukedome of brunswick was seen a great blazing star , and two armies , one in the east , and another in the north , fighting together till one of them was defeated and slain . at wien in austria , the water in a dith was seen to be like blood for the space of eight dayes ; and shortly after three suns appeared in the heavens . in the beginning of april , anno . and anno . in march in the same country of austria , were two armies seen in the heavens by clear day-light , fighting furiously together with great thundering of ordnance and canons . in the same country , anno . in the moneth of january , just over the city of lintz , two swords were seen one over against the other , and two great armies fighting a pitched battel together , which caused great terrour to the beholders . at heidleberg in february , anno . were seen three suns , and three rainbows . shortly after which , that city was besieged by the inperialists , and at last taken , where a grear slaughter was made of the imhabitants , and in neckergemund three miles off , all the inhabitants , men , women , and children were put to the sword . in april , anno . in the country of darmstad , were trees whose leaves drop't blood ; and the year after in the same country in divers towns and villages , were seen bloody signes on houses and stone-walls . about meyenfield and malants , as men were reaping their corne , their hands and sickles were all bloody . in july , anno . in the dukedome of wittemburgh , it rained so much blood , that it fell upon the hands and cloaths of people in the fields , and was seen upon trees , stones , and other places . may the twelfth , anno . in the dukedome of anhalt there appeared a strange prodigie in the heavens , which continued from six till eight a clock at night : first there came out of the clouds an ancient-bearer ; after him came forth a grave man in the same habit ; then came forth a chariot drawn with two particouloured horses : then another chariot with four armed horses : then suddenly there brake out of the clouds an infinite number of people like a swarm of bees : after them followed a man sitting on horseback with a long robe , putting the people before him ; a quarter of an houre after came forth another army consisting of many horse and foot , &c. the two armies fought till one of them was routed , and presently after all vanished away . anno . in may a strange tempest happened at ratisbone ; the weather being very calme , with little raine , two dark clouds met together , which suddenly belched out a great wind mingled with fire , which raised such a tempest , that near to the city it tore up trees by the roots , and in a moment drave them into divers places , and thence extending it self to the city , it overturned above two hundred houses in the towne and suburbs , not leaving a chimney standing , nor a roof to cover an house . the church of emerans , besides the shattered windows , had one of the steeples laid flat to the ground , and the other broke off in the middle ; two other of the chiefest steeples in the city were also broken down . this tempest lasted not above a quarter of an hour , nor extended beyond the city , neither were there above four men slain by it . anno . near troppash a great multitude of jack-dawes met in the aire , where they fought a great battel , and that with so great eagernesse , that many of them fell down dead , so that the countrey-men gathered up whole sackfuls of them . anno . in pomerland the heavens seemed to open , and an army came forth of the northern part , the avauntguard consisting of pioneres & musqueteres ; then followed great peeces of ordnance , and in the reare came the cavalry . another army came forth on the other side , and betwixt them there became a cruel battel : the victory inclining to the northern army ; and at last a fiery beame followed upon the northern conquerour , which continued for the space of some hours . anno . at hall in saxony the water was turned into blood to the great astonishment of the inhabitants . during the siege of magdenburg , a captains wife being in travel , when she could not be delivered , and was near death , she desired that when she was dead , her body might be opened ; which being done , there was found in her womb , a boy almost as big as one of three years old with an head-piece and breastplate upon him , great boots after the french fashion , and a bag by his side with twoo things in it like musket bullets . june the nineteenth , anno . in the lower saxony two great armies appeared in the aire , one in the north , the other in the south , which fought a great battel together ; after long fighting the northern army obtained the victory . after the battel was ended , there appeared a man in a long coat , bearing a bow , with which he shot at , and overthrew the commander of the southern army . in the same countrey a woman having bought a loafe of bread , when she came home was dividing it , and in the cutting of it there came forth blood . anno. . in the countrey of altenburgh , a fish-pond was turned into blood , which stank so extreamly , that if any passengers did but touch it , they could not wash off the stink thereof in three days space . anno . at berlin in brandenburg , it rained blood and brimstone . anno . in hessen there met two armies of strange birds , which fought a set battel ; and not far off , about that same time a multitude of dogs had their randevouz , which fought so eagerly , that they would not be reconciled ; and when the governour of a neighbour garrison sent out four companies of musqueteers against them ; they seeing a common enemy , joyned together , and in despight of their guns , beat them away , and devoured nine of them . here place the eighth figure . chap. xxxiii . the persecution of the church in france , which began , anno christi , . anno christi , . there were certain learned men in france , disciples of one almericus at paris , whose names were , master william a sub-deacon of poictiers , well studied in the arts , and divinity : bernard another sub-deacon : william goldsmith , steven , a priest : steven of the seller , and one john , a priest , who upon examination held , that god was no otherwise present in the sacramental bread , than in any other bread : that it was idolatry to build altars to saints , or to cense their images . they mocked those that kissed the reliques : they said that the pope was antichrist , and rome babylon : that god was not seene in himself , but by his creatures : for which ( when they could not be drawn to recant ) they were condemned to be burnt at paris , which accordingly was executed : bzorius out of caesarius . and almenneus who had been their master , had his body digged up in the church-yard , and was buried in the field . and all french books of divinity were for ever condemned , and burned . anno christi , . at melden in france there was one john clark , who set up a bill upon the church-door against the popes pardons , lately come thither , wherein he called the pope antichrist ; for which , being apprehended , he was adjudged three several days to be whipt , then to have a mark burned in his forehead as a note of infamy ; his mother a good woman , when she saw her son so pitiously scourged & branded , encouraged him , crying with a loud voice , blessed be christ , and welcome be these marks for his sake . afterwards he removed from thence , and went to metz in lorrain , where for a time he followed his calling of a woolcarder . but the people of the city used once a year all of them to go forth into the suburbs to worship some idols there ; whereupon john clark , inflamed with an holy zeal , went the night before and brake down all those images ; the next morning when all the clergy and people came to the place to worship them , they found all their idols broken upon the ground ; this set all in a tumult ; and great searching there was after the author of this deed ; and quickly was john clark suspected and apprehended ▪ he presently confessed the fact , and told them the reasons why he did it . the people hereupon cried out against him in a great rage : before the judges he professed the pure doctrine of the sonne of god ; and thereupon was condemned to a cruel death , which he sustained with admirable patience and constancy . first his right hand was cut off ; then was his nose with sharp pincers pulled violently from his face : then were his armes and breasts pulled off with the same instrument : yet he , through gods grace , endured all with great quietnesse , pronouncing the while that of psalm . their idols are silver and gold the works of mens hands ; lastly , he was cast into the fire , and there consumed . not long after master john castellane , doctor in divinity , borne at tourney , being through gods mercy called to the knowledge of the truth , became a zealous , fervent , and faithful preacher of it in divers places , and at last he was taken prisoner by the cardinal of lorrains servants , by whom he was carried to the castle of nommenie , where he endured much cruel usage , yet still he persevered in confessing the true doctrine of the sonne of god ; then was he carried to the castle of vik , and after a time was condemned , degraded , and delivered over to the secular power , with this hypocritical speech ; my lord judge , we pray you as heartily as we can for the love of god , and the contemplation of tender pity and mercy , and for respect to our prayers , that you will not in any point do any thing that shall be hurtful to this miserable man , or tending to his death , or the maiming of his body ; then was he burnt alive , which death he underwent with much patience and comfort . at paris one james panane a schoolmaster was burnt for the truth . also at melda , dennis de reux was burned , for saying that the masse was a plain denial of the death and passion of christ : he used often to meditate of , and to repeat those words of christ ; he that denies me before men , him will i deny also before my father ; he was burnt in a slow fire , and so abode much torment . john de cadurco , preaching to his countrymen of limosine , was apprehended and degraded : the friar that was to preace at his degradation , took that text , tim. . the spirit speaks expresly , that in the latter dayes men shall depart from the faith , giving heed to lying spirits and doctrines of errors ; then did john call to him to read on , but the friar stood dumb , and could not speak a word more ; then did john read on , teaching false doctrine in hypocrisie , having their consciences seared with an hot iron , forbidding to marry and to eat meats created by god to be received with thanksgiving , &c. presently after he was burned . about the same time , five men for scattering about certain papers against the masse , and other popish superstitions , were apprehended and burnt at paris . one of them for speaking freely , had his tongue burned through , and with a wire tied fast to one of his cheeks . alexander canus , a godly minister , for preaching and confessing the truth of christ , was burned at paris with a small fire , whereby he endured great paine . also john pointer a chirurgeon , had his tongue first cut out , and then was burnt about the same time . peter gaudet living at geneva , was by a popish uncle trained into france , apprehended , condemned , and after many and long torments sustained in prison , was burned . divers others were apprehended , condemned , and burned at arras . a godly virgin was burned at fountains , anno . as also one john cornon , an husbandman , but one endowed with such wisdome by god , that all his judges were amazed at it ; yet was he condemned and burned . martin gonin was cast into the river and drowned . anno . one claudius endeavouring to convert his friends and kinsfolk in paris , was by them betrayed , adjudged to have his tongue cut out , and then burned . stephen brune at rutiers , being for the constant profession of his faith condemned to be burned ; when the fire was kindled a great winde so drave away the flame from him , that he stood for ean hours space , exhorting and instructing the people ; then did they bring oile vessels , and more fagots , yet still was the flame driven from him : whereupon the hangman took a staffe , and struck him on the head , to whom he said , i am condemned to be burned , and do you strike me with staves like a dog ? with that the hangman with a pike thrust him through the belly , and threw him down into the fire , and afterwards scattered his ashes in the wind . at roan four christians were condemned to be burned , and being carried to the stake in a dung-cart , they said , blessed be god , we are here reputed as the excrements of this world , but yet our death is a sweet savour unto god. john de beck a godly minister , being condemned for the doctrine of the gospel , constantly endured the torment of the fire at troyes . aymond de lavoy , a godly minister , preaching the truths of god faithfully , was complained of by the popish clergy to the magistrates of bourdeaux , who sent to apprehend him ; hereupon some of his friends perswaded him to flie ; but he refused , saying , that thereby he might cause the people to think that he had fed them with dreames and fables , and not with the pure word of god ; whereas he feared not to yield up both soul and body in the quarrel of the truth which he had taught , saying , that with paul , he was ready not onely to be bound for the testimony of christ in the city of bourdeaux , but to die also . after the sumner came , he stayed three dayes and preached three sermons ; and whereas the people would have rescued him out of the sumners hand , he desired them not to stop his martyrdome ; for said he , since it is the will of god that i shall suffer for him , i will not resist his will. at bourdeaux many witnesses came in against him , against whom he made many exceptions , but they would not be admitted . nine moneths he remained in prison , suffering great misery , much bewailing his former course of life , though yet it had been such as none could charge him with any crime ; then the judges proceeded to his condemnation , and he had greater fetters put upon him ; he was also examined with torments , which he endured two or three hours , though but of a weakly body , comforting himself thus : this body must once die , but the spirit shall live , the kingdome of god abideth for ever ; during his torments he swowned , and when he came to himself again , he said , o lord , lord , why hast thou forsaken me ? nay said the president , wicked lutheran , thou hast forsaken god : aymund replied , alas good masters , why do you thus miserably torment me ? o lord , i beseech thee forgive them , for they know not what they do ; see said the president , this caitiffe how he prayeth for us ? shortly after he was condemned ; and when the friars came to confesse him , he bade them depart from him , for he would confesse his sins to the lord. he went to the place of execution with much joy , exhorting the people all the way ; at the place of execution they tumbled him out of the cart , and when he was upon the stage he said , o lord , make haste to help me , tarry not , despise not the work of thy hands : and seeing some scholars , he said to them , my brethren , i exhort you to study and learn the gospel , for the word of god abideth for ever : labour to know the will of god , and fear not them that kill the body , but have no power over your souls . afterwards he said , my flesh doth wonderfully resist the spirit , but presently i shall cast it away . at the stake he often repeated , oh lord my god , into thy hands i commend my soul ; and so he was first strangled by the hangman , and then burned . francis bribard , secretary to the cardinal of bellay , being convicted for adhering to the truth , had first his tongue cut out , and then was burnt . anno . about the same time , william husson , an apothecary , came from bloys to roan ; and in the palace where the counsel sate , he scattered sundry books concerning christian doctrine , and against mens traditions ; and presently taking horse rode away : the books being found , the counsel made diligent search for the author , and at last heard that probably this husson had scattered them there ; whereupon posts were sent out every way to apprehend him , and by some of them he was taken , riding towards deep , and brought back to roan ; who being examined , professed his faith boldly , and that he had scattered those books , and that he was going to deep to do the like there . for this he was condemned to be burnt alive ; and as he was carried to execution , because he refused to worship an image , his tongue was cut out ; afterwards his hands and feet beeing bound behind him , he was pulled up with a pully , and so let down into the fire , in which he with a chearful countenance held up his head , and fixed his eyes upon heaven , till he yielded up his spirit unto god. anno . james cobard , a schoolmaster in the city of saint michael , declared and proved that the masse neither profited the quick nor dead , &c. for which he was burned , also at melda fourteen godly persons were cast into prison , where they were cruelly racked to make them confesse their fellows , which they stoutly refused to do , and at last were condemned to the fire ; seven of them had their tongues cut out , and so all of them were burned together , their wives being compelled to stand by to see their torments ; many others were scourged and banished . anno . there was one peter chapot , who having been a while at geneva , out of a zeal to do good to the church of christ , carried divers bibles into france , and dispersed them amongst the faithful ; at last he was apprehended and carried to paris ; there he readily rendred an account of his faith , exhorting the judges to do their office uprightly . three doctors of sorbone were appointed to dispute with him , but he made them all to go away ashamed : then was he condemned to be burnt . at the stake , one of the doctors pressed him sorely to pray to our lady , which he refused , crying only , o jesus sonne of david have mercy on me ; the doctor bade him say only jesus maria , and he should not be burnt alive , but he for a while refused , yet at last through his importunity , he said jesus maria , but presently checking himself ; he said , oh god what have i done ? pardon me o lord ; for against thee only have i sinned ; and so he was presently strangled and then burned ; but upon the complaint of the doctor , the court made a decree , that all which were to be burned , unlesse they recanted at the stake , should have their tongues cut out , which was diligently afterwards observed . there was living at meaux a lame creeple , to whom god was pleased to reveal his truth , and after a time he was apprehended , and examined , at which time he confessed more than they desired to hear ; then did they ask him whether he would stand to that which he had said ? to whom he answered ; and i ask you again , dare you be so bold as to deny that which is so plain and evident in the holy scriptures ? being advised to take care of his life , he said to the judges , for gods sake take care of your own lives and souls , and consider how much innocent blood you spill daily in fighting against jesus christ and his gospel ; at last he was carried to paris , where he endured many sorts of torments , and lastly was burned . at fera , one stephen polliot was apprehended , carried to paris , and there cast into a foul and dark dungeon , where he lay long in bonds and fetters ; at last he was brought forth and condemned to have his tongue cut out , and to be burned with his sachel of books hanging about his neck , which was accordingly executed . anno . there was one john english condemned by the court of paris for confessing the truths of god ; and so sent to sens in burgundy , where he was burned . also michael michelote , being apprehended for professing the gospel , was put to his choise either to recant and be beheaded , or to persevere and be burned ; he answered , that he trusted that he which had given him grace not to deny the truth , would also give him patience to abide the fire , and so he was burned . another being betrayed by false brethren , was burned at bar in burgundy . five men and two women were condemned to the fire at langres , for adhering to the truth : one of the women being the youngest , was reserved to be burned at last ; and in the mean time she much encouraged them all , saying , this day we shall be married to the lord jesus to live with him for ever , and so they all quietly slept in the lord. four others about the same time were condemned , and cruelly burnt at paris for the same cause . anno . there was one blondel , a merchant of precious stones , that frequented many great fairs in france , and was well-known both in court and countrey ; he was a man of singular integrity , and a favourer of gods word ; being at an inne in lions , he freely reproved the filthy talk and superstitious behaviour which he there heard and saw ; hereupon the host complained of him to an officer ; withal , informing him of his rich coller of jewels ; these two suborned one to borrow money of him , which because blondel refused to lend , the fellow caused him to be apprehended for heresie , thinking thereby to attach his goods , but blondels friends prevented it , privily conveying them away . blondel being examined of his faith , gave a plain and full confession of it ; whereupon he was sent to prison , in which he did much good amongst the prisoners , paying the debts of some and so loosing them , feeding others , cloathing others , &c. at length through the importunity of his parents and friends , he changed his confession ; yet was he sent to the high court at paris , where being examined again concerning his faith , he adhered to his first confession , much bewailing his former fall ; then was he condemned to be burnt , and great haste was made for his execution , left his friends at court should save his life . anno . one hubert , a young man of nineteen years old , was so constant in the faith , that neither the perswasions of his parents , nor the threats of his adversaries could remove him from his stedfastnesse , for which he was burned at dyion . the same year there was a godly minister , called florent venote , cast into prison at paris , where he lay above four years , in which time there was no kind of torment , which he did not endure and overcome : amongst others he was put in to so narrow a place , that he could neither stand nor lie● , in which he remained seven weeks , whereas there was never any malefactor that could endure it fifteen dayes , but he either grew mad or died . at last when a great shew was made at the kings coming into the city , and divers other martyrs in sundry places of it were put to death , florent also having his tongue cut out , was brought forth to see their execution , and lastly was himselfe burnt . about the same time one anne audebert , as she was going to geneva , was apprehended and brought to paris , where she was adjudged to be sent to orleance and burned there : when she was had forth to execution , a rope being put about her , she called it her wedding girdle , wherewith she should be married to christ ; and being to be burried upon a saturday , she said , on a saturday i was first married , and on a saturday i shall be married again : she much rejoyced when she was put into the dung-cart , and shewed such patience and constancy in the fire , as made all the spectators to wonder at it . not long after the coronation of henry the second , king of france , at whose coming into the city of paris divers godly martyrs were burned , there was a poor tailor , that dwelt not farre from the kings palace , apprehended for working upon an holy day : being by the officer asked why he wrought upon that day ? he answered that he was a poor man living only upon his labour , and that he knew no day but the sabbath whereupon he might not work , his necessity requiring it ; then was he clapt up in prison ; this being noised in the court , some would needs have the tailor sent for , that the king might have the hearing of him . then was the tailor brought thither , and the king sitting in his chair of state , commanded the bishop of mascon to question with him : the tailor being nothing amated at the kings presence , after he had done reverence to his prince , gave thanks to god for honouring him so greatly , being such a wretch , as to bring him where he might bear witnesse to his truth before so great a prince : the bishop questioned with him about the greatest matters of religion , and he with an undaunted spirit so answered for the sincere truth , and with such pregnant proofs of scripture , as was wonderfull ; and though the nobles that were present jeered and taunted at him , yet could they not dash him out of countenance , but that still with much liberty and freedome of speech he defended the truth of christ , neither flattering their persons , nor fearing their threats . the king seeming to muse much within himself , that so mean and simple a person should shew such audacity in such a presence , the bishop and popish lords taking notice of , cryed out that he was an obstinate and impudent heretick , and therefore remanded him back to prison : and within a few dayes after he was condemned to be burnt alive ; and left the king should be affected with what he heard from the tailor , the bishops often suggested that the lutherans were such as carried a vaine smoake in their mouthes , which being put to the fire would soon vanish ; they also would needs have the king present at his execution : but it pleased god to give such strength and courage to the tailor at his execution , as much more astonished the king than all his former carriage ; for having espied the king in the window where he sate , he beheld him with so stedfast a countenance , that his eyes were never off him ; yea , when the fire was kindled about him , he still kept his eyes so fixed upon the king , that the king was constrained to leave the window , and to withdraw himself , and was so wrought upon thereby , that he confessed that he thought the shadow of the tailor followed him whithersoever he went , and for many nights after he was so terrified with the apparition thereof , that he protested with an oath , that he would never see nor hear any more of those lutherans , though afterwards he brake his oath , as it follows in the story of anne du bourg . about the same time one claudius a godly man , was apprehended as he came from geneva , and burned at orleance . anno . one thomas , a young man of about eighteen years old , coming from geneva to paris , rebuked one for swearing , whereupon he was apprehended for a lutherane , and carried before the high court ; by them he was committed to prison , and cruelly racked to confesse his companions , which he still refused to do , whereupon they continued to rack him , till one of the bloody inquisitors turned his back and wept , and till the hangman was a weary ; then was he carried to be burned , and was let down with a pully into the fire ; and after a while being pulled up again , they asked him if he would yet turn , to whom he said , that he was in his way to god , and therefore he desired them to let him go , and so he quietly slept in the lord. anno . there was apprehended at lions one peter bergerius who for his bold and constant confession was cast into prison , and put into a dungeon , where was a thief that had lain there seven or eight moneths , who being in great pain and torment , cryed out of god , and cursed his parents that begat him , being almost eaten up with lice , and fed with such bread as dogs and horses had refused to eat ; but it pleased almighty god of his goodness , through the instructions and prayers of bergerius , that he was converted and brought to the knowledge of the truth , after which , the very next day , his lice which before extreamly abounded , so went away , that he had not one remaining ; and god so stirred up the hearts of good men , that he was fed plentifully , and that with white bread , so that with much patience and joyfulness he bore his imprisonment , and had great comfort afterwards in his soule . about the same time three godly men were apprehended at lions , and being condemned for the truth , when they were to be led forth to execution , two of them had ropes put about their necks ; the third , having served the king in his wars , was favoured to have none ; whereupon he said to the lieutenant , that he also desired to have one of those precious chains about his neck in honour of his lord the which being granted , they all went singing to the fire , where with much patience they yielded up their spirits unto god. not long after in the same place was apprehended one matthew dimonet , who formerly had lived a most wicked life , full of all filthiness and abominations ; he had been also a searcher out of the professors of the gospel , and a great persecutor of them ; yet at last it pleased god to shew him mercy , and he was converted to the knowledge of the truth : after which , being apprehended and examined , he made a stout profession of his faith ; and during his imprisonment he had great conflicts with the infirmity of his own flesh , but especially with the temptations of his parents , kindred , and friends ; yet the lord did so strengthen him that he endured constant to the end ; at his burning he spake much to the people , and was hearkned to with great attention . simon laloe coming upon some occasions from geneva into france , was apprehended by the bayliffe of dyon , by whom he was imprisoned and racked to force him to confesse what fellows he had ; but that not prevailing , he was condemned to be burned . at his death the executioner , seeing his great faith , patience , and constancy , was so wrought upon therereby , that he fell into great terrors of conscience , so that he was neer to utter despair , and all the promises of the gospel could scarce comfort him ; yet at last , through gods mercy , receiving comfort , he with all his family removed to the church of geneva , where he afterwards lived till his death . nicholas naile , carrying some good books to paris , was there apprehended , and made a bold confession of the faith , for which he was cruelly tormented sundry wise , and racked all his joynts asunder , and lastly being condemned , when he was carried to the stake , they put a gag into his mouth , vvhich they tied in so hard vvith a rope about his head , that blood gushed out of his mouth : they also besmeared all his body vvith oyle and brimstone , so that at the first taking of fire , all his skin vvas shrivelled together , vvhilst his invvard parts vvere untouched ; the cord being burnt in sunder , and the gag falling out of his mouth , he praised god in the midst of the fire , till he yielded up his spirit unto god. peter serre vvas at first a priest , but god of his mercy revealing his truth to him , he vvent to geneva , and there learned the shoomakers craft , vvhereby he maintained himself ; and having a brother at tholouse , out of a singular love to his soule , he vvent thither to instruct him ; his brothers vvife being not vvell pleased herevvith , revealed it to one of her gossips , vvho informed the officiall against him ; hereupon he vvas apprehended and carried before the inquisitor , to vvhom he made an excellent declaration of his faith , and so vvas delivered to the judge , vvho asked him of vvhat occupation he vvas ? he said , that of late he was a shoomaker ; then did the judge ask him of vvhat occupation he had formerly been ? he said , he had been of another formerly , but he was ashamed to utter it or to remember it , being the worst and vilest science of all others in the world ; the judge and people supposing that he had been some cutpurse or thief , were more importunate to knovv vvhat it vvas but shame and sorrovv so stopped his mouth that he could not declare it ; at last through their importunate clamour , he told them he had been a popish priest : this so incensed the judge , that he presently condemned him to be degraded , to have his tongue cut out , and to be burned ; vvhich vvas accordingly executed : in the fire he stood so quiet , looking up stedfastly to heaven at the time of his burning , as if he felt no pain at all , which caused wondeful admiration in the people ; and one of the parliament said , that it was not the best way to bring the lutherans to the fire , for it would do more hurt then good . anno . there were two godly men , with one of their sons and daughter going towards geneva , whom a lieutenant overtaking by the way , like a judas , he insinuated himself into their company , pretended great favour to them and to that religion , which he said , he supposed them to be of ; and so with fair words he circumvented them , and drew out of them that they were protestants , and their wives at geneva , whither they were now travelling ; then did he apprehend them and carry them to the castle of niverne ; during their imprisonment they were examined of many articles , to which they made a full and clear answer according to their faith ; after this they were racked extreamly for three houres together to force them to recant , which they bore with admirable patience ; being therefore condemned , as they went to execution , the officer bound a woodden crosse between their hands , but they pulled it out with their teeth , and threw it away , whereupon their tongues were cut out , notwithstanding which god gave them utterance , so that they spake plain , saying , we bid sin , the flesh , the world , and the devil farewel for ever , with whom we shall never have more to do hereafter , and much more to the like purpose . when the officer came to besmear them with brimstone and gunpowder , they said , go to , salt on , salt on the stinking and rotten flesh ; and so persisting constant in the flames they finished their martyrdome . anno . philbert hamlin , a priest , was through gods grace brought to the knowledge of the truth , whereupon he went to geneva , where he exercised printing , and sent books abroad . afterwards he was made a minister , and preached at the town of alenart , in which and in some other places he did much good ; at last he with his host , a priest , whom he had instructed in the knowledge of the gospel , were apprehended and cast into prison at bourdeaux ; and whilst they lay there , in came a priest with his furniture to say masse ; but philbert inflamed with a holy zeal , went and plucked the garments from his back , and overthrew the chalice and candlesticks , saying , is it not enough for you to blaspheme god in the churches , but you must also pollute the prison with your idolatry ? the jailor seeing this , fell upon him , and beat him with his staffe , and also removed him into a dungeon , loading him with irons which made his legs to swell : there he lay eight dayes . the priest his host , terrified with the prison and fear of death , renounced christ and his word , and was set at liberty ; whereupon philbert said to him , o unhappy and more then miserable man ! is it possible that you should be so foolish , as for to save your life a few dayes , you should so start away from and deny the truth ? know you therefore that although hereby you have avoided the corporal fire , yet your life shall be never the longer ; for you shall dye before me , and yet shall not have the honour to die for the cause of god : and you shall be an example to all apostates . having ended his speech , and the priest going out of prison , he was presently slain by two gentlemen , who formerly had a quarrel to him . philbert hearing of it , professed that he knew of no such thing before , but spake as it pleased god to guide his tongue . philbert being condemned , and had to execution , they laboured to drown his voice by sounding of trumpets , and so in the midst of the flames , praying and exhorting the people , he rendred up his soul unto god. anno . nicholas of jenvile , a young man that had lived at geneva , coming into france to get up some mony that was owing to him , was betrayed by a lady , apprehended and condemned , and being carried in a cart to execution , his father met him and would have beaten him with a staffe , but the officers not suffering it , were about to have stricken the old man ; the son seeing it cryed to them to let his father alone , saying , that he had power over him to do to him what he would . at the place of execution he had an iron ball put into his mouth , and so he patiently took his martyrdom at jenvile . about the same time a company of the faithful of about three or four hundred were met together at an house in paris , in the beginning of the night , to receive the sacrament of the lords supper ; some priests getting intelligence of it , gathered many of that faction together , and came , and beset the house , making an outcry that the watch might come and apprehend them , so that in a short time most of the city of paris was up in armes , supposing that there had been some conspiracy : the people following the noise , and perceiving that they were lutherans , they grew into a great rage , seeking to murther them , and thereupon stopped the streets and lanes with carts , and made fires that none might escape them ; but , through gods mercy , before this tumult began , the faithful had finished their administration and prayers , with as much quiet as ever they had done ; and now seeing this sudden danger , they were somewhat amazed ; whereupon the pastors of the congregation exhorted them and fell to prayer ; after which , considering the cowardliness of the multitude , it was resolved that such as had weapons should adventure through the press ; which being put in practice , the admirable power of god appeared , in that notwithstanding the fires , and stopping of the passages , yet they all escaped safe , only one was beaten down with stones and slain : the rest , which wanted weapons , being about one hundred and twenty , stayed in the house with the women and children , some of which leaped into gardens , where they remained till the magistrates came ; the women , which were all persons of good quality , save six or seven , perceiving their danger by reason of the fury of the people , went up into the windows , shewed their innocency , and desired that they might be tryed in an ordinary way of justice ; yet there they were inclosed by the rabble for six or seven houres ; at last came the kings atturney with many serjeants and officers , who with much ado appeasing the people , entred into the house , and their seeing the quality of the persons , and their innocency , the atturney much pitied them , yet carried them to prison in the little castle ; but as they went , the furious multitude plucked and haled the gentlewomen , tore their garments , pulled their hoods from their heads , and all besmeared their faces with dust and dirt . in the prison they were used no better ; for the villains and thieves being let out of their holes , and stinking caves , these lambs of christ were put into their rooms . then followed the cruel and slanderous reports of the friars , who in their sermons railed upon them , told the people that they were assembled to make a banquet in the night , after which , putting out the candles , they went together jack with jill , after a filthy and beastly manner ; they charged them also with sedition , as if they conspired against the king , &c. and these cursed defamations were no sooner vented , but they were spread abroad farre and wide , yea in the court itself , and the cardinal of lorraine procured a certain judge to come to the king , who testified that he found in the house divers couches , upon which they intended to commit their whoredomes and adulteries , which much enflamed the king against them . these things made the enemies to triumph exceedingly , and on the contrary , the brethren which escaped , were full of perplexity , and lamentations , sorrowing not so much for themselves , as for the imprisonment of their friends ; yet they much comforted themselves in the consideration of ther own wonderful deliverance . they upon debate also resolved , first , that all of them should humble themselves before god in their own families . secondly , that they might stop the false rumours , to write two apologies , one to the king , and another to the people . thirdly to write consolatory letters to their friends in prison . the apology to the king was written and conveyed privily into his chamber , where it was met with and read openly before the king and his nobles ; yet this prevailed little ; for their adversaries suggested to him that all was false , and a pretence to hide their wickedness : but that to the people did very much good , and so did their consolatory letter to their friends in prison . the adversaries all this while did bestir themselves to bring them that were in prison to execution , and procured a commission from the king to certain judges to hasten their trial . but it fell out by gods providence , that at this time the protestant princes of germany were met at a colloquy at wormes , to whom divers learned men resorted from geneva , requesting them to send their ambassadors to the french king , in the behalf of these poor christians thus imprisoned ; by whose mediation , and the kings other business , who was now in war with the king of spain , many of them were delivered , yet some of them were executed before the coming of the ambassodors . amongst them were nicholas clivet , and one granvelle , both of them elders of the congregation , who stoutly defended the truth against the sorbone doctors , and afterwards patiently resigned up their soules to god in the cruel flames . also a young gentlewoman of about twenty three years old , which came from gascoigne to joyn her self to the church at paris , was brought forth with the former , and endured many conflicts with the judges and sorbonists ; who when she was urged to recant , said , that she had learned her faith from the word of god , and therefore therein she would live and die : her neighbours testified against her that there was much singing of psalms in her house , and that sometimes they had seen abundance of people come out of it , and that at the death of her husband no priest was called for , &c. but presently after , two of these witnesses fell out , and one slew the other with a knife . the cardinal of sens much hastened this gentlewomans death , that he might have her estate . when she was condemned , she had her tongue cut , as the two former also were served . going to execution , she dressed her self like a bride , being that day to be married to her spouse jesus christ ; she went to the fire without ever changing countenance , and so quietly yielded up her spirit to god. divers others of this congregation suffered in the like sort : the rest at the mediation of the prince elector palatine , and the protestant switzers were released . in other parts of france also sundry faithful christians were imprisoned , cruelly racked , had their tongues cut out , and finally were burned , concerning whom because i find nothing extraordinary , i have forborn to mention them . anno . the king of france , henry the second , coming into the the parliament in paris , there was one anne du bourg , a noble counsellour , a man of singular understanding and knowledge , bred and nursed up in the bosome of the church of christ , who made a bold speech before him , wherein he rendred thanks to almighty god , for moving the kings heart to be present at the decision of so weighty a cause as that of religion was , humbly intreating him to consider well thereof , being the cause of christ himself , which of good right ought to be maintained by princes , &c. but the king instead of hearkening to his good advice , was so far incensed against him , that he caused him to be apprehended by the county of montgomery , constable of france , and to be carried to prison , protesting to him in these words , these eyes of mine shall see thee burnt ; and presently after he sent a commission to the judges to make his processe . during his imprisonment there was a godly woman , who was prisoner also in a chamber just over against his , who at her window , sometimes by words , other sometimes by signes , did much encourage him to persevere constantly in the truth , whereby he was so comforted , that when some of his friends perswaded him to recant , he said , god forbid , for a woman hath taught me my lesson , how i ought to carry my self in this business ; he was often examined about sundry points of religion , and being once asked whether he had conferred with any one about them , he answered that he had conferred with his books , especially with the holy scriptures . having drawn up a confession of his faith , he intended to present it to the parliament ; but some advocates that belonged to that court , who pretended great love to him , laboured to draw him to make another confession , not contrary to the truth , but in such ambiguous terms as might satisfie his judges , who would not stand strictly to examine it ; du bourg long resisted , but at last was prevailed with to draw up such a confession , supposing it sufficient that himself knew his own meaning ; so soon as this his confession came into the hands of his judges , great hopes were conceived of his enlargement ; but when the christian congregation had gotten a copy of it , they were much grieved ; whereupon they ordered master augustine marlorate , a learned and godly minister , to write a large discourse concerning the duty of such as were called to bear witnesse to the truth of god before magistrates , wherein he set down gods threatnings and judgements against such , as either directy or indirecty deny the truth , exhorting him more highly to prize the glory of god then his own liberty ; the truth of his gospel then a short and transitory life ; shewing that he ought not now to give over , having made so happy a beginning and progresse in his christian course : that the same of his constancy was spread , not only through france , but all christendom over : that he had been a means to confirm many weak ones , and caused others to enquire after the means of salvation : that all mens eyes were fixed on him to enquire by what means he gat out of prison , so that , if through fear and faint-heartedness , he should enterprize ought that should contradict his first profession , he would give much scandal and offence , and therefore he exhorted him to give glory to god , to edifie his church ; telling him that then he might assure himself that god would neither leave nor forsake him . these letters brought du bourg to a sight of his sin , for which asking pardon of god , without any further delay he wrote to the judges , retracting his last , and protesting to stand to his first confession ; so that shortly after he was condemned . in the mean time great feasts were preparing in the court , for joy of the marriages that should be of the kings daughter and sister ; the day whereof being come , the king imployed all the morning in examining the president , and other counsellors of the parliament against du bourg , and other his companions that were charged with the same doctrine , intending to glut his eys in seeing their execution , and then went to dinner . after dinner the king being one of the defendants at the tilting , which was near the prison where du bourg and his fellows lay , entred the lists , and behaved himself valiantly , breaking many spears against count montgomery and others , whereupon he was highly commended of the spectators , and all thinking that he had done enough , desired him to give over with praise ; but he being puffed up with their commendations , would needs run another course with montgomery , who kneeling on his knees craved pardon , refusing to run against him ; the king being eagerly set on , commanded him upon his allegiance to run , and put the spear into his hands ; montgomery thus enforced , addressed himself to the course , and the king and he meeting together , brake their spears , and the kings he●met falling down at the same instant , one of the splinters of montgomeries spear entred just into his right eye , and so pierced his head that the brains were perished ; which wound , despising all means of cure , killed him within a eleven dayes , whereby his hope of seeing du bourg burned was frustrated , and thereupon du bourg his execution was deferred for six moneths longer ; at the end whereof , he having constantly persevered in the confession of his faith , was first degraded , and the next day carried out to execution ; the judges appointed six or seven hundred horse and foot well armed , to guard him ; he was first hanged , and then his body was burnt to ashes . presently after , divers others were burnt in paris , and in many other places for their religion : many also were massacred as they passed along the streets for not doing reverence to the images , which were then newly set up in the corner of every street ; such also as refused to contribute money to buy wax candles to burn before them , it cost them their lives . notwithstanding which cruelties , those of the religion increased daily , both in zeal and number in all parts of the realm . this much incensed the duke de guise in his government of dauphine , whereupon he sent mangiron , a cruel man , and great enemy to the protestants , with charge wholly to root them out ; this mangiron first played his part very subtilly ; but at last he fell upon valence , lacking the houses of the protestants , as if he had taken the town by assault ; and the more to strengthen him in his mischief , he had many troops of horse , and some lanciers sent him : truchon also , president of grenoble , cast sixty of the chiefest of the protestants into prison at valence , whilst mangiron pillaged those of montelimart , to whom he had promised and sworn to do no wrong . truchon caused two ministers at valence to be hehaded , and three of the principal citizens to be hanged ; the rest he punished with great fines , whippings , and banishments . at roan he hanged two men , whipt one , and afterwards sent him to the gallies . anno . in provence , a godly gentleman was traiterously massacred for his profession of religion . those of the religion , seeing themselves destitute of all humane aid , resolved in all their dangers instead of seeking to man for help , to pray to god , to hear his word , to continue in true obedience unto it , living in great love and concord one with another , whereby abundance of papists were so edified , that by whole troopes they left the masse , and made open profession of the protestant religion . anno . there happened a great mutiny in the city of paris , raised by some priests , which rang a bell while those of the religion were hearing a sermon : from which proceeded wounds , murthers , and imprisonments ; foure of the protestants were hanged to please the people , and the rest paid a fine . chap. xxxiv . the persecution in the time of the civil wars . anno . the duke de guise passing towards paris , and coming near to vassy , understanding that the bell rang to a sermon , which was to be preached in a barn , in which place there were assembled about twelve hundred men , women , and children , he presently went vvith all his troops to the barn , and entring into it , they cryed out death of god , kill , kill these huguenots ; then did some of them shoot at those vvhich vvere in the galleries , others cut in pieces such as they met with . some had their heads cleft in twain , others had their armes and hands cut off , so that the walls and galleries of the barne were died with the blood of the slain ; the duke with his sword drawn stood amongst them , charging his men to kill without sparing , especially the young men : some of these godly persons getting upon the roof , hid themselves there : but at length some of this bloody crew spying them , shot at them with long pieces , whereby many of them were slain , falling down from the roof like pigeons . then they fell to murthering of them all without distinction ; the poor saints of god made no resistance , only praying unto god : and every one running to save himself , as it pleased god to direct him , many men and women were slain ; others being sore wounded , escaped , which died shortly after ; the poor mans box was taken and emptied . the minister in the beginning of the massacre ceased not to preach still , till one discharged his peece against the pulpit ; then falling upon his knees , he intreated the lord to have mercy upon him , and upon his poor persecuted flock ; and so coming down from the pulpit , attempted to escape , but by the way he received divers wounds , whereupon finding himself as he thought , mortally hurt , he cryed , lord into thy hand i commend my spirit , for thou hast redeemed me o lord god of truth ; yet before he was slain , some took him and carried him before the duke , who said to him , who made thee so bold thus to seduce the people ? sir , said the minister , i am no seducer , but have faithfully preached the gospel of jesus christ to them . then did the duke curse and swear , saying , death of god , doth the gospel teach sedition ? and calling the provost , he said , take this varlet and hang him upon a gibbet ; then was the minister delivered to two pages , who basely abused him ; the popish women also threw dirt at him , and could scarce be restrained from tearing him to pieces . he was kept close prisoner , none being suffered to bring him necessaries ; and he was oft threatned to be sown up in a sack and drowned ; yet at last , through gods mercy , he was released , at the earnest request of the prince of portion . the pulpit was broken down , the slain stript stark naked , and so the duke departed with his bloody troops , sounding his trumpets as if he had obtained a great victory . when he came to paris , he with the constable and marshal of saint andrews , seized upon the king , defaced and overthrew the places where they of the religion used to assemble , which so encouraged the popish party , that in every place they so abused those of the religion , as the most cruel barbarians would have been ashamed to do the like . this caused a civil war , wherein the duke of guise , having taken roan , sacked it for three dayes space , and executed many of the citizens . not long after he went to orleance , boasting that within twenty four houres he would win the town ; and neither spare man , woman , nor child in it , and that he would so destroy the town that the memory of it should be extinct for ever ; but mans purposes ; and god disposes ; for the same night there was a young gentleman named john poltrot , who watching his opportunity , shot him with his pistol laden with three bullets , whereof he shortly after died ; and poltrot declared at his death , that he did it to deliver france , and especially the city of orleance from the violence of the duke of guise ; after whose death peace was shortly after concluded between the queen-mother and the protestants . but before this peace took place , those of the religion suffered much in sundry parts of the realm . in paris they were persecuted cruelly , the popish people being wholly set upon blood , and the parliament there sparing neither great nor small that fell into their hands , either of that city , or such as were brought thither upon appeal , or summons . at senlis many godly christians suffered much , some were beheaded , some murthered in a popular tumult , some were whipt , some imprisoned , some fined , and others sent to the gallies , not sparing the simple women . yet through gods mercy , some escaped , amongst whom was one iohn gardens and his wife , who living with his wife and child in the fileds , at length determined to go back into the city , casting themselves upon gods providence ; but when they came into the suburbs , they met some who bade the souldiers to put them to the sword . the woman kneeling down , begged of the souldiers , that if they must needs dye , they would kill her child first , saying that so she should die with the more comfort ; which speech of hers so wrought upon the souldiers , that they spared all their lives . in chaalons there was a godly minister , called fournier , apprehended and spoiled of all that he had : they stripped him also of his apparel , instead whereof they put on him a thredbare cloak , and so carried him away in a cart , by reason of an hurt that he had gotten in one of his feet ; by the way they did nothing but jeere and scoffe at him , and every moment he was in danger of his life ; the rude people also had almost pulled him in pieces ; but it pleased god that he was preserved by those which had designed him to death . when he came to munchon he was cast into prison , and after a while there came a captain to him with many souldiers , who mixing mocks and threatnings together , sware that within three houres he should be hewen in pieces . after them came in some of the judges , commanding the jailor to load him with irons , saying to him , you are no better i am sure then saint peter , whom they laid in irons : but if you have as much faith as he , god will then deliver you as he did him , by sending an angel to you . i will not , said fournier , compare my self with saint peter ; yet it is not twelve years ago , since for preaching the same doctrine that peter did , i was imprisoned at tholouse , and there was admirably delivered . and though peter was delivered out of prison , yet in the end he glorified god by his death : and if i should be counted worthy with him to suffer for the truth , may it not be said that i have the like precious faith with saint peter ? when they were gone , the jailor forbore putting bolts upon him , because of his sore legg , yet did he put him into a straiter prison . afterwars the duke of guise being made governour in that place , he was put to the torture , where first they strained his thumbs so hard with a small cord that blood came forth : then turning his armes behind his back , they hoisted him up with a rope put between his thumbs , twitching him up and letting him down five or six times ; they tied also great stones to both his great toes , and let him hang till his spirits failed : then they let him fall with such violence upon his face , that he was grievously hurt thereby . then was he thrown into prison , and they would not suffer him to have a chirurgion to cure him of the gashes which the cords had made in his flesh even to the bare bones : so that his torment and anguish was very great , neither could he lift his hands to his mouth , which he was likely to lose the use of . but it so fell out by gods providence , that after he was condemned , news coming of the duke of guise his death , his enemies began to tremble , and some of his judges coming to him in prison , asked him if he did not bear them ill will ? he answered , that men of his profession and religion ought not to bear malice to any , being enjoyned by god to love and pray for those that persecuted them ; shewing also that whatsoever troubles had befallen him , were none other but such as god had fore-ordained for the setting forth of his own glory , for which he esteemed himself most happy ; yet he warned them to lay to heart the wrong that they had done him , lest the vengeance of god did sooner or later overtake them for it . the next day bussi , one of his persecutors , having received letters from the constable of france to release him , swore that he should be delivered indeed , but into the hands of the multitude . but it pleased god that just at that time there came by the prince of portion with his germane souldiers , which were for the protestants , who sent word that they would not leave so much as a house standing except they would deliver fournier ; this so affrighted his enemies that they released him out of prison , protected him from the violence of the multitude , and conveyed him in safety to the prince ; there he was kindly welcomed and entertained , all grieving for the miseries which he had endured , and two dayes after he preached before the prince and his followers , and the day after , at the instant request of the protestants of vitri , he went to them to preach and baptize their children , and shortly after was called to ver , where he gathered a congregation , and spent some time amongst them with wonderful fruit ; but by reason he was so extreamly weakned by his strait imprisonment and tortures , being above fifty years old , he soon after finished his course , and quietly resigned up his soul unto god. at amiens , all bibles , new testaments , and psalm-books were sought for and openly burnt , as also the ministers pulpit : then did the guisians proceed to killing of the christians , and casting them into the river , some they shot to death , and others they hanged . at abbevilli they slew the lord of haucourt , with divers others ; one beliart they dragged along the streets with his face downwards , and then drowned him in the river . at meaux the protestants were the stronger party , and therefore continued the free exercise of their religion for a while ; but the parliament of paris gave judgment against them , and exposed them to the spoil of such as would undertake it ; then a company of souldiers entring the town , disarmed the citizens , and slew about foure hundred of the religion ; then mounsieur de boisy entring with more souldiers committed a thousand villanies : women and maids were ravished in the open market-place and streets ; some were beaten and hailed to masse ; children were re-baptized : others married again ; houses were pillaged and plundred : some that fled into the field died with hunger and cold . many men , women and children , were massacred and drowned ; infants were dashed against the walls ; and some others were hanged . the executioners running into divers places , committed a world of mischief ; and divers priests amongst them slew some of the protestants with their own hands . at troys , bibles and divinity-books were rent and torn in pieces ; they of the religion were murthered , and their houses sacked ; eighteen men were hanged ; women were dragged through the streets , and cast into the river ; and infants were pulled from their mothers breasts , and re-baptized . at bar the popish enemies entring the town , committed such cruelties as never were seen , especially against women and little children ; some of their breasts they cut open , pulled out their hearts and gnawed them with their teeth , rejoycing that they had tasted of an huguenots heart ; a young counsellor they hanged at the request of his own father ; with most horrible blasphemies they ravished women and girls . mounsieur de st. esteen with his two brothers were cruelly stabbed by their own cousin germane , their wives were spoiled of all they had , and led away prisoners . the pesants in some places committed infinine murthers and mischiefs against those of the religion ; monsieur de vigney with his wife and servants they massacred in his own house , which afterward they pillaged and spoiled . in crant , the pesants entring the town , murthered many ; one young child together with his father they burnt . in sens one hundred protestants were cruelly murthered , and their naked bodies thrown into the river ; one hundred houses were plundered , the church where they preached was defaced . at auxerre one cosson was barbarously massacred ; a faire young gentlewoman was stabbed and cast into the river ; many other outrages and robberies were committed . at nevers the ministers were cast into prison , whereof one perished miserably there ; another miraculously escaped ; children were re-baptized , marriages reiterated , and many houses plundred . the popish party entring chastillon , left no kind of cruelty un-exercised , neither upon women nor children , old nor young ; yea not sparing the women with childe that were ready to be delivered . at guyen they used all the cruelty that possibly could be invented : and some italians , in hatred of the religion , cut an infant in two pieces , and eat his liver . at montargis , there lived the lady rene , dutchesse dowager of ferrara , and daughter to king lewis the twelfth ; the duke of guise sent thither one malicorn a knight of the order , who entring the town , murthered some of the religion , and committed other outrages ; then he proceeded so far as to threaten the lady to batter her castle with canon-shot , if she would not deliver up those of the religion which were with her ; to whom the princesse bravely answered , i charge you , look what you enterprize ; for no man in the realm can command me but the king only : and if you proceed to your battery , i will stand in the breach , to try whether you dare kill the daughter of a king ; neither do i want means or power to be revenged on your boldnesse , even to the infants of your rebellious race : this stout answer made malicorne to pull in his hornes and depart . at monlius , monsieur de montare used all extremity against the protestants ; and without any form of law he hanged up two artificers , drave others out , and plundred their houses , and murthered many . at mans two hundred persons were put to death , men , women , and children , the houses of the protestants were pillaged ; such as were fled , were executed by their pictures , their goods confiscated , and their children made uncapable of their offices and estates , yea of inheriting their lands . some they beheaded ; others they hung up ; others they massacred , and being half dead , threw them into the river : above one hundred and twenty men , women , and children were murthered in the neighbouring villages . one captain threw above fifty persons into his fishpond to feed his pikes , and above as many more were thrown into ditches . one godly man , a weaver , had his throat cut , and his moutastuffed with leaves of a new testament which they found bouth him . at anger 's they murthered a godly minister , cast many into prison , robbed the houses of others , and slew such as they found therein : in a merchants house , finding many books of the holy scriptures , they openly burnt them in the middle of the town ; one fair guilt bible they hung upon an halberd , and carried it in procession , saying , behold truth hanged , the truth of the huguenots , the truth of all the divels ; behold the mighty god , behold the everlasting god will speak ; and when they came to the bridge , they threw it into the river , crying louder , behold the truth of all the divels drowned . above eighty other persons were executed . an aged gentlewoman of the age of seventy years was beaten to death with their pistols , then drawn through the dirty streets , and thrown into the river , terming her the mother of the divel that preached to the huguonets . a counsellors wife that lay bed-rid was murthered ; women and maids were ravished : two young maids were ravished before their fathers face , who was forced to look on the while : all that were but suspected to be of the religion , were massacred , and their houses pillaged . a valiant captain , contrary to their faith given to him , they broke upon a crosse , and so they left him hanging in great misery till he died . anno . a decree was made by the parliament of paris , commanding all catholicks presently to rise in armes , to sound the bells in every place , to destroy all those of the religion without respect of quality , sex , or age , to spoyle their houses , and utterly to root them out . this encouraged all sorts of rascals to rise up in armes , forsaking their vocations , and to march against the protestants . in ligueul they hanged up some , put out the ministers eyes , and then burnt him in a small fire : in other places they committed infinite villanies ; one young man they flayed alive ; the village of aze they burnt down , and massacred thirty persons therein . a godly minister was drowned called john de tour , at seventy five years old . at tours , one hundred and forty were murdered and cast into the river ; divers others were drowned , sparing neither man , woman , nor child . the president being suspected to favour them of the religion , was beaten with staves , stript to his shirt , hanged up by one foot , his head in the water up to the breast , and whilst he was yet living , they ript up his belly , pluck't out his guts , and threw them into the river ; and sticking his heart upon the point of a lance , they carried it about , saying , it was the heart of the president of the huguenots . shortly after came thither the duke de monpensier , who caused gibbets , wheels and stakes to be set up , whereupon many more , especially of the richer sort , were murthered to the number of some hundreds : when they put any man or woman to death , they entred their houses , murthered their children , and took all their goods . a poor woman , whose husband was a little before drowned , having a young infant sucking at her breasts , and a beautiful daughter of about sixteen years old in her hand ; these bloody villains drew them to the river : there the woman on her knees prayed ardently unto god : then took her infant , and shifting it in the sun , laid it upon the grasse : in the mean while this hellish rabble endeavoured , partly by threats , partly by fair promises to seduce the young maid ; and one of them finer then the rest , promised to marry her if she would do it , so that the poor wench stood in a disway , which her mother perceiving , who was now ready to be thrown into the river , she earnestly exhorted her daughter to persist in the truth ; the daughter hereupon cryed out , i will live and die with my mother , whom i know to be a vertuous woman : as for your threats and promises i regard them not , do with me what you please . the mother was not yet dead when they threw in the daughter after her , where making towards her mother , they mutually embraced each other , and so yielded up their souls into the hands of god. also in the same city there was a godly matron called glee , who was carried before the captain , where she gave a reason of her faith , and confirmed it by evident testimonies of scripture : she dispuited also with some friars , whom she so silenced that they had nothing to say , but that she was in a damnable condition . it seems so indeed , saith she , being in your hands ; but i have a god that will not faile nor forsake me , &c. then was she committed to prison , where she was much sollicited to recant , but all in vain ; for she spake her mind freely , and comforted the prisoners which were in the same prison for religion . news being brought her that she was condemned to be hanged , when the rope was put about her neck , she kneeled down , praising and magnifying the name of god , in that he shewed her such mercy as by this death to deliver her out of the troubles of this wretched world , as also for that it pleased the lord to honor her so far as to die for his truth , and to wear his livery , meaning the halter ; then she brake her fast with the rest of the company , and giving thanks to god , she exhorted them to be of good courage , and to trust to the end in his free mercy , &c. as she went to execution , a kinswoman met her with her little children , perswading her to recant , telling her that thereby she might preserve her life , and see those her babes provided for ; this meeting wrought so upon her motherly affection , as made her shed plenty of tears ; but presently taking new courage , she said , i love my children dearly , yet neither for love to them , nor for any thing else in the world , will i renounce my god or his truth . god will be a father to these my children , and will provide better for them then i could have done , and therefore to his providence and protection i commend and leave them , at the place of execution having prayed to , and praised god with a chearful heart and voice , she quietly resigned up her spirit unto god. the duke de aumale in normandy , took pontea de mer by subtilty , where he used all kinds of cruelty , especially against the minister , master brione ; shortly after , roan was besieged , and two forts taken , wherein they put all to the sword , the queen-mother in an impudent manner leading the king , who was but twelve years old , to shew him the naked bodies of the women weltring in their own blood ; after divers assaults the city of roan was taken , wherein the kings souldiers used all kinds of monstrous cruelty , massacring all they met : many english and scots souldiers were hanged ; the sick and wounded were cast into the river : divers ministers were retreated into a strong tower , which they yielded upon promise of safety , but contrary therereto they were cast into prison ; augustine marlorat with three counsellors were condemned to be hanged , which was presently executed , with many opprobrious speeches against marlorat ; the sackage of this town lasted foure moneths together , in which space divers were executed . in valougnes divers persons of good quality were massacred , and the houses of the protestants were filled with souldiers that did what they listed therein . amongst other outrages they slew a godly minister , called monsieur de valougnes , whose body ▪ they stripped naked , dragd it up and down his house with many scorns and jears ; at last bringing it into the chamber where he used to preach to his people , they spurned his corpse , saying , now pray to god ▪ and preach if thou canst ; the priests that were present stuffed his mouth and wounds with the leaves of his bible , saying to him , preach the truth of thy god , and call upon him now to help thee . in vire as they came from a sermon , some were slain , some stoned , and a while after many were put to the sword . in , and about agen , monluc killed and massacred many , two young children were roasted . in the castle of reime , monluc used great cruelty against those of the religion , sparing none , but murthering young children in their mothers armes , and then killing the mothers : some other women they reserved for their lust , which they so abused , that ( saith mine author ) i abhorre to write it . above five hundred men were hanged upon gibbets , amongst whom was a grave counsellor in his long gown and square cap. one poor man they cut and mangled in several parts of his body , filling all his wounds with salt . in the city of blois there was a godly woman called nichola , at whose house some holy people used to meet to pray , and confer together for their mutual edification and comfort . the murtherers hearing of it , came rushing in , thinking to have found a minister preaching , but being disappointed in their expectations , they dragged these good women out by the haire of the head , loaded them with many stripes , and then threw them into the river ; but behold a singular providence ! god so endowed them with strength and skill , that they swam safely to an island : yet after a while some watermen finding them there , they stript them stark naked , and threw them again into the river , yet they still sought to save themselves by swimming , and coming at last to the suburbs of vienne , they were there most cruelly knocked on the head by the bloody papists . monluc having defeated a party of the protestants under monsieur duras , he took divers prisoners , most of which he hanged , especially the ministers . amongst the prisoners was a captain called la-mothe , whom monluc meeting with , gave him divers stabs with a dagger , and thrust him through with a rapier , saying , villain , thou shalt die in despite of god ; but he proved a lyar ; for the man being carried away , though he had many mortal wounds , yet he was wonderfully cured and lived after . in guillac , the murthers committed upon the protestants were many and horrible ; and amongst other this was one of their practices ; there was by the city , the abbey of st. michael , built upon a very high rock , under which ran a swift and deep river called tar. many of the protestants they forced to go up to the top of this rock , whom they threw headlong down into the river ; by the way there was another rock , upon which most of the bodies falling , were dashed and broken all to pieces , and if any escaped with life into the river , they had their cut-throats waiting upon the river in boats to knock them on the head ; amongst others there was one peter domo , an apothecaries servant , who seeing them bent to murther him , requested that he might have leave to cast himself down from the top of the abbey , provided that if god should preserve him in the fall , they would suffer him to escape with life ; this they promised ; whereupon having made his prayers to god , he fetched his leap from the top of the abby , and flew so far , that missing the rocks under him , he fell safely into the river , and endeavoured to swim out with life ; but these perfidious villains , contrary to their promise made , knocked him on the head and slew him . in souraize , there was one captain durre , who with his souldiers going into the house of a godly widow , called castille roques , he caused her to be bound with cords , and a rope to be put about her neck , by which he haled her up and down , almost strangling her ; then he asked her how oft she had played the whore with those of her religion ? she answered , that in their christian meetings they had no such villanies committed . durre fretting and fuming at this answer , took her by both the cheeks , and oft dashed her head with such violence against the wall , that he had almost beaten out her brains ; then he required her to give him the seven hundred pieces of gold which she had hidden ; she told him that she was a poor woman , and had onely one french penny ; this more enraged him ; whereupon he drew her again about by the neck , and applyed burning hot egges to her arm-pits , till they were all blistred , bidding her in derision to cry to her father which was in heaven . she answered , i will not cry aloud for thee , and yet my god can hear me well enough , and when his pleasure is , he will deliver me out of thy hand . this made him so to blaspheme , that the poor woman was more afflicted to hear his blasphemies than with all her pains . then did he call her huguenote whore , telling her that these were but the beginnings of her sorrows , except she fetched him out her gold , which if she refused , he would draw her cheeks and breasts with lard , and so roast her quick , and afterwards throw her headlong from the highest steeple in the town . well , said she , if you throw my body never so low , that shall not hinder my soul from ascending into heaven : this her courage and constancy did still further enrage him ; then did he open her mouth with his dagger , and crammed lime down her throat ; after which he made her drink a glasse of urine which himself had made before her , withal throwing the glasse with the remainer into her face . after this he carried her to his quarters , where with strange cruelties he intended to have slain her : but some of the neighbours pitying her sad condition , redeemed her from him with ten crowns , and so conveyed her to her house , where shortly after she finished her dayes . some other of these hell-hounds meeting with one peter roch , constrained him to dig his own grave , and then to try how it fitted him ; which whilst he was doing , they buried him alive . in saint martins in castillon , they took the wife of one andrew renaud , stripped her stark naked , and would have violated her chastity , which she resisting , they whipt her most cruelly , wounded her with their swords , crowned her with thorns , and lastly shot her to death . they took also one ianetta calvin , whom they carried into the city of brignole , stripped her , whipt her cruelly , crowned her with thorns , and first stoned , and afterwards burned her . in mont de marsan , six of the principal men had their heads stricken off , otheres were executed divers wayes ; one was buried quick ; and a young woman being pursued to be ravished , threw her self out of a window and died . in tholouse the papists fell upon the protestants , hurt many , killed some outright , divers they threw into a well ; then did some counsellors proclaim , that they should not spare to kill and spoil all them of the religion , for that they were licensed by the king and pope . this soon ran through all the villages , and the papists rang their bells ; in tholouse were about thirty thousand protestants , so that there began one of the most horrible massacres that was in those parts . the prisons were presently filled , and many were knocked on the head at the prison-doors , because they could hold no more ; the river in a short space was covered with dead bodies ; many were thrown into the streets out at the windows : if any sought to escape out of the water , they were presently slain with swords or stones . some of the protestants gat into the town-house , where they stood upon their guard , and at last it was agreed , that leaving their arms , they should depart in safety ; and so after they had received the sacrament , commended themselves to god with prayers and tears , they came forth ; but contrary to the faith and promise made to them , the popish party seised upon as many as they could , whom they cast into prison ; of such as gat out of the city , some escaped to montaubon , others in the way were spoiled and killed by the souldiers and pesants . at carcasson those of the religion being gone out of the town to hear a sermon , when they returned , the gates were shut , and the papists shot at them , who afterwards issuing out against them , slew some , and hurt others : one they beat down , cutting off his nose and ears , and pulling out his eyes : some they took prisoners , whom they hanged ; one they beheaded , and put others to great ransomes . one they took , blacked his face , hands and feet , and gave it out that he had a divel within him , then hanged him , and threw his body to the dogs ; others they banished , or condemned to the gallies . in limoux the papists used all manner of cruelty , deflouring women and very girls in a most detestable manner ; the minister was slain , two gentlemen , and sixty others were hanged . a widdow of great account redeemed the virginity of her only daughter with a great summe of mony ; but the villain that promised to defend her , ravished her in her mothers presence , and then killed them both . yea after peace was proclaimed , fourteen of the religion coming thither were all slain . in nonnay , monsieur chaumont having surprised the town , murthered many protestants , spitting out infinite and horrible blasphemies against god himself : a locksmith being commanded to despite and blaspheme god , because he refused to do it , was presently hewen in pieces ; for the same cause another was brained with the butt end of a musket ; a naylor , because he would not give himself to the divel , was drawn about his shop by the ears ; then being laid on his anvile , they beat his head in pieces with hammers ; yea all manner of cruelty was used that could be devised ; three of the principal in the town were thrown down from an high tower ; many other were thrown down to make sport : some were burnt in their houses , others thrown out at windows : others stabbed in the streets : women and maids were most shamefully handled ; a young woman that was found hid in an house with her husband , was first ravished before her husbands face , then forced to hold a rapier ; wherewith one thrusting her arme , made her kill her own husband . in foix , many protestants were cast into prison , of whom some had their armes and legs cut off , and then were beheaded ; some burnt , some hanged , and others sent to the gallies . in aurange they killed the protestants without distinction of age , sex , or quality : some they stabbed , others they threw upon the points of halberds ; some they hanged , others they burnt in the churches ; of some they cut off their privy members , sparing neither old nor bedrid , nor the diseased in the hospitals . women and maids were killed , others hanged out at windows were harquebushed , sucking children massacred at their mothers breasts ; girls of five or six years old ravished and spoiled ; the wounds of the dead were filled with leaves torne out of bibles . those in the castle yielding upon oath and promise of safety , were all stabbed , or thrown over the wals , being one hundred and ninety of them . in grenoble , they slew many of the religion , and others they cast from the bridge into the river . in cisterno , the men that were of the religion being fled , the popish party fell upon the women and children , whereof they slew three or foure hundred : some women with child were rip 't up , many were buried quick ; some had their throats cut like sheep , others were drawn through the streets , and beaten to death with clubs . in beaune , they were bereaved of the exercise of religion , their three ministers imprisoned ; many were driven out of the town to the number of eight hundred persons with women and children : their houses were filled with souldiers who made spoile of all ; such as were found in their houses , were vilely abused , and some were slain . in mascon the bloody persecutors having apprehended a godly and learned minister called bonnet bor who was of a very unblameable life , having served twenty years in the ministry , and in that time had been put to his ransome three times ; they carried him along the streets with a thousand scoffs and scorns , smiting him with their fists , thrusting him up and down , and then made a proclamation , that whosoever would hear this holy man preach , should come to the slaughter-house ; at which place they again buffeted and mocked him two hours together : hereupon he requested them that before his death they would permit him to pray to god : then one stepping to him cut off half his nose , and one of his ears , saying , now pray as long as thou wilt , and then we will send thee to all the divels ; and so this holy man kneeling down , prayed with such fervency of spirit that drew sighs from some of the murtherers : and aftervvards directing his speech to him that had cut off his nose , he said , friend , i am now ready to suffer what thou hast further to inflict upon me ; but i intreat thee and thy companions to bethink you well of the outrages committed by you against this poor city ; for there is a god in heaven , before whose tribunal you must shortly give an account of these your cruelties . a captain passing by , cryed , send that wretched man to the divel ; which one of them hearing , took him by the hand , pretending to have him to the river to wash off his blood , but when he came thither he threw him into it , battering him with stones till he was drowned . chap. xxxv . the history of the massacre at paris anno . after the end of the third civil war in france , great means was used to draw the chief of the protestants to paris , under pretence of a marriage between the prince of navar and the lady margaret , sister to the king of france ; but in the mean time the papists in roan murthered divers protestants as they came from a sermon , and grievously beat others ; this seemed much to displease the king , and three or four were executed for the mutiny ; then were the articles of marriage agreed upon ; the place for it , paris : and the admiral sent to by the king to be present at the wedding , and to prevent all jealousies , those of the house of guise were sent away , whereat they seemed much discontented . the admiral was allowed to bring with him fifty gentlemen armed for his greater security . when he came to paris , he was honourably received and conducted to the king , who calls him his father , protesting that in all his life he had not seen any day more agreeable to his mind than that , wherein he assured himself to see the end of all troubles , and the beginning of firm peace and quietness in his realm : the queen-mother and the rest of the great courtiers received him with greater favour than he expected : then did the king send him one hundred thousand franks out of his treasury for the losses which he had received in the wars , &c. the admiral had divers advertisements of the intended treachery ; yet god so blinded him at that time , though a very prudent man , that he gave little heed to them . yea such a general stupidity seized upon the protestants , that their minds were very wavering , and few there were that shewed themselves zealously bent to religion ; but all both great and small , thinking deeply upon worldly matters , built them goodly castles in the aire . then was the queen of navar sent for by the king of france to paris , to prepare all things against the wedding : but presently after her coming she fell sick of a feavor , made her will in a most christian manner , had much inward joy and comfort , and at five dayes end died , not without suspition of poison from certain perfumes given to her : and after her death the chirurgions were not suffered to open her head , where the mischief lay , whereby it was the better concealed . the admiral was again advertised of his danger ; but he resting upon the testimony of a good conscience , and the providence of god , misinterpreted those advices , as if they proceeded from men desirous of new troubles . many lords and gentlemen of the religion , accompanied the king of navar , and the prince of conde to paris . the king of france , the better to delude the protestants , spake openly , that he gave not his sister to the king of navar only , but as it were to the whole church of the protestants to joyn with them in an indissoluble union , and as a tie to their peace and safety . august . anno . the king of navar and the lady margaret were married by the cardinal of bourborn , upon a scaffold in the sight of all the people , and that day was spent in banquets , dances , and masks , with a strange mixture of protestants and papists together ; but in the mean time the queen mother with her privadoes , as also the duke of anjou with the guises , consulted about killing the admiral , and dividing the protestants . five dayes after , as the admiral came from the court , accompanied with about fifteen gentlemen , reading a petition as he went , one shot at him with a caliver ; the bullet taking away his right fore-finger , hurt him in the left arm : he that shot had a spanish jennet at the back-door of his lodging , upon which he immediately mounted and escaped : the door being burst open , it was found that the caliver left behind , was brought to the house the day before by one chally , steward of the kings house , and a great dealer for the duke of guise ; the admiral being conveyed to his lodging , shewed most admirable piety , patience , and constancy . the king complained of the mischief , swearing and promising to execute such justice upon the offendor , that the admiral and all his friends should thinke themselves well satisfied . he caused also all the gates of paris to be shut , swearing and blaspheming , that he would not that they which had done the fact should escape ; he also appointed many lords and gentlemen of the protestants to lodge in the admirals quarter , the better , as he pretended , to secure themselves against any danger . after noon the king went to visit the admiral , and there , with many oaths and protestations , assured him of his love to him , care over him and them of the religion , and that he would severely punish the authors of his present hurt . presently after the vidame of chartres [ john de ferriers ] advised the king of navar , the prince of conde , the admiral , and other chief lords of the religion , presently to depart out of paris , assuring them that that blow was but the beginning of the tragedy which was soon to ensue , but they trusting to the kings word , rested secure . that day also the king wrote to the ambassadors of forrein princes , and to the governours of all his provinces how much he was offended at the admirals hurt , how severely he would punish it , yea he desired that all the world might know how much he was offended at it ; and the queen-mother wrote the like . in the mean time the dukes of anjou and guise employed some to go from house to house to take the names of all the protestants , and to return the catalogue to them , so that presently after they of the religion began to discover that some bloody intentions were hatching against the admiral and his friend . for the king set a guard of fifty harquebushires at the admirals gate . great store of armes were carried into the loure , and about evening all the people were in armes . the chief of the protestants hereupon assembled again in the admirals lodging , where the vidame of chartres advised as before , that they should essay presently to carry the admiral out of paris , and that the rest should presently dislodge ; yet all the rest refused this counsel , resolving to relie upon the kings word , who had promised them justice . in the evening some protestant gentlemen proffered to watch with the admiral , but he would not suffer them : at night the duke of guise sent for the captain of the switzers ▪ shewing him his commission to kill the admiral and all his partakers , exhorting him and his men to be couragious in shedding of blood . at midnight the provost , sheriffs , and captains of every ward had the same shewed them , with assurance that through the whole realm the like should be done to all the protestants , and that the watchword for the general massacre should be the tolling of the bell in the palace to be rung at the break of day , and the badge of the executioners should be a white handkerchif tied on their armes , and a white crosse in their hats : the duke of guise and his associates were to begin at the admirals lodging : some of the protestants being awakened with the noise in the streets of men running up and down in armes , and with torches , gat up to enquire what was the matter ; but presently the bell rung , and the duke of guise with his cutthroats hasted to , and knocked at the admirals gates : he that opened them was presently stabbed ; the admiral hearing the noise , gat out of bed , and joyned with his minister [ master merlin ] in fervent prayer , commending his soul into the hands of god ; then said he , it is long since i disposed my self to die ; save you your selves if it be possible , for you cannot save my life ; i commit my soul into the hands and mercy of god ; then did merlin his minister , and the rest get up to the top of the house , and crept out of windows into the gutters to hide themselves ; yet most of them were slain in the next house : then seven or eight men brake into the admirals chamber , and one of them went to him with his naked sword offering him the point , to whom he said ; young man , thou oughtest to respect any age and infirmity , yet shalt thou not shorten my life ; with that he thrust him into the body , and all the rest laid at him , so that he fell to the ground , where he lay gasping : the duke of guise below called to them to throw his body out at window , which they did : his face being all bloody , the duke of guise wiped it , and looking on it , said , now i know him , it is he , and so kicked him on the face with his foot , whom all the murtherers in france feared so much when he was alive . then went he out into the streets , crying , courage my fellows , we have here made a good beginning , let us now fall upon the rest , the king commands it ▪ it is his expresse pleasure , he commands it . the admirals head was sent to the king and queen-mother , and by them sent to the pope and cardinal of lorrain as a grateful present . the pope when he heard the newes , set apart a day of publick thanksgiving to god , in the church of st. lewis , and published a bull of extraordinary indulgences to such as should pray for the heavenly assistance to the king and kingdome of france . strada . the common people cut off the admirals hands and privy members , drawing his body about the streets three days , and then hung it by the feet upon the gallows . all the attendants of the king of navar and prince of conde which lay in the kings palace were massacred ; the like was done to the lords and gentlemen that lay about the admirals lodging , and then through all the city were the protestants murthered , so that that night and the two next days there were slain in paris about ten thousand persons of all ranks , ages , and sexes , yea they spared not children in the cradle , nor infants in their mothers wombs . but to colour this their villany , they gave it out , that the huguenots had conspired to kill the king ; they boasted also that they had in one day done that , which processes , sentences of justice , and open warre could not do in twelve years . the lords and gentlemen were most inhumanely mu●thered , some in their beds , others on the roofs of their houses , and in all other places wheresoever they were found . there were at this time in paris about sixty thousand men with pistols , pikes , curtelaces , poinards , knives , and such other bloody instruments , that ran up and down swearing and blaspheming the sacred majesty of god , cruelly massacring all that they met with : the streets were covered with mangled bodies , gates and doors defiled with blood ; shoutings & howlings of the murtherers , mixed with the cries and groans of the dying ; the breaking open of doors and windows , with the noise of guns and pistols , all which made an hellish noise ; multitudes of dead bodies were thrown into the seine , which was died red with their blood . the king certified the king of navar and the prince of conde of all that was done , saying , that he saved their lives upon condition that they should renounce their religion , and turn papists . the king of navar desired him not to force his conscience , but to remember the alliance so lately contracted betwixt them : the prince of conde with more zeal told him , that his body and estate were in his power to do with them what he pleased ; but for his religion he was fully purposed not to forsake it , but to remain constant therein to the losse of his life ; he put the king in minde also that he had given his faith to him , and to those of the religion , and therefore he hoped he would not falsifie his oath , &c. this so enraged the king that he called him rebel , and the sonne of a rebellious person , with horrible threatnings that he should lose his head if within three days he altered not his mind . the king and his confidents perceiving that this massacre would not quench the fire , but rather stirre up the protestants in other parts of the kingdome to defend themselves ; they presently dispatched away letters to the governours of towns , with expresse commands to masscacre all the protestants : yet at the same time the king wrote other letters , wherein he laid the fault of the murther of the admiral upon the duke of guise : pretending that he had quieted all things in paris , and intended that his edicts of pacification ▪ should hold inviolably . upon the receipt of the first letters , the papists fell upon the protestants at meaux , trois , orleance , and other places , and murthered them without all pity , besides such as were massacred in villages and fields , where they thought to save themselves , so that in a few weeks there were above thirty thousand persons massacred in france . but besides this general account , some particulars deserve remembrance , which are these that follow . monsieur de la place , president of the court of requests , had a captain armed that came into his house , telling him that the duke of guise , had slain the admiral at the kings appointment , with many other huguenots , and that he was come to protect him in that common destruction , only he desired a sight of the gold and silver that was in his house : the l. de la place amazed at his audaciousnesse , asked him whether he thought that there was a king or no ? the captain blaspheming , willed him to go with him to know the kings pleasure ; hereupon the lord went from him to secure himself ; then did the captain rifle his house , taking above one thousand crowns : the lord would have secured himself in three several houses , all which refused to entertain him , which caused him to go back to his own house again , where he found his wife very heavy , whom he rebuked , discoursed to her of the promises , told her that we must through many afflictions enter into the kingdome of god , &c. which much comforted her : then calling his family together , he made an exhortation to them , went to prayer , and began to read a chapter in job with calvins exposition upon it . then went he to prayer again , resolving to suffer all torments or death , rather than to do any thing that might be dishonorable to god : then came the provost-marshal with many archers to his house , pretending to secure him , and safely to convey him to the king , who would speak with him ; de la place told him that he was most willing to do it , but saw it impossible ( in regard of the horrible massacres committed every where ) without apparent danger of his life ; in brief , presently after came the provost of merchants , who would needs also have him to the king , yet he would have excused it as before , but the provost would have no nay , wherefore resolving upon death , which he saw he could not avoid , he embraced his wife , wishing her above all things , to continue in the fear of god , and so went on his way boldly ; but in the street some murtherers that attended there for his coming , with their daggers stabbed him , and then pillaged him , carrying his body into a stable , and covering his face over with dung , and the next day they threw him into the river . peter ramus also , the kings professor in logick was not forgotten ; the murtherers breaking into the colledge of priests where he was , massacred him , then cast him out of the chamber-window , so that his bowels issued out on the stones : then was his body trailed through the streets and whipt by certain young scholars , who were set on by their popish tutors to do it . a godly young man going early abroad on the sabbath morning , and hearing of the death of the admiral , and seeing the insurrection , out of a singular child-like affection to his mother , he hasted home , informed her of the danger , secured her in a place of great secresie ; after which he shut himself up in his study , by prayer to fit himself for death , into which the murtherers breaking with battleaxes and staves , so loaded him with blows on the head , that he received his blood into his own hands ; and when they had killed him , they threw him into the river . two ministers belonging to the king of navar were also murthered , and thrown into the river : god miraculously preserving all the other ministers in the city . a jeweller being in bed with his wife , who at that time had the midwife with her , being near the time of her delivery , these bloody villains came knocking at the door , and in the kings name demanded entrance ; the woman as ill was she was , opened the door , whereupon rushing in , they stabbed her husband in his bed ; the midwife seeing that they were bent to murther the woman also , earnestly entreated them to tarry at least so long till the infant ( which would be the twentieth child that god had given her ) was born ; but notwithstanding her request , they took the woman , and thrust a dagger into her fundament up to the hilts ; the woman finding her self mortally wounded , yet desirous to bring forth her fruit , fled into a corn-loft , whither these tygers persuing her , gave her another stob into the belly , and so cast her out of the window into the street , and upon the fall , the childe came forth of her body , the head formost , gaping and yauning in a pitiful manner . one of these murtherers snatching up a little childe in his armes , the poor babe began to play with his beard , and to smile upon him ; but instead of being moved to compassion , this villain , whose heart was harder than the rocks , wounded it with his dagger , and cast it all gore blood into the river . the kings letters being come to meaux upon the same sabbath , to cosset the kings atturny there , upon the sight of them , he presently went about to his cutthroats , warning them to come to him armed at seven a clock at night , withal causing the gates of the city to be shut up ; the hour being come , he with his partizans went up and down , cruelly murthering the innocent servants of jesus christ , in which bloody employment they spent all that night ; the next day they pillaged their houses , and took above two hundred protestants more , and shut them up in prison : the next day towards evening , cosset with his companions went to the prison , where having a catalogue of the prisoners names , cosset called them out one by one , and then they murthered them till they were aweary : then they went to supper , that so they might breath and refresh themselves ; and then filling themselves with wine , they went back to glut themselves with blood also ; they took with them butchers axes that they might dispatch them the more easily , with which as they called them forth , they knocked them down and murthered them ; amongst those that were thus butchered , was an elder of the reformed church , who praying for his enemies , they laughed him to scorn , and because he had a buffe-coat on , which they were loth to spoil , they opened it before , and stabbed him into the breast . another was an ancient man , that had been sheriffe of the city ; him they were not content to kill out-right , but first cut off his nose , ears , and privy members , then they gave him several small thrusts into the body , tossing him up and down , till through losse of blood he fell down , calling upon the name of the lord , and so with many wounds he was slain . the kings letters being come to troys , the protestants were all shut up in prison ; then did the bailiffe send for the common hangman to murther them ; but he refused , saying , that his office was only to execute such as were legally condemned , and so went his way : then was the keeper of the prison sent for , who being sick , he sent one martin to know what the businesse was , to whom the bailiffe imparted the matter , wishing him to murther all the prisoners ; and that their blood might not run out into the street , he bade him to make a great trench in the midst of the prison , and to cause certain vessels to be set into it to receive the blood ; this martin going back with abhorrency of the fact , concealed it from the jailor : the next day the bailiffe came to the prison , and smiling , asked the jailor if it was done ? but he , being ignorant of his meaning , asked him what should be done ? hereupon the bailiffe was so enraged , that he was ready to strike him with his dagger , till he promised to perform his will ; then did the jailor go to the prisoners who were in the court recreating themselves , and shut them up one by one in their several cels , which made them suspect that they were destinated to slaughter , and therefore they betook themselves to prayer ; the jailor called his companions about him , acquainted them what was given him in charge , and caused them to swear to execute it ; but when they approached to the prisoners , they were so surprized with feare , that they stood gazing one upon another , having not hearts to act so horrid a deed ; whereupon they returned to the jailors lodge , and sent for eight quarts of the strongest wine , with other things , to intoxicate their brains ; then they took a catalogue of all their prisoners , and gave it to one martin to call them forth in order : the first prisoner being called for , presented himself with a cheerful countenance , calling upon the name of the lord , then opened his breast to them , receiving the mortal stroke , whereof he died . another being called forth , one of them thrust at him several times with the point of his halbard , wounding , but not killing him , whereupon the prisoner took the point of the halbard , and set it against his heart , saying with a stedfast voice , here souldier , here , right at the heart , right at the heart , and so finished his life . the rest were all murthered in the like manner , after which the murtherers made a great pit in the back-side of the prison , into which they cast the bodies one upon another , some of them yet breathing : yea one of them raised up himself above his fellows , whereupon they threw in earth and so smothered him : but the bailiffs order of making a trench being not observed , the blood of the slain ran so abundantly out of the prison door , that thence , through the channel , it ran into the river , and turned it into the colour of blood , which bred an horror in the very papists themselves which saw it . at orleance the kings edict for observing the treaty of peace was solemnly published , which made those of the religion very secure , whereupon above three hundred of them , men , women and children met together at a sermon ; but the same night came the kings letters for the massacring of them all ; then did the major and sheriffs raise the companies in armes to put it in execution . one of these murtherers with some of his companions went to a noble counsellors house , bidding themselves to supper ; the counsellor ignorant of their intents , made them good cheere ; but when supper was ended , with horrible blasphemies they murthered him , and then plundred his house . about the ramparts of the wall inhabited many of the religion , amongst whom all night was heard nothing but shooting of guns and pistols , breaking open of doors , fearful out-cries of the men , women and children that were massacred , trampling of horses , rumbling of carts that carried the dead bodies away , and the cryings out of the murtherers that went up and down , howling out , kill , kill them all , and then take the spoile . this massacre continued all the week long , the bloody beasts crying out to those whom they murthered , where is now your god ? what is become of all your prayers and psalms now ? let your god whom you call'd upon , save you if he can . others sang in scorn to them the . psalm , judge and revenge my cause o lord. others , have mercy on me , o god , &c. yet notwithstanding all these taunts , the faithful died couragiously . in this massacre the papists boasted that they had slain above twelve thousand men , besides women and children ; some of them said eighteen thousand . on tuesday night some of these murtherers came and knocked at the door of a doctor of the civil law , and when he opened it to them , they told him that he must die , whereupon he fell to prayer with such ardency and affection , that they being amazed and over-ruled by a divine power , only robbed him and went away ; the next day came some scholars to his house desiring to see his library , which he shewed them ; then they asked , some one book , some another , which he gave them ; yet they told him they were not satisfied , but they must kill him ; whereupon betaking himself to prayer , when he had done , he desired them to kill him there , which they refused , forcing him out into the streets , leading him by the schools , and there he again desired them to kill him in that place , where he had taught so long ; but they still refused ; and when they had led him a little farther , they knockt him on the head . others meeting with an apothecary who had brought physick to a patient , cut off one of his armes , and then had him forth into the market-place , where they murthered him . a cook that had hid himself three dayes , was at last through hunger forced to come forth , and so was slain . and to fulfil the measure of their cruelty , such protestants as through fear revolted to them , they placed them in the fore-front of their companies , putting weapons in their hands , compelling them to give the first onset , crying , smite them , smite them , are they not your holy brethren and sisters ? and if any refused , they presently slew him . in lyons , mandolet governour thereof , hearing of the massacre at paris , presently caused the city gates to be shut , raised forces , commanding them , that if any of the protestants came out of their houses , though but with swords , they should presently kill them ; but the protestants seeing a storme coming , which they knew could not arise without the special providence of god , set themselves to bear it with invincible patience . the day following if any of them did but go abroad about their necessary occasions , they were presently clapt up in prison , and when night came , the murtherers entred their houses , which they rifled and plundred , and pretending to carry the protestants to prison , some they stabbed in the streets , others they threw into the river , whereof some were carried down the stream half a mile below the city , by which means they escaped ; the day after , proclamation was made by sound of trumpet , that all of the religion should appear at such a place to know the kings pleasure concerning them ; many went , but so soon as they came , they were sent to several prisons , and the night following every corner and part of the city was full of lamentable cries and shreekings , partly of such as were massacred in their houses , partly of such as were but half murthered , and so haled to be thrown into the river ; and from that time there were such horrible murthers committed in the city , as if the divels in the likenesse of men ran roaring about to do mischief ; the sabbath morning following those that had hitherto escaped massacring , were then dispatched . in the arch-bishops house there were three hunded and fifty prisoners shut up , and a bloody crue of cutthroats were appointed to murther them , to whom the keyes were delivered , and they rushing into the great court , gave notice to the prisoners with a loud voice that they must die ; then having first taken all the prisoners purses , they fell upon them with barbarous cruelty , hacking and hewing them in a furious manner , so that within an hour and an half , they were every one cut in pieces ; the prisoners were all slain , with their eyes and hands lift up to heaven , whilst their hands and fingers were cut off . there was a merchant called francis de bossu that had two sonnes ; the father seeing the horrible massacres , said to his sons , children , we are not now to learn that it hath alwayes been the portion of believers to be hated , persecuted , and devoured by unbelievers , as christs sheep of ravening wolves ; if we suffer with christ , we shall also reign with him : let not therefore these drawn swords terrifie us , they will be but as a bridge whereby we shall passe to eternal life : we have lived long enough amonst the wicked , let us now go and live with our god , let us joyfully go after this great company that is gone before us , &c. when he saw the murtherers come , he clasped his armes about his two sons , and they theirs about him , as if they strove mutually to ward off the blows each from other , who were afterwards found dead in these mutual imbraces . the murtherers went up and down the city boasting that they had died their white doublets red in the blood of the huguenots ; one bragging that he had killed an hundred , and some more , and some lesse : when the people went into the arch-bishops house , and saw the slaughter that had been made there , though they were papists , yet they said that surely they were not men , but devils in the habit of men that had done this . the dead corpses were carried out , and lay spread like dung upon the face of the earth , and when they were about to throw them into the river , an apothecary told them that much money might be made of their grease , whereupon all the fat bodies were sought out , ripped up , and their grease sold for three shillings a pound ; which being done , after many jears bestowed upon the dead carcasses , some were tumbled into a great pit , others thrown into the river . the countries which lay below upon the river were amazed to see such multitudes of dead bodies to come down the streame , some with their eyes pulled out , others their noses , eares , and hands cut off ; stabbed into every part of their bodies , so that some had no part of humane shape remaining . shortly after the popes legat came thither , and as he came out of the great church from masse , all the chief massacrers kneeled down for to have his absolution , and when he was told who they were , and why they kneeled there , he absolved them all by making the signe of the crosse. a gentleman of paris , as soone as the massacre was ended there , went to angiers , and coming to the house of a reverend , godly , and learned minister called master john mason , meeting his wife at the door , he saluted her , asking where her husband was ? she said that he was walking in his garden , directing him the way to him ; when he came to him , he lovingly embraced him , and then said , do you know wherefore i am come to you ? the king hath commanded me presently to kill you , and therewithal he presented a pistol to his breast ; the minister replyed that he knew not wherein he had offended the king ; but seeing , said he , you will have my life , pray you give me leave to pray to god , and to begge mercy at his hands ; which being granted , he made a short prayer , and then willingly presented his body to the murtherer , who pistolled him , and so departed . presently after the king sent one pugilliard , who drowned nine or ten more in that place , and amongst the rest , the wife of this mr. mason , who shewed an admirable constancy of faith , even to her last breath . in roan in a few dayes they murthered above six thousand men besides women , upon whom they exercised no lesse cruelty than upon the men ; their dead bodies they carried out in tumbrels , and threw them by heaps into great pits digged for that purpose . the news of the massacre of paris coming to tholouse , the great gates of the city were presently shut up ; but it pleased god , that that morning most of the protestants were gone out of the city to hear a sermon ; the report of the shutting up of the gates coming to them , some thought it not fit to return , others would needs go back to take order abour their affairs : these were suffered to enter peaceably , leaving their swords at the gates , the rather to draw in the rest , amongst whom were divers counsellors ; and great meanes were used to entrap them , and indeed some of them were enticed to come back ; but when they saw they could get in no more , the wednesday morning following souldiers were sent to break into all the houses of those of the religion , and to carry them to sundry prisons ; and the gates were watched that none should escape : command also was given that none should conceale any of the protestants : amongst the prisoners were five or six counsellors , who much comforted and encouraged the rest . then were all the prisoners brought together into one place , and letters procured from the king to massacre them all : and accordingly some leud persons , armed with axes and butchers knives , were sent to effect it , who calling them out one by one , murthered them all , not permitting them so much as to speak , much lesse to pray . the number of the slain was above three hundred , who were all stript stark naked , and their bodies left to the common view of all for two dayes together : then were they , thus naked , thrown into pits one upon another , only the counsellors were hung up in their long gowns upon an elme in the palace-yard ; all their houses vvere also sacked and plundred . at bourdeaux when the news of the massacre of paris came thither , the protestants were taking boats to go into a meadow to hear a sermon , but the governour sent and stayed them , yet under preience of securing them against the multitude ; then were the gates guarded that none might escape , yet it pleased god that the ministers were conveyed away , who aftervvards took ship and came into england . there vvas a jesuite that dayly preached in that city , to stir up the governour and people to massacre the protestants , proposing the example of the persians to them . the governour could not vvell tell vvhat to do , but the lord of monpessat assured him that it was the kings minde that they should all be murthered , and that he could not do a more acceptable service to him ; whereupon he , gathering the scum of the citizens together , commanded them to kill all the protestants without sparing one , and to give them an example , himself went to the lord of obiers house , and murthered him in his own court ; then did they murther a countrey minister also that was come thither for shelter , together with the rest of the protestants , and afterwards pillaged their houses : an old man that was a deacon of the reformed church , being at this time sick in bed , they dragged him forth into the streets , asking him whether he would go to masse , to whom he answered ; i hope i shall not so far forget the eternal salvation of my soul , as for fear of death to prolong my life for a few dayes ; for thereby i should buy a short time of life at too dear a rate ; whereupon they instantly murthered him . it was lamentable to see the poor protestants wandring up and down , not knowing where to hide themselves ; some were rejected of their own parents and kinsfolk , who would not open their doors to them ; others were betrayed by their friends , and delivered into the hands of their murtherers ; yet some were hidden by their very enemies , whose hearts abhorred such detestable outrages . chap. xxxvi . the siege of sancerre , anno christi , . yet in the midst of these massacres and dangers god provided some pella's [ places of refuge ] for his people , as rochel , montalbon , nismes , sancerre , privas , &c. anno . sancerre was besieged by the lord of chastre , with an army , who planting his cannons , played incessantly upon the town , so that the stones of the wall , the pavement in the streets , and the shivers of timber flew about continually , yet the mighty power and providence of god herein appeared , that none within the city were slain , but onely one maid that was slain with the breath of a cannon-bullet : yet were the stocks of musquets sometimes broken in the hands and on the shoulders of the townsmen , and themselves not hurt ; yea some had their coats , breeches and hats shot through , and their bodies not hurt ; yea some stones that were beaten off the wall , flew violently between a ministers legs , and hurt him not . many were the assaults given to this town , yet still the assailants were beaten back with great losse . the siege continuing long , the townsmen began to be in want , so that they were forced to eat their horses , asses , and mules , which food lasted but a moneth , then they did eate all the dogs , cats , rats , mice , and moles that they could get : and those also being spent , they lived upon hides of beasts , calves and sheep-skins : then did they eate parchment , horse and beasts hoofs , hornes , lanthorns , halters , and furniture for horses , girdles o● leather , herbs and wild-roots ; and these being all spent , and no bread left in the city , such as could get linseed , or any other seed , ground it , or beat it in a morter , and made bread thereof , as also of herbs mixed with bran if they could get it : this being spent they eate bread made of straw-meal , powder of nutshels , yea of slates ; suet , old ointments , and other old grease served to make pottage , and with it also they fried the excrements of horses and men , which they did eate , yea the filth in the streetes was not spared . in this extremity a poor labourer and his wife were taken and executed for eating the head , intrals and brains of their daughter of three years old , that died of famine ; they had dressed also the rest of her body to eat at other times ; and that which aggravated their fault was , that it was proved that that day there was given to them a little pottage made with herbs and wine , which might have satisfied them in that necessity : such as went forth of the walls to seek relief , were either slaine by the enemy , or lived upon sprigs of vines , black-berries , red snailes , and herbs ; amongst other sad and lamentable spectacles , one was of a labourer and his wife found dead amongst the vines , and two of their children crying by them , the lesser being but sixe weekes old , which a charitable widow took home to her house and sustained : many dyed in this famine , some in their houses , others fell down in the streets , and gave up the ghost ; most of the children under twelve yeares old died : lamentable it was to heare the poor fathers and mothers mourning and weeping to see their misery and yet they could not relieve them ; neverthelesse most of them did wonderfully encourage themselves with the assurance of the grace of god , whereof there is this notable example . a boy of five years old , languishing divers weeks , ran along the streets , till nature failing him , he fell down in the presence of his father and mother , who wept and lamented over him ; and feeling upon his armes and legs , they were as dry as a stick ; whereupon the child said ; why do you thus weep to see me die of hunger ? i ask you no bread , mother , for i know you have none ; but seeing it is the will of god that i should die in this sort , i must take it thankfully : had not the holy man lazarus hunger ? have not i read it in my bible ? and saying so , he yielded up his spirit unto god. that which preserved all from being famished , was this ; there were yet sixe kine kept to give milke for some infants , and certaine horses of service which were reserved for an extremity ; these were killed , and their flesh sold to comfort those that lived . also some little corne was brought into the towne by stealth , which was sold for two shillings sixe pence a pound . the war killed but eighty four persons , but the famine killed above five hundred , besides those which were brought so low that they hardly recovered . during these miseries , divers souldiers , and some townsmen gat out , chusing rather to die by the sword of the enemy , than by famine , of whom some were slain , others imprisoned , and executed . so all hope of being saved in mans judgement failed to those of sancerre : for the king had sworne that he would make them devoure each other . but mans misery is gods opportunity ; the king of kings found out a strange meanes to deliver his people that put their trust in him ; just at this time , by the sollicitations of the bishop of valence , the polonians had chosen the duke of anjou , brother to the french king , king of poland , and ambassadors were come to fetch him into that countrey , who hearing of this siege , sollicited the bishop of valence to perform the promise , which he had sworn to them in the name of his master , viz. to fet at liberty all the towns of france that were molested for religion : by this means the poor sancerreans , halfe dead for hunger , were delivered at the request of these good men who came from a farre countrey to be their deliverers , though their enemies had oft-times threatned them with a general massacre ; they were suffered to depart with their armes and goods , and such as would stay , not to be questioned for any thing past ; they had a promise also that the honour of women and maids should be preserved ; and such ministers and others , as had fled thither for safety , had pasports given them , and they were suffered peaceably to depart . the siege of rochel , anno . about the beginning of the same year rochel was also besieged ; the townsmen often sallied out , and there were very hot skirmishes betwixt them and the besiegers ; in one of which there came a young gentleman , who with horrible blasphemy boasted that he was one of the admirals murtherers , shewing his courtelace , which he said , he brought from that conflict , with it threatning to slash the rochellers ; yet , when it came to trial , his heart failed , and he ran away ; but one of the city souldiers pursuing him , slew him , stript him , and left his naked body in the field , the dogs tearing his face before next morning . in one moneths space the enemy discharged above thirteene thousand cannon shot against the rochellers , and made many assaults , wherein they still went away with the worst . then came the duke of anjou to the army to be the general ▪ the siege having continued some moneths , the rochellers began to want victuals , which famine , after awhile , much encreased upon them , but behold the admirable providence of god! when all other provision failed them , there came an infinite number of small fishes never before seene in that haven , as it were yielding themselves to the mercy of the poor people , which gathered them every day so long as the siege lasted , but presently after the publishing of the edict for peace , they went away , and were never seen afterwards . during this siege came the ambassadors from poland to fetch their new king ; by whose means a truce was granted to the rochellers , and lastly articles of peace were agreed upon , whereby the army was withdrawn , and rochel enjoyed her priviledges ; yet this is further very remarkable , that all the chief persons that were imployed in the massacre of paris and other places , were drawn forth to this siege , by god , there to receive the reward of all their impieties , some of them being slain , and others receiving there those wounds whereof they shortly after died ; amongst whom were the duke de aumale , and cosseins , marshal of the field , that first entred the admirals lodging ; three masters of the camp ; divers great lords and gentlemen ; above sixty captains ; as many lieutenants and ensignes , and above twenty thousand common souldies . anno . king charles himself , that was at least the countenancer of all these horrible massacres , being in the prime of his youth , about twenty four years old , fell sick of a languishing disease ; his physicians let him blood and purged him , but to no purpose ; for by degrees he so faded away , as caused great astonishment to many . he long strugled against his disease , but at last was faine to betake himself to his bed , and the two last weeks of his sicknesse , much blood issued from divers parts of his body , and once he rolled himself in his own blood , and a little before he died , he desired his mother to pursue his enemies to the uttermost , with great vehemency reiterating his speeches ; saying , madam , i pray you heartily to do it , and so he breathed forth his soul , may the thirtieth , anno christi , . i shall here adde a few words also of the great miseries which the people of god endured in rochel , anno christi , . expecting help from england , which proved but a staffe of reed , which whilst they leaned upon , it ran into their hands ; the city being besieged by the king of france his army , the inhabitants were brought to such extremity , that for want of other meat , the citizens and souldiers , having eaten up all the horses , dogs , cats , rats and mice , lived two moneths with nothing but cow-hides and goats-skins boiled ; then did they eat up all the old gloves , and whatsoever was made of leather : yea , the poor people cut off the buttocks of the dead , and did eat them . young maids of fourteen or sixteen years old , did look like old women of one hundred years old . all the english that came out , after the surrender of the city , looked like anatomies ; the prizes of things were as followeth ; a bushel of wheat twenty pounds ; a pound of bread twenty shillings ; a quarter of mutton above sixe pounds ; a pound of butter thirty shillings ; an egge eight shillings ; an ounce of sugar two shillings and six pence ; a dried fish twenty shillings ; a pint of french wine twenty shillings ; a pint of milk thirty shillings ; a pound of grapes three shillings , &c. anno . there was one margaret pierron of the town of sansay in france , who by her maid-servant was accused to the jesuites , for not going to masse , and for keeping a bible in her house , in reading whereof was her whole delight ; the jesuites , complaining hereof to the magistrate , caused her to be apprehended , yet had she some notice of it before-hand from her friends that advised her to flie from the danger ; but god had a purpose that she should bear witness to his truth , so that she was taken and cast into prison ; after a while the judges sent for her , saying , margaret , are you not willing to returne home to your house , and there to enjoy your husband and children ? yes , said she , if it may stand with the good will of god ; then , said they , if thou wilt do but a small matter thou shalt be set at liberty ; if , said she , it be not contrary to gods glory and mine own salvation , you shall hear what i will say to you . no such thing , said they , for all that we require is but this , that a scaffold being set up in the chief part of the city , you shall there crave pardon for offending the law , and a fire being by , you shall burne your bible in it without speaking a word . i pray you my masters , said she , tell me , is my bible a good book or no ? yea , said they , we confesse it is : why then , said she , would you have me cast it into the fire ? only said they , to give the jesuites content : imagine it to be but paper , and then you may burne it , and you may buy you another bible at any time , and hereby you may save your life . thus they spent above two hours in perswading her , that thereby she might do a lesse evil , and a greater good would come of it : but she confidently answered , that by the help of god she would never do it : what will the people say ( said she ) will they not say , yonder is a wrethed woman indeed , that burns the bible wherein all the articles of christian religion are contained ? i will certainly burne my body rather than my bible . then did they commit her close prisoner , fed her only with bread and water , and her friends were debarred from coming to her : but when nothing could remove her from her constancy , she was condemned to be set upon a scaffold ; to have her bible burnt before her face ; her self to be strangled , and her body to be dragged through the streets to a dunghil , which sentence she underwent cheerfully , and so slept in the lord. collected out of the history of the tragical massacres of france under henry the second , francis the second , charles the ninth , henry the third , and henry the fourth . translated out of french. here place the ninth figure . chap. xxxvii . the persecution of the church of christ in the valtoline , anno christi , . the grison lords , who were the soveraign magistrates of this countrey , had by sundry decrees granted liberty to the protestants to exercise their religion freely : but when as the minister of tell , with his congregation , were met together about the service of god , the bloody papists rising in arms , set upon them , slew one , and beate others so cruelly with staves , that they were forced to desist from their purpose : shortly after they murthered some others , and conspiring with some other bloody villaines , they set guards upon all the passages of the valley , that so none of the protestants should escape them ; then ringing their bells , they raised all the countrey , and if any protestants stirred out of their houses , they murthered them in the streets : they also brake into the houses of others , drew them out of their beds , and murthered them . some of the protestants retired to the houses of papists that were neer of kin , or otherwise engaged to them , to secure themselves , but there they were betrayed and murthered : some they strangled ; some they shot ; of some they beate out their brains , and others they drowned in the river alba. a noble gentleman that had hid himself in the river , was found by them , who requested them to spare his life , for his dear childrens sake : but they told him that this was no time for pity , except he would abjure his faith , and swear by the popes bull : nay said he , god forbid , that to save this temporal life , i should deny my lord jesus christ , who with his precious blood upon the crosse redeemed me at so dear a rate ; and having through his grace so long freely and publikely professed him , that i should now hazard the losse of eternal life , to which i was elected before the foundation of the world ; i say god forbid . hereupon in a barbarous and savage manner they murthered him . they brake also into the palace of the governour , and murthered him ; women and maidens they defloured ; and of all the protestants in that part of the countrey , there were onely three that escaped over the horrid and vast mountains of the alps into rhetia . these wicked villaines having thus dispatched the protestants in this place , they marched to another , coming just at the time when the protestants were at church hearing a sermon : they were guided to the place by two friers ; the protestants seeing them coming , shut the church doors , barricadoing them up with benches : these villaines laboured to break open the door , but when they could not readily do it , they clambred up into the windows , through which they shot with their musquets at the people , whereby they wounded and killed many : the minister bei●g ▪ a man rarely endued with learning and piety , according to the shortnesse of time , exhorted them with lively reasons to persevere in the truth notwithstanding all the danger ; but in the mean time these barbarous papists had forced open the door , where they fell to murthering of all without respect of quality , sex , or age : some lords and gentlemen were here slaine , the minister was shot to death ; divers ladies and children gate into the belfree to save themselves ; but these hell-hounds set fire to the place , and miserably burnt them all . these savage wretches having thus glutted themselves with innocent blood in this place , they marched to sondresse : the papists in that place hearing of their coming , went to the justice , protesting that they would guard him from danger , and that they would not suffer such villanies to be committed amongst them : then did they beat their drums , ring their bells , and arme themselves under pretence of securing the protestants , who trusting to their promises , mixed themselves amongst them to stand for their own defence ; these popelings concealing their mischievous intent , killed now one , then another , as if it had been by accident , so that though divers of them were slain , yet they found not out the mystery of the practice : yet some , both men and gentlewomen sought to escape , but all passages being shut up , they were met with and cruelly murthered . then did they more openly discover their malice , killing the protestants where ever they met them : hereupon some eighteen of the protestants , together with some ladies and young children gat together ; and the men being well armed , they marched close together , repulsing their enemies , and at last came to a church in the mountain of sondresse , unto which place a minister , and some others , in all , about seventy three men were gathered together , and after their prayers made unto god , they passed the valley of malaneo , which was beset by the enemy on two sides ; but such as kept the passages , were by gods special providence , so astonished that they fled away ; and the protestants , though they were pursued to the tops of the mountains , yet did miraculously escape with safety . then did the pesants joyne with these villaines to rob and plunder the houses of the protestants , and amongst them , divers noblemens houses richly furnished with great abundance ; they ran up and down also through fields , woods and mountains , searching every bush for the protestants ; and as they found any of them , they presently murthered them . there was an honorable lady that not long before came out of italy to enjoy her liberty of conscience , whom they exhorted to change her religion , which she refusing , they advised her that yet at least she would ▪ do it out of a care of her young infant which she held in her armes , which otherwise , together with her self should presently be slain : but she with an undaunted courage answered : i have not departed out of italy , my native countrey , nor forsaken all the estate that i had there , to renounce now the faith which i had wrought in me by the lord jesus christ ; yea i will rather suffer , if it were possible , a thousand deaths ; and how shall i have regard in this case to my infant , since god my heavenly father spared not his own sonne my lord jesus christ , but delivered him up to death for his love to me , and such sinners as i am ? and so giving her childe to one , she said , behold my child , the lord god , who hath care of the birds of the aire , is much more able to save this poore creature , although by you it should be left to these wild mountains : then unlacing her gown , she opened her breast , saying , here is the body which you have power to kill ; but my soul , on which you have no power to lay your hands , that i commend to my god ; and so she was presently slain , and hewed in pieces ; the infant being a lovely and sweet child , they spared , and delivered it to a popish nurse to be brought up . these miscreants finding such sweetnesse by the plunder of the protestants ; they spared none , plundering their houses twice or thrice over : some noble matrons had their rings pul'd off their fingers ; and if they refused presently to draw them off , they would cut off either their hands or fingers from them . some women with their children were dragged to the tops of high mountains , and threatned to be thrown down headlong with their children if they would not promise to go to masse ; and though one amongst them was found , that through terrour , promised them to do it , yet did they throw her down with the rest without all pity . one dominico berto of sixteen years old , they set upon an asse with his face to the tayle , and the tayle in his hands for the bridle , and thus with many jears they led him to the market-place ; then they cut off his nose , ears , and cheeks , then burned many holes in several parts of his body with hot irons , continuing these torments till in that barbarous manner they had killed him . yet through the wonderful goodnesse of god , some ministers with their wives and children , by great travel , dangers , and difficulties amongst the craggy and high mountains , were delivered out of the hands of these bloody persecutors . theophilus messino was shot with a musket , but being not slain , they set open his mouth with a gag , filled it with gunpowder , and giving fire to it , tore his head miserably ; his son was slain with many wounds . another being wounded and stripped naked , was carried out and thrown into the woods ; yet afterwards he gat up and went home to his own house , where he had mountains of gold profered him if he would turn papist , yet , through gods mercy , he continued faithful to the death . a young gentleman , too much addicted to the vanities of the world ▪ being earnestly sollicited to forsake the protestant religion , stoutly refused , whereupon they shot him with a musket , and having layn a while , and then raising himself up , he besought them to dispatch him , that he might render his soul to his creator . divers men and women were thrown down from bridges into the river adda , and drowned for their constancy in the truth . some had their mouthes s●i● up to their ears , others had the flesh cut from their faces ; others were slashed in other parts of their body till they dyed ; and others were often put to the strappado , and then hewen in pieces . a noble virgin that was come to sondres for religion sake , these villains took and carried her through the streets with the greatest shame and disgrace that could be : they put a mitre of paper on her head , besmeared her face with dirt , buffeted her on the cheeks , then exhorted her to call upon the saints ; but she smiling thereat , said , my trust and my salvation is only in my saviour jesus christ , and upon him only will i rest ; as for the virgin mary , though she be blessed above all women , yet is she not omniscient , and therefore knows not our requests : yea she her self had need of the merits of her own son , without which she could not have been saved , &c. they still continuing to scorn and deride her , she manfully said , i willingly endure all this as it becomes me to do , desiring no better usage , seeing the same was done to my lord and saviour jesus christ , and to his apostles , and to thousands of the holy martyrs . then was she carried away and murthered in the fields . some ministers and many other godly christians , men and women , noble and ignoble were murthered sundry wayes . many hid themselves in holes , and caves , and woods , out of which they durst not come , but by night only to get them food ; yet were they so watched that many times they were murthered : others in those places were famished for want of food ; others living upon roots , herbs , grasse , &c. contracted diseases whereof they dyed , so that the mountains and woods lay scattered with dead carcasses everywhere . then came there a letter to these blood-suckers from a governour , that they should with all their power , murther , strangle , and massacre without all pity and mercy all the lutherans wheresoever they were ; whereupon these murtherers having slain all in tyrane , bruse , tell , sondres , and malen●● , they went to berbenno , where they presently murthered sundry persons of good rank and quality , and that with great cruelty , contrary to their faith and promise given them ; the like they did in caspano and trahen , and divers other places , shewing neither pity nor favour to any : in one house they slew a man and his wife ; and seeing an infant of three years old lying in a cradle , the child being a girle of a sweet and amiable countenance , and seeming to smile upon them , they took her by the heeles , and dashed out her braines . then did these villains march to bra●e , where also they murthered many ; shooting some , drowning others , stoning others , burning others , and grinding their very bones to powder : amongst others , finding an aged matron of eighty years old , they much sollicited her to hear masse , wishing her to have respect to her age ; to whom she answered with a noble resolution ; god forbid that i , who now of a long time have had one foot in the grave , should forsake my lord jesus christ , who hath so long time preserved me in the knowledge & profession of his truth , & to put my trust in creatures , and instead of his holy word to receive the traditions of men , whereupon they instantly slew her . chap. xxxviii . the persecution of the church in scotland , which began anno christi , . master patrick hamilton of an ancient and honourable family , called abbot of fern , as one hating the world , and the vanity thereof , left scotland , and went into germany , and the fame of the university of wittenberg being greatly divulged , thither he went , and became familiar with those great lights and notable servants of jesus christ , martin luther , and phil. melancthon , whereby he greatly encreased in godly knowledge and learning ; from thence he went to the university of marpurg , which was then newly erected by philip lantgrave of hessen , where he was intimate with other learned men , especially with francis lambert , by whose instigation he was the first that there publickly set up conclusions to be disputed of concerning faith and good works ; by reason of his learning and integrity of life he was had in admiration by many ; but the zeal of gods glory did so eat him up , that he could not rest till he returned into his own countrey , where the bright beams of the true light , which by gods grace was planted in his heart , began most abundantly to break forth , as well in publike as in secret . in processe of time the fame of his doctrine troubled the clergy , and came to the ears of james beton , arch-bishop of saint andrews , who grew impatient that by this means the kingdom of darkness was disturbed ; and therefore he so laboured with patrick hamilton , that he gat him to saint andrews , where after divers dayes conference he had his freedom and liberty , the bishop seeming to approve his doctrine , acknowledging that in many things there needed a reformation in the church ; but withall , fearing that their kingdom should be endamaged , they laboured with the king , who was then young and much led by them , to go on pilgrimage to saint dothesse in rosse , that so by reason of his absence no intercession might be made to him , for the saving the life of this innocent servant of jesus christ , who not suspecting the malice that lodged in their hearts , remained as a lambe amongst wolves . the king being gone , upon a night master hamilton was seised upon by the bishops officers and carried to the castle , and the morrow after he was brought forth unto judgement , and was condemned to be burnt for the testimony of gods truth ; the articles for which he suffered , were about pilgrimages , purgatory , prayer to saints , and for the dead , &c. and that his condemnation might have the greater authority , they caused it to be subscribed by all those of esteem that were the●e present , and to make their number great , they took the subscription of very children if they were of the nobility . immediately after dinner the fire was prepared , and he was led to execution ; yet most men thought that it was only to terrifie him , and to cause him to recant . but god , for his own glory , the good of his servants , and for the manifestation of their beastly tyranny , had otherwise decreed : for he so strengthned him , that neither the love of life , nor fear of that cruel death could once move him to swerve from the truth which he had professed . at the place of execution he gave to his servant that had long attended him , his gown , coat , cap , and his other garments , saying , these will not profit in the fire , they will profit thee ; after this of me thou canst receive no commodity except the example of my death , which i pray thee to beat in minde ; for though it be bitter to the flesh , and fearful before men , yet it is the entrance into eternal life , which none shall possesse which denies christ jesus before this wicked generation ; and so being tyed to the stake in the midst of coals and timber , they gave fire to some powder , which with the blast scorched his left hand and the side of his face , but neither killed him nor kindled the wood and coals ; till they ran to the castle for more powder , and more combustible matter , which being at last kindled , with a loud voice he cryed : lord jesus receive my spirit ; how long shall darknesse overwhelme this realme ? and how long wilt thou suffer the tyranny of these men ? the fire was slow , and therefore put him to the greater torment ; but that which most grieved him was the clamour of some wicked men set on by the friars , who continually cryed , turn thou heretick ; call upon our lady ; say salve regina , &c. to whom he answered , depart from me and trouble me not thou messenger of satan ; and speaking to one campbel , a friar that was the ringleader , who still roared on him with great vehemency , he said to him ; wicked man , thou knowest the contrary , and hast confessed the contrary to me ; i appeale thee before the tribunal seat of jesus christ ; after which words he resigned up his spirit unto god , anno christi , . and within few dayes after the said friar died in a phrensie , and as one that despaired . anno . the said arch-bishop of saint andrews , convented before him david straton a gentleman , and master norman gourlay ; the first of these having a fisher-boat that went to sea , the bishop of murray demanded tithe fish of him , to whom he answered , that if they would have tithe of that which his servants caught in the sea , they should take it in the place where it was caught , and so caused his servants to throw the tenth fish into the sea again ; all this while he had nothing in him for religion . but when hereupon he was summoned to answer for her●sie , it troubled him exceedingly , and then he began to frequent the company of such as were godly , and there appeared a wonderful change in him , so that whereas before he despised the word of god , now all his delight was in hearing of it read to him , and he was a vehement exhorter of all men to peace and concord , and contempt of the world . he much frequented the company of the laird of dun areskin , whom god in those dayes had marvellously illuminated : hearing the text read , ( for he could not read himself ) he that denieth me before men , or is ashamed of me in the midst of this wicked generation , i will deny him before my father and his holy angels ; at those words being suddenly as one revived , he fell upon his knees , and stedfastly lifting up his eyes and hands to heaven , at length he burst forth into these words ; o lord , i have been wicked , and justly mayst thou withdraw thy grace from me ; but , lord , for thy mercy sake , let me never deny thee nor thy truth for fear of death or any corporal paine . being afterwards together with master norman brought to judgement in holy rood-house , the king himself being present , much means was used to draw this david straton to make a recantation ; but he persevered in his constancy , still denying that he had offended , and so they were both condemned to the fire , and after dinner anno . they were both first hanged , and afterwards burnt . not long after the burning of these two holy men ; there was one deane thomas forret , who used to preach every lords day to his parishoners , out of the epistles and gospels as they fell in order : this was counted a great novelty , for none used to preach but the friars , and therefore they envying him , accused him to the bishop of dunkelden for an heretick , and one that shewed the mysteries of scripture to the vulgar people . the bishop instigated by the complaint of the friars , called the said deane thomas before him , to whom he said , my joy deane thomas , i love you well , and therefore i must give you counsel how to govern your self ; the deane thanked him ; and then he proceeded , my joy deane thomas , i am informed that you preach the epistle and gospel every sunday to your people , and that you take not your dues from them , which is very prejudicial to the churchmen ; and therefore my joy deane thomas , i would have you take your dues , or else it s too much to preach every sunday ; for by so doing , you make the people think that we should do so also ; it s enough for you when you find a good epistle or gospel , to set forth and preach the liberty of holy church , and let the rest alone . thomas answered , my lord , i presume none of my parishoners complaine for my not taking my dues ; and whereas you say it s too much to preach every sunday , i think it is too little , and wish that your lordship would do the like . nay , nay , deane thomas , said the bishop ; let that be , for we 〈◊〉 not ordained to preach ; then said thomas , whereas you bid me preach when i meet with a good epistle and gospel ; i have read them all over , and i know 〈◊〉 ●ad ones amongst them , but when your lordship shews me such , i will passe by them . then said the bishop , i thank god i never knew what the old and new testament was ; and deane thomas , i will know nothing but my portuise and pontifical . go your wayes and let all these fancies be ; for if you persevere herein , you will repent you when t is too late . i trust , said thomas , my cause is good and just in the presence of god , and therefore i care not what follows thereupon ; and so he went his way ; but shortly after he was summoned to appear before the cardinal , by whom he was condemned and burned for a chief heretick and teacher of heresies . but notwithstanding all their bloody tyranny , the knowledge of god did wonderfully encrease in that kingdom , partly by reading , partly by brotherly conference , which in those dangerous days was much used to the comfort of many , which so enraged the popish party , that anno . there were burned in one fire foure persons of good quality . the year after there were apprehended jerome russel , a man of a meek and quiet natur● ▪ and alexander kennedy of about eighteen years old ; these two poor servants of jesus christ being brought before the arch-bishop and his associates to judgement , kennedy at first was faint , and would faine have recanted , but when all place of repentance was denied him , the spirit of god ( which seasonably comes in with comfort , ) began to refresh him , yea the inward comfort began to burst forth , as well in his visage , as in tongue and words ; for with a chearful countenance and joyful voice , falling on his knees , he said , o eternal god , how wonderful is that love and mercy that thou bearest unto mankind , and to me a vile caitiffe and miserable wretch above all others ! for even now when i would have denied thee , and thy sonne our lord jesus christ , my only saviour , and so have cast my self into everlasting damnation , thou by thine own hand hast pulled me from the very bottome of hell , and made me to feele that heavenly comfort which takes from me that ungodly feare wherewith before i was oppressed . now i defie death , do with me what you please , i praise god i am ready ; then did they raile upon him and jerome , who also said unto them , this is your hour and power of darkness ; now sit ye as judges , and we stand wrongfully accused , and more wrongfully to be condemned ; but the day will come when our innocency will appear , and ye shall see your own blindnesse , to your everlasting confusion . go forward and fulfil the measure of your iniquity . shortly after they were condemned to die , and as they went to execution , jerome comforted kennedy , saying to him ; brother , fear not ; greater is he that is in us , than he that is in the world ; the pain that we are to suffer is short , and shall be light , but our joy and consolation shall never have an end . let us therefore strive to enter into our master and saviours joy , by the same straight way which he hath taken before us . death cannot hurt us , for it is already destroyed by him for whose sake we now suffer . and thus passing chearfully on , they constantly triumphed over death and satan , in the midst of the flaming fire where they gave up their spirits to god. anno . cardinal beton coming to edenburgh , caused many godly persons to be called before him , and when he could prove nothing else against them , he caused four men to be hanged upon suspition that they had eaten a goose upon a friday : and a woman with her child sucking on her breast , to be drowned for refusing to pray to the virgin mary . many others he caused to be banished , others to be imprisoned at saint johnstons , amongst whom was one john rogers a godly and learned man , that had fruitfully preached christ jesus to the comfort of many in angus and meannes , whom he caused to be murthered in prison , and then thrown over the walls , giving it out that by attempting to escape , he had broken his neck . chap. xxxix . the life of master george wiseheart , or wischard , who died , anno christi , . george wiseheart was born in scotland , and brought up first at school , from whence he went to the university ; after which he travelled into several countries , and at last came to cambridge , where he was admitted into bennet colledge ; he was tall of stature , and of a melancholy constitution ; he had black haire , a long beard , comely of personage , and well-spoken , courteous , lowly , lovely , willing to teach , desirous to learn ; for his habit , he wore a frize gowne , a black fuftian doublet , plaine hose , course canvas for his shirts , falling bands , &c. all which apparel he gave to the poor , some weekly , some monethly , some quarterly ; saving a french cap that he wore , which he kept a twelvemoneth . he was modest , temperate , fearing god , hating covetousnesse . his charity was extraordinary , he forbore his food one meale in three , one day in foure , that he might the better relieve the poor . his lodging was upon stravv , and he had course nevv canvas sheets , vvhich vvhen once foule , he gave avvay ; he had by his bed-side a tub of vvater , in vvhich in the dark night he bathed himself ; he taught vvith great modesty and gravity , so that some about him thought him severe , and vvould have slain him , but the lord vvas his deliverer ; and he ; after due correction for their malice , by good exhortation amended them ; his learning vvas no lesse sufficient than his desire of it ; he vvas alvvayes ready to do good to his ability ; both in his private chamber and publick schools , he read divers authors , yea he alvvayes studied hovv to do good to all . anno . some of the nobility of scotland , coming to treat with king henry the eighth , about the marriage between his sonne prince edward , and their young queen mary , at their return , master wischard went with them into scotland , being a man of admirable graces , and singularly learned both in divine and humane sciences ; he first preached in rosse , and then in dundee , where with great admiration of all that heard him , he went over the epistlle to the romans , till at the instigation of the cardinal , one robert misle , a principal man there , and formerly a professor of religion , inhibited him from preaching , requiring him that he should trouble their town no more , for he would not suffer it ; and this was spoken to him in the publick place ; whereupon he mused a space , with his eyes bent unto heaven , and afterwards looking sorrowfully upon the speaker and people , he said , god is witnesse that i never minded your trouble , but your comfort ; yea your trouble is more dolorous to me then it is to your selves : but i am assured that to refuse gods word , and to chase from you his messenger , shall not preserve you from trouble , but shall bring you into it : for god shall send you ministers that shall neither feare burning nor banishment . i have offered you the word of salvation ; with the hazard of my life i have remained amongst you : now ye your selves refuse me , and i must leave my innocency to be declared by my god ; if it be long prosperous with you , i am not led by the spirit of truth : but if unlookt for trouble come upon you , acknowledge the cause , and turn to god who is gracious and mercifull ; but if you turn not at the first warning , he will visit you with fire and sword ; and so he came down from the pulpit . some noble men being present , would have perswaded him to stay , or to have gone with them into the countrey , but by no means would he stay till he had past the river tay. then went he into the west-countrey , where he made offers of gods word , which was gladly received by many , till the bishop of glasgow , by the instigation of the cardinal , came with his traine to the town of ayre to resist wischard ; the earl of glencarne and some other gentlemen hearing of it , came thither also with their retinue , and when they were all come together , the bishop would needs have the church himself to preach in . some opposed , but wischard said , let him alone , his sermon will not do much hurt , let us go to the market-crosse , and so they did , where he made so notable a sermon , that his very enemies themselves were confounded . wischard remained with the gentlemen in kyle , preaching sometime in one place , sometimes in another , but coming to machlene , he was perforce kept out of the church ; some would have broken in , but he said to one of them , brother , jesus christ is as mighty in the fields as in the church , and himself often preached in the desert , at the sea-side and , other places . it s the word of peace god sends by me : the blood of none shall be shed this day for the preaching of it ; and so going into the fields , he stood upon a bank , were he continued in preaching to the people above three houres ; and god wought so wonderfully by that sermon , that one of the wickedst men in all the country , the laird of sheld was converted by it , and his eyes ran down with such abundance of tears , that all men wondred at it . presently news was brought to wischard that the plague was broke out in dundee , which began within four dayes after he was prohibited preaching there , and raged so extreamly , that it s almost beyond credit how many died in twenty foure houres space ; this being related to him , notwithstanding the importunity of his friends , he would needs go thither , saying , they are now in trouble , and need comfort ; perhaps this hand of god will make them now to magnifie and reverence that word of god , which before they lightly esteemed . coming to dundee , the joy of the faithful was exceeding great , and without delay he signified that the next day he would preach ; and because most of the inhabitants were either sick , or imployed about the sick , he chose the east-gate for the place of his preaching , so that the whole were within , and the sick without the gate ; his text was psal. . he sent his word and healed them , &c. wherein he comfortably intreated of the profit and comfort of gods word , the punishment that comes by the contempt of it , the readinesse of gods mercy to such as truly turn to him , and the happinesse of those whom god takes from this misery , &c. by which sermon he so raised up the hearts of those that heard him , that they regarded no death , but judged them more happy that should then depart , rather than such as should remain behind ; considering that they knew not whether they should have such a comforter with them . he spared not to visit them that lay in the greatest extremity , and to comfort them . he provided all things necessary for such as could take food , the town being very bountiful to them , through his instigation . but whilst he was thus busying himself for the comfort of the afflicted , the devil stirred up the cardinal , who corrupted a desperate popish priest , called john weighton , to slay him . and on a day the sermon being ended , and the people departed , suspecting no danger , the priest stood waiting at the bottome of the stairs with a naked dagger in his hand , under his gown , but master vvischard being of a sharp piercing eye , seeing the priest as he came down , said to him , my friend what would you have ? and withal clapping his hand upon the dagger , took it from him ; the priest herewith being terrified , fell down upon his knees , confessed his intention , and craved pardon ; a noise being hereupon raised , and it coming to the ears of those which were sick , they cryed , deliver the traytor to us , or we will take him by force , and so they burst in at the gate , but vvischard taking him in his armes , said , vvhosoever hurts him shall hurt me , for he hath done me no mischief , but much good , by teaching me more heedfulnesse for the time to come ; and so he appeased them , and saved the priests life . when the plague was almost quite ceased , he took his leave of them , saying , that god had almost put an end to the battel , and that he was now called to another place ; for the gentlemen of the west had written to him to meet them in edinburgh , where he should dispute with the bishops , and should be publickly heard , which he willingly assented to : but first he went to montrosse , to salute the church there , where he sometimes preached , but spent most of his time in private meditation , in which he was so earnest , that night and day he continued in it ; during which time , the cardinal again conspired his death , causing a letter to be sent to him , as if it been from his familiar friend , the laird of kinnur , desiring him with all possible speed to come to him , for that he was taken with a sudden sicknesse ; in the mean time he had provided sixty men armed to lie in wait within a mile and na hall of montrosse to murther him as he passed by that way , the letter coming to his hands by a boy , who also brought him an horse to ride on ; accompanied with some honest men his friends , he set forwards ; but suddenly stopping and musing a space , he returned back again , which they wondring at , asked him the cause ; to whom he said ; i will not go , i am forbidden of god , i am assured there is treason : let some of you go to yonder place and tell me what you finde ; which they doing , found out the treason , and hastily returning back , they told master wischard of it , whereupon he said ; i know that i shall end my life by that blood-thirsty mans hands ▪ but it will not be on this manner . the time approaching wherein he should meet the gentlemen at edinburgh , he took his leave and departed ; by the way he lodged with a faithful brother called james watson of inner gowry ; in the night time he gat up and went into a yard ; which two men hearing , privily followed him ; there he walked in an alley for some space , breathing forth many sobs and deep grones , then he fell upon his knees , and his grones increased ; then he fell upon his face ; those that watched him , hearing him weeping and praying , in which posture he continued near an hour ; then getting up he came to his bed again ; those which attended him , making as though they were ignorant of all , came and asked him where he had been ? but he would not answer them ; the next day they importuned him again , saying , be plain with us , for we heard your mourning , and saw your gestures ; then he with a dejected countenance , said , i had rather you had been in your beds ; but they still pressing upon him to know something ; he said , i will tell you ; i am assured that my warfare is near at an end , and therefore pray to god with me that now i shrink not when the battel waxeth most hot ; when they heard this , they fell a weeping , saying , this is small comfort to us ; then said he , god shall send you comfort after me . this realme shall be illuminated with the light of christs gospel as clearly as any realme since the dayes of the apostles ; the house of god shall be built in it , yea it shall not lack , in despite of all enemies , the top-stone ; neither will it be long before this be accomplished ; many shall not suffer after me , till the glory of god shall appear and triumph in despight of satan : but alasse ! if the people shall afterwards prove unthankful , then fearful and terrible shall the plagues be that shall follow . then went he forward on his journey , and came to leith , but hearing nothing of those gentlemen that were to meet him , he kept himself private a day or two : then did he grow very pensive , and being asked the reason of it ; he said , what do i differ from a dead man , but that i eat and drink ? hitherto god hath used my labours for the instruction of others , and to the disclosing of darknesse , and now i lurk as a man ashamed that dare not shew his face : hereby they perceived that his desire was to preach , whereupon they said to him , it 's most comfortable to us to hear ●ou , but because we know the danger wherein you stand , we dare not desire it ; but said he , if you dare hear , let god provide for me as best pleaseth him ; and so it was concluded that the next day he should preach in leith ; his text was of the parable of the sower , mat. . the sermon ended , the gentlemen of louth●●● , who were earnest professors of jesus christ , would not suffer him to stay at leith , because the governour and cardinal were shortly to come to edinburgh , but took him along with them , and so he preached at brunstone , languedine , and ormstone ; then was he requested to preach at eneresk neer muscelbrugh , where he had a great confluence of people , and amongst them sir george dowglas , who after sermon , said publickly , i know that the governour and cardinal will hear that i have been at this sermon : but let them know that i will avow it , and will maintain both the doctrine , and the preacher to the uttermost of my power ; this much rejoyced those that were present . amongst others that came to hear him preach , there were two gray-friars , who , standing at the church door , whispered to such as came in : which wischard observing , said to the people , i pray you make roome for these two men , it may be they come to learn ; and turning to them , he said , come neer , for i assure you , you shall hear the word of truth , which this day shall seale up to you either your salvation or damnation ; and so he proceeded in his sermon , supposing that they would be quiet ; but when he perceived that they still continued to disturb all the people that stood near them , he said to them the second time with an angry countenance ; o ministers of satan , and deceivers of the souls of men ; will ye neither hear gods truth your selves , nor suffer others to hear it ? depart and take this for your portion ; god shall shortly confound and disclose your hypocrisie within this kingdom ; ye shall be abominable to men , and your places and habitations shall be desolate . this he spake with much vehemency , and turning to the people , he said , these men have provoked the spirit of god to anger ; and then he proceeded to the end of his sermon . afterwards he preached in divers other places , the people much flocking after him ; in all his sermons foretelling the shortnesse of time that he had to travel , and the near approaching of his death . coming to haddington , his auditory began much to decrease ; the cause , as it was conceived , was this , the earle bothwell , who had great observance in those parts , by the instigation of the cardinal , had inhibited both those of the town and countrey from hearing him . presently after , as he was going to church , he received a letter from the west-countrey gentlemen , and having read it , he called john knox , who had diligently waited upon him since he came into lothaine , to whom he said that he was a weary of the world , because he saw that men began to be weary of god ; for saith he , the gentlemen of the west have sent me word , that they cannot keep their meeting at edinburgh ; john knox wondring that he should enter into conference about these things so immediately before his sermon , contrary to ●his custome , said to him ; sir , sermon-time approaches , i will leave you for the present to your meditations . then did master wischard walk up 〈◊〉 down about half an hour , his sad countenance declaring the grief of his mind : at last he went into the pulpit , and his auditory being very small , he began on this manner : o lord , how long shall it be that thy holie word shall be despised , and men shall not regard their own salvation ? i have heard of thee , o haddington , that in thee there used to be two or three thousand persons at a vain and wicked play : and now to hear the messenger of the eternal god , of all the parish can scarce be numbred one hundred present . sore and fearful shall be the plagues that shall ensue upon this thy contempt ; with fire and sword shalt thou be plagued ; yea thou haddington in special , strangers shall possesse thee ; and you the present inhabitants shall either in bondage serve your enemies , or else you shall be chased from your own habitations , and that because ye have not known , nor will know the time of your visitation . this prophesie was accomplished not long after , when the english took haddington , made it a garrison , enforced many of the inhabitants to flie : oppressed others ; and after awhile , a great plague breaking forth in the town , whereof multitudes died , the english were at last forced to quit it , who at their departure burnt and spoiled great part of it , leaving it to be possessed by such as could first seize upon it , which were the french that came as auxiliaries to scotland , with a few of the ancient inhabitants , so that haddington to this day never recovered her former beauty , nor yet men of such wisdome and ability as did formerly inhabit it . that night was master wiseheart apprehended in the house of ormeston , by the earle bothwel , suborned thereunto by the cardinal . the manner was thus ; after sermon he took his last farewel of all his friends in haddington ; john knox would faine have gone with him ; but he said , return to your children , and god blesse you ; one is sufficient for one sacrifice ; then went he the laird of ormestons with some others that accompanied him . after supper he held a comfortable discourse of gods love to his children , then he appointed the . psalm to be sung , and so retired to his chamber . before midnight the house was beset : and the earle bothwell called for the laird of the house , and told him that it was in vain to resist , for the governour and cardinal were within a mile with a great power ; but if he would deliver master wischard to him , he would promise upon his honour that he should be safe , and that the cardinal should not hurt him ; master wischard said , open the gates , the will of god be done ; and bothwell coming in , wischard said to him , i praise my god that so honourable a man as you , my lord , receive me this night ; for i am perswaded that for your honours sake you will suffer nothing to be done to me but by order of law ? i lesse feare to die openly , than secretly to be murthered : then said bothwel , i will not only preserve your body from all violence that shall be intended against you without order of law , but i also promise in the presence of these gentlemen , that neither the governour , nor cardinal shall have their will of you , but i will keep you in mine own house , till i either set you free , or restore you to the same place where i receive you ; then said the lairds , my lord , if you make good your promise , which we presume you will , we our selves will not only serve you , but we will procure all the professors in lothain to do the same , &c. these promises being made in the presence of god , and hands being stricken by both parties , the earle took master wischard and so departed . master wischard was carried to edenburgh ; but gold and women easily corrupt fleshly men ; for the cardinal gave bothwel gold ; and the queen , that was too familiar with him , promised him her favour , if he would deliver master wischard into edenburgh castle , which he did ; and shortly after he was delivered to the blood-thirsty cardinal : who , seeing that it was forbidden by their cannon law for a priest to sit as a judge upon life and death ; he sent to the governour , requesting him to appoint some lay-judge to passe sentence of death upon master wischard . the governour would easily have yielded to his request , but that david hamilton , a godly man told him , that he could expect no better an end than saul , if he persecuted the truth which formerly he had professed , &c. hereupon the governour sent the cardinal word , that he would have no hand in shedding the blood of that good man ; the cardinal being angry , returned this answer , that he had sent to him of meer civility , and that he would proceed without him , and so to the great grief of the godly , the cardinal carried master wiseheart to saint andrews , and put him into the tower there ; and without any long delay he caused all the bishops , and other great clergy-men to be called together to saint andrews . feb. ult . . master wischard was sent for to appear before them , to give an account of his seditious and heretical doctrine , as they called it ; the cardinal caused all his retinue to come armed to the place of their sitting , which was the abby-church , whither when master wischard was brought , there was a poor man lying at the door , that asked his almes , to whom he flung his purse ; when he came before the cardinal , there was a dean appointed to preach ; whose sermon being ended , wischard was put up into the pulpit to hear his charge : and one lawder , a priest , stood over against him , and read a scrowle full of bitter accusations and curses , so that the ignorant people thought that the earth would have opened and swallowed up wischard quick : but he stood with great patience without moving , or once changing his countenance ; the priest having ended his curses , spat at master wischards face , saying , vvhat answerest thou ? thou runnagate , traytor , thief , &c. then did master vvischard fall upon his knees , making his prayer unto god ; after which he said , many and horrible sayings unto me a christian man , many words abominable for to hear , have ye spoken here this day , which not onely to teach , but even to think , i ever thought it a great abomination , &c. then did he give them an account of his doctrine . answering every article as farre as they would give him leave to speak . but they without having any regard to his sober and godly answers , presently condemned him to be burnt . after which sentence he falling upon his knees , said , o immortal god , how long wilt thou suffer the rage , and great cruelty of the ungodly to exercise their fury upon thy servants , which do further thy word in this world , whereas they on the contrary seek to destroy the truth , whereby thou hast revealed thy self to the world , &c. o lord , we know certainly that thy true servants must needs suffer for thy names sake persecutions , afflictions , and troubles in this present world ; yet we desire that thou wouldest preserve and defend thy church which thou hast chosen before the foundations of the world , and give thy people grace to hear thy word , and to be thy true servants in this present life . then were the common people put out , the bishops not desiring that they should hear the innocent man speak , and so they sent him again to the castle , till the fire should be made ready ; in the castle came two friars to him , requiring him to make his confession to them , to whom he said , i will make no confession to you , but fetch me that man who preached even now , and i will speak with him ; then was the sub-prior with whom he conferred a pretty while , till the sub-prior wept , who going to the cardinal , told him that he came not to intercede for master wischards life , but to make known his innocency to all men ; at which words the cardinal was very angry , saying : we knew long ago what you were . the captain of the castle with some friends coming to master wischard , asked him if he would break his fast with them : yea , said he , very willingly , for i know you be honest men ; in the mean time he desired them to hear him a little ; and so he discoursed to them about the lords supper , his sufferings and death for us , exhorting them to love one another , laying aside all rancor and malice as becomes the members of jesus christ , who continually intercedes for us to his father . afterwards he gave thanks , and blessing the bread and wine , he took the bread and brake it , giving it to every one , saying , eate this , remember that christ died for us , and feed on it spiritually ; so taking the cup , he bade them remember that christs blood was shed for them , &c. then he gave thanks and prayed for them , and so retired into his chamber . presently came two executioners to him from the cardinal , one put on him a black linnen coat , the other brought him bags of powder , which they tied about several parts of his body , and so they brought him forth to the place of execution ; over against which place , the castle windows were hung with rich hangings , and velvet cushions laid for the cardinal and prelates , who from thence fed their eyes with the torments of this innocent man ; the cardinal fearing lest wiseheart should be rescued by his friends , caused all the ordnance in the castle to be bent against the place of his execution , and commanded his gunners to stand ready all the time of his burning ; then were his hands bound behind his back , & so he was carried forth ; in the way some beggars met him , asking his alms for gods sake : to whom he said , my hands are bound wherewith i was wont to give you almes : but the merciful lord , who of his bounty and abundant grace feeds all men , vouchsafe to give you necessaries both for your bodies and souls . then two friars met him , perswading him to pray to our lady to mediate for him ; to whom he meekly said , cease , tempt me not , i entreat you : and so with a rope about his neck , and a chaine about his middle , he was led to the fire : then falling upon his knees , he thrice repeated ; o thou saviour of the world have mercy upon me ; father of heaven , i commend my spirit into thy holy hands : then turning to the people , he said : christian brethren and sisters , i beseech you be not offended at the word of god for the torments which you see prepared for me ; but i exhort you that ye love the word of god for your salvation , and suffer patiently , and with a comfortable heart for the words sake , which is your undoubted salvation and everlasting comfort ; i pray you also shew my brethren and sisters which have often heard me , that they cease not to learne the word of god which i taught them , according to the measure of grace given to me , for no persecution or trouble in this world whatsoever ; and shew them that the doctrine was no old wives fables , but the truth of god ; for if i had taught mens doctrine , i had had greater thanks from men : but for the word of gods sake i now suffer , not sorrowfully , but with a glad heart and minde : for this cause i was sent that i should suffer this fire for christs sake ; behold my face , you shall not see me change my countenance : i feare not the fire ; and if persecution come to you for the words sake , i pray you fear not them that can kill the body , and have no power to hurt the soul , &c. then he prayed for them which accused him , saying , i beseech thee father of heaven , forgive them that have of ignorance , or of an evil mind , forged lies of me : i forgive them with all my heart ; i beseech christ to forgive them that have condemned me this day ignorantly : then turning to the people again , he said , i beseech you brethren , exhort your prelates to learn the word of god , that they may be ashamed to do evil , and learn to do good , or else there shall shortly come upon them the wrath of god which they shall not eschew ; then the executioner upon his knees , said , sir , i pray you forgive me , for i am not the cause of your death ; and he calling him to him , kissed his cheeks , saying , lo here is a token that i forgive thee ; my heart , do thine office ; and so he was tied to the stake , and the fire kindled . the captain of the castle coming near him , bade him be of good courage , and to beg for him the pardon of his sin ; to whom master wischard said , this fire torments my body , but no whit abates my spirits ; then looking towards the cardinal , he said , he who in such state from that high place , feeds his eyes with my torments , within few dayes shall be hanged out at the same window to be seen with as much ignominie as he now leans there with pride ; and so his breath being stopped , he was consumed by the fire . this prophesie was fulfilled , when after the cardinal was slain , the provost raising the town , came to the castle gates , crying , what have you done with my lord cardinal ? where is my lord cardinal ? to whom they within answered , return to your houses , for he hath received his reward , and will trouble the world no more : but they still cryed , we will never depart till we see him ; then did the leslies hang him out at that window to shew that he was dead , and so the people departed . but god left not the death of this holy man long unrevenged : for the people did generally cry out of the cruelty used against him , especially john lesley , brother to the earle of rothes , and norman lesley his cousin , fell foul upon the cardinal for it : but he thought himself strong enough for all scotland , saying , tush , a fig for the fools , and a button for the bragging of hereticks . is not the lord governour mine , witnesse his eldest sonne for a pledge at my table ? have i not the queen at my devotion ? is not france my friend ? why should i fear any danger ? yet he had laid a designe to cut off such as he feared and hated , which was discovered after his death by letters and memorials found about him . he kept himself for his greater security in his castle ; and on a friday night there came to the town of saint andrews , norman lesley , william kircaldy , john leslley , and some others ; and on the saturday morning they met together not far from the castle , waiting till the gate was opened , and the draw-bridge let down , for the receiving in some lime and sand , to repair some decays about the castle , which being done , kircaldy , with six more , went to the porter , falling into discourse with him , till the leslies came also with some other company : the porter seeing them , would have drawn up the bridge , but he was prevented , and whilst he endeavoured to keep them out at the gate , his head was broken , and the keys taken from him ; the cardinal was asleep in bed , for all night he had for his bedfellow , mistris mary ogleby , who was a little before gone from him out at the postern gate , and therefore the cardinal was gone to his rest . there were about one hundred workmen in the castle , which seeing what was done , cried out , but , without hurt , they were turned out at the wicket gate ; then vvilliam kircaldy went to secure the postern lest the cardinal should make an escape that way : the rest going to the gentlemens chambers , who were above fifty , without hurting them , they turned them all out at the gate ; they which undertook this enterprise were but eighteen men . the cardinal being awaked with the noise , asked out at the window what was the matter ? answer was made , that norman lesley had taken his castle : then did he attempt to have escaped by the posterne , but finding that to be kept , he returned to his chamber : and with the help of his chamberlain fell to barrica-doing up the door with chests , and such things : then came up john lesley and bids open the door : the cardinal asked , who was there ? he answered john lesley : the cardinal said , i will have norman , for he is my friend : content your self , said the other , with those that are here : and so they fell to breaking open the door ; in the mean time the cardinal hid a box of gold under some coales in a secret corner . then he said to them , will ye save my life ? john lesley answered , it may be that we will. nay , said the cardinal , sweare unto me by gods wounds that you will , and then i will open the door ; then said john , that which was said , is unsaid , and so he called for fire to burn down the door , whereupon the door was opened , and the cardinal sate him down in his chair , crying , i am a priest , i am a priest , ye will not slay me ? then john lesley and another struck him once or twice ; but master james melvin , a man that had been very familiar with wischard , and of a modest and gentle nature , perceiving them both to be in choler , plucked them back , saying , this work and judgement of god although it be secret , ought to be done with great gravity : and so presenting him the point of his sword , he said , repent thee of thy former wicked life , but especially of sheding the blood of that notable instrument of god , master george wisheart , who though he was consumed by the fire before men , yet cries it for vengeance upon thee , and we from god are sent to revenge it ; for here , before my god i protest , that neither the hatred of thy person , the love of thy riches , nor the feare of any hurt thou couldst have done me , moveth me to strike thee ; but onely because thou hast been , and still remainest an obstinate enemie against jesus christ and his holy gospel ; and so he thrust him through the body , who falling down , spake never a word , but i am a priest , i am a priest : fie , fie , all is gone . the death of this tyrant was grievous to the queen mother , with whom he had two much familiarity , as with many other women ; as also to the romanists , though the people of god were freed from their fears in a great measure thereby . anno . there was one adam wallace , a man that had no great learning , but was zealous in godlinesse , and of an upright life ; him the bishop of saint andrews caused to be apprehended , and carried to edenburgh , where after a while he was brought to judgement before duke hamilton , huntly , and divers others ; the bishops and their instruments accused him : first , that he took upon him to preach ; to which he answered , that he never judged himself worthy of so excellent a vocation , and therefore never took on him to preach ; yet he denyed not , that in private places he used to read the word , and out of it to exhort such as were willing to hear him . knave , quoth one , what have you to do to meddle with the scriptures ? i think , said he , it s every ones duty to labour to know the will of god , and to get assurance of his salvation , which is to be found in the old and new testament . what then , said another , shall we leave to the church-men to do ? to whom he answered , their work is publickly to preach the gospel of jesus christ , and to feed the flock which he hath redeemed with his own blood , as all true pastors are commanded to do , &c. the bishops being angry hereat , caused his charge further to be read ; as that he denyed purgatory , praying to saints , and for the dead , &c. to which he answered , that he had oft read over the bible , and yet found no mention of purgatory , nor command to pray to the saints , or for the dead ; therefore i believe , said he , they are but meer inventions of men , devised for covetousnesse sake . then did they ask him what he thought of the masse ? he answered , i say as my lord jesus christ said , that which is greatly esteemed before men , is abomination before god ; then cryed they all out , heresie , heresie , and so and so adjudged him to the fire , which he patiently underwent the same day upon the castle-hill . anno . henry forrest was accused of heresie , but when they brought him to trial , nothing could be proved against him , whereupon they sent him to friar langius to be confessed . the friar amongst other questions , asked him what he thought of patrick hamilton , who had been formerly burned for religion ? he answered , that he was a good man , and that his articles were to be maintained . this wicked friar discovered his confession , which was taken as a sufficient proof against the poor man , who thereupon was condemned to be burnt . as he went to the place of execution , he complained of the friar who had betrayed him , saying , let no man trust the false friars after me ; they are despisers of god , and deceivers of men ; and so in the flames he resigned up his spirit unto god. anno . andrew oliphant accused one walter mill , formerly a priest ; who being at prayer , oliphant said to him , rise up sir vvalter ; but when he had ended his prayers , he said , my name is vvalter : i have been too long one of the popes knights . then said oliphant , thou keepest my lords too long here , therefore make an end . he answered , i must obey god rather than men : when he was brought forth to judgement , they asked him concerning priests marriage : he answered , it is gods ordinance , that they which cannot abstain , should marry . but you abhor it , vowing chastity , which you cannot keep , but take other mens wives and daughters ; then they asked him if there were not seven sacraments ? he answered , give me two , and take you the rest ; after other questions they asked him if he would recant ? he answered , i am corn and not chaffe , i will not recant the truth : then they commanded him to go to the stake ; but he said , by the law of god i am forbidden to lay hands on my own self , therefore do you put me into the fire , and you shall see my resolution . having made his prayer to god , he said to the people ; although i have been a great sinner , yet it is not for that , but for gods truth contained in his vvord of the old and new testament that i now suffer ; and god out of his abundant mercy doth honour me so farre , as to make me amongst other of his servants , seale his truth with my blood ; dear friends , as you would escape eternal death , be no more seduced with lyes of archbishop , bishops , abbots , priors , &c. but only trust in god , and so he quietly slept in the lord ; and was the last man that died for religion in scotland . collected out of the history of the reformation in scotland . chap. xl. the persecution of the church in ireland , anno christi , . though the barbarous cruelty used by the irish against the english , go usually under the name of rebellion , yet i rather look upon it as , and chuse to call it a persecution , because their cruelties were exercised upon protestants only , so farre as ever i could hear ; neither were the english papists murthered , yea they joyned with the irish in murthering of their brethren . besides , the jesuites , priests , and friars were the chief instigators to these murthers , stirring up continually all sorts , both of the gentry and communalty , to shew the utmost of their zeal therein ; and when their designe was so surely laid , that they thought it impossible to be prevented , they did in their publick devotions recommend by their prayers the good successe of a great designe , tending much to the advancement of the catholick cause ; and that they might stir up the people with the greater animosity and cruelty to put it in execution , they everywhere declaimed loudly against the protestants , saying , that they were hereticks , not to be suffered any longer to live amongst them ; that it was no more sin to kill one of them , than to kill a dog ; and that it was a mortal and unpardonable sin to relieve or protect any of them . they also with much acrimony represented the severe courses taken by the parliament of england to suppresse the romish religion , and utterly to extirpate the professors of it : they told them that in england they had caused the queens priests to be hanged before her face , and that they held herself under a most severe discipline ; and that the like cruel laws should be made against popery in ireland , &c. when their plots were ripe for execution , we finde their first proceedings against the english very various ; some of the irish only stripping and expelling them ; others murthering man , woman , and childe without mercy ; yet all resolving universally to root out all the protestants out of ireland ; yea , so deeply malicious were they against the english protestants , that they would not endure the very sound of that language , but would have all such punished as spake english ; and the names of all english places they would have changed into old irish. in many places they killed the english cowes and sheep , meerly because they were english : sometimes they cut off their legs , or cut out a piece of their buttock , and so left them to live in pain : yea in some places , what they could not devoure , they killed , and left in great multitudes stinking in the fields . the priests gave the sacrament unto divers of the irish , upon condition that they should neither spare man , woman nor childe of the protestants , saying , that it did them a great deale of good to wash their hands in their blood . one halligan a priest , read an excommunication against all those , that from thenceforth should relieve or harbour any english , scotch , or vvelch man , or give them almes at their doores , whereby many were famished to death . the friars with tears exhorted them not to spare any of the english ; they boasted , that when they had destroyed them in ireland , they would go over into england , and not leave the memorial of an english man under heaven . they openly professed , that they held it as lawful to kill a protestant , as to kill a sheep or a dog . one of their priests said , that it was no more pity or conscience to take their lives or estates from them , than to take a bone out of a dogs mouth . the day before this massacre was to begin , the priests gave the people a dismisse at masse , with free liberty to go out and take possession of all their lands , which they pretended to be unjustly detained from them by the english. as also to strip , rob , and despoil them of all their goods and cattel ; the protestants being as they told them , worse than dogs , for they were divels , and served the divel , and therefore the killing of such was a meritorious act , and a rare preservative against the pains of purgatory ; for that the bodies of such of them as died in this quarrel should not be cold , before their soules should ascend up into heaven , so that they should not need to feare the paines of purgatory ; and this caused some of these murtherous cains to boast , after they had slain many of the english , that they knew that if they should dye presently they should go strait to heaven . the chief gentlemen of the irish , when this persecution first began , perswaded many of their protestant neighbours , that if they would bring their goods and cattel to them , they would secure them from the rage of the common people ; and hereby they got abundance peaceably into their hands , whereof they cheated the protestants , refusing to restore them again ; yet so confident were the protestants at first of their good dealing in regard of former familiarity , that they gave them inventories of all they had ; nay digged up such of their best things as they had hidden in the ground , and deposited them in their custody . they also gat much into their hands by fair promises , and deep oaths and engagements , that if they would deliver them their goods , they would suffer them with their wives and children quietly to depart the country ; yet having got what they could , they afterwards murthered them . having thus seised upon all their goods and cattel , ransack't their houses , and gotten their persons under their power , the next work was to strip man , woman , and childe stark-naked , and so to turn them out of doors , not suffering them so much as to shelter themselves under bushes , or in the woods , strictly prohibiting all the irish , under great penalties , not to give them any relief as they passed in the high wayes ; and their great designe herein was , that they on whom they would not lay their hands and cruelly murther in cold blood , might miserably perish through cold , nakednesse , and want ; and therefore if any of them gat any old rags to cover their nakednesse with , they stripped them again and again , sometimes twice or thrice over , the irish women being very active herein , yea they taught their very children to do the like ; yea they would not leave to the women so much as a smock or an hairlace : so that many of them being starved , fell down dead in the high wayes : others that gat to any english town , by reason of famine , and cold suffered by the way , died so soon as they came thither . in the town of colerain , of these miserable people , that fled thither for succour , many thousands died in two dayes , so that the living being not able to bury them , laid the carkasses of those dead persons in great ranks in waste and wide holes , piling them so close and thick as if they had packed up herings together . one magdalen redman deposed that she , and divers others protestants , amongst whom were twenty two widows , were first robbed , and then stripped stark-naked , and when they had in an house covered themselves with straw , the bloody papists threw burning straw in amongst them on purpose to burn them ; then did they drive them so naked in to the wilde woods in frost and snow , so that the snow covered their skins , where a long time it lay unmelted , and some of their children died in their armes with the extremity of the cold ; and whereas some of these poor soules went towards the burre for shelter , the cruel irish turned them back again , saying , they should go to dublin ; and when they went towards dublin , they beat them back , saying , they should go to the burre , and so tossed them to and fro , that some of them died ; those which through many difficulties gat to the burre , many of them died there ; and those that survived , lived miserably by reason of their many wants . yet though these bloody villaines exercised such inhumane cruelties towards the poor protestants , they would commonly boast , that these were but the beginnings of their sorrows ; and indeed they made it good ; for having disarmed the english , robbed them of their goods , and cattel , stript them of their cloathes , and having their persons in their power , they furiously broke out into all manner of abominable cruelties , horrid massacres , and execrable murthers , so that it would make any christians eare to tingle , and his heart to ake to hear the mention of them . for there were multitudes murthered in cold blood , some whilst they were at plough , others as they sate peaceably in their houses , others travelling upon the high wayes ; all without any manner of provocation given by them , were suddenly destroyed . in the castle of lisgool were about one hundred and fifty men , women , and children consumed with fire . at the castle of moneah were one hundred slain altogether . at the castle of tullah , which was delivered to mac guire upon composition , and faithful promises of faire quarter , as soon as he and his entred the court , they began to strip the people , and most cruelly put them to the sword , murthering them all without mercy . at lissenskeah they hanged and killed above one hundred of the scottish protestants , shewing them no more favour than they did to the english . yea the county thereabouts being well planted and peopled , was in a most horrible manner quite destroyed . in the counties of armagh and tyrone , where the protestants were more numerous , their murthers were more multiplied , and with greater cruelty , if it were possible , than in other places . mac guire coming to the castle of lissenskeah , desired in a friendly manner to speak with master middleton , who admitting him in , as soon as he was entred , he first burned the records of the county which were kept there ; then he demanded one thousand pounds which was in his custody of sir william bal●ores , which as soon as he had , he caused master middleton to hear masse , and to swear that he would never alter from it , and then immediately caused him , his wife and children to be hanged up : hanging and murthering above one hundred persons besides in that place . at portendown bridge there were one thousand men , women , and children carried in several companies , and all unmercifully drowned in the river , the bridge being broken down in the midst , and the people driven and forced on till they tumbled down into the water . yea in that country there were four thousand persons drowned in several places , the barbarous papists driving on the poore soules , when they had miserably stripped them , unto the places of their sufferings like swine ; and if any were slack in their pace , they pricked them forward with their swords and pikes ; yea to terrifie the rest , they killed and wounded some ; and when they were cast into the river , if any assayed to swimme to the shore , the rebels stood and shot at them . in one place one hundred and fourty english were taken and driven like cattel for many miles together . other companies they carried out under pretence of safe conduct , thereby causing them to march chearfully till they had got them to some place fit for execution , and then murthered them there . one hundred and fifteen men , women , and children they sent with sir philem onenles passe , till they had brought them to the bridge of portendowne , and then forced them all into the water , and such as by swimming , or other means sought to escape , they either knocked them on the head , and after drwowned them , or else shot them to death in the water . one mistris campbel being forced by them to the river , and finding no meanes to escape their furie , suddenly clasped one of the chief of them in her armes , and so both tumbling into the river , they were drowned together . at another time one hundred and fourty protestants being thrown in at the same place , as any of them swam to the shore , the bloody villaines with the butt-ends of their muskets knockt out their brains . at armagh , o cane gat together all the protestants thereabouts , pretending to conduct them to coleraine ; but before they were gone a dayes journey , they were all murthered , and so were many others , though they had protections from sir phileme o neale . the aged people in armagh were carried to charlemount , and there murthered . presently after , the town of armagh was burnt , and five hundred persons of all sorts were there murthered and drowned . in killoman were fourty eight families murthered . in one house twenty two protestants were burned ; in kilmore all the inhabitants were stript and massacred , being two hundred families : some they set in the stocks till they confessed where their monie was , and then massacred them ; the whole county was a common butchery , where many thousands perished in a shor time , by sword , famine , fire , water , and all other cruel manner of deaths that rage and malice could invent . to many , these bloody villains shewed so much favour as to dispatch them presently , by no means allowing them so much time as to pray . others they imprisoned in filthy dungeons full of dirt and mire , and there clapping bolts on their legs , suffered them to perish at leasure . one told john cowder that they would kill him , but first bid him say his prayers , and when he kneeled down to pray , they presently cut off his head . when some others upon their knees begged but leave to pray before they were slain , they would bid them bequeath their soules to the divel ; others would ask them , why do you desire to pray ? your soules are already with the divel ; and so would immediately slaughter them . at casel they put all the protestants into a loathsome dungeon , where they kept them twelve weekes in great misery . some they barbarously mangled and left them langushing upon the high wayes , crying out but for so much mercy as to be dispatched out of their paine ; some they hanged up twice or thrice : others they buried alive . some when they were half-hanged , they cast into pits , covering them with a little earth , where they sent out most lamentable groanes for a good while after . in queenes county , an english man , his wife , five children , and a maid , were all hanged together , then put into a hole ; the youngest child being not dead , put up the hand and cried mammie , mammie , and yet without mercy they buried it alive . thomas mason in laugal was extreamly beaten and wounded , yet his wife and some others carried him away , whereupon these villaines cruelly hacked , slashed and wounded them , and then dragged the said mason into an hole , and there threw stones on him with the weight whereof they kept him under : there he lay languishing and groaning till his own wife , to put him out of paine , stopped his breath with her handkerchief . at clownes seventeen men were buried alive , yet so as their pitiful cryes were heard afar off . some were deadly wounded , and so hanged upon tenter-hooks . some with ropes about their necks were drawn through the water . some with ropes about their middles were drawn through woods and bogs . in castle cumber one of these cut-throats took two boyes , wounded them , and hung them upon a butchers tenters . some were hanged up , and taken down several times to make them confess their monie , which when they had done , they presently murthered them . some were hung up by the armes , and then with their swords they made experiment how many blowes an english protestant would endure ere he died . some had their bellies ript up , and so were left with their guts running about their heels . an ancient woman coming towards dublin , was stript seven times in one day , and they bade her go and look for her god , and bid him give her cloaths again . in kilkenny they cruelly beat an english woman , till they forced her into a ditch , where she died ; then they took her child , a girle of about six years old , ript her belly , and let out her guts . one they forced to go to masse with them , yet afterwards wounded him , ript his belly , took out his guts , and so left him alive . a scottish man they stripped and knocked on the head , who afterwards coming to himself , went into the town naked ; then did they again take him and hewed him all to pieces ; they also ript up his wives belly , so that a child dropped out of her womb . many other women great with childe they hung up , then ript their bellies , and let the infants fall out . sometimes they gave their children to be devoured of swine and dogs . one john stone with his son , two sons in law , and their wives , they took and hung them all up ; and one of the young women being great with child , they ript her belly , took forth her child , and used such beastly barbarous actions to her as are not fit to be mentioned . at the newry they ript up a womans belly that was great with two children , throwing them to be devoured of swine . also another woman being delivered of a childe in the fields , they which had formerly killed her father and husband , killed her also with two of her children , and gave the new-born infant to be devoured of dogs . in the county of armagh they robbed , stripped , and murthered abundance of protestants , whereof some they burned , some they slew with the sword , some they hanged , and some they starved to death ; and meeting mistris howard , and mistris frankland with six of their children , and themselves both great with child , with their pikes they killed and murthered them all , ript open the gentlewomens bellies , took out their children , and threw them into a ditch . a young scottish womans child they took by the heeles , and dashed the braines out against a tree ; the like they did to many other children . anne hill going with a young child on her back , and four more by her side , these cruel persecutors pulled the child off her back , trod ▪ on it till it died , stripped her self and the other four children starke naked , whereby they died of cold . some others they met with , hanged them up upon a windmill , and before they were half dead , cut them in pieces with their skeins . many other protestants , especially women and children they pricked and stabbed with their skeins , forks and swords , slashing , cutting and mangling them in their heads , faces , breasts , armes and other parts , yet killed them not , but left them wallowing in their blood , to languish , starve and pine to death , and when they desired them to kill them out of their paine , they refused ; yet sometimes after a day or two , they would dash out their braines with stones or clubs , which they accounted as a great favour . one goodwife harvey at kilkenny was forced to go to masse , yet afterwards , together with her children was stripped , and one of her daughters had her belly ripped that her intrails fell out ; and her self was so beaten and wounded , that she hardly escaped with life . the castle of lisgoole being set on fire by these mercilesse papists , a woman leaped out at a window to save her self from burning , but they presently murthered her ; the next morning her child was found sucking at her breast , which they murthered also . and whereas many protestants with their wives and children fled into vauls and cellars to hide themselves , they were all murthered there . one jane addis they stabbed , and then putting her child of a quarter old to her breast , bid it suck english bastard , and so left it to perish there . one mary barlow had her husband hanged before her face , and her self with six children were all stript stark naked in frost and snow , after which , sheltring themselves in a cave , they had nothing to eat for three weeks , but two old calves skins , which they beat with stones , and so eat them hair and all , her children crying to her rather to go out and be killed than to famish there . in the cold weather many thousands of protestants of all ranks , ages , and sexes , being turned out stark naked , perished of cold and hunger , thousands of others were drowned , cast into ditches , bogs , and turf-pits . multitudes were inclosed in houses , which being set on fire they were burnt miserably . some that lay sick of feavors they drew out of their beds and hanged them . some men , women , and children they drove into boggie pits ; and if any of them endeavoured to get out , they knockt them on the heads . some aged men and women , these barbarians enforced their own children to carry them to the river where they were drowned : yea some children were compelled unnaturally to be the executioners of their own parents : wives were forced to help to hang their own husbands , and mothers to cast their own children into the water , after all which themselves were murthered . in sligo they forced a young man to kill his own father , and then hanged him up : in another place they forced a woman to kill her husband , then caused her son to kill her , and then immediatly hanged the son ; and this they did that they might destroy both soul and body . yea such was their detestable malice against the english protestants , that they taught their children to kill english children ; one of these villains wives was very angry with their souldiers , because they did not bring the grease of a fat gentlewoman , whom they had slaine , with them for her to make candles of . the irish women that followed the camp , egged on the men to cruelty , always crying out , kill them all , spare neither , man , woman , nor child . they took the child of one tkomas straton , being about twelve years old , and boiled him to death in a cauldron . one goodwife lin and her daughter were carried into a wood , where they first hanged the mother , and then the daughter in the hair of the mothers head . some women and children of the irish , meeting an english woman great with child , stript her to her smock , then pulled off her smock , and so rent and abused her , that the poor woman falling into labour , both she and her child died under their hands . in some places they plucked out the eyes , and cut off the hands of the protestants , and so turned them out into the fields to wander up and down till they perished . the very women in some places stoned the english women to death , together with their children . one man they shot through both his thighs ; then digging a hole in the ground , they set him in it upright upon his feet , and then filled up the hole , leaving out only his head , where they left him till he pined and languished to death . of another man they held his feet in the fire till he was burned to death . in munster they hanged up many ministers in a most barbarous manner . one minister they stripped stark naked , and drove him through the town , pricking him forwards with darts and rapiers , and so pursued him till he fell down dead . neither did all the malice that they bore to these poor christians , end with their lives when they had slain them , but extended after death to the denying burial to their carcasses , casting some into ditches , leaving others to be devoured of ravenous beasts and fouls ; yea some that had been formerly buried they digged up , and left them as dung upon the face of the earth . these barbarous villains vowed that if any parents digged graves to bury their children in , they should be buried therein themselves . they stripped one william loverden naked , then killed him before his wife and children , cut off his head , and held it up for them to gaze at ; and when his wife had buried hin in his garden , they digged him up , and threw him into a ditch . divers ministers bones that had been buried some years before , they digged up , because they were , as they said , patrons of heresie . poor children that went out into the fields to eate weeds and grasse , they killed without all pity . and a poor woman , whose husband was taken by them , went to them with two children at her feet , and one at her breast , hoping to beg her husband , but they slew her and her sucking infant ; brake the neck of another , and the third hardly escaped : and which was a great aggravation of their wickednesse , they exercised all this cruelty upon the english protestants who never provoked them thereto , yea that had alwayes lived peaceably with them , administring help and comfort to them in distresse , putting no difference betwixt them and those of their own nation , and cherished them as friends and loving neighbours . notwithstanding all which courtesies , they now shewed them no favour or pity . alas , who can comprehend the fears , terrours , anguish , bitternesse , and perplexity that seized upon the hearts of the poor protestants , finding themselves so suddenly surprized without remedy , and inextricably wrapt up in all kind of outward miseries , which could possibly by man be inflicted upon humane creatures ! what sighs and groans , trembling and astonishment , what shrikes , cries , and bitter lamentations of wives , children , servants and friends , howling and weeping , finding themselves without all hope of deliverance from their present miseries ! how inexorable were their barbarous tormentors that compassed them in on every side , without all bowels of compassion , or the least commiseration and pity ! one ellen millington they put into an hole , fastning her in with stones , and left her there to languish to death , bragging how many of them went to see her kick and tosse in the hole . yea they boasted upon their successe , that the day was their own , and that ere long they would not leave one protestant rogue living , but would uttery destroy every one that had but a drop of english blood in them ; their women crying out , slay them all , the english are fit meat for dogs , and their children are bastards . yea so implacable was their malice , that they vowed that they would not have an english beast alive , nor any of the breed of them . how grievous was it to any christian heart to hear a base villain boast , that his hands were so weary with killing and knocking down protestants into a bog , that he could not lift up his armes to his head ! another boasted that he had been abroad and had killed sixteen of the rogues . others boasted that they had killed so many , that the grease and fat which stuck upon their swords , might well make an irish candle . yea two boyes boasted , thar at several times they had murthered and drowned thirty six women and children . these mercilesse papists having set a castle on fire , wherein were many protestants , they rejoycingly said amongst themselves , o how sweetly do they fry ! at kilkenny when they had committed many cruel murthers , they brought seven protestants heads , amongst which one was the head of a reverend minister , all which they set upon the market-crosse , on a market day , triumphing , slashing , and mangling them ; and putting a gag into the ministers mouth , they slit up his cheeks to his ears , and laying a leaf of a bible before it , they bid him preach , for his mouth was wide enough ; it cannot be imagined with what scorn and derision they acted these things , and with what joy and exultation their eyes beheld the sad spectacle of the protestants miseries ; what greedy delight they took in their bloody executions . an english woman , whom they had stripped stark naked , gat a little straw , which she tied about her middle to cover her nakednesse ; but these impudent villaines set fire to it , boasting what brave sport they had , to see how the fire made the english jade dance . at kilmore they put many protestants , men , women , and children together into a thatched house , and then set fire on it , boasting of the lamentations and out-cries that they made whilest they were in burning , and how the children gaped when the fire began to burne them ; taking pride , and glorying in imitating those cries . they took one mistris maxwel being in labour , and threw her into a river , boasting that the childs arme appeared , and that it was half-born when the mother was drowned . these bloody persecutors took great pleasure and delight in their cruelty , and to encrease their misery , when they butchered them , they used to say , thy soul to the devil . one of them coming into an house with his hands and cloaths all bloody , made his boasts , that it was english blood , and that his skeine had p●●cked the cleane white skins of many of them , even to the hilt thereof . when any of them had killed a protestant , many of them would come one after another , each of them stabbing , wounding , and cutting his body in a most despiteful manner , and then leave it naked to be devoured of dogs , beasts , and fouls ; and when they had slain any number of them , they would boast that they had made the devil beholding to them , in sending so many souls to hell . but it s no wonder that they carried themselves so towards these innocent christians , when they spared not to belch out their execrable blasphemies against god and his holy word . in one place they burnt two protestant bibles , and then said it was hell-fire they burnt . other bibles they took , cut in pieces , and then burnt them , saying , that they would do the like to all puritane bibles . in the church at powerscourt they burnt the pulpit , pues , chests and bibles belonging to it . others of them took the protestants bibles , and wetting them in dirty water , did several times dash them on the faces of the protestants , saying , i know you love a good lesson , here is an excellent one for you , come to morrow and you shall have as good a sermon as this . others they dragged by the hair of the head into the church , there stripped and whipped them in a most cruel manner , saying , if you come to morrow you shall heare the like sermon . they took the bible of a minister called master e●ward slack , and opening it , they laid it in a puddle of water , and then stamped upon it , saying , a plague on it , this bible hath bred all the quarrel , and that they hoped within a few weeks all the bibles in ireland should be used as that was , or worse . they did most despitefully upbraid the profession of the truth to those blessed souls , whom neither by threats nor terrours , pains nor torments they could draw to forsake their religion . and though some by extreme torments were drawn to professe the change of their religion , yet did they finde no more favour with these hell-hounds , who with great scorn used to say , that it was fit to send them out of the world whilst they were in a good mood . at claslow , a priest with some others , drew about forty or fifty english and scottish protestants to be reconciled to the church of rome , and then he told them that they were in a good faith , and for fear they should fall from it and turn hereticks , he with his companions presently cut all their throats . john nicholson and anne his wife , being received into the protection of one fitz patrick , he laboured to perswade them to go to masse , and to joyn in the present massacre ; but they professed , that rather than they would forsake their religion they would die upon the swords point ; then he would have had the woman burn her bible ; but she told him , rather than she would burn her bible , she would die the death ; whereupon the sabbath morning after they were both of them cruelly murthered ; but he that acted the villany was so tormented in conscience , and dogged with apparitions of them , as he conceived , that with inward horror he pined away . in the county of tipperary near the silver works , some of these barbarous papists met with eleven english men , protestants , ten women , and some children , whom they first stripped off their cloaths , and then with stones , poleaxes , skeins , swords , &c. they most barbarously massacred them all ; this was done on a sabbath evening , the day having been very fair and clear ; but just at that time god sent a fearful storme of thunder , lightning , wind , haile and rain , so that the murtherers themselves confessed , that it was a signe of gods anger against them for this cruelty , yet they persisted in their bloody act , hacking , hewing , flashing and stabbing them , so that most of them were cut in pieces then tying wit hs about their necks , they threw them into an hole which they made for the purpose ; yet it pleased god , that one scottish and an english man , though they had many grievouous wounds , and were left for dead , after a while revived , and with much difficulty escaped with their lives ; but as god shewed his great mercy in preserving them , so he shewed his just judgment upon hugh kennedy , the chief of those murtherers , who presently fell into a most desperate madnesse and distraction , neither resting day nor night , till about eight days after he drowned himself . in the county of mayo , about sixty protestants , whereof fifteen were ministers , were upon covenant to be safely conveyed to galway by one edmund burk and his souldiers ; but by the way this burk drew his sword , teaching thereby the rest of his company to do the like ; and so they began to massacre these poor protestants , some they shot to death ; some they stabbed with their skeins , some they thrust through with their pikes ; some they cast into the water and drowned , the women they stript stark naked , who lying upon their husbands to save them , were run through with pikes , so that very few of them escaped with life . in the town of sligo fourty protestants wete stript and locked up in a cellar ; and about midnight a butcher , provided for the purpose , was sent in amongst them , who with his axe knocked them all on the heads . in tirawly , thirty or fourty english , who had formerly yielded to go to masse , were put to their choyce whether they would die by the sword , or be drowned ? they chose the latter , and so being driven to the sea-side , these barbarous villaines with their naked swords forced them into the sea ; the mothers with their children in their armes wading to the chin , were afterwards overcome by the waves , where they all perished . but present death was counted too great a favour , and therefore of some they twisted wit hs about their foreheads till the blood sprang out at the crown of their heads : others they hanged , and let down several times , &c. the sonne of master montgomery , a minister , aged about fifteen years , met with one of these blood-suckers , who formerly had been his schoolmaster , who drew his skein at him , whereupon the boy said , good master , whip me as much as you will , but do not kill me ; yet this mercilesse tyger , barbarously murthered him without all pitie . a scottish man was first wounded , and then buried alive in a ditch . in the towne of sligo , all the protestants were first stript , and robbed of all their estates ; afterwards they were summoned to go into the goale , and such as refused , were carried in ; and then about midnight they all were stripped stark naked , and there most cruelly and barbarously murthered with swords , axes , skeins , &c. some of them being women great with child , their infants thrust out their armes and legs at their wounds ; after which execrable murthers , they laid the dead naked bodies of the men upon the naked bodies of the women in a most immodest posture , where they left them till the next day to be looked upon by the irish , who beheld it with great delight ; also isabel beard , great with childe , hearing the lamentable cries of those that were murthered , ran forth into the streets , where she was barbarously murthered , and was found the next day with the childs feet coming out of the wounds in her sides : many others were murthered in the houses and streets : but by gods just judgment the river of sligo , which was before very full of fish , whereby many were nourished , for a long time after it afforded no fish at all . a prior also that had a hand in the murther of isabel beard , and of casting her into the river , presently after fell mad . about dungannon were three hundred and sixteen protestants in the like barbarous manner murthered : about charlemount above four hun●dred ; about tyrone two hundred and six . one mac crew murthered thirty one in one morning : two young villains murthered one hundred and fourty poor women and children that could make no resistance : an irish woman with her own hands murthered forty five . at portendowne bridge were drowned above three hundred . at lawgh were drowned above two hundred : in another place three hundred were drowned in one day . in the parish of killamen there were murthered one thousand and two hundred protestants . many young children they cut into quarters and gobbets : eighteen scottish infants they hanged upon a clothiers tenterhooks . one fat man they murthered , and made candles of his grease ; of another scottish man they ript up his belly , took one end of his small guts , tied it to a tree , and forced him round about it till he had drawn them all out of his body , saying , that they would try whether a dogs or a scotchmans guts were the longer . by the command of sir philem o neale , master james maxwell was drawn out of his bed , being fick of a feavor ▪ and murthered ; and his wife being in child-birth , the child half borne , they stript her stark naked , drove her about a flights shoot , and drowned her in the blackwater ; the like , or worse they did to another english woman in the same town . they took one master watson , and cutting two collops out of his buttocks they roasted him alive . of a scottish woman great with child , they ript up her belly , cut the child out of her womb , and so left it crawling on her body . master starkey , schoolmaster at armagh , being above one hundred years old , they stripped stark naked ; then took two of his daughters being virgins , whom they stripped stark naked also , and then forced them to lead their aged father under the armes a quarter of a mile to a turspit , where they drowned them all three , feeding the lusts of their eyes , and cruelty of their hearts with the same object at the same time . in some places they shewed the like cruelty to the english beasts , which they would not kill out-right , but used to cut collops out of them , delighting to hear their roaring , and so the poor cattel would sometimes live two or three dayes in that torment . to one henry cowel , a gallant gentleman , they profered his life , if he would marry one of their base truls , or go to masse , but he chose death rather than to consent to either . also to one robe●t ecklin , a child about eleven years old , they profered his life if he would go to masse , but he refused , saying , that he saw nothing in their religion for which he would change his own . many of the protestants they buried alive , solacing themselves in hearing them speak to them , whilst they were digging down old ditches upon them . they used also to send their children abroad in troops armed with long wattles and whips , wherewith they used to beat dead mens bodies about their privy members , till they beat them off , and then would return very joyful to their parents , who received them , as it were in triumph for their good actions . if any women were found dead , lying with their faces downwards , these bruitish persons used to turn them on their ●acks , viewing and censuring every part of them , especially those parts that are not fit to be named , which also they abused so many ways , and so filthily , as chast ears would not endure the naming rhereof . they brake the back-bone of a young youth , and so left him in the fields , and some dayes after he was found , having , like a beast , eaten all the grasse round about him ; yet neither then would they kill him out-right , but removed him to a place of better pasture , wherein was fulfilled that saying , the tender mercies of the wicked are cruelty . in the county of antrim they murthered nine hundred fifty four protestants in one morning , and afterwards about twelve hundred more in that county . near lisnegarvy they forced above twenty four protestants into an house , and then setting fire on it , they burned them all , counterfeiting their out-cries in derision to others . sir philem o neal boasted that he had slain above six hundred at garvagh : and that he had left neither man , woman , nor child alive in the baronry of munterlong . in other places he murthered above two thousand persons in their houses , so that many houses were filled with dead bodies . above twelve thousand were slain in the high ways as they fled towards down . many died of famine , many were starved to death for want of clothes , being stript of all in a cold season ; some thousands were drowned . so that in the very province of ulster there were about one hundred and fifty thousand murthered by sundry kinds of torments and deaths . these bloody persecutors themselves confessed that the ghosts of divers of the protestants which they had drowned at portendown bridge , were daily and nightly seen to walk upon the river , sometimes singing of psalms , sometimes brandishing naked swords , sometimes screeching in a most hideous and fearful manner ; so that many of the popish irish which dwelt near thereabouts ; being affrighted herewith , were forced to remove their habitations further off into the countrey . the popish english were no whit inferiour , yea rather exceeded the natural irish in their cruelty against the protestants that lived amongst them , within the pale , being never satisfied with their blood till they had seen the last drop thereof . anne kinnard testified that fifteen protestants being imprisoned , and their feet in the stocks , a popish boy being not above fourteen years old , slew them all in one night with his skeine . another not above twelve years old , killed two women in another place . an english papist woman killed seven men and women of her neighbours in one morning . and it was usual for the papists children to murder the protestants children , and sometimes with their woodden swords , sharp and heavy , they would venture upon people of riper years . an english woman , who was newly delivered of two children , some of these villains violently compelled her in her great pain and sicknesse to rise from her bed , and took one of the infants that was living , and dashed his brains against the stones , and then threw him into the river of the barrow ; the like they did by many other infants . many others they hanged without all pity . the lord mont garret caused divers english souldiers that he had taken about kilkenny to be hanged , hardly suffering them to pray before their death ; they dyed very patiently , and resolutely in the defence of the protestant faith ; and one of them , being an irish man , had his life offered if he would turn papist , but he rather chose to dye , and so was executed with the rest . some of these persecutors meeting a poor young girle that was going to see her friends , they first half-hanged her , and then buried her quick . one fitz patrick enticed a rich merchant that was a protestant , to bring all his goods into his house , promising safely to keep them , and to redeliver them to him . but when he had thus gotten them into his possession , he took the merchant and his wife , and hanged them both : the like he did by divers others . some english mens heads that they had cut off , they carried to kilkenny , and on the market day set them on the crosse , where many , especially the women , stab'd , cut , and slashed them , every one accounting themselves happy that could but get a blow at them . one of the heads being a ministers , a woman struck so hard with her fist , that the same night her hand grew black and blew , and so rankled , that she was lame of it a quarter of a year after : another woman that looked on those heads with much rejoycing , presently after fell so distracted , that neither night not day she could rest , but cryed out continually that she saw those heads before her eyes . one english ▪ protestant , saying , that he would believe the divel as soon as the pope , they presently hanged him up in an apple tree till he dyed . a poor protestant woman with her two children going to kilkenny upon businesse , these bloody miscreants baited them with dogs , stabbed them with skeins , and pulled out the guts of one of the children , whereby they dyed ; and not far off , they took divers men , women , and children , and hanged them up ; and one of the women being great with child , they ripped up her belly as she hanged , so that the child fell out in the cawle alive . some after they were hanged , they drew up and down till their bowels were torn out . how many thousands of protestants were thus inhumanely murthered by sundry kinds of deaths in that one province of ulster we have heard before ; what the number of the slain was in the three other provinces , i find not upon record ; but certainly it was very great ; for i finde these passages in a general remonstrance of the distressed protestants in the province of munster . we may ( say they ) compare our woe to the saddest parallel of any story ; our churches are demolished , or which is worse , profaned by sacrifices to idols : our habitations are become ruinous heaps : no quality , age , or sex priviledged from massacres , and lingring deaths , by being robbed , stript naked , and so exposed to cold and famine . the famished infants of murdered parents swarme in our streets , and for want of food perish before our faces , &c. and all this cruelty that is exercised upon us , we know not for what cause , offence , or seeming provocation its inflicted on us , ( sin excepted saving that we were protestants , &c. we can make it manifest that the depopulations in this province of munster , do well near equal those of the whole kingdome , &c. and thus in part we have heard of the mercilesse cruelties which the bloody papists exercised towards the protestants ; let us now consider at least some of gods judgements upon the irish , whereby he hath not left the innocent blood of his servants to be altogether unrevenged . some particular instances have been mentioned before : as also the apparitions at portendown bridge which affrighted them from their habitations , concerning which it is further testified , that by their own confession , the blood of those that were knocked on the head , and then thrown into the river at that bridge , remained for a long time upon the stones , and could not be washed away ; as also that ofttimes they saw apparitions sometimes of men , sometimes of women rising breast-high above the water , which did most extreamly screech and cry out for vengeance against the irish that had murdered them there . catherine coke testified upon oath , that when the irish had barbarously drowned one hundred and eighty protestants , men , women , and children at portendown bridge , about nine days after she saw the apparition of a man bolt upright in the river , standing breast-high , with his hands lift up to heaven , and continued in that posture from december to the end of lent , at which time some of the english army passing that way saw it also , after which it vanished away . elizabeth price testified upon oath that she and other women whose husbands and children were drowned in that place , hearing of these apparitions , went thither one evening , at which time they saw one like a woman rise out of the river breast-high , her haire hanging down , which , with her skin , was as white as snow , often crying out , revenge , revenge , revenge , which so affrighted them that they went their way . divers protestants were thrown into the river of belterbert , and when any of them offered to swim to the land , they were knocked on the head with poles , after which their bodies were not seen of six weeks : but after the end thereof , the murtherers coming again that way , the bodies came floating up to the very bridge where they were . sir con mac gennis with his company slew master turge , minister of the newry , with divers other protestants , after which the said mac gennis was so affrighted with the apprehension of the said master turge his being continually in his presence , that he commanded his souldiers not to slay any more of them , but such as should be slain in battel . a young woman being stript almost naked , there came a rogue to her , bidding her give him her money , or he would run her through with his sword. her answer was , you cannot kill me except god give you leave , whereupon he ran three times at her naked body with his drawn sword , and yet never pierced her skin , whereat he being confounded , went his way and left her ; this was attested by divers women that were present and saw it . but besides these forementioned judgements of god which befel them for their inhumane cruelties ; we may observe how the hand of god hath been out against them ever since , and that in a special manner , by emasculating and debasing of their spirits ; whereby it hath come to passe that ordinarily a few english souldiers have chased multitudes of them , and generally in all the battels and fights that have been betwixt them , they have always been beaten , though the ods was great of their side ; and as they made themselves formerly drunk with the innocent blood of the unresisting protestants ; so now god hath given them their fill of blood in jealousie and fury . many thousands of them have perished by the sword of war ; and how heavy hath the hand of god lain further upon them this present year , . in that terrible and universal plague that hath been scattered all over the nation , whereby many thousands more of them have perished , and god is still fighting against , and probably will continue their destruction , till they either shall truly be humbled for their horrid sins , or be utterly consumed from the face of the earth ! amen ; even so come lord jesus , come quickly . these particulars were attested upon oath by sundry persons before commissioners appointed to take their examinations . here place the tenth figure . chap. xli . a continuation of the history of the waldenses from the year . ending with the late persecution in the valleys in piemont . anno christi . the duke of savoy published an edict in favour of the evangelical churches in the vallies of piemont , wherein he granted an indemnitie to the people of the vallies of angrognia , bobio , villaro , valguicchiardo , rora , tagliaretto , and la rica di boneti at the end of la torre , saint martino , perosa , roccapiatta , and saint barthelemo , from all former actings , and restoring them into his favor , as if they had never acted any thing against his highness ; receiving them into his safegard and protection : he granted them also to have preaching assemblies , and other ministerial offices according to their religion in their wonted places , &c. but in the year . another edict was published at the instigation of the popish party , whereby all men who lived in the duke of savoy's dominions , and would not conform to the romish religion , were enjoyned to come and declare the same to their respective magistrates within ten dayes after the publication thereof , and two moneths after to leave the country , having one years time given them to dispose of their goods movable , and unmovable , during which time they should enjoy the revenue thereof , &c. the tidings of this cruelty so wrought upon the hearts of the protestant princes of germany , that they sent an embassie to the duke of savoy to intercede in their behalf : amongst whom the prince elector palatine was exceeding zealous , sending one of his counsellours of state , a person of singular worth , to the duke of savoy , to mediate in their behalf ; at whose return the prince being informed by him of the unworthy dealing of that court , and finding that notwithstanding all their faire promises , they did not at all cease from persecuting these poor people , he wrote a very smart and pathetical letter to the said duke , challenging him for breach of promise to himself and the other germane princes , in that he suffered his ministers still to persecute and banish those poore innocent people , meerely upon the account of religion , concluding that such severity was neither pleasing to god nor man ; neither ( saith he ) is it the way to bring men to the true knowledge of god , which should be done by perswasions , and scripture-proofs , not by persecutions , &c. wherefore i pray your highnesse that you will give us an evidence of that which you have for us , by delivering those poor people who are now in the gallies , and by recalling those who have been lately banished , as you promised by your letters . have compassion upon so many poore wandring exiles , deprived of all their goods and estates : call them home , and restore them to their habitations ; and grant them , and the other inhabitants of your highness countries the publick exercise of their religion , which they prefer before their necessary food : free them from their false accusations , that they may live in peace under your highnesse government , &c. if your highness will grant me this request , i doubt not but you shall experimentally finde the favour and blessing of god , and you shall oblige us to you in all things : if otherwise , you will both provoke god to lift up his hand against you , and estrange from you the affections of those who desire to do you pleasure and service , &c. dated . now that you may see upon what occasion the prince wrote this letter , you are to understand that castrocaro ( one of their popish governours ) being extreamly troubled that the prince electors ambassador had obtained several promises at the court for the poor peoples advantage , did immediately after the said ambassadors departure , publish through the valley of lucerna , two ordinances : by the one he commanded all the inhabitants throughout his government , that were not natives , to depart within a day after the publication thereof , upon paine of death , and confiscation of their goods : by the other , he prohibited upon the same penalty those of the reformed religion , inhabiting lucerna , bubbiana , campiglione , and fenile , to hear sermons at saint giovanni ; and for their not submitting , he imprisoned and tormented a great number of them in the castle of la torre , which dealing made the poor people to make their addresse to the dutchess of savoy , who pittying their condition , wrote to the said castrocaro in their behalf , commanding him in the dukes name to set at liberty the imprisoned , and to cease to molest them in the enjoyment of their ancient habitations and priviledges . this letter stopped the fury of castrocaro for the present : but it was far from working any change of affections in him , as was evident by his after-actings : for in the year . he did so incense the governour of bobio against the poor inhabitants of the valley , that he did not only grievously molest them upon all occasions as they came under his clutches , but also wrote bitter letters to the duke against them , improving the uttermost of his parts and power for their ruine and extirpation : and certainly castrocaro had then effected his designe , had not the dutches upon the joynt supplications of the evangelical churches , very effectually interposed for them , and procured the continuation of their just and undoubted priviledges . anno . many of the poor protestants of the valleyes were grievously molested under pretext that in the former war of france against those of the religion , they had joyned themselves to the protestant troops . but king charles the th being moved with compassion towards them , wrote a letter to the duke of savoy in their behalf , requesting him to receive them with gentleness into his grace and favour , and to re-establish them in their estates , &c. the subject of which letter was not only satisfactory to those for whom it interceded , but also to all other faithfull ones of the valleyes , out of the great hopes they had of future tranquillity . but it endured no longer than till their enemies had an opportunity of molesting them , which they greedily embraced upon the news of the horrible massacres in france . for castrocaro did thereupon so threaten the poor protestants , that they retired themselves , with their families , and movables , to the tops of the neighbouring mountains , and into all other places where they hoped for safety : but the duke of savoy not approving the cruelties exercised against the protestants in france , sent to those his subjects , who were thus withdrawn , commanding them to return to their houses , and habitations , promising that they should suffer no prejudice , nor incur the least danger thereby . neither indeed were their sufferings great afterwards , so long as madam the dutchess was living , who was a refuge to them upon all occasions . after the death of this princess which happened octob. . . the popish party came forth like lions , improving the uttermost of their endeavours to devoure and destroy this poor people upon all occasions ; but the goodness of god was so great towards them , that they always found some considerable friends about the duke , who inclined his heart to gentleness and moderation : but after the death of this 〈◊〉 emanuel , who died aug. . . charles emanuel his son , having invaded the marquisate of saluces , monsieur l' esdiguier●s by way of retaliation , seized upon the valleys of piemont : but the french army was no sooner gone home , than there was a rumour spread throughout the valleys , that the duke was resolved to take this occasion to extirpate all the protestant churches , because they had taken an oath of fidelity to the french king , neither was it groundless : for the thing was really propounded in the dukes councel , but it pleased god so to order affairs , that the leading men amongst them did not at all approve of the business , yea the duke himself did extreamly mislike it : and after he had retaken mirebuc , he did not a little revive the spirits of the representatives of the protestants of lucerna , who met with him at villaro on purpose to assure his highness of their fidelity , and to beg the continuance of his grace and favour , to whom ( in the presence of a great number of his lords ) he returned this answer : be but faithfull unto me , and i will be sure to be a good princ● , nay a father unto 〈◊〉 ▪ and as to the liberty of your conscience , and the exercises of your religion , i shall be so far from innovating any thing against those liberties in which you have lived unto this present , that if any offer to molest you , have recourse to me , and i shall effectually relieve and protect you . these words being spoken in such a presence , and in so obliging a manner , were very advantagious to the poor peoples interest , for some time after , they served to counterballance the threats of their fiercest enemies : yet were there some amongst the popish party that thought it an unpardonable sinne to suffer them to live one year in peace , and on the contrary an acceptable service to molest them , either by secret stratagems , or by open force and violence . such was the condition of this poor people from the year . to the year . at which time all the masters of families in the valley of lucerna , professing the protestant religion , were cited to appear before count charles of lucerna , the governour ponte , the arch bishop broglia , and others , and were by them commanded in the dukes name , either to go to masse , or to quit lucerna , and all their pretensions thereto , without the least hopes of ever obtaining favour to return , or in case of disobedience , to prepare themselves for inevitable mischiefs and calamities : which threats were pressed with so much violence , that it caused many of the poor creatures to submit , at least seemingly , to the change of their religion , though many others of them were the deeplier rooted by these shakings . from lucerna the aforenamed lords removed their seat to bubiana where they found the reformed so stiff in their principles , that they could not remove them an hairs bredth from the same , wherefore they caused the chief of them to be summoned to appear at turin , thinking that the dukes presence might prevaile more with them than all their threatning speeches : the persons thus summoned were master valentine , and mr. boules , his brother , with one peter morese , and samuel falc , who were brought one after another before hi hisghnesse : mr. valentine was the first , whom the duke perswaded to embrace the roman catholick religion , and to draw others to do the like , promising him great rewards and preferments if he obeyed , &c. to this mr. valentine answered , that next to the service of god , he had no greater desire then to obey , and please his highness , in whose service he would willingly adventure his person and estate , when ever there should be occasion : but as for his religion which he knew to be true , and confirmed by the word of god , he could not abandon it without disobeying god , and wounding his own conscience , so as never to enjoy any comfort in his soul afterwards : and therefore he humbly intreated his highness to be satisfied with what he could do with a good conscience : and to leave him to the liberty of his religion which he valued above his life : the duke replyed , that he also doubted not of the truth of that religion which he professed , and that such as embraced it , should find how much they had gratified him in so doing , yet would he not force the conscience of any man , and so he gave them leave to depart . chap. xlii . the marquisate of saluces described , with its several troubles and persecutions . the marquisate of saluces is on the south side of the valleys of predmont , containing in it several cities , and considerable valleys , very fruitfull in all sorts of fruits . it s most northerly valley is that of po , where the famous river po hath its rise , and source ; one onely mountain separates this from the valley of lucerna on the north side : in this valley were those ancient churches , viz. pravillem , biolets , and bietone , who retained the purity of christian religion for several hundreds of years , and lived in great union with their neighbouring churches . anno christi . the church of dronier , which was one of the most flourishing , understanding that the publick exercise of the reformed religion was permitted in france , obtained letters from the kings council to sieur lovis of birague , governour of that country in the duke of nevers absence , whereby he was ordered to provide for the petitioners a convenient place for the publick exercise of their religion : but not long after their adversaries , by their importunity , prevailed so far that the said letters were revoked : this occasioned the said church to send monsieur francis galatee , their minister , into france , with some others , to recover ( if it were possible ) their former priviledges . but this falling out in the time of their troubles in france , all that they could obtaine , was only bare promises . in the mean time they received many hortatory and consolatory letters from the chief ministers in the churches of france , and amongst others from those of grenoble , lions , &c. to perswade them to patience , and perseverance in that truth which they had embraced : which accordingly they did , notwithstanding all the malice and subtilty of their adversaries : so that their churches were continued and upheld , convenient order being had for the preaching of the word , administration of the sacraments , exercise of their discipline , &c. only there wanted in some places liberty of having general assemblies , and publick sermons . for the better safety of their ministers in the places that were most dangerous , one pastor had the charge of the faithful in several cities and communalties , which rendred their residence and exercises less visible to their adversaries : hereby the gospel ( through gods mercy ) made a very considerable progress at dronier , verzo , and some other places of mo●e no●e . the church of aceil in the valley de mairi was extraordinarily peopled , and enjoyed more liberty than the others , by reason of the scituation of the place : but satan the enemy of christs church and kingdom , perceiving such a growth of the reformed religion in those places , ceased not to imploy all his power and policy to hinder the same ; and therein he made use of instruments for the effecting of it : viz. first the anticodemites , whose ringleader was baronius , who lived at valgrane and thereabouts , accommodating himself to the times : for when the church had rest and ease , he wrote strange things , and cryed out of the abuses in popery : but in times of persecution he usually played the hypocrite , and laboured to draw others to do the same , by which means he had a multitude of followers , and amongst them the lord of valgrane , and maximilian de saluces , who set his name to baronius to add luster to his writings against the ministers , reproaching them for that they would not give way to any dissimulation in their disciples , whereby they exposed them to great extremities . this lord had some learning and knowledge of the truth ; but to avoid the bearing of the cross , he thought it convenient to dissemble , and condemned those who any way gain said the papists . yet monsieur gelido , minister of aceil , opposed them both , very learnedly in several letters that he wrote unto them : so did monsieur truchi , minister of dronier , together with other pastors of the neighbouring places , demonstrating both by scripture testimonies , and by the example of the primitive church , that they had done nothing but what they ought to do , and what every faithful christian was bound to , and consequently that the opinion of baronius and his followers was pernicious to the church in times of persecution . the other instruments that satan made use of to the prejudice of the church , were the roman clergy , with their passionate proselites , who would faine have done to these godly christians , as their brethren in iniquity had done to their neighbours in the dukedom of savoy : viz. banish , imprison , kill , and confiscate the goods of the protestants : but ( through gods mercy ) they were hindred by the kings edicts , confirming to those his subjects of saluces a peaceable habitation , without being molested for their conscience and religion , or questioned for any thing they did in their private houses ( provided they abstained from the publick exercise of it ) by which means their ministers had opportunitie of assembling in small companies , baptizing , marrying , comforting the sick , and instructing every one in particular ; which provoked their adversaries to bend themselves chiefly against the ministers , thinking that if they could find out any meanes to extirpate them , they should easily prevaile upon the common people , having none to animate and instruct them . accordingly they published an edict of octob. . . in the name of the duke of nevers , governour for the king on this side the mountains , injoyning all of the religion there inhabiting or abiding , that were not the kings natural subjects , to depart , together with their families within the space of three dayes , and never to return thither to inhabit , pass , or otherwise to abide without a special safe conduct , upon pain of life , and confiscation of their goods . now the greatest part of the ministers not being natural subjects to the king , by this edict were to quit the marquisate , o● to obtain a safe conduct , or lastly to incur the penalty : a safe conduct they could not obtain , and yet they thought themselves bound in conscience not to abandon their people ; wherefore continuing with their congregations , two of them were apprehended and imprisoned : viz. monsieur francis truchi , and monsieur francis soulf , where they were detained four years , four moneths , and odd dayes , the poor people being not able by any means to obtain their deliverance , though they continually sollicited de berague their governour , and others that had undertaken the management of these affairs : yet the lord was so pleased to restrain the power of their enemies that they could not take away their lives : yea by degrees they obtained for them a more spacious and convenient prison than that whereunto they were at first confined . to procure their full deliverance the churches of the marquisate sent their supplications to the king by the aforesaid minister galat●e , and another ; who set out july . . and went as far as rochel to implore the intercession of the queen of navar , as also to intreat the assistance of divers others in several places : and the great patrons of the reformed religion disputed their case before the king , and in the end obtained letters under the kings own hand for their enlargement , octob. . . which was accordingly effected ; but it was four moneths after before it could be done . when sieur galatee returned , he was overjoyed , as well for the prosperous successe of his negotiations , as for the great hopes of a profound peace , founded upon the smooth promises of his maj●sty , and upon the alliance which he had made by the marriage of his sister to the king of navar , who professed the reformed religion . but this joy lasted but from the moneth of may . to the beginning of septemb. at which time there arived the lamentable news of the massacre of many noble persons , and multitudes of others who were most inhumanely murthered in divers places of france , to the great astonishment of all the faithful in those parts . about the same time there arived letters from the king to the governour birague , by which he was required to have an eye , that , at the arival of the news of what happened at paris , they of the religion should make no combustion ; remitting the rest of his pleasure to those instructions which he had sent him by the bearer , the contents whereof were , that he should put to death all the chief of the protestants within his jurisdiction , whose names he should find in the roll that should be presented to him . birague having received this command , together with the roll aforementioned , was much troubled , and immediately called his council together , whom he acquainted with the kings orders : whereupon some were of opinion that they should be immediately executed : but others , seeing the king in his late patents , not many moneths before , had enlarged the ministers that were imprisoned , and had ordered that those of the reformed religion should not be any wayes molested for their conscience sake : as also upon consideration that nothing had occurred since that time worthy such a change , they therefore thought it sufficient to secure the persons of such as were enrolled , and to defer execution for a while , and in the mean time to inform the king that they were persons of honour , faithful to his majesty , living peaceably with their neighbours , and inoffensive in their lives : adding that in case his majesty was resolved that they should be put to death , there was yet time enough to execute his pleasure therein . this advice birague approved of , and accordingly apprehended some , but others escaped , and concealed themselves : and in the mean time he dispatched a messenger to the king , to inform him as abovesaid , and to know his further pleasure . this messenger met another at lions , where the king had sent to birague to advertise him , that in case his former order was not already executed , he should desist from it , and only have a special care that those of the religion should make no insurrection , nor have any publick exercises . but they of the reformed religion in the marquisate were not a little troubled when they heard of the cruel massacre of their brethren in france without distinction of age , sex , or quality , insomuch as divers of them fled ; many papists also secretly caused the families of their kind●ed and friends of the religion to retire their families and themselves till such time as birague had published the kings pleasure , after which they returned by little and little : and though their publick exercises were prohibited , yet they were well satisfied with the assurance of their lives , and estates , besides that they had the liberty of private exercises in their families . this was the condition of the protestant churches in saluces during the time that it was under the dominion of the king of france , which continued to the year . at which time the duke of savoy took the possession , who , for a while suffered them to enjoy their priviledges in general : but in particular , some of the chief members of the church of dromier , being cited to turin , were so befooled with subtile artifices , that one part of them promised to go to masse , which gave a considerable blow to the said church , yet it lost not its courage in general , although the great failings of the former encouraged their adversaries to attempt the like upon others by both words and letters . anno christi . the duke of savoy wrote his letter to them , wherein he told them how desirous he was that all his subjects in the marquisat of saluces should embrace the romish religion , and finding that his exhortations had prevailed with some , he hoped that they would have the same effect upon the rest , desiring that laying aside their heretical obstinacie , they would embrace the true religion out of respect to gods glory , and their own good , making large promises to such as should submit , and telling them that it should return to their great advantage . the churches of the marquisat having received this letter , they answered , first , that they returned his highness many thanks for that he had suffered them to enjoy their religion hitherto as he had found them in the year . when he took possession of the marquisat . secondly they humbly intreated him to continue to them the said benefit , as also to grant them his protection , seeing that they knew that their religion was founded upon the holy scriptures , according to which they ordered their lives and conversations , so as none had any just occasion of offence : and considering that even the jews and other enemies of christ were suffered to live in peace , and to enjoy their religion , they hoped that those which were found christians , faithful to god , and loyal to their prince , should not be denyed the same priviledge . after this a●swer they lived a while in peace , and the duke took a voyage into 〈◊〉 , after which followed a war , so that they continued as aforetime but after the exchange of the marquisat was established upon him , his soft letters were turned into sharp edicts , wherein he commanded all those of the religion within the marquisat , that every one should go , and declare to his ordinary magistrate within the space of fifteen dayes whether he would renounce his religion , or go to mass or no ; which if they would do , they should not only enjoy their habitations , and estates , but many other favours also : but if they resolved to persist in their religion , they were enjoyned to depart out of his highness dominions within the space of two moneths , and never to return without expresse permission , and that upon pain of death , and confiscation of all their goods : yet they were permitted within the said term of two months to transport their goods as they should think meet . this unexpected edict being published through the marquisate , july . much troubled those of the reformed religion , who immediately sent deputies to his highness to obtain a revocation , or at least a moderation of it : and indeed they had some hopes given them by divers persons of quality , so that many of the poor people resting upon this broken reed , let slip much of the said prefixed time without preparing for their departure , whereby they were the more amazed when they understood , not many dayes before the time was expired ; that all hope of favour was now wholly taken away : yet most of them prepared for their departure ; some recommending their goods to their kindred and friends who remained in the country , others leaving all they had at random , except what they could carry with them to serve for their present necessities . in these two moneths space they who were resolved to depart , were continually set upon by their friends and kindred , with all manner of perswasions to divert them from their purposes , especially when they presented themselves to the magistrate to give in their answer in writing : for then they were caused to stand in a certain pew in publick view , where the magistrates had either monks , or other ecclesiasticks , who ceased not to urge them by all possible arguments and motives thereby to shake their faith and constancy : amongst others , a certain capuchin friar called philip ribo ▪ who a little before had been imployed in the same manner in the valley of perosa , being now imployed in this place , ran up and down , using all subtilties imaginable , especially among those who through feebleness of age , weakness of sex , or want of estates , might probably make them more easie to be seduced : they caused them also to be brought before the magistrate one by one , that so the constancy of some might not encourage others : yea hardly were husbands permitted to declare for their wives and children ; and they ▪ so sifted the tender ones that it was hard for them to escape without making shipwrack of their faith and religion ; and to promote their design they prohibited all upon pain of death , not to disswade others from revolting . yet through gods mercy , they were so fortified in their spirits ▪ that most of them withstood the tentations , and went forth as providence guided them ▪ not knowing whither they went. some steered their course beyond the alps to france , geneva , and other places : others retired themselves into the valleys of piedmont , and remained there without trouble , though the edict required that they should depart out of his highnesses dominions . in the beginning of this persecution , the adversaries fearing some resolute union amongst these poor persecuted souls , to prevent any combustion , they gave it out in the churches of the mountains , that though the edict was general , yet the intention thereof was only to unlodg those in the lower plains , in the great villages , and other publick places : and that such as inhabited amongst the mountains might be sure to live in peace and quiet : this indeed was a cause that at the first there was not such an universal union amongst those of the reformed religion that were destinated for slaughter , as they could have desired : but this fraud at length appearing occasioned a more close union amongst them : neither was it without cause : for at last they spared those in the mountains no more then those of the plains : only that they made no enquiry after the church of pravillelm , and the quarters thereabouts , who thereupon trusting to the ancientness of their possession , troubled not themselves to make any declaration to the magistrate , or to prepare themselves for their departure , as if the edict had not at all concerned them : neither indeed were they disturbed till all the rest were departed out of the province , and scattered in several places : but at length they were given to understand , that seeing they had not yeilded obedience to the edict , they were liable to the punishment therein appointed : and therefore some warned them to have a care of themselves both in general , and each particular : hereupon they repaired to the syndicks of the communalty , requesting them to intercede for them , shewing the reasons why they conceived not themselves concerned by the edict , and therefore they had not offended out of any malicious intention . the syndicks accordingly made many journeys about this business , but brought back nothing but sad and uncomfortable messages ; so that at last they were forced to flie . one part of them ( the men having ordered their families which they left in their houses ) retired into the western mountains : those who were fit to bear arms ( being about two hundred ) with their arms retired into the castell●nie of casteau dauphine which was near at hand : but those of dauphine , and who were lesse disposed , retired themselves into their highest forrests . yet before their departure they declared to their popish neighbours , that being forced to retire themselves by reason of the threats which were given against them for their religion ; and being unable to take their families along with them , they intreated them to take care of them ; withall telling them , that they would make a sudden return , either of the good or evil that should be done to their relations , either by themselves , or by their permission . this so prevailed with the papists , that either out of fear , or for some other reasons , they so far sollicited , and prevailed with their superiours , that the others had liberty of returning to their ancient habitations withour being molested , and that for many years together . chap. xliii . the artifices and wicked practices used to consume and destroy the faithful in the valleys of piedmont . the popish clergy have several persons under pay , whose business it is to kindle strifes and quarrels amongst the protestants , and to engage them in suits of law one against another : and when they see them reduced to poverty and despair , they secretly offer them all the favour imaginable , provided that they will either openly revolt , or remain as spies amongst their brethren to betray them : and the better to dispose them hereto , they assure them that they shall get a full victory over their enemies , in case they will imploy some churchmen to recommend their affairs to the judges , who in all publick imployments are preferred before the protestants , and made their superiours , that so they may over-rule them as they list . the popish clergy also knowing that young men are apt to be in love , which captivates reason , they propound to them by their emissaries , a match with some papist , whose portion and other advantages they amplifie by officious lyes , and so they inveigle some poor souls , sometimes without , and sometimes against the consent of their parents , and friends : and if any amongst the protestants be so wicked as not to regard the admonitions of their ministers and elders , so that they are forced to excommunicate them , these monks and priests perswade them to embrace the romish religion , where they shall be protected against such as pursue them for their crimes : yea they promise that they shall be set over them in all publick offices , by which means they may have power in their hands to be revenged of them . this was the practice of the monks in the year , , &c. even towards some who were manifestly convicted of witchcraft , who , revolting to popery , had their lives spared , and were set at liberty : yea they have often rewarded them with money , merchandizes and other things ; withall exempting them from all manner of taxes : and when the protestants complained hereof , the duke of savoy indeed gave them a favourable answer by his edict , dated in june . but they could never obtain the putting of it in execution . but of all the means used for these last sixty years to root out , and ruine the protestant churches in the valleys of piedmont , there hath been none like that of the missionaries established by pope clement the th , anno christi . for the monasteries of these firebrands have ever been as so many citadels in the valleys , wherein very many wicked instruments have been harbored , who never ceased to contrive mischief by their lyes , calumnies and slanders wherewith they have filled the ears of the magistrates and princes , who have alwayes given more credit to them , than to the true complaints of these poor people in their own just defence , whereupon they have published many bloody edicts against them : and though the protestants reiterated their humble supplications to his highness , and therein declared their own innocency , and the boldness of those missionaries , which was grown to such a heighth as was altogether intolerable , yet have they prevailed nothing : and that which makes these monks the more confident , is , that they know they are not to be punished by any magistrate for whatsoever they say or do against the protestants ; no not when they steale away their children from them : whereas the protestants are put to death if they speak but the least word against these missionary priests , or but go about to disswade any , though of their own families from turning papist . yea by the dukes edict any one witness is sufficient against a protestant , and a reward of an hundred crowns is promised to any that will come and witness against them , whereby all those are encouraged , who either out of revenge , envy , or covetousness , shall report such false things against them as by the romish friars they shall be directed to . by vertue of this edict the monks have made bold upon all occasions both in the streets , yea in the very curches , and that in the sermon time to set upon the protestant ministers , with all the most base , vile , and unsufferable speeches they could possibly devise , knowing that no man durst either censure their zeale , or witness against them for what they said or did against the protestants , for fear of the severe penalties ordained against the favourers of hereticks . nay , if their abusive carriage could but draw any word out of the ministers , or out of any other mans mouth that did not please them , they had their hired witnesse in a readinesse to bring the minister , or other protestant to the stake , and that without redemption . these men got an edict from madam royal , of jan. . . having made her believe that the papists were compelled to contribute towards the maintenance of the protestant ministers , with some other such like fictions ; upon which they obtained an order for the officers called castellani , to give the missionaries all the writings they should demand of them ; by means whereof they usurped power over the said castellani , and so over the poor protestants , compelling the castellani to make most unjust ordinances against these poor people : as for example ; when the question is concerning their habitation , the missioners do perswade them that come to witnesse the truth , that so to do is to favour the hereticks , whereby they will fall irrevocably under the censure of excommunication ; whereas its a meritorious work to witnesse against them by such officious lies as are suggested to them by the popish clergy : nay , the judges themselves durst not passe a righteous sentence , when it reflected in the least upon the catholick party . and that they may have the opportunity of negotiating with the protestants , they procure of his highnesse every year , the assignations of grain , and other impositions , that so they of the reformed religion , being obliged to make their payments to these publicans , they may have the advantage to shew favour , and give ample rewards to such as will comply with their superstitious idolatry , and to lay heavy burdens upon the backs of those that are true to their principles . mention might here be made of their frequent falling into the said valleys with troops of armed men , under pretence of quartering them there ; whereby they have miserably surprized , and made a prey of them : as likewise the cunning stratagems which they have used in all their treaties , which have been as full of jesuitical equivocations , as of lines and sentences , following therein their old maxime , that faith is not to be kept with hereticks . to this may be added their diligent search , and strict enquiry after all protestant books and writings , which they commit to the fire with much devotion , lest they should discover their rotten principles , and the wickednesse of their actions to the world . another stratagem they have to allure men to revolt , wherein are proffers of great rewards made , and published in the princes name ; as may be seen in the dukes own letter , wherein are these words . to encourage the hereticks to turn catholicks , it is our pleasure , and we do hereby expresly command , that all such as shall embrace the holy romane faith , shall enjoy an exemption from all , and every tax for the space of five years commencing from the day of their conversion , &c. which term of five years he hath sometimes lengthned out to ten or fifteen years ; whereas indeed the burden that they took off from these revolters , they laid upon the backs of those that persevered in their religion , the better to break and destroy them . but as if all this were too little to compass their ends , the duke erected a congregation for extirpating the hereticks , who were to judge concerning the rights of the protestants . their meeting place was in the arch-bishops house , the bishop himself being president , together with the dukes confessor , and divers others , every one of them hired by the court of rome , to undermine the liberties of the protestant churches , by robbing them of their ancient priviledges under sundry pretences , and upon false informations . and the better to disguise their proceedings , they usually incense the duke by grievous accusations , and so procure grievous edicts from him against the poor protestants . these were they who procured from charles emanuel , anno christi . an edict , wherein he enjoyns the protestants upon pain of death to banish from amongst them all manner of schools both publick and private , ( as julian the apostate had formerly done to extirpate the christian religion ) and by another edict of decemb. . . he forbade them to receive any strangers amongst them that should be either ministers or schoolmasters , as also from sending their youth into forreign schools suspected of heresie . he also debarred all manner of protestants from publick offices , either great or small . in another edict , all protestants were commanded either to go to masse , or to depart within two moneths after the publication thereof : and by another edict the same was commanded , and but fifteen dayes given them . another order was given out , novemb. . . enjoyning the protestants of campiglione , to leave that place within twenty foure houres , and that upon pain of death , which was executed without mercy . the same was done anno christi . by gastaldo , who gave no longer than twenty foure houres to those of the valleys of saint martino and perosa , to depart upon pain of death ; and to those that lived beyond pelice , but three days . many times when these missionary fathers could not possibly perswade his royal highnesse to an open persecution against the generality of the protestants , then they usually tormented them one by one upon sundry false pretences , whom they delivered up to the inquisitors , who contrary to all forms of justice , forthwith condemned them , without so much as hearing them , or letting them know their accusers . anno christi . they took one mr. sebastian basan , and after the inquisitors had cruelly tempted and tormented him for the space of fifteen months , they burned him alive at turin , novemb. . . where he dyed , singing the praises of god in the midst of the flames . anno . these missionary fathers stole away very many of the protestants children in the time of the massacre ; whom they would not afterwards restore , though his highness had promised it by his patent ; which practice is the most execrable of all the turkish tyrannies : yet there is this difference , that the turks do so only to their own subjects , whereas the popes ministers do it to those over whom they have no right at all . two instances may be given ( amongst many others ) of the subtile insinuations of the jesuites to withdraw men from the truth ; there were two ministers , the one mr. peter gros , the other mr. francis aguit , with whom they had thus prevailed : but the lord in mercy shewing them the greatnesse of their sin , they made a publick recantation in a full congregation , august . . & . . at pinache in the valley of perouse , wherein they testified their extream sorrow for their defection through infirmity , from the true religion , during the time of their imprisonment at turin , together with their abjuration of popery , which they conclude thus . do not think us unworthy your holy communion , although we have been an occasion of offence : suffer us to poure into your bosomes a torrent of tears to deplore our condition , and to assure you in the anguish of our souls , that our grief is greater than we can expresse : help us by your holy prayers to the lord , and publish our repentance in all places where you conceive our sin hath been , or shall bee known , that so it may be evident to all the world , that from the very bottome of our souls we grieve , and sorrow for it , and that in the presence of god , and of his holy angels , and in the sight of those who have been witnesses of our conversion , we do abjure , and detest the masse , the authority of the pope , and in general , all sorts of beliefs , and worships dependent upon them ; we recant whatsoever we may have pronounced to the prejudice of the evangelical truth , and promise for the future , through the grace of god , to persevere in the profession of the reformed religion to the last moment of our life , and rather to suffer death , and torments than to renounce that holy doctrine that is taught in our church according unto the word of god : even as we swear , and promise , with our bended knees upon the earth , and our hands lifted up to the eternal , our almighty god and father , sonne , and holy spirit . as we desire his assistance to do this , even so help us god. amen . the motives of the late persecution in the valleys of piemont , anno christi . with the publication of that bloody order of gastaldo , and the flight of the protestants in the middest of winter . the chief officers , and gentry of savoy are moved to endeavour the extirpation of the reformed party , chiefly for these causes : . that by evil entreating the reformed churches , they may conserve the papal authority , of which they have oft-times so much need , to cover and cloke their incestuous marriages contracted by dispensations from the pope : and thus they become engaged to maintaine popery , for fear of being declared guilty of incest . . because the courtiers for persecuting the reformed party are rewarded with prebendaries , bishopricks , abbies , and priories , especially such as are members of the council for extirpating of hereticks . . under this pretext , the poor people of the valleys become a prey to the said courtiers , who daily rob , and spoil them , extorting the best part of their livelishood by sundry subtile devices . . the gentry of lucerna ( who are very poor ) promote this work all they can by perpetual calumnies against them , rendring themselves by such good offices capable of meriting , and receiving those pensions which are assigned them by the court of rome for the same purpose . . for this end of late they have made the gentlemen of the respective valleys subordinate to the monks , and masse-priests , who teach and appoint them what to do , as to the bearing of false-witnesse against their neighbours , sowing discord amongst them , murthering of some , procuring the assasination of others , stealing , and carrying away their children , &c. without the performance whereof they refuse to pay them their yearly pensions . . but the chief ground of all why the court of savoy strives so much to extirpate this poor people , is , the designe that they have to wrest pignorolio out of the hands of the king of france , to which the habitation , and liberty of those people are a great hindrance : for they , inhabiting the neighbouring parts of pignorolio , both in the plaine and mountains , cannot , upon the account of conscience , be brought to make any agreement with the spanish party for assaulting , and surprizing that place : hence the court of savoy seeks all manner of occasions to root them out , especially those of lucerne , fenile , bobio , campiglione , bricheras , and saint secondo , which are near pignorolio , and to deprive it thereby of all sorts of commodities which it receives from the valleys , which alone doth furnish it with more than all the neighbouring valleys which belong to the duke . now if these people were extirpated , and others put in their places , men forward to execute their designes , they might easily seize on malange , a narrow passage above pignorolio , on that side which looks towards france , where a very few persons would be able to hinder the french armies from relieving pignorolio . upon these , and the like grounds the court of savoy hath sought their destruction , though its true , that in all the persecutions which they have raised against them , especially in this last , . those ravening wolves approached in sheeps cloathing , the better to deceive , and destroy the innocent lambs of christ. for these evangelical churches had , long before that fatal year , cleared themselves of all those calumnies which the council for the extirpation of hereticks , to the end that they might enjoy their promised pensions , had cast upon them . yea , his royal highnesse had now given an ample testimony of his being fully satisfied in this point , and by an authentick decree published anno christi . had confirmed all former confessions ; which confirmation was again renewed anno . confirming the grants made to them in the years . and . without any addition , or diminution , amplification , or restriction whatsoever . now as these poor people sought for an interination of these grants , his royal highness , knowing that the delay thereof proceeded not from any negligence of their part , but was occasioned by the multitude of troops that were then quartered upon them , whereby they could not possibly have the convenience of assembling , &c. out of his goodness towards them , he declared by an edict , of may . . that his intention was that they should enjoy the concessions as effectually as if they had been again interinated , upon condition that they did procure the interination thereof within three moneths following . so that till this time of may . . none can say that those of the reformed religion had committed any thing whereby to be deprived of the benefit of their concessions ; yet contrary to all their expectations , shortly after , viz. january . . this infamous order was published by andrew gastaldo , doctor of the civil law , mr. auditor ordinary , &c. that every head of a family , with its members of the reformed religion , of what rank , degree or condition soever , none excepted , inhabiting and possessing estates in the places of lucerna , lucernetta , st. giovanni , la torre , bubbiana , and fenile , campiglione , bricherassio , and s. secondo , within three days after the publication therof should withdraw and depart , and to be with their families withdrawn out of the said places , and translated into the places and limits tolerated by his highness , during his pleasure , as namely bobbio , villaro , angrogna , rorata , and the country of bonetti , under pain of death , and confiscation of houses and goods , situated or being out of the said limits ; provided , if they make it not appear to us within twenty days following that they are turned catholicks , or that they have sold their goods to the catholicks . and that it was not the mind of his royal highness by any act whatsoever to enlarge the said limits : but on the contrary , he declares by these presents , that the said acts are meer usurpations , contrary to the intention as well of his orders , as of his magistrates , published to that end ; and that therefore the transgressors have incurred the punishment therein contained : besides , in the aforesaid places favorably tolerated , he wills that in every one of them shall be celebrated the holy mass , forbidding those of the pretended reformed religion any ways to molest , either by deed or word , the missionary fathers , or their attendants , much less to disswade any that would turn catholicks , under the same pain of death , giving it in charge particularly to the ministers of the said pretended religion , inviolably to observe the same , upon pain of answering it in their proper names , &c. it 's easie to conjecture the miserable inconveniencies of a flight in the midst of winter , especially to such a people amongst whom were many aged and decrepit , many sick and diseased , besides a multitude of women big with childe , or newly brought to bed , together with a number of tender infants , yet all forced to flye , and none being in capacity to succor another . yet did these bloody beasts in the most violent and rigorous winter-season chase and drive out of their houses all on a sudden those poor people , who scarce had clothes to cover their nakedness , much less were they provided to resist the extremities of cold , and hunger ; thinking hereby either to force them to change their religion , or to cause them to dye in the craggy rocks and snowy mountains ; yea , they were so subtilly malicious as to chuse those very days , when by reason of the multitude of violent waters in the plain , and of snow upon the mountains , they judged it impossible for those silly sheep ever to escape . but these poor people considering that the apostacy propounded was the way to eternal damnation , chose rather to follow christ in bearing his cross , and to hazard their temporary lives , rather than to lose their souls for ever ; yet that they might leave no lawful means unattempted , they presently dispatched their deputies to the governor , to represent to him the strangeness of this command , to force them with their families to abandon their antient habitations ; as also that it was impossible for so many souls as there were in number to subsist in the said place , to which by the edict they were confined , they being scarce sufficient to supply in any sort those that inhabited them : as likewise , that this command was contrary to all their former concessions , upon which account they protested and appealed to his royal highness . but the governor knowing well the intention of the council for the extirpating of hereticks , would neither admit of the one or of the other . hereupon the poor people , seeing they could obtain nothing of him , entreated him to grant them at least some time to have recourse to the duke by humble supplications ; but this also was denied , unless they would draw up their petition by a model which he should prescribe , which indeed was prejudicial both to their just rights and consciences . these poor people ( i say ) seeing this , to the end that they might remove all pretext for accusing them of rebellion , under that colour to ruine and destroy them ; hoping also that at last they might finde some means to lay their griefs at the feet of his royal highness , and that his clemency and justice would in the end re-establish them in their ancient habitations , they chose rather to suffer this violence ; and therefore recalling their protestation , thereby to testifie their profound respect to their prince , they quitted their houses , and goods , and retired with their familes , their wives and children , great and small , young and old , whole and sick ; yea , halt , lame and blind ; draging after them such as were infirm by sickness or age through rain , snow , ice , waters , and a thousand difficulties . oh think with your selves , what bitter tears , what wringing of hands , what smitting upon the breasts , what mournings , sighings , and lamentations there were in the families of these miserable and distressed creatures , who were now reduced to the utmost of extremities ; before them were a multitude of violent and roaring waters , on each hand most barbarous and snowy mountains ; behinde them , men sevenfold worse than the egyptians , ready to butcher and destroy them ; yet recommending themselves , souls and bodies to gods protection , they are resolved to undergo the worst of temporary miseries , rather than by denying their religion , to damn their souls . this their constancy and resolution was no small comfort to other churches , and a matter of great astonishment to their persecutors ; the rather considering the great advantages they might have purchased by quitting their religion ; as pardon for all crimes , liberty if in prisons , exemption from all manner of taxes , &c. they were no sooner departed from their houses , but a number of thieves and robbers entred them , spoiling and pillaging whatever the people had left behinde them , pulling down their houses , cuting down all their trees , and turning their habitation into a desolate wilderness ; of which violence the poor people complained to the duke , and received from him such an answer , that they apprehended his intentions were not that they should wholly quit their houses till their cause might be heard and judged ; in confidence hereof , they sometimes returned to their houses to guard them from these robbers , and to husband their ground , that so they might have wherewithal to pay their taxes ; yet for this they were branded with rebellion , though they had neither taken up arms , nor acted any other hostility , every one living peaceably without giving any cause of offence . gastaldo having thus driven these poor people from their antient inheritance , without legal citing them , hearing their plea , or giving them the least time to provide for so sad a flight ; their last refuge was to have recourse to the lord by fervent prayers , and to their prince by humble supplications ; which was done not only by those that were driven from their houses , but by the other churches of the reforned religion , the cause being common to them all . but alas ! they found both his and all other his ministers ears stopped to their wosull crys ; neither could they obtain so much as admittance into the presence of his royal highness . amongst other cunning artifices used by their malicious adversaries to imbitter the spirits of his highness , and the dutchess his mother against these poor protestants , this was one ; john ressan , president of the province of pignorolio , having for many years born a deadly spleen against the popish priest of fenile , hired one to assassinate him ; and then by his secretary , he spread it abroad all over the country that the protestants were the authors of the murther , who yet five days before were driven out of fenile , which report flew far and near , being entertained as an undoubted truth by those papists who lived far off , encreasing also with carriage , though upon the place the author of this murther was well known , so that by all their reports they were not able to fasten any blemish in the minds of the dead priests friends and kindred , nor to hinder them from apprehending both the master and his secretary ; by which means the innocency of the reformed party was so cleared to the world , that the marquess of pionessa , in his letters , wherein he sought all the devices he could to lay something to their charge , never mentions this for fear of blemishing the credit of all the rest . shortly after one berru basely murdered peter rovier consul of mean ; and then fled to pignorolio , where he was met by the aforesaid rissan , who was lately returned from turin , where he had been imprisoned for the former murther , and now had his liberty no otherwise than upon good security , because the said berru and some others had taken their oathes against his secretary [ d. agot ] and himself , for being guilty of the aforementioned assassination ; but after some private conferences had between them rissan , so wrought upon that wretched berru , by gifts and promises , that he was perswaded to return back with him to turin , and there not only to retract his former oath , but to swear that he had been sollicited thereto by the two pastors leger and mechelin , as also by antonio , and francis danna , chief elders of the church of s. giovanni ; by means of this devilish retractation and calumnie , rissan and his secretary were discharged in the very heat of the war between the papists and protestants , so that they had the opportunity of forging what lies they pleased against the protestants , both at lucerna and turin , without the least contradiction , which accordingly they did to the purpose ; for at lucerna there were published at the same time two personal citations against the said leger , mechelin , and danna ; and as for berru , he was also at the same time , as a recompence for his perjury , discharged , and set at liberty , though he had been convicted of two murders , the one the afore-mentioned , and the other at s. giovanni , upon one giovanni bertot , a protestant . after this base action , he came to the said leger , and many other pastors of the valleys , and chief men , and leaning upon his staff , and bemoaning his condition , he protested to them that he could scarce stand upright , by reason of the many blows which he had received from the papists to force him to forswear himself against the said leger and the rest ; but as he could not in conscience do so wicked an act , so he had withstood them to the utmost ; telling them plainly , who so urged him , that he would rather be torn with wilde horses than do it ; and that they thereupon seeing his constancy , had beaten him most unmercifully , and then cast him out into the open streets , where he had miserably perished , had not a certain jew pitied him , and took him up , as he was grovelling on the ground , and ready to give up the ghost . in the mean time the treaty of peace being concluded at pignerolio , aug. . mr. leger and the rest against whom the process had been made , as against criminals , staying a while at pignorolio , chanced to hear of it , and thereupon went presently to the prefect rissan , entreating him to tell them if it were true that berru had thus accused them ; rissan made them such a doubtful answer , that they judged it high time to have immediate recourse to the senator prerrastino , beseeching him to declare to them the truth of the whole matter , and to appoint them a set time and place to make their justification : hereupon he told them plainly that berru had accused them for suborning him to swear falsly against de agot ; and his master ; and withal he shewed them a copy of the citation against the said leger , and the rest of his complices , which was to banish them out of the dukes dominions , if they did not appear personally at turin to answer to such interrogatories as should be proposed to them about that business . upon this sieur leger , by the assistance of david leger , a minister , handled the matter so , that the said berru was shortly after apprehended , as he was lurking in the highways , with a purpose to murther the said leger upon the first opportunity . this wretch being thus apprehended , used all the devices imaginable to have got out of their hands ; though they assured him , that all that they intended was only to make him verifie what he had already confessed before a full assembly of their ministers and others . leger being assured that berru was in safe custody , went and declared the whole matter to the senator perichvini , and to referendano tarquin , yea and to rissan himself , who was on a sudden not a little surprised at it ; afterwards he told it to the french ambassador , and to the ambassadors of the evangelical cantons , and with much ado he got leave to bring the said perjured person to pignorolio ; where he hoped to obtain leave of coming face to face against him in open justice , importuning all the dukes ministers of justice , and the french and switzers ambassadors for their intercession , the last whereof openly protested , that in case of refusal , they would complain that justice was denied them ; yet could they prevail no further , but that there should be a letter written to turin about it : from whence after a while they had an answer , that nothing could be done in it ; and so leger was fain to content himself , that he and the rest that had been accused were declared as persons altogether innocent , and clearly acquitted from the accusation that berru had made against them . upon this and the like feigned accusations , the deputies of these poor people and their supplications were miserably rejected at the court of savoy : for when they instantly beseeched the chief ministers of state at turin , that they might be admitted into the dukes presence , there to cast themselves at his feet , the council for extirpating of hereticks would not suffer them to have audience of his highness , and contrary to all equity they usurped the cognisance of this business , which belonged not to them , they being of the adverse party ; nay , they were not suffered to come in personally before them to plead their own cause , but were forced to send in their procurator gibellino , a papist , who , knowing that excommunication is the certain punishment of all those that any way favored the hereticks , durst not speak a word till he had fallen down on his knees and begged leave of the archbishop , who was president of that council ; and the conclusion was , that those of the valleys were commanded to make no more requests to his royal highness , unless they would send deputies with procuration , and power to accept and promise all that should be ordered them ; yet they ( like the importunate widow ) sent again their deputies to turin , with their requests , and with order to endeavor to get audience of his royal highness ; they also , beside other intercessions , instantly requested madam royal to have pity on them , and to procure the same for them ; they wrote also other letters to divers princes of the blood to mediate for them about the same ; but all in vain , for they could get no answer from any of them ; and the marquess of pionessa slighted their supplications , thirsting violently after the blood of these poor creatures ; yet that he might not openly discover the black design of the council for extirpating of hereticks , before the hour of its execution , he disguised his answers to them in such doubtful terms , that though he gave them but cold comfort , yet he left them not without some glimmering hopes at least of a day of audience for the hearing of their complaints , that so during this interval of time all things might be in a better readiness for the day of slaughter , as you shall hear in the next chapter . chap. xliv . a narrative of the bloody cruelties which were exercised against the protestants of the valleys of piemont during the heat of the late massacre in april , anno . upon saturday april , . whilst the deputies of the protestants were by the subtilties of pionessa , detained at turin , as you heard before , there arrived a great army at st. giovanni , which was now , with la torre , and all the lower parts unpeopled , and in a sad and lamentable condition ; this army continued there for some hours , and in the dusk of the evening fell into la torre , where they met with none of the protestants , only about eight or ten persons , not thinking of an enemy , were seeking up and down for something to satisfie their hunger ; but so soon as they came near to the convent they were saluted with a volley of shot , which killed giovanni combe , and hurt peter rostain , whereupon the rest , seeing the danger fled for their lives . the next day being the sabbath , the enemy ranged about through the communalties of la torre , and st. giovanni , plundering and pillaging all before them ; and the day after , heir number being encreased , to about fifteen thousand , they set upon the protestants in several quarters amongst the little hills of st. giovanni , and la torre . but the poor people , being prompted thereto by the law of nature , stood upon their own defence , and the enemy was vigorously opposed on every side ; in one place by captain jahier , and in other places by the officers of st. giovanni , angrognia , roccapiatta ; and their troops . tuesday april . the popish army made three several attempts to take away the bell of st. giovanni , and to burn the church ; but those of the poor people in arms did so couragiously resist them , that they were driven to a shameful retreat , with the loss of about fifty of their men ; and had not their cavalry defended the plain , they had been utterly routed : but of the protestants party there were onely two slain , upon whose dead bodies they basely revenged themselves . wednesday the . which was the fatal day to the protestants , the marquess of pianessa held the deputies of the valley of lucerna in parley till noon , and then entertained them with a large dinner , and sent them away with many fair promises , that there should be no hurt done to any except those of st. giovanni and la torre , as being the places specified in the order of gastaldo ; but for the rest , if they would but quarter a few troops as a token of their obedience , and that but for a short time , they might be fearless of the least inconvenience . hereupon the agents of angrogna bestired themselves to perswade their own party from making the least resistance ; the same did the agents of villaro and bobio : but no sooner were those troops entred , but they put all to fire and sword , slaying all they met with that had but the likeness of mankind , and that in the most barbarous manner they could possibly devise : as you may see by this extract of a letter written by some of those poor protestants , wherein they thus write ; the army having gotten footing , became very numerous by the addition of a multitude of the neighboring inhabitants , who hearing that we were given for a prey to the plunderers , fell upon us with an impetuous fury : to these were added a great number of out-laws , prisoners , and other offenders , who thought hereby to have saved their souls , and filled their purses : we were forced also to receive five or six regiments of the french army , besides some irish ( to whom as it was said , our country was promised ) and several other troops of highway-men , and vagabonds , under a pretence of coming into the valleys only for fresh quarters . the multitude being licensed by pianessa , encouraged by the monks , and led by our wicked neighbors , fell upon us with such violence on every side , and in so treacherous a manner , especially in angrognia , villaro and bobio ( to whom pianessa had plighted his troth , that if they would but quarter one regiment , they should be secure from all harm ) that in a moment of time all was turned into a confused heap , and the inhabitants constrained after skirmishes that they made in the way , to fiye for their lives , together with their wives and little children ; and that not onely the inhabitants of the plains , but of the mountains also , who had otherwise been certainly betrayed and surprised . yet was not all their diligence sufficient to preserve very many of them from destruction ; for in many places they were hemmed in on every side , that there was no way left for their flight , but they were most inhumanl● massacred . in one place they cruelly tormented one hundred and fity women and children , and afterwards chopped off the heads of some , and dashed out the brains of others against the rocks : multitudes of prisoners they took ; and such of them from fifteen years of age and upward who refused to go to mass , they hanged up some , and nailed the feet of others to trees , with their heads hanging downwards , all which they constantly endured . mr. gross , one of the pastors , with some of his family they sent to turin : they made such havock of all , that there were neither any cattel or other provision left in the valley of lucerna ; yea , in the communalties of st. giovanni , la torre , &c. a franciscan friar and another priest set fire on houses and churches that they left not one of them unburnt . in these desolations the mother was bereaved of her sweet childe , the husband of his dear wife . those which were richest amongst us are forced to beg their bread ; yea , they are weltring in their own blood , and deprived of all outward comforts ; and whereas there were some churches in st. martino , that were always formerly as a sanctuary to the persecuted , they are now commanded to quit their dwellings , and every soul of them presently to depart without any respite , and that under pain of death . the pretence of these strange massacres and cruelties are , that we are rebels to the duke's commands in not p●●forming a pure impossibility by immediate departing from our habitations in bubiana , lucerna , fenile , bricheras , la torre , st. giovanni , and st. secondo . as also for our frequent petitioning his royal highness to take pity upon us . to conclude , our beautiful and flourishing churches are left desolate , and that without remedy , unless the lord work miraculously for us , &c. the truth is , the cruelties which were there excuted would exceed the belief of any man , were they not so fully proved , by the formal attestations of eye witnesses , by the wofull crys of so many desolate and poor wretches who have been miserably robb'd of their relations , houses , lands , and all other comforts ; yea , by the formall oath of one of the chief commanders of the army that acted these cruelties , signed with his own hand in the presence of two authentick witnesses , and the voluntary confession of one of the soldiers , who told some of his comrades that many times , during the heat of the massacre , he had surfetted with eating the boiled brains of the protestants . the declaration of monsieur du petit bourg , first captain of the regiment of gransey , subscribed with his own hand at pignerol , nov. . . in the presence of two other commanders . i sieur du petit bourg being commanded by prince thomas to go , and joyne my self with the marquesse of pianessa , who was then at la torre ; upon my departure i was requested by the ambassador to speak to the marquesse , and to use my endeavour to accommodate the troubles which were amongst those of the religion in the valleys of piemont , which accordingly i did , entreating him with much earnestnesse that he would give way thereunto , and i doubted not but i should be able to effect it : but he refused this my request , and that divers times , notwithstanding all the endeavours i could possibly use to perswade him thereto ; and instead of the least mitigation , i was witnesse to many great violences , and extreme cruelties exercised by the bandets , and souldiers of piemont upon all sorts , of every age , sex , and condition , whom i saw massacred , dismembred , hanged up , burnt , and ravished , together with many horrid confusions , which i beheld with horror and regret : and without any distinction of those that resisted , and such as resisted not , they were used with all sorts of inhumanity , their houses burnt , their goods plundered ; and when prisoners were brought before the said marquesse , i saw him give order to give them no quarter at all , saying , his highnesse was resolved to have none of the religion within his dominions . and whereas in his declaration he protests that there was no hurt done to any but during the fight , nor the least outrage committed upon any persons that were not fit to beare armes : i will maintaine that it is not so , having seene with my eyes many persons killed in cold blood : as also women , aged persons , and young children , miserably murdered , &c. the attestation of divers persons of honour , and integrity , who were for the most part eye , and eare witnesses of the ensuing barbarous cruelties which were exercised upon diverse members of the evangelical churches in the valleys of piemont in the late massacre . sarah rastignole des vignes , about sixty years of age , being overtaken by divers souldiers , was commanded to say her prayers , and when she had done they bade her say jesus maria , which the poor woman refusing , one of the souldiers thrust a sickle into the lower part of her belly , and ript her up to the navel , and then dragged the poor creature upon the ground , being half dead , till another came and cut off her head ; the daughter in law of this poor woman who hid her self in the snow for two dayes after without any succour , was an eye-witnesse hereof . martha constantine of giovanni , after that she had seene several others most cruelly put to death , was her self , first ravished , and afterwards had her breasts cut off , and part of her privities by some of the souldiers , who fried them , and set them before some of their comrades , making them believe they were tripes , but when they had eaten a good part , they told them what they were , which caused a quarrel amongst them ; and they that had eaten them were so sick , that some of them died soon after . this was certified by a papist to one andrea javel of einachia . a man of thrassaniere being taken prisoner , received divers stabs in the soles of his feet , and in his eares by two of the souldiers , who afterwards cut off his privie members , and then applied a burning candle to the wound , frying it with the flame thereof , that so the blood might be stopped , and the torments of that miserable creature prolonged . then tore they his nailes off with burning pincers to force him to renounce his religion : but when nothing would do , they tyed one of his legs to a mule , and dragged him thorow the streets till he was almost dead , and then binding a ●ord about his head , they twisted it with a staffe till his eyes and braines dropped out , and then cast his carcasse into the river . peter simond of angrogna about eighty years of age , was tyed neck and heeles together , and so violently thrown down a fearful precipice , but by the way , falling upon a cragged branch of a tree , he there hung in a most languishing condition for divers days together ( a most lamentable spectacle to behold ) being neither able to help himself , nor capable of receiving help from others , the precipice being inaccessible . esay garcino of angrogna , of ninety years old , had first his body cut , and hacked in small pieces , and then his head chopped off . the wife of daniel armand of la torre , had her body torne and cut in pieces , and the parts of it strawed along the high-way , and hung upon the hedges . captain pola of plancalier took two poor women of la torre , and with his fauchin ript up their bellies , and left them grovling upon the snow in this sad and lamentable condition till they died . the souldiers of bagnols cut off , first the nose , then the fingers , and lastly the hands of a very old , and decrepid woman , and so left her languishing in this woful condition , not having so much as an hand to feed her self with , till she died . they took also many little children , and tender infants , and flung them down the steep rocks , whereby they were dashed to pieces . magdalen bertino of la torre they stripped stark-naked , tied her head between her legs , and threw her down one of the precipices . mary reymonde● of la torre , a lame woman , was found in a cave with all her flesh sliced off from the bones , and chopt as small as herbs to the pot . magdalen pilot of villaro being exceeding decrepit , and blinde with old age , was cut in pieces in a cave near castelus . anna daughter to giovanni charboniere of la torre had a long stake thrust into her privities by some of the souldiers , who each man in his turne carried her upon their shoulders till they were weary , and then stuck the end of the stake into the ground , and so left her hanging in the aire : a terrible spectacle to every one that passed by . giovanni andrea michialin of la torre being taken prisoner , escaped miraculously , having first seen three of his children torn in pieces limb from limb before his eyes , and the fourth , being about six weeks old , snatched out of the mothers arms , stripped of its swadling cloaths , and its brains dashed out against the rocks . jacob perrin , an elder of the church of villaro , and david his brother being taken prisoners in their beds , were carried to lucerna , and cast into the marquesses prison , where they were most barbarously and cruelly handled , the bloody souldiers stripping off the skin on their arms and legs , in long slices like leathern points , till the flesh was left quite bare : after which they were miserably starved to death in the same prison , and their carcasses left to rot there . giovanni pelanchion , a young man about twenty five years old , having been taken prisoner , made an escape ; but being taken again by the souldiers , they tyed one of his legs to the taile of a mule , and so dragged him through all the streets of lucerna ; and because the poor wretch sometimes lifted up his hands and head , through pain and anguish that he suffered by the grating of his body against the ragged flints , the bloody and mercilesse villains batter●d and bruised his body with stones and brick-bats , crying , that he was possessed with the divel which kept him from dying . after which they cut off his privy members , and crammed them violently down the poor creatures mouth , and down his throat to stop his breath , and at last chop 't off his head , and so drawing him to the rivers bank , they left him there unburied . magdalen the daughter of peter fontana , a beautiful girle about ten years old , being taken by some of these lecherous brutes , because her body was uncapable of being forced in an ordinary way , they tore her in so inhumane a manner , that afterwards she was found half dead , wallowing in her own blood . a poor woman apprehending her danger , having a sucking child in the cradle , took the child and cradle upon her head , and fled : some of the souldiers seeing her , pursued ; and she perceiving that she was like to be overtaken , left her cradle in the way , supposing that those butchers could not have such hearts of adamant as to hurt her innocent babe , and so hid her self in the cleft of a rock not far off : but these hell-hounds finding the infant in the cradle , took it out , and tore it in pieces , and afterwards finding the mother , they first ravished her , and then cut off her head , and left her dead body upon the snow . at villa nova the daughter of moses long , about ten years old , as she was slying upon the snow , some souldiers of piemont took her , broached her upon a pike , and roasted her alive with a fire made upon a broad stone : and after a while they cut off a slice of her flesh , intending to have eated it ; but finding it not well roasted , their stomacks would not serve them to eat it . jacopo michelino , one of the chief elders of the church of bobio , being taken prisoner , had his two hands tyed to his privy members , and so hung upon a gate in a shameful posture ; but the shame was nothing to the torments , the whole weight of his body hanging upon so tender a part , which caused most exquisite and almost incredible pain : and this they did to force him to renounce his religion ; but when this prevailed not , they took him down , and carried him away amongst other prisoners : and afterwards having with incredible constancy endured a world of other cruelties , he at last exchanged this life for a better . peter gros , during the time of his imprisonment , saw two of these poor protestants of la sarcena , hanging in a most hideous manner , meerly by their privy members , and their hands tyed behind them , till their very bowels were almost torn out , and so at last they dyed with horrible pain and anguish . giovanni rostagnal of bobio , being eighty years old , had his nose , ears , and other parts of his body cut off , and so he was left languishing upon the snow for a long time , till at last he gave up the ghost . daniel salvagio and his wife ; giovanni durant , daniel revel , lodwick and bartholomew durant , all brothers , and paolo reynaud , being taken by the souldiers , had their mouths and throats stuffed with gunpowder , and then setting fire to it , their heads were torn all to pieces . jacob di rone , a schoolmaster of roras , being stript stark naked , after they had torn off his nails with pincers , and made a thousand holes in his hands with a daggers point , they dragged him by a cord fastened about his middle through the bourge of lucerna , and at every step he took , one souldier on one side cut off a piece of his flesh with a fauchin , and another on the other side gave him a great blow with a staffe , crying , what sayst thou now barbet ? wilt thou go to masse ? to which the poor creature with admirable constancy , as long as he was able to speak , answered , much rather death than the masse ; dispatch me quickly for the love of god. a while after came a notorious cut-throat , who as soon as he saw him , cryed out , lo , here is the minister of roras , withal giving him a deadly blow athwart the head with a back-sword : from thence they dragged him to the bridge , and cutting off his head , they threw him into the river of pelis . paolo garnier of roras being taken by these murderers , they first violently pulled out his eyes , then cut off his privy members , thrusting his yard into his mouth , and in this posture they exposed him to publick scorn for several days together ; afterwards in a most inhumane manner they flead him alive , and then cutting his skin in four parts , they hung it in the windows of foure of the principal houses of lucerna . daniel cardon of roccappiata being taken by some of the souldiers , they cut off his head , took out his brains , and frying them in a pan , eat them up ; they cut open his breast also , and were taking out his heart to fry and eat that , but that they were frighted by some of the poor peoples troops that were coming that way . margaret revel of la cartere , aged eighty five years ; mary di pravillerm , aged ninety years , and blind , both of s. giovanni , were taken , and in a most barbarous manner were both burned alive . madona lena , aged eighty years , and blind , and jeanna batzan , aged ninety years , both of la torre , were used in the like cruel manner , and burned a widow of la torre , who had lain very sick for three years together , was taken by some of these bloody villains , together with one of her daughters , and were drawn upon a carr through the streets of la torre , and as they passed along , some of these blood-hounds stabbed their bodies with pitchforks , others bruised them with flints and stones , and then they threw them into the river of angrogna , where they threw stones and bats at them till they dyed . paolo giles of la torre , as he fled for his life , was shot into the neck by one of them , after which they slit his face through the chin and nose , and when they had slain him , they left his carcasse to be eaten by the dogs . some of these murderers having taken eleven men at garcigliana , heated a great furnace red hot , forced these poor creatures to throw one another into it , and when it came to the last man , they themselves threw him in also . these sons of blood pursued , and hunted out multitudes of these poor protestants amongst the rocks and mountains , by the traces of their bleeding legs and feet , which were cut and mangled with the ice , and flints which they met with in the way , and having found them , basely murdered them . michel gonet of lucernetta , aged ninety years at least , was burnt alive by the mountains of bobio , whither he had fled to hide himself . bartholomew frasche of fenile , was taken by the souldiers , and after they had slashed and mangled his legs , they thrust a poysoned knife through his heels , and in this woful plight they dragged , and threw him into the common prison at turin , where he lay in continual torment till he dyed . giovanni baptista oudri , an old man , was cruelly murthered at la sarcena , after he had been barbarously abused by them . magdalena la peire , a woman of about thirty five years of age , being pursued by these villains , and knowing what measure she should meet with if she fell into their hands , chose rather to throw herself down a dreadfuly precipice , whereby she dyed . margeret revella , aged about eighty five years , together with marie di pravillerm , about ninety years old , and blind , were both burnt alive . mary davi was basely murdered by them . michel bellino , with anna di pol bochiardino , and a servant of theirs , were beheaded . the daughter of peter mallonat , a councellor of saint giovanni , together with her brother , an infant of eight months old in her arms , were rolled down a steep hill , and two days after they were found dead upon the snow . one giovanni , with his wife and child , were hurled down a mighty rock , the mother holding the child in her arms , and three days after they were found dead ; only the child was alive , and clasped so fast in the dead mothers arms , that they had much ado to get it out . joseph chiairet , having received a wound in the flight , was flayed alive , and his grease taken out of his body : the like was done to paolo carniero . mattheo turin was massacred at lucernetta , and his body devoured by dogs . margeret saretta was stoned to death , and her dead body cast into the river . cypriano bastia was cruelly starved to death , and his body cast to the dogs . antonio bertino , had first his nose , paps , and privities cut off , and then his head cleft in twain . two children were first murdered , and then burnt to ashes . joseph pont was first wounded in his back , and then had his body cut off in the middle . daniel de maria being found in a place where he had hid himself , and lay sick , had first two of his children murdered before his eyes , and then himself barbarously slain . judith , a widow of eighty years old , was dragged up and down upon the ground , and at last had her head cut off . three infants of peter fine were stifled in the snow . a maid that was an innocent , was first stripped stark naked , and then had a long stake driven through her belly , whereof she dyed . luce the wife of peter besson , being near the time of her lying down , as she fled for her life , was so affrighted with the shreeks of some that were massacred , that she fell in travel upon the mountains where she was , and afterwards was found dead with the new born infant , and two other sucking children lying by her . francis , the son of mr. gros a minister , being taken , had his body cut into small gobbets , whilst he was alive , and that in the presence of his wife ; and then they took two of his small children , and most inhumanely murdered them . the sieur thomas margher being forced to flye from his house , being an elder of la torre , was miserably starved to death with hunger and cold . judith ravelin , with her seven children , were all barbarously murdered in their beds . anna , a widow of about seventy five years old , was cut in pieces by the souldiers . the wife of gaspar fayol , being taken , was forced to labour hard for them by cutting down the corne , and at last as she was so at work , they came behind her , and cut off her head . jacob rosseno refusing to say jesus maria , was first cruelly beaten with cudgels , and clubs ; and having received several shots in his body , they at last clave his head . two children , both of them dumb , were most unmercifully murthered . susanna , the daughter of p●olo giacquin , resisting a souldier that would have ravished her , and by chance pushing him down a rock , was hewed in pieces by others of them . giovanni pullius , a poor pesant of la torre , being taken by the souldiers , after all manner of reproaches , and scorns cast upon him by the friers , and others , in words , and actions , was by the command of the marquesse of pionessa dragged by the hangman to a place near the convent , where the marquesse commanded the hangman to place the ladder against a tree , and to prepare for his execution , at which time the monks , and priests ceased not to use all the arguments which the devil and their own wicked wits could possibly furnish them with , to shake the faith , and constancie of this poor creature ; yet could they not prevaile ; yea by all his gestures , and expressions he shewed the inward joy of his soul that he was counted worthy to suffer for the name of christ : and though they oft pressed him to remember the sad estate that he should leave his children and family in , yet he alwayes answered that it was his hearty prayer to almighty god that his children might follow their fathers steps , and die like himself : whereupon the priests seeing all their labour lost , assisted the hangman to end this poor mans life , and hasted to turn him off the ladder . sieur paolo clement , an elder of the church of rossana , was shortly after brought by the monks and priests to this same place , and shewed the dead body of the other , thinking thereby to scare him from his principles , and profession : but he answered them with undaunted courage , that they might kill the body , but could never be able to prejudice the soul of a true believer . he told them also that god would assuredly avenge the innocent blood that they had spilt : and so having by some ejaculations prepared to resigne up his soul unto god , he desired the hangman to do his work : three or four dayes after the marquesse of pianessa coming that way , one of the souldiers discharged a musquet at his dead body , whereupon there gushed out a streame of fresh blood , which the marquesse observing , said to some about him , this blood cries for vengeance : afterwards they took both these dead bodies , and hung them up naked by one foot neer to la torre , and when any prisoner of the protestants passed that way , they forced him or her to go and kisse their privities , that they might put alike scorne both upon the living and dead : but by reason of the multitude of bullets that were shot thorow them by the souldiers , they at last fell to pieces . daniel rambaut of villaro , having a numerous family , was taken , ●nd carried to paysana with divers others of his neighbours , where he was cast into prison , and after awhile was importunatly set upon by the monks , and masse priests , both with promises , and threats , to pronounce jesus maria ; and when they could not prevail , the tormentors first cut off his fingers one by one , and then his hands , and lastly gave him a deadly wound in the stomack , and then they dragged his carcasse to the rivers side , and left it to be devoured by dogs , and wilde beasts . peter chabriolo being taken by the souldiers , they hung a great quantity of gunpowder about his body , and then giving fire to it , tore him all to pieces . antony the sonne of samuel calieris , a dumb , and innocent creature , was inhumanly butchered as he was sitting by the fire side . peter moninat , and his wife , lying both of them extreme sick , were murthered by the souldiers , who finding in the same house one of their children a poor infant , lame and impotent , they cut off its legs , and so left it in that miserable plight : they had also another poor girle , who had been dumb from her cradle , which not long after was found starved to death for want of sustenance . daniel benech of villaro was taken by the souldiers , who cut off his nose , eares , and other parts of his body , till they had slain him , and then they left the mangled pieces upon the hedges , and bushes in the same place . two of his children were also stifled in the snow . mary the widow of daniel pelanchion of villaro , being taken by the souldiers , after they had basely abused her , they almost shot her to death , and then threw her into the river : but this poor woman being not quite dead , with much pains , and hard shifts , got out of the river again , hoping to be somewhat revived by the warme sunne which she laid her down in : but some of these bloody villains spying her , they fastened a rope to her feet , and dragged her to the bridge , where they hung her up by the legs , and so shot her to death , afterwards leaving her stark naked upon the rock . mary the wife of daniel monino was taken by the souldiers , who having broken her jawes in pieces , they gave her a deep cut in the neck , so that her head was halfe off , and so they left her in that languishing condition , till after extreme torments endured for divers dayes together , she at last yielded up the ghost . mary the widow of david nigrino ( a poor beggar of villaro ) together with her daughter who was an innocent , were both inhumanly massacred in the village of bozza , and their dead bodies were thrown into the woods . susanna the widow of samuel bals of villaro , was by the souldiers basely abused at their pleasure , and afterwards they shut her up between two stone walls , where she was miserably pined to death . susanna the wife of jacob calvio being sorely wounded by the souldiers , after which flying into a barne to hide her self , the souldiers perceiving it , set fire on the barne , and burnt her to ashes . a child of daniel bertino , who had been dumb , and an innocent from the womb , was burnt in a barne at balmedaut . paolo armand , being extreme sick and weak , was by these barbarians hacked in pieces . andrea bertino , a very old , and lame man , had his breasts first cut off , and then was cruelly murthered by these bloody villains , who to testifie their malice against him for his constancie in religion , after he was dead they cut out his bowels , and with their halberds hacked his body in pieces . daniel the sonne of david michialino , being taken by the souldiers , after much other cruel usage , had his tongue pulled out with great violence and torments . constantia bellione had her body hacked , and mangled in most parts thereof , and then was shot to death with several bullets in her bowels : and after she was dead they cleft her head with a hanger . judith mondon was beaten to death in a savage manner with clubs and staves . david paglias , and paolo genre endeavouring to fly , each of them having a little infant in his armes , being at last tired , and out of breath , were overtaken by the souldiers , and both men and infants inhumanly murthered . micheli genre , a young man of bobio , was thrown off the bridge of la torre , where , as he was praying with his hands lifted up to heaven , he was partly stoned , and partly drowned . david armand was knocked , and beaten about the head with an hamer till he died . jacob baridono , being taken prisoner at villaro , and from thence carried to la torre , after the tormentors had sufficiently , and cruelly afflicted him with burning matches between his fingers , his lips , and other parts of his body , till with intolerable paine he died , they caused his dead corps to be carried out by two of his fellow-prisoners , and by them to be thrown into the river pelice : but thinking that too honorable a burying-place for an heretick , they forced them to fetch it out again , and to lay it on the rivers brink , where , after they had exposed the same to all manner of ignominies , it was at last eaten up by dogs . margeret the wife of joseph garniero , having received a shot in one of her brest , as she was giving suck to her little child with the other , was yet so couragious that with many pathetical expressions she exhorted her husband to endure the crosse with patience , and to hold out to the end ; neither did she desire any favour of the murtherers , but onely that they would spare the life of her innocent babe : which accordingly they did : but withal gave the mother another shot in her body whereof she died , and afterwards the infant being found alive in the dead mothers armes , was miraculously preserved . isaiah mondon having a long time hid himself in the cleft of a rock , where for many dayes together he had nothing but a few leaves of unwholsome herbs to eat , was at last found out by the souldiers , and most unmercifully handled by them : and from thence they drave him towards the town of lucerna , being almost half dead : at last when the poor creature could march no further , he fell down upon his knees , and beseeched them to dispatch him speedily , which accordingly they did ; for partly with their swords , and partly with their pistols , they put an end to his miserable life , crying out in a scoffing manner , kill the barbet , kill the barbet , who refuseth to become a christian. giovanni barrolino and his wife were cast alive into a poole , and often plunged , and thrust under the water with staves , and pitchforks , and at last were dispatched with stones and brickbats . mary revel receiving a shot in her body , fell down in a manner dead , yet afterwards she recovered so much strength as to get upon her knees , and as she was praying to god , the bloody enemy dispatched her . giovanni salvagiot as he was returning from bagnol , after the peace was concluded , as he passed by a chappel , because he put not off his hat , and made obeysance thereto , was murthered , and his body left unburied . giovanni gayo , and divers other men , women , and children hid themselves in a cave , where for a time they continued in safety : but at last were discovered by some of these bloodhounds ; whereupon they fell upon their knees , and begged their lives of them , most of the murtherers having been their neighbours , and familiar acquaintance , and such as had pretended great friendship to them : but the mercy of these men proved extreme cruelty : for the kindest salute they could afford their old acquaintance was with swords , musquets , and pistols : which the poor people perceiving , and not desiring to behold the lamentable misery each of other , they kneeled down in a ring , and thrust their heads into ferne , and such like stuffe as they had prepared to lie upon , in which posture they were all miserably shot to death , and their dead bodies afterwards horribly mangled , and cut in pieces . jacob barral and his wife having been taken prisoners by the earle of saint secondo , were three or four dayes after carried forth : and having first cut off the womans breasts , they shot them to death . antony guiguo went to periero with a purpose to change his religion ; but it pleased god so to touch his heart , that he repented of the resolution , and sought to make an escape : but as he was flying , some troops of the marquesse of galeas caught him , and used him most cruelly because he would not yield to go to masse : and as they carried him prisoner towards praly , passing by a precipice , the poor man to avoid his tormentors , leaped down from the rock , and so was dashed in pieces . very many others there were which might here have been inserted , whereof some were drowned , some burnt , some slaine with the sword , some shot to death , some starved , some smothered in the snow , some pined , some killed with staves , some cut in pieces : but i am weary with reckoning up their names , and i suppose the reader also is tired with these cruelties : yet are their names written in red letters in the kalender of heaven , though their popish adversaries would have them written in the dust : and whosoever desires to see more , may finde a larger catalogue in master moorlands history of the peresecutions in the valleys of piemont . chap. xlv . a true narrative of the war in the valleys of piemont between the popish , and protestant party upon the occasion of the massacre . in the former chapter you have a faithful narration of what cruelties were exercised against the reformed party in the valleys of piemont from the first arrival of , the marquesse of pianessa's forces at st. giovanni , which was april . . to the . of the same : by which time they had made such havock of the poor people , that there was now onely the little communalty of roras which was left entire , and untouched : but that they also might in all things be made like unto their suffering brethren of the other churches , and that it might appear that the destruction was designed to be universal , the earle of christophle upon that very day , being april . sent three hundred souldiers secretly by the way of villaro , to surprize them of roras , and to put them all to the sword : this party being got upon a little hill called rumer , belonging to roras , it pleased god that they were met with by some souldiers belonging to captaine joshua gianavel ( whom god raised up at that time as a choice instrument for the preservation of the poor scattered remnant of his people ) . these souldiers being but seven or eight of them , yet having been beforehand placed in ambuscado at a convenient post to prevent the inrode of the enemy , they fired upon them , and plyed them so hard , that many of them were killed upon the place , and the rest , supposing by the great number of bullets that flew about their eares , that the men in ambuscado were sixe times more in number than indeed they were , they fled back in great disorder , and confusion : which the others perceiving , they fell upon their rear , and chased them at least three quarters of a league amongst the rocks , and woods , doing notable execution upon them in their flight . the members of this little church of roras , to take away all occasions of exceptions , presented their complaints to the marquesse of pianessa , who , that he might have the better opportunity to deceive , and surprize them , answered , that those of his souldiers that went to roras , were but thieves , robbers , and out-lawes , that herein had wholly disobeyed his orders ; adding that they had done him a singular favour in driving them out of their countrey ; and that he would take a course to prevent their being disturbed for the future : and hereupon he published an order whereby he straightly charged his souldiers , not to give them any further causes of complaints , nor to molest them in any kind hereafter . yet perfidiously , the very next day he sent a party of five hundred chosen men to put his first bloody designe in execution . as these men were passing over a little hill of roras , they were so saluted by eleven musqueteers of the protestants , and six men with slings under the conduct of captaine gianavel , who had divided them into three squadrons , that the enemy was soone put to flight : and this poor handful of despicable men pursued them for an whole league , slaying a very great number of them , without the losse or hurt of any one of themseves , which shews the admirable providence of god in preserving , and prospering those that fight his battels . the marquesse of pianessa , though he had failed this second , yet was resolved to make a third attempt ; and still to deceive them , he made new promises , and protestations that no injury in the world should be offered them , and that in regard of the intercession of the earle of christophle , their lord and patron , he would protect , and defend them ; yet the very morrow after he sent a party of seven hundred men , who first seized upon , and secured all the passes , that none might escape their bloody hands , and then most barbarously burnt , and destroyed whatsoever they met with thorow all the communalty of roras . hereupon seventeen housekeepers , whose hearts god had marvelously strengthened , and encouraged for their poor brethrens preservation , seeing what they must expect , and that nothing but death , and destruction waited for them , unlesse some admirable providence prevented it : as also calling to mind those signal deliverances which god had vouchsafed to his ancient people of the jewes in their greatest straits : they unanimously resolved to cast themselves with their lives , and estates into the hands of the same god , resting upon his gracious promises , and freely submitting to his good will and pleasure for the issue of their undertaking . the captaine of this valiant party was the aforesaid gianavel , who marching up with this little band , suddenly surprized , and dexterously carried away their court of guard with their centinel from off a little hill where they were placed : at which bold attempt , the enemy being not a little amazed , withdrew from the place where they were , resolving to march thorow a little meadow , and so to get to villaro or la torre : but being not nimble enough , the others met with them at piampra , and there slew many of them , without the losse of any one of their own , and took from them all the cattel , and other things which they had plundered from the neighbouring places . pianessa seeing all his designes thus frustrated , and that his specious promises were but as so many watchwords to bid these poor people to stand upon their guard ; he speedily sent to all those of lucerna , bubbiana , barges , bagnol , famolas , cavors , and the adjacent places , who wete able to bear arms , to come and joyn with a good part of his own army , to environ these poor people on every side . but god , who infatuates mens counsels as he pleaseth , though the time of their rendezvouse was punctually assigned them , yet they came two hours too late ; all except the troop of bagnol , which was conducted by one mario , a notorious persecutor , and an inveterate enemy to the reformed churches : this mario with his ragged regiment of theives , outlaws , and a great number of irish rebels , assaulted this poor people on the upper and lower part of the canton of rumer , who were not about seventeen in number ; yet the lord was pleased so to encourage them , that they presently gat upon the top of the mountain , and there after a long skirmish forced their enemies , though full of fury and malice , yet to give back , and to flie as far as the cliff called pairo capello ; in which fight and pursuit they killed above sixty of them , and wounded many more , and many of them being laden with plunder , as they fled amongst the precipices of the rocks , fell down , and were dashed in pieces . those of them that were lighter , and nimbler , gat safe to pairo capello ; but when they came there they found greater difficulties to contest with than before ; for being closly pursued and compassed in on every side , they were forced to take the ropes wherewith they had bund up their plunder , and tying them to shrubs , to slide down the rocks by them , and to fall into the river that ran below ; but by reason of the violence of the torrent , and the great confusion that was amonst them , one falling on the neck of another , and such as could not swim , catching hold of them that could , the greatest part of them were there drowned . captain mario also amongst the rest threw himself into the river , and had not several of the souldiers that could swim excellent well , ventured their lives to fetch him out , he had gone with the rest to receive present pay from the devil . this captain mario , having thus escaped , was carried to lucerna in his shirt , without either hat or shoos , as a man at his wits end ; and shortly after he fell into a desperate disease , whereof he died : but before his death he oft cried out in a most despairing manner , that he felt a grievous burning in his bowels , as a just judgement upon him for having burnt so many innocent persons , and their habitations . the protestants after this gallant action , being somewhat weary with their hard service , as they were marching back to refresh themselves , they spied another company of murtherers coming from villaro , whereupon forgetting their weariness , they placed themselves in ambuscado : when the enemy drew near the place , they perceived some of them ; but not being able by their colours to discern of what party they were , they called to them for the word ; the protestants answered not , but beckned to them to come nearer , which they did in a careless posture , supposing them to be friends , and when they came near , the others suddenly discharged upon them , and slew many of them upon the place , and the rest they pursued near to la torre , and villaro . after which signal victory , captain gianavel rallied his men upon an high ground not far off , and in the very sight of his enemies , he caused them to kneel down , and with a loud voyce to give thanks unto the lord for this very great mercy in their deliverance . three days after , the marquess of pianessa , being highly incensed by this success of the protestants , sent to the people of roras , expresly charging them to change their religion , within the space of twenty four hours , and that upon pain of death , and of having their houses burnt to the ground : to which they answered , that they would much rather chuse death , than to obey any such order . the marquess vexed at their resolute answer , presently dispatched away eight thousand men , besides the militia forces of the neighboring commonalties ; who according to his order were divided into three squadrons , the one to set upon the poor people on the side of villaro , the other upon the mountains of bagnol , and the third on that part which looks toward lucerna ; which accordingly they did , not only murthering man , woman and childe , but exercising all manner of cruelties upon them , taking much pleasure ( like bloody villains ) in torturing those poor creatures , and in tossing their little infants from off their pikes and halberts , and dashing their brains against the rocks , whose cryes would have melted an heart of adamant , but theirs were harder ; the number thus taken and slain was about one hundred twenty six , the rest almost miraculously escaped their bloody hands . having thus shewn their valour upon naked men , women and infants , and being glutted with the prey that they found in the country , they turned their houses into ashes ; and such as survived they sent prisoners to turin , amongst whom was the wife and children of captain gianavel , and so they marched back to lucerna with great joy and acclamations . shortly after pianessa wrote to captain gianavel promising him great preferment if he would change his religion ; otherwise , threatning that his wife and children should be burnt : he also promised a great sum of money to any that should bring him the said gianavel either alive or dead . to this captain gianavel presently answered , that there was no torment so violent , nor death so cruel , that he did not much prefer before the abjuration of his religion ; and that all these promises and threats did but the more fortifie him and strengthen his faith : and for his wife and children , he told the marquess that though he had gotten them into his power , yet he could but kill their bodies ; and as for their souls , he recommended them , together with his own into the hands of god , in case it so happened that he should fall into his power . this captain gianavel having gotten together a small party of men upon part of the alps called la pellas des jamies , may . went out in the evening to a place about three leagues off , not far from bubiana , where he first sought god by prayer , and afterwards being informed of the number and strength of the enemy , finding them too many to be attachqued by such a handful of men , he turned towards lucernetta , where he was furiously assaulted by the garison of lucerna , but he couragiously encountred them without the loss of any one man , only himself was shot into the leg , by a souldier that had hid himself behinde a tree , with a purpose to have slain him ; but the captain perceiving whence the shot came , lame as he was , he made to the place , where he quickly dispatched him for his pains . whilst these things were acting , the irish rebels in the marquesses army , thinking to make themselves masters of babbiana , under a pretence of protecting them against the barbets , the peasants of the place perceiving their drift , took occasion to quarrel with them , and after drove them out , killing a great number of them . may the . . captain gianavel wrote to captain jahier and the rest that were retired into val lucerna , to meet at a rendezvouz at angrognia , which accordingly they did , and the day after they marched together to a place in the plain called garcigliana , thinking to have entred the town ; but they met with a great party of horse and foot , yet they disputed it with them a long time , but being overpowred , they were forced to retreat ; though they got six yoke of oxen , and many other small cattel , and some prisoners , and that with the loss of one only man in the retreat . may . they marched to st. secondo , where , having first kneeled down , and prayed for a blessing upon their undertaking , encouraging one another , they attaqued the place with incredible valor ; and the better to secure themselves against their enemies , who had lodged and fortified themselves in houses , they got planks , barrels , and such other things as they met with to keep off the bullets , which were poured out upon them out of those houses , and so quickly made themselves masters of the doors of those houses , to which immediately they set fire , and so forced their entrance , putting all the souldiers they found to the sword ; and no marvel ; for they had been extreamly provoked to this rigour by the others cruel usage of their wives and children : besides every room of those houses was filled with the plundered goods of the protestants ; yet did they not meddle either with women or children . then did they set fire on the town , and plundred the churches , which they found full of their own goods and cattel , and carried away seven of their mass-bells . at this time they slew about four hundred and fifty of their enemies , and amongst others a whole company of irish rebels , who chose rather to be burnt than to crave quarter . of the protestants there were only seven slaine , and six or seven more slightly wounded , whereof they soon recovered . munday june the fourth , the captaines jahier , laurentio , gianavel , genolat , benet , and other officers of the protestants went to angrognia , and having called a councel of warre , they concluded the next day to alarum the enemy at briqueras , and saint giovanni : and accordingly the captaines laurentio and jahier went by the way of reccapiatta , that by the help of the thick woods wherein they shrouded themselves , they might the better approach briqueras , and having gotten upon a little hill near the town , captaine laurentio made there a stand to hinder any relief that might be sent them from saint secondo , and captaine jahier marching down , set fire on several houses and barnes . at the sight of this fire , they of briqueras gave notice to those of cavors , fenile , bubiana , campiglione , and other neighbouring places , whereupon the enemy quickly advanced towards them , and were as soone beaten back again : in the mean time there came a party of about twenty horse and stood at saint secondo , lest the reformed party should salley out that way , really believing that they had a designe upon briqueras : but captaine jahier marched with his company by the way of saint giovanni , and captaine laurentio went an higher way , yet both met at the place appointed , where captaine gianavel was engaged with the enemies from lucerna , and la torre , against whom he had defended himself very stoutly : then did captaine jahier charge them on the flanck , and captaine laurentio on the front , seasonably interposing his company in that place where the enemy had thought to have surrounded captaine gianavel , so that the popish party was soone routed , leanving one hundred men behinde them , besides many that were wounded , the reformed party having but one slaine upon the place . june the second , three hundred of the enemies went from la torre to fetch a convoy into the fort of mirebuc , situate between the frontires of dauphine , and piemont : but captaine gianavel being at malbec , though he had but nine souldiers with him , fell upon them , and fought a great while with them to the great astonishment of his enemies : but at last was forced to retreat without the losse of a man , only four were slightly wounded . afterwards captaine gianavel with a small party marched to la palle des guienets , from whence he sent to some that were retired into villora , requiring that all those of the reformed religion should within twenty four hours come out of the said place where masse was celebrated , and that upon the paine of being dealt with as enemies , and that such as through weaknesse had abjured , and would persist in their abjuration , should depart thence upon the same penalty . hereupon all the papists fled presently out of villaro , and the protestants came in to captaine gianavel , and such of them as were able to bear armes followed him chearfully : the rest contributed according to their abilities towards the maintenance of him , and his troops . those which through frailty had abjured their religion went over the mountain into the valley of queires ; yet not long after they returned like so many wandring sheep to the true shepherd of their souls , and testifying their repentance , were again received into the bosome of the church . after those of lucerna were retreated , the captaines jahier , and gianavel , with some other officers called a councel of warre , wherein they resolved to sally out , and if it were possible , to surprise those of la torre , most of which were irish. but the enemie having timely notice , was so prepared , that they killed some who had passed the bridge at angrognia , which so encouraged them that they thought to have enclosed all the small body of protestants , and to have cut them all off : but after many assaults to no purpose , they were forced to retreat to la torre with the losse of very many of their souldiers , besides many others that were dangerously wounded . the next day the captains , jahier , and gianavel went before la torre , against whom many of the souldiers came out ; but not sallying forth in a full body , they were all slain upon the place , which their captains seeing , they thought fit to send out no more : whereupon the protestants retreated towards angrognia , to a place called la verne , where a few houses were yet left unburnt . the next day was spent in the review of their army , and holding a councel of warre , where they resolved to send a party against the communalty of crusol , the inhabitants whereof had made incursions upon them , and committed many outrages in the beginning of the massacre : and accordingly they marched all night , being four hundred ninety and five men , and passing by la torre undiscovered , a little after midnight they arrived at crusol , where they took four hundred head of cattel , six hundred sheep and goats , with much other booty , and that without the least resistance : for the inhabitants of crusol , being terribly affrighted , had cast themselves into the mouth of a most fearful rock , whence they could not be gotten out : and so the protestants returned over one of the alps of villaro , where arriving the next day towards evening , they divided the spoil amongst the souldiers . presently after their departure the enemy from lucerna , cavors , briqueras , and other places to the number of eight hundred , having heard of their designe against crusol , marched to their relief : but finding that they were gone too farre to be overtaken , they resolved not to lose their labours , and so fell a plundering the poor people ( though their friends ) much worse than the protestants had done , and afterwards falling out amongst themselves about dividing the spoil , they destroyed one another instead of doing hurt to the reformed party . the very same day that this enterprize was against crusol , the enemy at saint secondo advanced to burn the rest of the houses at roccapiatta , and being advanced as farre as to the little hill of angrognia , they thought to have surprized the rest of the forces left under the command of captaine laurentio , and captaine jahiers brother : but they having timely intelligence of it , marched presently to the top of the mountain with one half of the souldery , leaving the other halfe under the command of captaine bennet of saint germano , who also with all possible expedition , took his post upon the said little hill with seventeen of his men , and placed the rest in ambuscado . but the enemies hearts misgiving them , they shamefully retreated , at which time they took one giovanni pietro ragio as he was coming from pinachia , and binding his head with a cord , they strained it with such violence , that they made it sink into his brains , and so they sent him to turin , where he ended his dayes shortly after by a languishing , and miserable death . eight dayes after , captaine gianavel , having waited three whole dayes at angrognia for the coming of captaine jahier , that with joint forces they might assault the town of lucerna , when he came not , he resolved to assault it himself , and so marching all night , he arrived at lucerna by break of day . his first work was to cut off the pipes that conveyed water into the town , and brak down the bridge that no relief might come to them from bubiana , barges , and bagnol : then did he assault the town , and quickly defeated two of the out-guards : but the regiment of monsieur de merolles , and divers others being got into the town the night before , he was constrained to give over the enterprize , and to retreat , whereas if captaine jahier had come in time , and joyned with him , probably they had carried the place , june the eighth , captaine gianavel being left alone at angrognia only with his own company , and some few others , was assaulted early in the morning by the souldiers of la torre and others , one part of them getting upon the top of the mountain , and the other part going the lower passage to possess themselves of the gate of angrognia by the way of saint bartholomew , intending suddenly to fall upon captaine gianavel and his small company , having already devoured them in their hopes : but it pleased god that at the sound of the trumpet , when all should have fallen on , captaine gianavel soone awaked , and having first sought unto god by prayer , he fell upon the enemy , and gat the advantage of the place from them , and after a short dispute , forced them to turne their backs , though there were at least two thousand five hundred of them , and all the captaines company was not above three hundred , yet did that handful of men pursue them as farre as to the descent of angrognia , into the woods , and steep places of the rocks , where they slew a very great number of them . captaine gianavel seeing it impossible to think of any further attempt for the present , entreated captaine jahier to give over for that day , and to refresh himself and his souldiers : but he being at that time more passionate than prudent , refused his good counsel , and picking out one hundred and fifty choice men , sweetly took his leave of captain gianavel ( little thinking that it should be his last ) and so marched down into the plaine , where he burnt several of their houses who had formerly burnt , and destroyed so many of the protestants , bringing away with him a good booty of cattel , and other goods . this valiant captaine who hitherto had been so successeful in all his attempts , thinking in the close of the day to crowne all his former undertakings , as he was now near the execution of his designe , lo a squadron of horse surrounded him and his fourty five men ( for at this time he had no more with him ) at a countrey house , not farre from ossac : and though he and his men did all that could possibly be expected from them , killing three captains , with the commander in chief of that squadron , besides many others , yet he at last and thirty five of his followers , all lost their lives ; and the enemies in great triumph , cut off captaine jahiers head , and the heads of his sons , and carried them to turin , presenting them to the duke and his mother , who rewarded them with six hundred ducatoons for their good service therein . captaine jahier deserves to be renowned , especially for his great piety , and zeale for the service and honour of god , and the preservation of his poor afflicted church and members . he was of so undaunted a spirit , that the terrors of death , and the most cruel torments could never affright him . he was bold as a lion in his enterprizes , but meek , and humble as a lamb in the middest of his victories , alwayes lifting up his hands towards heaven , from whence he acknowledged all his help to come , and alwayes recited fit and comfortable passages out of the scriptures ( wherein he was admirably versed ) for the encouragement of all his followers , and the strenthening of their faith upon all occasions . as to his outward parts , and accomplishments , he was a man of a sound understanding , and good judgement , and above all , of a wonderful active spirit , which had he but used with moderation , he had been hardly to have been paralleld . the death of so brave a commander , and the wound of captaine gianavel , in that juncture of time did not a little startle the protestants : but necessity often puts inconsiderable men upon bold enterprizes : for these poor men did not despond , nor lose their courage , but assembling shortly after in a mountaine of angrognia , they descended into the plaine , where twice they were assaulted with violence , the last of which was by a dangeros ambuscado , where the enemies were at least six thousand , and they not above one hundred : but god of his infinite goodnesse so encouraged their hearts , and guided their hands , that they slew very many of their enemies , and amongst them many principal officers , whereas the reformed party lost onely one michael bertino , a serjeant of angrognia , and had but one common souldier wounded . the sonne of the said bertino seeing his father fall dead at his feet , was so farre from being discouraged , that he immediately stepped into his fathers place with these words , though my father be dead , yet be of good courage my fellow souldiers , for god is a father to us all . munday following they had a very sharp dispute at la torre , and about tagliaretto , where they killed and wounded a great number of their enemies , without the losse of any of their own men . indeed in this time the enemies reaped their corne in the plaines of saint giovanni , but they could not carry it away but with the losse of many of their lives . about the same time there came to them one monsieur andrion , a major of a regiment of horse , with two other gentlemen that were strangers , who were followed with some volunteers , whose friendly visit of their poor afflicted brethren , and their good advice in such a juncture of time , was taken ( as it deserved ) very kindly : and god made it a singular means to uphold the fainting spirits of some weak brethren , who seeing others come in to the help of the lord against the mighty , went on with a great deale more chearfulnesse , and alacrity : and these staid with them till the peace was concluded at pigner●l . july the eleventh . sieur john leger , pastor of the church at saint giovanni , who deserves to be remembred for the great paines , and many services performed by him in the behalf of the churches of the valleys , having notice that the enemies were of opinion that he was come back from his journey with armes and money , and ammunition , and thereupon presuming that they would suddenly make some notable attempt to prevent what they so much feared , he went to colonel andrion , and pressed him to put his designe in execution . the poor people had as yet no standing army : but the bands of each commonalty were quartered at a great distance the one from the other ; and certainly they had been cut off every man of them within a few dayes , had not their centinels been very watchful ; and above all , if captaine charforan had not on the one side timely discovered the enemy , an the poor people on the other side been exceedingly heartned to the battel by the great valour , and singular conduct of the sieurs andrion , michelin , and leger . the enemy was very numerous , having been lately reinforced with many troops . they encamped themselves within half a league of the reformed party , and early in the morning they divided themselves into four brigades , three whereof fell upon the protestants with a marvelous resolution in three several places at once : the fourth stood still , ready to succour their friends if there were need . the fight continued at least four hours without intermission , and was the sharpest that ever was fought in the open field : and that which made the enemies more fierce , was , their hopes to have beaten back the protestants from their post called the castelas , which if they could have effected , they had been certainly masters of the valleys perosa , saint martino , and lucerna : but the poor people having lifted up their hearts by earnest supplications to the lord of hosts ( as they used to do upon all such occasions ) major andrion , and the two other captaines which he had brought with him , gave forth such orders as were necessary , encouraging their men exceedingly , so that without budging a foot , they kept their ground , all save a few who were either quite tired , or faint for want of food , or that wanted powder , or flints in their fire-locks : but these , the sieurs mechelin and leger imployed in rolling down great stones upon their enemies heads as they came to attacque them , which proved very successeful , doing much execution upon the enemy , and causing them to abate much of their fury ; and whereas in the beginning of the fight they cryed alwayes , advance , advance , ye relicts of jahier : the protestants now began to cry as fast , advance , advance , ye relicts of saint secondo , and withal they ran upon those murtherers as so many lions , and caused them to turn back , and flie towards la torre and lucerna as fast as they were able , leaving behinde them fifty five upon the place , and about fourty that were killed in the flight , besides many others who were carried either dead , or dangerously wounded , to lucerna . themselves confessed that in this encounter they lost at least three hundred men , amongst which were many officers of a bavarian regiment . when such multitudes of dead , wounded , and dying men were brought into lucerna , the syndick , who was indeed a papist , but not so superstitious as many others , said to some , hitherto the wolves devoured the barbets : but now the barbets devour the wolves ; which words being reported to monsieur marolles , the commander in chief in lucerna , he threatened to imprison him , and to give him the strappado for them , which so terrified the poor man , that he presently sickened , and within a few dayes died . two dayes after this great fight , the enemy being much enraged for their great losse , spread themselves all over angrognia , and began to set the corne on fire , which being seene by the company of la torre , who at that time were upon the mountaine of tagliaretto , they speedily gave notice to those of saint giovanni , and angrognia , who hasted thither , and charged them so fiercely , that they forced them to flie , and to leave most of their ammunition behinde them : and in the meane time captaine belin assaulted the towne of la torre , killed the centinel , and souldiers upon the works , and gave the towne such an hot alarum , that most of them fled towards the river of pellice ; and probably if he had had a few more men with him , he had at that time made himself master of la torre . july the eighteenth , the general of the protestants gave order to fall upon the towne of la torre , which accordingly was put in execution . captaine belin gave the first onset , who being followed with many other officers , and souldiers , they quickly made a considerable breach in the garden-wall next to the convent , which so encouraged the rest , that they fell on with an invincible resolution , and in a short space burnt both the convent , and most of the towne down to the ground . those in the fort finding themselves hardly beset , began to parley about surrendring of it upon honorable termes : but some horse coming seasonably to their relief from lucerna , which the protestants might have prevented if they had been so careful as they should have been , they were frustrated of attaining their desires . besides these , there were divers other battel 's fought in divers places where the reformed party had considerable advantages against their enemies , but for brevity sake they are here omitted . chap. xlvi . a brief account of the intercessors to the duke of savoy in the behalf of these poor people , and the successe therof . upon the first supplication of that terrible order of gastaldo , which was a forerunner of the massacre , the protestant cantons of switzerland , being their near neighbours , and therefore could soonest take notice of it , wrote their letters to the duke of savoy in the poor peoples behalf . to which the duke of savoy shortly after gave a complemental , but cold answer , which was little better than a plaine denial of their request , and mediation . april the . being the lords day , newes of the horrible massacre was brought to the council of zurick , who immediately gave order for a publick day of humiliation through all their territories , as also for making a collection for their relief : resolving to give notice of this doleful newes to their protestant friends ; and amongst others , they wrote to the states general of the united provinces , acquainting them with the sad condition of this poor people , intreating them to consider of some expedient for the accommodating their affairs . may the fifth they sent monsieur gabriel weis , captaine general of berne as their deputy to the duke of savoy , who in very respectful termes requested him to re-establish those who had survived the massacre in their ancient priviledges , the free exercise of their religion , and for the enlargement of their prisoners , delivering him a letter to the same purpose . the answer which the duke ( or rather his mother ) gave , was , that though they were not obliged to give an account of their actions to any prince in the world , yet out of respect to the amity which they had compacted with his masters the cantons , they had given order to the marquesse of pianessa to acquaint them with the truth of those affairs : and shortly after when major weis spake with the marquesse , he laboured to justifie all his proceedings , and to lay the load upon the backs of the poor people , protesting that he never intended to force their consciences , and that all the reports about such strange cruelties exercised towards them were meer forgeries , &c. major weis replyed that the massacre was so notorious , that it could not be denied , and that their right of habitation in those places was founded upon justice , being granted to them by the dukes predecessors , and purchased by them of the present duke for six thousand ducatoons . the marquesse answered that all those grants were upon condition that the romish religion should be freely exercised amongst them , which yet they would never suffer . master weis still pressing their sad condition , and the necessity of finding an expedient for accommodation , &c. the marquesse desired him to apply himself to the poor people , and to cause them to desist from hostility , which would be the way to obtaine favour from the duke : and no marvel though he moved this : for about this time ( through gods mighty assistance ) these poor people began so to prevaile , that their enemies began to fear what the successe might be , and therefore the marquess laboured to get the sword out of their hands by such a stratagem as this . major weis went to perosa , propounding these things to the poor people : who returned humble thanks to the cantons for what they had already done in their behalf ; and said , that if the six evangelical cantons would engage that the treaty should be carried on upon honest and honorable termes , they were ready to hearken to it ; otherwise they were resolved never to trust those who had so oft deceived them , and whose principle was , that faith is not to be kept with hereticks . with this answer master weis returned , and sued for the enlargement of the prisoners , or that at least he might be suffered to speak with them : but neither the one nor other would be granted ; whereupon he returned to his masters , and upon his report to them , being discouraged from any farther proceedings , they resolved to expect what would be done by other princes , and states . may . letters were brought to oliver lord protector of enland of this doleful newes , whereupon he invited all the people of england to seek the lord by humiliation , and prayer , and withal , moved them to a liberal contribution for the succour of these poor souls . he sent also master samuel morland as his envoy to the king of france , and duke of savoy to meditate on their behalf . he wrote also to the king of denmark , to the states of the united provinces , and to the evangelical cantons of the switzers , requesting all their mediations in the behalf of these poor people . may the twenty sixth , master morland set out on his journy , and june the first he came to the king of france at la fere , to whom he delivered the lord protectors letters , wherein he solicited his majesty to improve his power , and interest with the duke , that the cruel order of gastaldo might be recalled , and the poor people restored to their ancient liberties , and habitations . the king of france three dayes after returned an answer to the lord protectors letter , and master morland proceeded in his journey to the court of savoy , and arrived at rivole , where the court was , june the . and demanded audience as the lord protectors envoy , which accordingly was granted : and at his appearing he made a speech in the behalf of the poor people , and delivered the lord protectors letter . madam royal , the dukes mother answered , that she could not but extremely applaud the singular charity of his highnesse the lord protector towards their subjects , whose condition had been presented to him so exceeding sad , and l●mentable , as she perceived by master morl●nds discourse it was ; yet withal she could not but extremely admire that malice should proceed so far as to clothe their fatherlike chastisements of their rebellious subjects with so black a character , thereby to render them odious to all their neighbouring princes , and states with whom they desired to keep a good understanding , especially with so great and powerful a prince as the lord protector . adding that she doubted not but when the truth of all passages should be made known to him , he would rest satisfied with the dukes proceedings . yet for his highnesse sake they would pardon their rebellious subjects , and grant them such priviledges , and graces , as should shew to the lord protector how great a respect they bore both to his person , and mediation : and withall master morland was requested to go to turin , where by the dukes order he was entertained with all outward demonstrations of civility , and respect imaginable during his abode there . master morland after a while pressed for his dispatch , and had it , and so according to the lord protectors order he went to geneva . there was collected in england , and wales towards the relief of these poor souls the full summe of thirty eight thousand , ninety seven pounds , seven shillings , and three pence , the greatest part whereof was at several times transmitted to them ; and what remained , being about nine thousands pounds , was put out to interest , that so both the principal , and the improvement might be disposed of for their best advantage : and further to shew what effects the lord protectors intercession had , i finde that presently after , the king of sweden , the king of denmark , the states of the united provinces , the prince elector palatine , the elector of brandenberg , the duke of wittenberg , and many other protestant princes and states did either by their letters to the duke of savoy , or otherwise , declare their deep resentment of the bloody massacre , especially the lantgrave of hessen wrote most zealously in their behalf . they had also many consolatory letters written to them from sundry particular churches , viz. from franckfort , zurick , hanaw , flushing , middleburgh , &c. and large contributions according to their respective abilities . divers commissioners also were sent from england , and holland to joyne with those of the evangelical cantons for the procuring a well-grounded peace for those poor people : but before they came , the switzer ambassador had concluded a treaty with the french ambassador ; and betwixt them , they had hudled up a peace , the woful effects whereof these poor people were quickly sensible of ; and to this day they labour under heavy burdens laid upon their shoulders by their popish taskmasters : they forbid them all manner of traffique for their sustenance : they rob them of their goods , and estates ; they drive them from their ancient habitations , and force them to sell their birth-right for a messe of pottage : they banish their ministers , that the shepherds being gone , they may the more easily devour them : they ravish their young women , and maidens , they murther the innocent as they passe along the high-wayes upon their occasions : they continually mock and revile them , and threaten another massacre , sevenfold more bloody than the former : through the malice and subtilty of their popish adversaries their valleys are no other than a dungeon , to which the fort of la torre serves as a door , whereby at their pleasure they may let in a troop of murtherers utterly to destroy and extirpate those innocent people : and notwithstanding all those large supplies that have been sent them from england , and other states , yet so great are the necessities of those poor hungry creatures , and so grievous are the oppressions of their popish adversaries , who lie in wait to bereave them of whatsoever is given them , that some of them are yet ready ever and anon to eate their own flesh for want of bread : their miseries are more sad , and grievous than can be expressed ; they are dying , even whilst they live : when that which was collected for them is once spent , they must inevitably perish , unlesse the lord in whose hand are the hearts of princes , shall incline the heart of their prince to pity these his poor , harmlesse , and faithful subjects , who are so farre from thoughts of rebellion , that could they but enjoy the freedom of their consciences in peace , they would be the first that would be ready to sacrifice their lives for the good , and safety of his royal highnesse . how long lord , holy , just , and true , &c. rev. . . if any desire to see a fuller account of these things , together with the letters and transactions about them , they may finde them fully and faithfully set down by master samuel morland in his history of the evangelical churches in the valleys of piemont . here place the eleventh figure . chap. xlvii . a brief description of piemont , and the valleys thereof . piemont is so called , because it is situated à pede montium , or at the feet of the alps which separate italy from france : it 's but a little spot of earth , yet very pleasant , and of incredible fruitfulnesse . it 's bounded on the east with millan , montferrat , and the common-wealth of genoa : on the south is the mediterranean sea : on the west , and north part it hath the alps for a bulwark , by which it is separated on the vvest side from provence , and dauphine , and on the north from savoy , and the countrey of valley . it 's almost all covered with high mountains , and watred with four great rivers , viz. po , tanaro , stura , and dora , besides which there are about twenty eight rivers more , great and small , which render it exceeding fruitful in cattel , wine , corne , hay , nuts , and many other fruits in great abundance . the principal valleys are , on the north part those two , aosta , and susa ; on the south side stura and some others : and in the midland , lucerna , angrogni● roccapiatta , pramol , perosa , and saint martino . the valley of 〈…〉 ▪ been , and still is a part of dauphine as farre as la capella , which is situated at the lower end thereof , and divides it from perosa : which was the ordinary passage of the french armies into italy . these valleys , especially that of angrognia , pramol , and saint martino are strongly fortified by nature , by reason of their many difficult passages through rocks and mountains : as if from the beginning it had been designed by the all-wise god to be as a cabinet , wherein he would keep some rare jewel . those valleys of piemont which have been for some hundreds of years inhabited by the waldenses , are lucerna , perosa , and saint martino ▪ lucerna contains fifteen miles in length : the highest communalties thereof , viz. bobio , villaro , and la torre are for the greatest part mountains : but lucerna , saint giovanni , fenile , campiglione , and garcigliana , though they have both on the north and south side a little of the mountains , yet they extend themselves into a very fair plaine . angrognia is but a little valley on the north side of lucerna , as also rorata , and vallon , which are on the south side of lucerna wholly within the mountains : so is also roccapiatta , and pramol , which are enclosed between the valleys of lucerna and perosa . the communalty of la torre took its name from an high tower which stood upon a little hill near bourg : but francis the first , king of france , considering how prejudicial it might be to the affairs and interest of france , and the safety of pignorole , he caused it to be demolished . but the duke of savoy rebuilt it , anno . which afterward served as a slaughter-house of many poor innocent souls . bricheras , which is joyned to the valley of lucerna , is on the east of angrognia , and saint giovanni , and on the south of roccapiatta , almost all in the plain . perosa , and saint martino are on the north of lucerna , angrognia , and roccapiatta , situated in such sort that the valley of perosa is at the lower end , and on the east are the valleys of saint martino , and pragela . the valley of perosa is about six miles long : and it s distributed , part in the mountains , and part in the plains , and very fruitful hills . at the lower end of it are the communalties of porte , saint germano , and villaro : in the middle , pinachia , and in the higher part that of perosa , where is the city and citadel of perosa , whence the valley takes its name . the valley of saint martino is eighth miles in length , on the west of the valley of perosa , included between the valleys of lucerna , and clusone , in the highest part of the alps , which border upon the valley of queyras , containing eleven communalties : viz. rioclaret , faet , rodoreto , salsa , macel , maneglia , chabrans , traverses , bovile , and saint martino , which gives the name to this valley . this indeed is the poorest , yet the strongest of all by reason of its situtation . in these valleys before the late horrid massac●●● . there were fourteen churches of the protestants which co●●●●●ed two classes , or colloques , and those two classes , one synod for their ecclesiastical government . the one was the colloque of lucerna consisting of the churches of saint giovanni , la torre , villaro , bobi , rorata , and angrognia , to which was annexed that of roccapiatta , which is between the valley of lucerna , and perosa , situated upon those little hills which separate the two valleys . the other was the colloque of the valley of perosa , and saint martino , containg four churches in the valley of perosa , viz. villaro , saint germano , which made but one church , pinachia , la cappella , and pramoh ▪ in the valley of saint martino , were three churches , viz. villa secca , maneglius , prasi . the church of saint giovanni contains within it a very fair plain , and little hills , very fruitful , and abounding with corn , vines , chestnuts , figgs , olives , and other fruits , but it wants pastures , and woods , so that they have not many cattel , but only some oxen to till the ground , and to carry their wine to turin , and other places to sell. this church hath annexed unto it lucerna , lucernetta , the vineyards of lucerna , fenile , bubiana , and bricheras . in the city of lucerna the third part of the inhabitants were protestants . in lucernetta , and the vineyard of lucerna , almost all the inhabitants professed the reformed religion time out of mind . fenile is lower on the other side of the river pelice towards the south , being a more fatt and fertile soil than any place in st. giovanni , in all sorts of fruit and grain . bubiana , as to the plain , is like to fenile , and neerly adjoyning to it : but the protestants have often been driven out of it , so that what they possessed was mostly in the hills , where they have little corn , & wine ; but abundance of chestnuts : so that the inhabitants , which were about fifty families , were generally poor , living by their hard labour , and by their profit which they made of wood , which they carried to sell to the towns of babiana , and lucerna . the hills of bricheras , where there have been alwayes protestant families , are like those of saint giovanni . the church of la torre is the same for situation and quality with that of saint giovanni , containing one plain , where is the town of la torre , and hills adorned with the same kind of fruits as those of saint giovanni . the church of villaro adjoyns to that of la torre , but is a little higher towards dauphine , containing a little plain where is the town , and the hills adorned with vines , and chestnuts . the church of bobio is near to that of villaro , being a little higher towards the mountain on the west , but as fertile as that of villaro : and being environed with many mountains , and having fat pastures , the inhabitants had many oxen , kine , and smaller cattel , together with milk , and wool in abundance , as also they had many chestnuts , which being cleansed , and dried , they sold , or exchanged for other commodities . the church of rorata is a little valley , situated on the other side of the river pelice , on the west of lucerna , being bounded by the mountains of villaro . it abounds in pastures , and is very fruitful ▪ especially in chestnuts . the church of angrogna is north-west to that of st. giovanni , towards perosa , in a mountainous count●y , but fruitfull in chestnuts , corn , and pastures , environed with fruitfull mountains , which yielded good pastures in the summer season . the church of roccapiatta contains four parcels , viz. that of roccapiatta , st. bartholomeo , perustine , and la inverso delle porte . in these three latter there grow abundance of rich wines , chestnuts , and other good fruits . in roccapiatta they have corn , pasture , and fruits , but no wine . the church of villaro , and st. germano is situated in the lowest part of perosa , about a mile from pignorolio : the west and north part of villaro on this side the river clusone , belong to the king of france , and st. germano to the duke of savoy on the other side of the said river , which running through the whole length of the said valley , separates the kings territories from those of the dukes . these two places of villaro , and st. germano contain a little p●ain on both sides the river , the rest is in hills , yielding corn , wine , and fruits . the church of pinachia is within the french dominions , adjoyning on the vvest part to that of villaro , and contains a fair , and beautifull plain , on the north-side fenced with pleasant hills : on the vvest is the town , and fort of perosa ; on the south , the river clusone , and some hills , but scarce any plain at all . it abounds with corn , wine , nuts , grass , and other fruits . the church of la capella is on the vvest of that of pinachia in the upper end of the valley of perosa ; on the west it joyns to the valley of pragela ( which belongs to the king of france ) on the east to the citadel of perosa : it hath several very fruitfull hills in it : it hath annexed to it pomare , and inverso del perosa , and some other small villages , called le mean , making a little communalty at the foot of the valley of pragela . the church of pramol is situated on a mountain between the valleys of lucerna , and perosa , at the feet whereof grow a few 〈◊〉 , and good fruits : in the highest part is corn , and much wood , and pasture ground . the church of villa secca is at the lowest part of the valley of st. martino , where there is almost no plaine but where the river germanasco takes its course ; the hills which lie south from the said river are very cold , so that there grow no vines : but those on the north which lie open to the south-sun are hot , and so have many vines . in general , it s tolerably fruitful in corne , fruits , and pasture . the church of maneglia which is on the west part of villa secca , comprehends three little communalties , viz. maneglia , machel , and salsa : all are in a mountainous place , but exceeding fruitful in corne , pasture , &c. except only in the highest parts thereof . the church of prali is situated in the uppermost part of the valley of saint martino , and contains two communalties , viz. prali , and rodoret , bounded on the south with the alps , and the valley of lucerna ; on the west by the valley queyras in dauphine ; and on the north by the valley of pragela : here is nothing but hay and grasse . generally in all these churches ( except on the tops of the mountains ) there are plenty of fruits , especially of chestnuts , and in some places there are vast spaces of ground yielding almost nothing else : as in the little hills of bubiana , and all along the valley of lucerna , and in the south parts of the valley of perosa : so that the inhabitants in those places dry , and clense great quantities of them , part whereof they keep for their own use , and the rest they sell , or exchange for corne , and that , quantity for quantity , with the inhabitants of the plaine , it being a great part of their food in piemont . they also dry these nuts in an oven , or on a kilne , and make thereof an excellent sort of bisquet , which they first string as they do their beades , and so hang them up in a moist place the better to preserve them . these they frequently make use of instead of maqueroons , and such sweetmeats . of the late persecution of the church of christ in poland , anno christi . the all-wise , and holy god , whose wayes of providence are alwayes righteous , though often secret , and unsearchable , hath made it the constant lot , and portion of his people in this world to follow his sonne in bearing his crosse , and suffering persecutions . for they that are borne after the flesh , do alwayes persecute them that are borne after the spirit . but scarcely have any sort of the churches enemies more clearly followed the pernicious way of caine herein , than hath that antichristian faction of rome , that mother of harlots and abominations , whose garments are died red with the blood of saints , which they have alwayes cruelly shed , and made themselves drunk with . and amongst those chosen and faithful witnesses , the lord seemeth very signally to have raised up those christians , who ( though dispersed in divers countreys ) have been commonly known by the name of waldenses , who for some centuries of years have lived amongst their enemies as lambs amongst wolves , to bear their testimonies to the truths of christ , against the apostasies , and blasphemies of rome ; for which they have been killed all the day long , and accounted as sheep for the slaughter . one part of this little flock , and remnant which the lord hath left , & reserved , are scattered partly in the valleys of piemont , of whose tragical sufferings you have had a faithful account in the precedent chapter : the other part of this poor , but precious remnant , have been dispersed in the kingdomes of bohemia , and poland , whose sufferings , together with the lords signal providences about them , are now to be spoken of , as they have been related to the lord protector o.c. and the state here by two godly persons delegated by those persecuted churches , which are now the sad monuments of their enemies rage , and of the lords sparing mercy . these sometime flourishing churches were by degrees worne out by the constant underminings , and open outrages of the antichristian party ; being first driven out of bohemia into poland : and then after their taking root , and spreading in poland into a numerous company , they were forced out of their chiefest cities there , and at last by the jesuited , and enraged popish army , were persecuted in their few hiding places with fire and sword . their ministers were tortured to death by most exquisite , and unheard of barbarisme , by cutting out of the tongues of some , pulling out the eyes , and cruelly mangling the bodies of others . yet did not their rage , and brutish cruelty reach only to the ministers , but to private persons also ; yea , even to women , and to young children , whose heads they cut off , and laid them at their dead mothers breasts . nay their rage brake out , not only against the living ( not one of whom they spared that fell into their hands ) but also against the dead , plucking the bodies of honorable persons , and others out of their graves , tearing them to pieces , and exposing them to publick scorne . but the chiefest eye-sore , and object of their fury was the city of lesna , which after plundering and murthering of all whom they found therein , they burned to ashes , and laid it in the rubbish . only the lord in mercy having alarm'd the city by the report of their enemies approach , the greatest part of the inhabitants ( being three famous churches ) saved themselves by flight , and are now wandring up and down in silesia , the marquisate of brandenburg , lusatia , and hungary , poor , destitute , afflicted , and naked , the relation whereof you have in this ensuing narrative written in latin by some of themselves , and called lesnae excidium . the history of the destruction of lesna faithfully related . lesna a city of great poland , almost thirty years ago began to be famous both far and near ; but now being suddenly and utterly razed hath nothing left beside the name and fame thereof . for the fuller discovery of this businesse from the beginning , we must briefly relate the original and progresse of this town . when above seven hundred years ago , mieczislaus , then duke of poland , took to wife the daughter of boleslaus duke of bohemia , and together with her received the christian faith , it happened that among those of the bohemian nobility that accompanied him , there was one peter de bernstein , whom , because he was a person endowed with many vertues , mieczislaus was willing to detain him in poland , and to that end bestowed upon him rich possessions , the chief whereof was a village called lezsyna , ( i. e. a grove of hasle-trees ) upon the very confines of the lower silesia , being situate twelve miles from wratislavia , five from glogaw , and ten from posnania . from this place therefore of his residence , peter de bernstein taking the rise of his denomination , according to the custome of the nation , he and all his posterity were called lezscynii , and were afterwards admitted to all sorts of dignities in the realm ; so that of this family there were never wanting some or other that were captains , governours of castles , palatines , marshals , chancellours , bishops , or archbishops , even to this day : and besides this , for their noble management of affairs in several embassyes to the roman emperour , they were adorned with the title of earles of the empire , which they still enjoy . but leszcyna it self begun by little and little to change its name , and by contraction was called lessna , and their neighbour germans called it lissa ▪ this village , something above one hundred of years ago had the dignity and title of a market town granted to it by the famous king sigismund , and tradesmen were invited hither out of the neighbouring silesia , and so the use of the german tongue was brought in together with them . as for religion , it was reformed in lesna about the same time , by the most illustrious count andrew , palatine of bernstien , according to the rites of the bohemian confession , which it hath retained to this day , and became as it were the metropolis of the churches of that confession , throughout all the greater poland . and when , after the year . a very sharp persecution was raised against the professors of the gospel in bohemia ; and not long after the ministers and nobility were banished , they were fain to seek refuge in poland , whom that most pious noble man , the lord raphael de lesna , palatine of belse , received under his protection , appointing lesna , wlodava , & baranovia for their places of refuge . but for as much as the greater part did seat themselves at lesna because of the neernesse thereof , and not long after , a far greater company flocked thither out of silesia ( for there also the butchery of souls grew wonderful fierce , in the years . and . ) it came to passe that lesna , by the addition of many streets , grew into a large city , having three market places , four churches , a large school , above twenty streets , one thousand six hundred houses , two thousand freemen of the city , and abundance of other company . there was built also a very fair church for the service of god according to the rites of the augustane confession , which had over it three pastors , learned men ; and a school for the mother tongue with some schoolmasters , beside the free-schoole , which had a learned man of the forementioned confession appointed over it , by the title of prorector . the citizens also having ordered themselves according to the best policy they could , there were found out handsome wayes for a publick revenue that made no noise , and were little felt , and without any mans dammage or burden , so that they were able for some years to maintaine workmen for the compassing of the city about with a bulwark and trench , and for the building of gates with walls and faire turrets : and lastly , there was built a very fair court-house in the middle of the market-place of the old city ; there was scarce the like in all great poland , except at posnania . in a word , civility , trading , merchandize ( for all things were here bought and sold ) and religion did so flourish here , that this city did not come behinde any city in poland for its admirable pleasantnesse . all this was matter of joy , not only to those pious christians that were scattered out of several places for the gospels sake , and here gathered together under the protection of god , but to others also that came hither from all parts , as strangers : but it galled the enemies of the gospel extremely , so that it made them leave no designe unassayed for the overthrow of this city of refuge for the godly . at the first ( annis , & . ) they made use of several accusations and slanders to king sigismund the third , suggesting to him that it was a confluence of all sorts of men that were enemies and traytors to his majesty ; that it was good to nip them in the bud , &c. but through the prudence of that great senator , the lord of the place , whose wisdome went beyond their envy , and who knew well enough how to counter-work all malicious projects of that kinde , all those their battering-rams were at that time used in vain . but , anno . after that the swedes were broken by the emperours army in germany , and were driven out of silesia , new plots were hatched at glogaw to send out one or two of the emperours regiments , who should suddenly invade lesna , sack the town , and put the inhabitants to the sword , or at least scatter them . but it pleased god so to order it , that this plot was discovered by some of themselves two days before the appointed time , and so vanished into smoak , though the smoak of their devices did not yet cease to rise . for after the death of the most illustrious prince palatine of belse , when his estate was divided amongst his sons and heirs , and the county of lesna fell to the illustrious lord boguslaus , his third son , then newly returned from travelling , the plotters were not wanting so to lie in wait to insnare this candidate of great wisdome and vertue , that after they had wearied him for some years with the promises of honours ( unto which there was no door of entrance but by entertaining the roman-catholick religion ) at last they enticed him to professe popery . but however they heaped many honours upon him , procuring him some captainships , afterwards the generalship of great poland , and lastly the arch-treasurership of the realme , yet could they not procure his hatred of the professors of the gospel , and the dissipation of his subjects , which was the thing they hoped for , but he still preserved intire to his lesna those priviledges both civil and religious , which his father , of blessed memory , had promised , offered , or confirmed to them . they attempted therefore this other device : the bishop of posnania ventured to redemand the old parish-church , because it was of ancient foundation , and pretended that it might not any longer be left to the use of hereticks . the lord treasurer answered , that his grandfather ( andrew palatine of brenstien ) had built another church for the catholicks ( whose number was very small in the town , scarce ever above three or four citizens ) to exercise their religion in , and endowed it with revenues to that purpose , that the greater number of citizens might enjoy the greater church . but all was in vain , though he doubled the maintenance of the roman parish-priest : for anno . they brought the lord count before the tribunal of the realme , where the cause must needs go against him , the very same persons being accusers , witnesses and judges ; yet he obtained that this church should not suddenly be taken away from his subjects the inhabitants of old lesna until they had built themselves a new one . this building they presently set about with the help of forrein churches : ( according as they were in a capacity to help , things being every where in confusion ) but when the adversaries saw that it went on apace , and that this was like to be bigger than the other ( for so great now was the multitude of citizens of this confession , that the old church was not able to contain them ) they began again to mutter and threaten , that this might not be endured , that the hereticks should have a bigger church than the catholicks ; that they did but build this also for the catholicks , &c. at length the irruption of the swedes into poland ( anno . gave them the long wished for occasion of oppressing and rooting out not only the lesnians , but also all the professors of the gospel ( or as they were wont to be called , the dissenters from the roman religion ) throughout poland . for although the papists themselves had transacted with the swedes at their coming out of pomerania ( in the agreement of uscia ) and had delivered to them expressely and by name the chief cities , posnania , kalisch , fraustat , meseritz , and lesna , and the rest , after some weak resistance , had yielded themselves up to the swedes , yet while the king of sweden was slowly , and as it proved , dangerously busied in prusia , they took counsel together for the resuming of their armes , to fight for the liberty of their countrey , and the catholick religion ( as they call it ) to drive the swedes out of the countrey , and to root out all the dissenters in grosse . that this their purpose might make the quicker progresse , and be set on the more strongly , there were jesuites and monks sent out every way , to intimate these things to the multitude , and to encourage them to so glorious an undertaking , compelling those that were slow with the thunderbolt of excommunication , and promising the relaxation of the pains of purgatory , and eternal rewards to them that were forward . to this end king casamire being recalled out of silesia , they commanded the nobility to flock to him , and to give the king of sweden a meeting in his return out of borussia . the commonalty also they stirred up against the professors of the gospel , making themselves their furious leaders ; and such was their successe , that in lower poland a great number of families ( it is not yet known how many , because the furious tumult still continues ) almost within the compasse of a moneth ( in february and march ) were miserably butchered , men and women , young and old being murthered without distinction , all , save such as could escape into the neighbouring parts of hungary , and so save their lives by flight . but the nobility of the greater poland , most of them having retired themselves into silesia , began there to gather themselves into small companies , in the beginning of april , and to break forth ; by whose coming the rest being encouraged , made a great slaughter of the swedes that were garrison'd in the small towns , so that general muller was fain to go forth with an army of swedes to restrain them . as for lesna , the hereditary lord thereof , the treasurer of the kingdome , was gone into borussia to salute the king of sweden some way to take care for the safety of his countrey : but about the beginning of april he returned to lesna without seeing him , the king then being full of action , and ranging up and down . this businesse procured much more envy both to himself and the city , as if he had plotted with the swedes against his countrey , having never been true and faithful either to the church or his countrey : therefore they breathed out flames , and belched out threats so much the more fiercely both against him and his city . however there were not wanting such as by private messages gave him hope of pardon , if he would but withdraw himself from them , as afterwards he did . but the enemies prepared themselves to destroy that so populous a city by force ( if they could ) or else by flames , furnishing themselves with many sorts of weapons for that purpose . of this doing although the inhabitants of lesna had notice by several messengers , yet a fatal security prevailed with them to think that there was no fear of such an enemy as was not furnished either with infantry or artilery for such a designe . upon easter day a 〈◊〉 of poles broke into some territories ( belonging to an eminent professor of the gospel ) neer lesna : for whom they made diligent search , but finding that he was from home ( for he had retired himself to lesna for religion sake ) they plundered all his movable goods , and took his ●ervant ( martin multz , a bohemian ) and hanging a great stone about his neck , threw him into the river that ran by , and so drowned him . on the third holy-day in easter the report was very hot that the swedes had lost all , and that the king was slain : upon which account when the lord treasurer did betake himself to wratislavia in sil●sia , the citizens of lesna were something afraid , although the commanders of the swedes that were there in garrison ( being three co●ours of horse ) did encourage them ; as did also the administrator of the city and county of lesna , who requiring anew the oath of fidelity from the citizens , did promise them to stay with them , and bid them be of good courage . being lifted up with this hope , and drawn on with the promises of new auxiliary forces to come very suddenly to them , they promised themselves all manner of security , so that no man took any care to get out of the way , or to carry any thing of his goods to a safer place : yet they kept strong guards night and day , sometimes the third part of the citizens , and sometimes half being upon duty . the swedish horse also ever and anon made excursions to see what the enemy was a doing , and whether they were neer . but they never brought back any other news , but that there were no footsteps or signes of any enemy appearing : yea , even that very day in which the poles came in the afternoon , the swedes returned with good booty , but not a word of the enemy . but about three dayes after upon thursday , april the . an army of the polonian nobility , mixed with a rout of peasants , shewed themselves unexpectedly out of the woods , and anon they drew forth into the open field , and so set themselves within sight of the city , about five or six furlongs from the suburbs . when this was perceived , the alarm was given , and the citizens hasten to their armes , and place themselves on the walls ; yet not knowing who they were , and with what intent they came , and wondring much , why , according to the custome they did not send forth a trumpeter . ( for that which they did bruit abroad afterwards , and many perhaps beleeved , that the lesnians gave the occasion of hostility by killing their trumpeter , is just nothing : heaven and earth will bear witnesse that this was devised meerly to colour over the hainousness of the fact : ) at length they begin their work with firing a brick-kiln , that stood not far from the suburbs . then the swedish troopers ( about one hundred and fifty in number ) which were already mounted & gone out of the city , going a little farther , encountered with the enemy in light skirmishes , for the space of two hours ; in which many of the poles , and some of the swedes were slain . but while the swedes were earnest with the citizens for some help , as it were to defend the suburbs from further burning , some were drawn forth ( about seventy of the younger citizens ) who mixed themselves rashly and confusedly among the horse-men ; which when the poles saw , they feighned a flight , returning towards the wood : but as soon as they perceived that they had drawn them far enough from the walls , they wheeled about , some fetching a compass to come behind the lesnians , and so to get between them and home , and the rest returning straight upon them , fell on in a full body . the swedish horse when they saw this , turned their backs , leaving the foot to the mercy of the enemy ; but the poles followed them so close at heels , that two colours ( about four hundred men ) passed through the suburbs to the very gate , and wanted but little of entering the city it self with them , had not some good confident fellow , ventured to step in between , and bar the gate against them , while others of the citizens sent a showr of bullets among them , and so beat them back : so the poles being glad to stop , yea , and retire ( just at sun-set ) set fire on the outward parts of the suburbs , and burnt some granaries and wind-mills , thereby making the whole night light to us ; while themselves returned through the wood to oseczno , which the germans call storoknest . the city being thus filled with fear , spent the whole night without sleep ; the men in watching upon the walls , and the women in gathering themselves together in the market-places and church-yards , and other open places , and there wearying heaven with psalms and prayers to god. when the morning came , and no enemy appeared , the citizens went forth and fetched in the slain to bury them ; among whom were found about forty citizens , but above a hundred of the poles , and among them their chief commander himself , cresky , who formerly had taken pay under the swedish general banier , and was accounted more expert then the rest : in the mean time it was hotly reported that the administrator of the county and many of his retinue were wanting and gone ; whereupon the courage of the citizens began to fail , and they went to the senate , to desire leave to send away their wives & children , that if the enemy should come again they might be the more couragious in defending themselves , not being daunted with the out-cryes and tears of the women . some disswaded them with good reasons , saying , that those that should be sent forth under pretence of convoying the rest in safety , would not return again , and so the rest of the citizens should be left in greater fears ; that the spartans of old were wont to take their wives & children to the war , with them , that having them in their eyes , they might fight the more stoutly for their safety . but all was in vain , though the swedish commanders also endeavoured to hinder the flight of the richer sort , which they could not do , being overcome with the cryes of the multitude . there were some ecclesiasticks also who desired leave to depart for a few dayes , because that the antichristian fury was bent chiefly against them : but the senate left it to their consciences , whether in such a case they could leave the people then when they would most need instruction and comfort ; especially if wounded and dying . but the others persisted in their importunity , and there went out before noon about three hundred waggons , which were all that could be got in the city . after this there followed some quietness , with hopes that the enemy would return no more , having found by experience how well able the lesnians were to defend themselves and theirs ; and perhaps they had never returned indeed ( as it was know afterwards ) had they not been encouraged by that hight of the citizens : for two dayes after the twenty eight of april , there was a letter delivered to the consul from the commanders of the polish forces , in which they demanded the surrender of the city , and gave them hope of good usage ; but if they would not embrace that offer , they then threatned to destroy them with fire and sword , having now such an addition of foot souldiers , that they were able to take the city by storm . they added moreover that they had received a letter from the lord treasurer , wherein he intreated them to spare his lesna upon their submission , saying , that he had already given them a command to set open their gates . if ever there were indeed any such command , it must needs have been suppressed by some one ; so that the citizens never knew of it ; otherwise they would have provided a little better for the safety of themselves and their goods . but so it must needs be , that our sins ( through others treachery ) should be brought to punishment . this message of the poles to the senate did wonderfully daunt the citizens ; for these things were not kept secret , but before the consul could call together the senate and the commanders of the souldiery , the report thereof had run through the whole city , as also that there was very little gun-powder left , and they had not wherewithal to defend themselves ; so that the citizens being taken with a pannick fear , cast away their weapons and courage together , and betook themselves to flight ; especially when presently after , they who were on the guard , discovered the body of the enemies coming the same way they came before ; for they forsaking every man his station , hasted home , advising their wives , children , and neighbours to flye , themselves leaving their weapons upon the walls , or at the gates ; or afterwards casting them away in the fields , that they might not be a burden to them . when the swedish souldiers saw the citizens thus in amaze and running away , they also soon mounted , not to meet the enemy ( as before ) but to run away too from the face of the enemy . then followed the senate in such a trembling fit of fear , that every one run out at the gate that was next him , or over the very forts and ditches ; so that in one hours space , a most populous city was left destitute of inhabitants : save a company of sick and aged people , and a few others that could not so suddenly get away , or for some other cause were necessitated to await the issue . but all hastened to those moorish woods , by which poland is parted from silesia , in such confusion , that when the nearest passes ( towards thorlang and krosken ) were not wide enough , they tumbled by troops to other passes ( strizwik , prybisch , and hundsloch ) that were more remote . the swedish troops went to fraustad , and from thence , taking the garrison along with them , towards meseritz : but the passage through the moors was very difficult , in regard that the company crouding one upon another , as if the enemy were just at their heels , did not onely many of them stick in the deep mud ( in vain crying out for help to those that passed by , every one being solicitous only for his own preservation ) but were also mired and lost ! here children lost their parents , and parents their children , wives their husbands , and one friend another ; so that they could scarce find one another again ; in two , three , and four days time . the enemy by a trumpeter , who was sent to posnania gate enquired what the citizens meant to do ; to whom john kolechen , a learned citizen , and well acquainted with many of the nobility ( in confidence whereof , having sent away his wife he adventured to stay ) came forth and answered , that the gates stood open , the swedish enemies were gone , and the rest of the citizens stood to their courtesie , and desired their favour . a little after that , came the illustrious grzymaltowsky with many of the nobility to the same gate , and when the aforesaid kolechen , with another in his company , had gone out to them and scarcely perswaded them that the city was forsaken , and that there was no treachery ; they went in , and when they were disposed into the next fair houses , they were entertained with a noble supper ( which was prepared to sweeten them a little , if it might be ) and had plenty of wine out of dlugosses cellar , who was a rich senator . at last when they were half drunk , they set upon kolechen with threats , and would have made him their prisoner , but that he escaped wonderfully out of their hands , and saved himself by flight . but they durst not stay all night in the city , for fear the swedes and citizens should set upon them unawares out of some ambuscado ; and so they returned to their own company , and in the morning with many hundred waggons they came back , killing all they met , and setting themselves to plunder the city . here then you might have seen strange examples of barbarous cruelty on the one side , and blockish folly on the other . for though no man made resistance , yet like mad dogs they flew upon all that either came out or were drawn out of the holes wherein they had hid themselves . of some they pulled out their eyes ; of some they cut off their noses and tongues ; of others they cut off their hands and feet ; others they stabbed and slashed , and so butchered them with innumerable wounds , that it could not be known who they were : and ( which was more ) they spared not his highness , prince frederick , landgrave of hassia , though dead , whom they had slain half a year before at costena , and who was decently embalmed by the lessians , and kept laid up in the chappel of the new-church upon a scaffold , till he might be transported to his own country : they first rifled his coffin , which was handsomely adorned , taking away his silver and guilt keyes , and all the silk that was about it ; then they set upon the princes corps , and took away his silk robe , lined with ermines , and so left him once again naked , and lying on the ground . but ( after the burning of the city , his body being found in the same place , untouched by the fire ) he was cloathed again by the ancient lesnians , and put up in his coffin , and buried in a certain place , where he is still honourably kept . but that mad rabble shewed abundance of folly in this , that whereas they might have made lesna their nest ( the swedes having garrisoned themselves in the strongest places of the province ) or at least might have gathered together the richest of the plunder ; ( for there was such abundance of victuals , wares , housholdstuff of all sorts , and treasure that was brought hither from other places , as to a place of safety , that a thousand waggons could scarce have carried it away in many dayes ) yet such was their over-eager desire of their destroying this hated city , that the very same day ; yea before noon , they set fire to the city and suburbs in every street , ( for the waggons which they brought with them were not empty , but loaded with torches , pitch , straw , and such other combustible matter ) and so cruelly destroyed that most pleasant city , together with all that abundance of all sorts of things that was in it . this fire lasted three whole dayes , and there were those that took care that nothing should scape it ; for when the new-buildings of the new-churches , did not easily take fire , they brought straw , pitch , and dry wood ; and put under the roofs and the in-side of the steeples , and so forced them to take fire : and they came again upon the third day ( . may ) and whatsoever was left they set fire to again . they burnt also the very wind-mills , whereof there were seventy about the city ; and a very pleasant park of the countesses , which lay close by the castle ; that every place might be filled with spectacles of cruelty , and at length it might come to be said , en cineres ubi lesna fuit ! where fairest lesna stood of old , now nought but ashes we behold ! the citizens sadly beholding these flames some miles off , ran thither next day by troops ; whether out of a desire of quenching the fire ( if it were possible ) or else to save something out of the flames ; ( for most through fear had gone away empty handed ) but the enemy came upon them ; and although they stoutly defended themselves , and slew many of their enemies , yet many of themselves were slain ; and many others also on the dayes following , when some villages that belonged to the county of lesna , and were inhabited by professors of the gospel , were in like manner burnt down . there perished in these flames many aged and sick people , that could not get away ; besides such abundance of houses , houshold-stuff of all sorts , precious wares , corn ( many thousand bushels whereof were brought hither ) libraries and other things , that the loss would amount to many tuns of gold ; and many thousands were thereby reduced to meer beggery . but that which was saddest of all , was , that the church of the faithful , that was here gathered together out of divers places and countryes , to enjoy the pure worship of god , was so utterly overthrown , that it cannot but cry out with sion of old , when it was rased by the babylonians , lament . . and . o all ye that pass by , behold and see , if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow , wherewith the lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger ! for he hath sent a fire into my bones , and it prevaileth against me ; he hath made me a desolation , so that i am not able to rise up ; my children are desolate , because the enemy prevailed . sion spreadeth forth her hands , and there is none to comfort her . i called for my lovers , but they deceived me . mine enemies chased me sore , like a bird , without cause . they have cut off my life in the dungeon . thou drewest near in the day that i called upon thee : thou saidst , fear not ; it is of the lords mercies that we are not consumed , because his compassions fail not . it must not be concealed what wonder hapned the first day of the burning of the city about evening , at czirna ( which is the first town of silesia , next to lesna , about two miles distant ) some of the lesnians went out to look upon the sad smoke of their country ; and as they were looking , there fell from the clouds which carried the smoke over silesia , together with the soot , a leaf of burnt paper , which when they took up , they found to be a leaf of the bohemian bible , containing the th . and part of the th . chapters of matthew ; where those words of christ came first to sight , with what measure ye meet , it shall be measured to you again ; with many other of christs exhortations to trust in the fatherly providence of god. this leaf was presented to the lord of the place ; and a lesnian physitian , who was there by chance , that read and interpreted it , and divers others , can bear witness to the truth hereof ; and the lord of the place laid it up among his rarities ! what now should sion do , but cry out under the cruel oppression of the enemy , render unto them a recompence , o lord , according to the works of their hands , lament . . . and indeed god began to revenge his peoples wrongs the fourth day after , when they furiously assaulted costena , a town four miles from lesna , where they were often repulsed stoutly by the swedish garrison ; and having suffered a great slaughter ( about five hundred of them being wanting ) they were forced to retire in great confusion . the like also they met withall at kalissia , and other places , being slain and put to flight by the swedes . herein it hapned unto them much after the same manner , as it did to tilly formerly when he had ruined magdeburg , the god of vengeance manifesting himself the avenger of his people : and now they begin to acknowledge and upbraid one another with their folly ; the nobles , in that they have spoiled their mart and treasury ; and the clergy , in that it is hapned otherwise than they intended . for their purpose was , utterly to ruine the hereticks ( as they term them ) with their nest ; but now that they see the nest spoiled , and the birds saved , it is much more matter of grief and vexation than of joy to them . for here god performed what he promised of old to baruch , i will give thee ( in the midst of thy countryes ruines ) thy life for a prey , jer. . . so god gave to thousands of his worshippers , who were snatched out of the midst of those ruines , their life for a prey , having set bounds to the fury of the devil , which he could not pass ; as he did of old , when he gave job into his hands , as to all that he had , but so , that he should spare his life . blessed be the name of the lord. truly we have cause to say with david ( psalm . ) if it had not been the lord who was on our side , when men rose up against us , then they had swallowed us up quick , when their wrath was kindled against us , then the waters had overwhelmed us , the stream had gone over our soul ; then the proud waters had gone over our soul : blessed be the lord , who hath not given us a prey to their teeth : our soul is escaped , as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers ; the snare is broken , and we are escaped ; our help is in the name of the lord , who made heaven and earth . oh the wonderfull providence of our god! which then saves when he seems to have forsaken , and then makes alive where he seems to have killed . we had been undone , if we had not been undone : we had been undone in our lives , those furies gathering together soon after , in far greater troops , if we had not been undone in our estates , which were left to them for a prey by our flight ( which the fatherly providence of god , fore-seeing greater evils , procured , by sending that fright among us . ) blessed be the name of the lord again and again : we notwithstanding , with other afflicted ones , in what nation soever , whom that proudest babylonian flood of waters seeks to swallow up , will not cease to cry , how long , o lord , wilt thou be angry with thy people ? how long shall thy jealousie burn like fire ? o remember not against us former iniquities ; let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us , &c. psalm . and with the souls of those that were slain for the word of god , that lie under the altar of christs merits , for whose faith we are killed , how long ( o lord ) holy and true , dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ! rev. . , . the delegates of these poor persecuted protestant churches coming over into england to move for a contribution towards the relief of their distressed brethren , published this ensuing narrative . the utmost fury of antichrist against the protestants or reformed church of the bohemian confession in poland , set down in a brief ( but faithful ) narrative , and according to the truth of the matter . the spouse of jesus christ , she who in the cradle was besprinkled with the blood of a protomartyr , hath alwayes brought forth into the world men like abel or stephen , that so there might never be wanting to cry from the earth unto god , and that the wounds of that rose which lies among the thorns of persecution might not be concealed . every age , and every year in each age , and every moneth and day in each year , hath produced new inundations of blood unto this day ; and yet the little flock of the lord hath alwayes encreased under persecutions , one while here , another there , shifting their seats and habitations . while it pleased god by the means of wicklef to kindle the light of the gospel in great britain , john huss asserted the truth of jesus christ in the midst of thick darknesse of popery in bohemia , many thousands being stirred up by god to receive it , who despising all the cruelty of tyrants , received it with joy , untill by gods assistance they took rooting in the kingdom , and grew up into flourishing churches . in a short time after , antichrist breathing out his fury , the truth was banished out of bohemia , and the confessors being driven out , transplanted the gospel into poland ; where being favourably entertained by king sigismond , they in a short time encreased to so great a number , that being little inferiour to the papists , they were able to boast of an equal authority and priviledges with them . hence it came to passe that the kings at their coronations were wont , not only to promise , but solemnly to swear protection to such as disagreed from the roman religion , and therefore they proceeded not to open persecutions , save only in those cities where the jesuits had seated themselves in power ( to wit ) cracovia , posen , lublin , vilna , &c. where , by their disciples , and by stirring up the common people to fury , the churches of the reformed professors were a good while ago demolished , and divers ministers cruelly massacred . neverthelesse the malice of the enemies being no whit allayed , they were many ways afflicted , first indirectly , afterwards by pretences under colour of law , until those churches being worn out by degrees , and overthrown , were not many years ago reduced to a very inconsiderable number , especially when as in the reign of the late king , the enemies being confident they might do any thing , brought things to this passe at length , that there were no more than twenty one congregations remaining in the greater poland , and those also ready to perish . but among these twenty one remaining churches , the chief , and as it were the mother of them all , was that of lesna , which was divided into three congregations , the bohemian , the polonian and the german ; each of which had their own pastors , but the communicants joyntly were about two thousand : therefore it was that this church was in the first place exposed to the enemies malice , and of late designed to the slaughter , as well by reason of its being very much frequented and grown famous , as also because of the synod there usually celebrated , as likewise a famous university and printing-house , and books frequently published to the world . when therefore in the year . the swedish army out of pomerania drew near to the borders of poland , and the nobility were summoned to arms , according to the custome of the countrey , it came to passe that the papists brake forth into many furious expressions , crying out , that the hereticks had invited the enemy , and therefore they were first of all to be put to the sword and extirpated ; which reports , though most falsly scattered abroad ( for the searcher of the heart and the reins knoweth , that we never so much as dreamt of it ) yet they easily found credit among the sworn enemies of the gospel , who sought nothing more than our ruine . hereupon they who first consulted to agree with the swedish army , being terrified by its power , concluded about the surrender of all great poland into the kings protection , and namely , the royal cities of posen , calissen , meserick , &c. to which also lesna was expressely added : in a little time after they endeavoured to cast off the swedish yoke , and turned their arms not against the swedes , but first against our evangelical professors , as conspiring with the swedes upon the account of religion , and none of them scrupled to take revenge upon them . they first of all set upon those of lesna , with resolution of putting all to the sword , and destroying that heretical city by fire , and they had effected both , unlesse god had by sending some persons before , who by signifying the coming of the enemy , and with what intent they came , had possest the citizens with a panick fear , so that leaving all their estates , they every man fled ; and thus within the space of one hour , a most populous city abounding with all manner of wealth , was left without inhabitants , who in a miserable condition wandered then into the neighbouring woods and marishes into silesia . but the polish nobility with their army entring the city , did what they pleased , slaying a number of decrepit old people , and sick persons that were not able to save themselves by flight ; then the city it self was first plundred , and afterwards so destroyed by fire for three dayes together , that no part of it remained beside rubbish and ashes . in what manner they would have handled the citizens , especially their pastors , they shewed by their heroick actions performed in other places , by the most savage slaughtering of divers ministers of the church , and other faithful members of christ , of both sexes ; for of all that they laid hold on , they gave not one man quarter , but very cruelly put them to death with most exquisite tortures . they endeavoured to force master samuel cardus , pastor of the church of czuertzinen , to renounce his religion , after they had taken him , and miserably handled him with all manner of cruelty ; but he stoutly resisting , they first put out his eyes , and led him about for a spectacle , then they pulled off his fingers-ends with pincers ; but he not yet condescending to their mad fury , they found out a new kinde of torment , poured molten lead into his mouth , and at length while he was yet half alive , they clapt his neck between folding doors , and violently pulling them together , severed his head from his body . they took john jacobides , pastor of the church of dembnick , and alexander wartens his colleague , and another that was in company with them , as they passed through the toun of lubin , and hurrying them up and down for divers hours , and grievously handling them after the manner of tyrants , then last of all cutting their throats with a razor , threw them headlong , while they were yet breathing , into a great pit , which had been before-hand prepared for their martyrs , and stifled them by casting down dung and dirt upon them . they a great while pursued andrew oxlitius a young man designed for the ministery , whom after long seeking , they at last found in the open field , and in the end having taken him , they cut off his head with a sithe , chopping it into smal pieces , and the dead carcase also they slasht in a barbarous manner . the same fate befell adam milta , a citizen of lesna ; but they more grievously handled an old man of above seventy , whose name was simon priten , and many others , whose names it were too tedious to relate . of that barbarous execution which they did upon the weaker sex , there were besides other examples , horrid trophies of cruelty erected in the said city of lesna : a pious matron there , who was the mother of three children , not being able quick enough to leave the city , and being slain in the open street , they cut off her hands , & feet , & cutting off her childrens heads , they laid two of them at her breasts , and the third by her side . in like manner , another woman having her hands and feet cut off , and her tongue cut out , being inclosed and bound in a sack , lived the space of two dayes , making most miserable lamentation . grief forbids us to adde more ; for they behaved themselves so furiously towards us , that there remains not an example of any one man saved of all those that happened to fall into their hands . it is notoriously known how that fury of theirs tyrannized also over the dead ; some they dragg'd out of their graves , and cut in pieces , as at zichlin ; others they exposed naked for a publick spectacle , as at lesna ; of which outragious action we had an example , even in the dead body of the most serene landgrave of hassia , which was drawn out of the grave , who was heretofore slain in a most barbarous and tyrannical manner at koscian , but buried by our friends at lesna . the like was acted also upon the body of the most noble arciszevius , heretofore the valiant admiral of the hollanders in brazile , which was likewise dragg'd out of the grave , and being stript of the grave-clothes , was found after the firing of lesna . there are divers other examples , which the christian reader may finde in the book , entituled , lesnae excidium , faithfully written , and lately set forth in print ; but they are such examples onely as are commonly known ; for who is able to relate all things in particular ? as burning men alive , drowning others with stones tied about their necks , &c. now lesna being destroyed , the fury of the enemy proceeded to the persecutions of others ; they in a short time utterly demolished all our congegations , not onely driving away the pastors , but also either burning or leaving most of the temples desolate , as at karmin , dembnick , skochy , czriuczin , &c , yea and the auditories themselves were either slain ( as in the town of skochy , where there was a very flourishing church of the bohemian exiles ; sixty persons , both men and women were cruelly put to death ) or else they were scattered abroad , so that there remained not one place wherein the worship of god may be celebrated . lo , this is the most miserable state and condition of our churches ; moreover our countrey-men , to the number of five thousand , besides youths and children , being dispersed in banishment ( which hath now befallen most of us the second time ) especially throughout silesia , as also through the marck , lusatia , hungary , &c. find no comfort , but much misery , and are there exposed to the hatred and envy of men . we that are pastors dare not openly minister to our auditories with the word and sacraments , but onely in private meetings , or in woods among fenny places , god onely seeing us , who is witnesse of these calamities , and our comfort in extremities . indeed being thus destitute of all things , we lead a wretched life in banishment , being afflicted with hunger and nakednesse , and are become next to the most miserable waldenses , the greatest spectacle of calamity to the christian world ; for so it hath seemed good to that soveraign wisdome that governs all things , that we should be inheritors of the crosse and persecution of those men from whom we have derived the original of our doctrine and external succession : for truly we are the remaining progeny even of the waldenses , with whom being raised from the ashes of blessed huss , and with whom combining into the same holy fellowship of the faith and afflictions of christ , we have for two whole ages and more , been perpetually subject to the like storms of calamities , until at length we fell into this calamity , greater than ever was known in the memory of our fathers , and which threatens us with utter destruction , unlesse god prevent it . the truth is , this businesse constrains us to amazement and tears , greater than can be exprest in words , to set forth our affliction and sorrow : if there be any consolation in christ , if any comfort of love , if any fellowship of the spirit , if any bowels and mercies , we desire that this affliction of joseph may be recommended , especially to all that are of the houshold of faith. let them not suffer those to perish whom the same faith , and the same spirit of christ hath joyned with them in so near a relation ; we beseech them in the name of christ , that they would rather make haste to relieve those who are ready to perish , we being assured that we suffer this persecution upon no other account , than for the confession of the truth , from those enemies who have acted such things as these are against us in times past , and are now at length by gods permission , pouring out their fury upon us . signed in the name of the said distressed churches , by their delegates and now exiles for the cause of christ ; adam samuel hartman , pastor of the church of lesna in poland , and rector of the famous university there . paul cyril a late member of the university of lesna . a brief representation of the protestant cause in germany . in what case it hath been , since the peace of munster ; and how it stood in the year . and how it is now this present year . the justice of the late civil warres in germany , which were composed at the peace concluded in munster and osnaburgge in the year . was grounded upon this ; that the protestants were necessitated to enter into a league or mutual union together , for the maintaining of their rights and priviledges in the empire , against the infections thereof , and manifold disturbances of their profession , which contrary to former agreements at imperial dyets , did befal unto them in many places by the popish and jesuites practices , whereof they could obtain no redresse by any peaceable treaties : therefore finding that there was a design formed in the conclave , and by the house of austria , to be put in execution , tending by little and little to wear out and deprive them of their liberties ; they formed an union among themselves , to stand upon the defence of their rights , and to oppose the power of the house of austria , by whose means , both in germany and in bohemia , the jesuites did drive the design of rooting out protestants . the head of this union ( who by his place was bound to appear in it ) was the elector palatine : but he being a soft man , of no experience in war , and beset in his counsels and enterprises with such as did betray him , the cause was soon overthrown ; and by his overthrow , the intended persecution against protestants to root them out , what by power , and what by policie , was openly carried on by the house of austria ; which moved the king of denmark christian the iv. and after him the king of sweden , to come upon the stage : the dane was soon overthrown , but god gave such successe unto the swedes , to the landgrave of hessen their associate , and to the french ; ( who joyned with them to ballance the power of austria , after the elector of saxony had made his peace at prague with the emperour , and deserted the protestant interest ) : that from the death of king gustavus , they continued the war with various successes till the year . at which time the swedish being masters in bohemia , and the emperour brought so low , that he saw little hopes to recover his strength without a peace , he yielded to the conditions which the protestants and the french stood upon . the swedish stood upon their satisfaction , and to keep a foot in the empire , to be able upon all occasions to secure or help the protestant party ; and the protestant princes they stood upon the setling of all things and of themselves in their former rights and possessions , as before the war ; and chiefly upon this point the reformed party and the landgrave of hessen , who headed them , stood , that thence forward the reformed protestants ( alias called calvinists ) should have equal freedom and liberty of conscience , for the exercise of their profession in the empire , with the papists and lutherans . this condition being obtained , and a way determined to give the agrieved parties in point of dammage further satisfaction , armies were dismissed , a new convention of states was held at nurenberg , to settle the remaining matters within the empire , which at munster and osnabrugge could not well be handled , by reason of the treatie with forreigne states , and afterward a dyet was called at ratisbon , to confirme all what formerly had been treated on and concluded , and to put the remainder of grievances in a way to be rectified : to which effect at the dissolution or rather adjournment of the imperial dyet at ratisbon , a committee of deputies from all the states of the empire , of equal number of both parties , ( that is , so many of the protestants as of the popish partie ) were named to meet at franckford , and prepare ( by way of disquiry of rights ) the matters then remaining undecided , that at the next session of the dyet , there might be a full decision and determination of them ; but before these delegates did meet , the elector of mentz did broach a new quarrel with the elector palatine , tending to abridge him of much of his right , and to make him inconsiderable to the protestant party ; but the king of sweden his cousin ( for he is a younger brothers son of the house palatine ) and the landgrave of hessen his brother in law , did appear for him so farre , that the emperor and the elector of mentz fearing a new breach on his behalf , did leave him unmolested . soon after the composure of this quarrel , the committee of imperial deputies , met according to the appointment of the last dyet at ratisbon , and they have continued at franckford , debating and disputing one with another concerning their respective rights , in the several cases which remained undetermined . this meeting of deputies hath agitated matters in the years — — . till these new affairs were come into consideration , which the king of sweden his war with poland hath occasioned : for from that time that he went into poland and prospered there , the deputies although they did not dissolve their meeting , yet did in a manner alter the course of their treating one with another , as looking much upon the event of that war , till the death of the late emperour hath altered the scene , and a dyet for the election of a new emperour hath been called . the king of swedens war with poland , did alarm the popish party in germany , and the house of austria extremely : and did terrifie the states of the low-countreys , lest if he should be master of the baltick sea , their trade should be thenceforward under his power , with whom they had no friendly correspondence , by reason of some reciprocally conceived injuries , for which they could not trust him . this moved those of holland who are the chief traders in those seas , to stir up enemies against him , and openly to appear for , and correspond with dantzick to oppose him : and it is known to the swedish , that they have dealt underhand with the muscovite , with the polish king , with the austrians , and above-board with the king of denmark , to combine against him ; by which means after that he had conquered poland , his forces were distracted , first to oppose the muscovite in livonia , who besieged riga ; and afterward to put himself in a defensive posture against the austrians , who came to the assistance of the king of poland ; and lastly , to retire from poland into germany , to oppose the danish forces , who had invaded his territories of bremen . being come into germany upon this design , he did conquer from the king of denmark the last summer all hostein and jutland , and although by these conquests he was able to live in his quarters in the winter : yet his enemies being round about him on all hands , and he having neither money , nor convenient places to recruit his army , it was expected , that in the spring the combination of his enemies who compassed him about , would have swallowed him up : but god was pleased to appear for him , and direct him in a way to escape and overcome these difficulties : for in january last , he formed his design to assault the other territories of the danish king ; namely the islands which lie between germany and the continent of sweden , and to that effect had prepared his men to march over into fuenen , either by a bridge of ships if the sea were not frozen so as to bear : or over the ice , if it should be strong enough : having then notice gotten , that towards the latter end of january the ice did bear , he took of horse and foot not above six or seven thousand , and therewith did march over the sea into funen , where the danish king had placed his chief forces to defend the place . and although some dangetous and dreadfull accidents did befal him in that his march over the sea , yet he went on and fought the danish forces more in number than he had with him , which on firm land stood in a readinesse to receive him , and beat them , took the chief commanders prisoners , and the spoil of the island , which is one of the richest that belongs to that kingdom . having made himself master of that island , he went forward to the next island , over the sea , called langland , where he found a body of five hundred men to resist him , but being charged , they were instantly defeated ; so he went from thence to the next called laland , and from thence to falster , and from falster to zeland , the frost still continuing to make a bridge for him in all these marches . and from the time he came into funen , till he entred zeland , he spent onely five or six dayes . in zeland ( where the king of denmark was at coppenhagen ) m. medows , the publick minister of the state , sent from thence to reside with the king of denmark , came to him and desired him to admit the king of denmark to a treaty ; this he condescended unto , and by the interposition of m. medows and of the french ambassadour ( for he would not admit the hollands ambassadour to be a mediator ) the place was concluded about the twentieth of february , after twelve dayes treaty . the conditions are , that he restore to the king of denmark all what he had taken from him in germany , namely holstein , and jutland , and the islands of fuenen , langland , laland , falster , and zealand ; and in lieu thereof the king of denmark quits unto him all his rights in the provinces of haland and schonen , and of blieken , which are the continent of sweden , on the north side of the sound ; and doth moreover surrender unto him the island of bornholm , and the lordships of bahusen , and of drunthen in norway , which lie most convenient to cause the trade of sweden to flourish . some other conditions there are , but lesse considerable . the peace being concluded and ratified by both kings , the king of denmark feasted the king of sweden for certaine dayes , and at several times both kings were together alone , for the space of two or three hours at a time , whereby it is conceived that they have contracted a nearer and stricter alliance together , than the publick treatise can mention . this being done , the king of sweden went into his own countrey ; and hath convocated the states of his kingdom at gottenburg , to dispose of his affairs with their advice , and to take up further resolutions in time to come . this unexpected and miraculous successe of the swedish kings enterprise , hath disappointed all the counsels and plots of his adversaries against him , for which he is obliged to none but unto god alone : and from hence his friends have just cause to gather , that god hath raised him out of his straits , and redoubled his strength to make further use of him towards the advancement of the common cause of protestants , in whose behalf he concluded the peace at munster , and which he thinks himself in conscience and honour obliged to see maintained for the protestant interest ; tanquam altera pars paciscens , as in a letter of his to the emperour he did expresse himself . so that it seems the protestant cause in germany will finde in him a protector of so much courage and resolution , and conduct , as any that could be expected or desired : and it is known to all that know him , that he is earnestly bent to take away the differences , and advance the reconcilement of protestants within themselves : and that he makes no difference between lutherans ( as they are called ) and calvinists , but makes use of both alike , according to their abilities , as he findes them fitted for employment to forreign affairs : for within the kingdom of sweden , no forreigners , and none but lutherans , are to be admitted to the civil charges of trust ; others are employed in military charges , both there and elsewhere , according to their deserts . but presently after the elector of brandenburg was by subtile artifices withdrawn from the king of sweden , and joyned with the emperour , and the king of poland against him : the king of denmark was prevailed with to break his late-made league , and the states of the united provinces have joyned with the dane against him ; and god having taken away his great friend oliver lord protector , he hath conflicted with many and great difficulties , and yet hitherto god hath upholden him from sinking under them . what the issue will be , time must discover . finis . a table of all the principal things contained in this general martyrologie . a anabaptists wickedness pag. anger implacable apostacy dangerous , , , , , , , , , , apostates wickedness , , b bibles , & sacred scriptures burnt , , , , , , , bibles in french first printed blasphemy , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ▪ c charity of christians , , , , , , , , , , , chastity eminent children martyred , , , , , , , , , children encouraged by their parents to sufferings , , , , , , christ preferred above all , , , christians slandred as the authors and causes of mischief , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , christians murthered in churches , , , christians reproached , comfort at death , , , , , , , , conscience evil constancy of gods children , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , conversions strange , , , , , , , . . , courage and constancy of gods children , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , cruelty of heathens to gods people , , , , , , , , , , . cruelty of heriticks to them , , , , , , , . cruelty of papists to them , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , &c. , , , , &c. , , , &c. , &c. , &c. . d devils subtilty dissimulation , , , , , , , . e edicts good edicts , and lawes cruel ▪ , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . envie examples prevalent f faith of gods children . , , , , , , , , false witnesses famines terrible , , , , , . fasting , and prayer fidelity flattery , flight in time of persecution flight refused , , h hereticks profane , hereticks proud heretickes subtile , hereticks impudent heroical acts , humane frailty , , , , , , , , , , , , humility husbands malice against his wife hypocrisie , , , , i idolatry gross idolatry reformed jewes murthered refusing to fight on the sabbath ignorance , , jmage of apollo broken with lightning ingratitude , , , inquisition , begun , . joy unspeakable , , ● joy in tribulation , , , , , , , , . judgments of god . , , . l life refused love of christians . m meekness of christians ministers m●rtyred . , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ministers sheltred in times of persecution miracles . miracles of mercy , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . . n nobility true o ordination of ministers p patience of gods children in sufferings , , , , , , , , , , , , perfidiousness . . see popish perfidiousness . persecution spreads the gospel , , , , , . persecutors plagued by god , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , persecutors converted . . plagues terrible . . popish malice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . popish prrfidiousnesse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . popish subtilty . . . . . . . . . . &c. . . . . . . . . . . . . &c. popish uncleanness . . . . . . . . prayer in times of danger ● . . . . . prayer powerfull and prevalent . ● . . . . predictions and prophesies . . . . . . . pride . . profanness . . . . . . ●. providences special . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . prudence of chris●ians . . r recovery after falls . . . . . , . . . . . riches are snares s scismaticks plagued by god scismaticks bloody scismaticks profane scismaticks subtile scisme comes from pride , scriptures , see bible sectaries dangerous sin the forerunner of persecution . . . . son dutifull and loving southsayers wickedness , , , speeches excellent . , . . . . . . stories excellent . . . . . subtilty of the churches enemies . . . . . . success no sign of a good cause . sympathy synods t tentations resisted . . . . . ; , , , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . thanksgiving for mercies . thanksgiving for sufferings ▪ trechery rewarded . . v visions . w waldenses their opinions wife loving to her husband wisdom of christians see prudence witnesses false , plagued by god womens courage . z zeal . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . ● . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . finis . this book being printed most of it by the printed copy , i looked not over the proofes , and so through the carelesness of the correctors and compositors many faults have escaped , which i pray thee to amend with thy pen before thou readest the book errata in the general martyrologie . page line read him for them . l r india for indian . p l r whom for who . p l. . put in , cease to . l put in , to . p l r were for was . l r decree for degree . p l r adorning for adoreing . p l r this for his . l r com for cow . l r they for the. p l r that for the p l r stake for stalk . p l r also for all . p l r torturers for tortures . l r courtiers for countries . p l ult . put in , whosoever . p l r they for the. p l r was for were . l r prince for princes . p l r which for with . l r belief for relief . p l r edified for edifying . p l r they for the p. p l put in , whereupon . p l r enjoyned for enjoyed . p l r slaying for staying . p l r children for child . p l r receiving for receive . p l r sixty for sixtly . p l r opened for opening . p l put out , was . p l r retaining for restraining . p. l r their for they . p l r represented for presented . p l r approach for reproach . p l r die for are . l r bertrand for b●trand . p l r bosnia for bosina . l r when for where p. l r root for rout . p l ult . r delivered for discovered . p l r maundy for munday . p l r upon for of , cities for city . p l r buried for burnt . l r they for the. l r two for second . p l r catholick for cathe . p l r they for the. p l r breast for breasts . l r was for were . p l r hoary for heavy . p l put out should . p l r were for was . p l r this for his . l r for never no man , r no man ever . p l put in , free . p l put in , one . l r sent for set . p l r zeal for seal . p l put in , her . p l put in , took . p l r girls for gilts . l r burnt for burn . l r goodly for godly . l r macerating for macecrating . p l put in , of . p l r mouth for mouta . p l ult . r parisians for persians . p l put in , brought p l put out , and so . p l r short for shot . p l r leave for have . p l r whom for where . p l for infections r infractions . other literal faults are easily amended . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e sanguis martyrum semen ecclesiae . act. . . thes. . . lam. . , isa. . . pet. . . micha . . tim. . heb. . . luk. . . praemonitus praemunitus . notes for div a -e gen. . . gen. . . abel . noah . gen. . . gen. . . lot. isaac . jacob. joseph . th● israelites in egypt . moses . moses and aaron . israel in the time of the judges . jsrael in saul's time . david . king. . , . judah under the kings . asa persecutes a prophet . michaiah . gods judgement on persecutors . elijah . elisha . zechariah . chron. . . isaiah . jer. . , &c. jeremiah . the children . daniel . mordecai . israel after the captivity . nehe. . . and ● . ▪ . nehemiah . the jews persecuted by bagoses . prayer in times of danger . apostates . antiochus entred jerusalem . antiochus robs the temple . forbideth the daily sacrifice . his cruelty . christian courage . the scriptures burnt . matthias his zeal . a noble resolution . zeal . the jews murthered , refusing to fight on the sabbath day . matthias his sickness . his counsel to his sons . his death . apollonius slain . judas encouraged his souldiers . seron slain . antiochus his ●rpel command . fasting and prayer before the battel . his exhortation to his army a wonderfull v●ctory . gorgias flies . thanksgiving . prayer . lysias beaten . the temple cleansed . the service of god restored . the edomites overcome . the ammonites overcome . simons victories in galile . judas taketh bozra . overcometh timothy , timothy again overcome . ephron destroyed . thanksgiving for victory . a miracle of mercy . vain-glory punished . the idumaeans overcome . antiochus his horrible death . gods judgemente on persecator● . antiochus eupa●tor . bethsura besieged . eleazer slew , and is slain by an elephent . bethsura surrendred . the temple besieged . a speciall providence . perfidiousness . a just judgement . antiochus slain by demetrius the wickednes of apostates . bacchides sent against judas . perjury . perfidiousness . alcimus his subtilty and cruelty . nicanor sent against judas his subtility . judas in danger . judas forced to retreat . nicanors blasphemy . a terrible battel . nicanor slain . a just judgement . judas sends to the romans . a league between the jews and romans . bacchides sent ●gainst judas twenty thousand . judas his resolution . a terrible battel . judas slain . antiochus his cruel edict . constancy . subtilty . courage . eleazer cruelly beaten . his admirable patience . his zeal . his prayer at death . antiochus his subtilty . the seven brethrens courage maccabeus his torments . his resolute speech . his martyrdom . his speech at death . abers torments . or leopard . h●s speech at death . machir brought forth . his courage . his torments . his speech at death . judas his courage . his torments . his speech at death . achas his courage . his torments . his speech at death . areth his courage . his torments . his speech at death . jacob brought forth . antiochus his subtilty . his mother encourageth him . his noble courage . his torments . * lord. his last words . salamona's zeal . her speech to her children . her torments and death . see more of this before . mat. . , , . gods judgement on persecutors . herods miserable death . john baptist behe●ded . mat. . . gods judgements on herod for it . caius caligula . act. . , . the apostles beaten . steven stoned . paul persecuted . act. . , . a persecutor converted . james beheaded . peter escapeth death . gods judgement on herod paul and barnabas persecuted . paul stoned . paul and silas whipt . paul and silas again persecuted . act. . , , . sosthenes beaten . paul in danger acts . . pauls martyrdom . the martyrdom of james . his constancy in prayer . andrews martyrdom . philips martyrdom . bartholemew . thomas . matthew . simon zel. judas . matthias . mark. nicanor . notes for div a -e quinquennium neronis . nero sets rome on fire . the circus burnt down . nero charged it upon the christians . raiseth the first persecution . several kinds of torments . beastly cruelty . tertullians speech . peter and paul martyred . domitians character . he destroyes davids seed . st. john put into boiling oyl . banished into patmos . an excellent story ●f a young man. sim●on crucified . flavia banished . a cruel death . christians slandered . charged with sedition and rebellion ; and the causers of all publick calamities . christianos ad leones . the oath ex officio . variety of torments . burial denied them . protasius . gervasius . timothy and dionysius martyred . trajans persecution . pliny writes in the christians behalf . christianity accounted superstition . tertullians speech . the stock of david sought for . a just reward . phocus martyr . sulpitius , nereus and achilleus martyrs . adrian emp. alexander , herenes and quiri●us martyrs . zenon . ten thousand crucified . eustachius martyr . monstrous ingratitude . faustinus and jobita martyrs . more . eleutherius , anthea , and symphorissa martyrs . with her seven sons . quadratus his apology for the christians , and aristides , and serenus . christians falsly accused . an. pi. emp. shews them ●avour . an excellent law. polycarp martyr . germanacus . constancy . metrodorus . pionus apollggy and martyrdom . carpus , papilus and agathonica . felicitas and her seven children . justin ma●tyas apology and martyrdom . malice . ptolemaus . lucius . note . concordus . persecutions in france . gods providence . patience . divers torments ▪ vetius epagathus his zeal . humane frailty . christians slandered . sanctus . maturus . attalus . blandina . a miracle of mercy . tormentors , wearied . note . admirable constancy . a miracle of mercy . biblides . photinus . danger of apostacy . recovery after fals . alexander . note . blasphemy ▪ ponticus a boy of fifteen years old . joy unspeakable . blasphemy . justin martyr . alcibiades . clau. apolinaris and melito apologize for the christians . the thundring legion . a good edict . apollonius . a just reward of treachery . vincentius , eusebius , peregrinus and potentianus . zeal , julius . zeal . severus emperour . christians charged with sedition and rebellion , &c. leonides father of origen . zeal . plutarch . serenus . potamiena . marcella and rhais . b●silides his strange conversion . narcissus . false witnesses plagued by god. andoclus . asclepiades . irenaeus . tertullian . perpetua . felicitas . revocatus . satyrus . secundulus . zepherinus . urbanus . tiburtius . valerianus . cecilia . a great conversion . agape●us a boy of fifteen years old . gods judgement on a persecutor . calepodius . pamachius . martina . maximinus emperor . urbanus and philip. sectaries dangerous . note . probably it was by the terrors of his own conscience . decius emp. fabian martyr . a cruel edict . alexander martyr . babilus . peter . a south-sayer stirs up a persecution . metra martyr . quinta . the christian houses plundred . apollinia leaps into the fire . serapion . persecutors divided amongst themselves . the danger of riches . zeal . apostacy . julianus martyr , and cronion . macar . epim●chus . alexander . ammonarion . mercuria . dio●ysia . a boy of fifteen years old . nemesion . humane frailty . zeal . courage . ischirion . the miseries of christians . cheremon . dionys●us . a miracle of mercy . flight in persecution . courage of seven souldiers . nicetas his ra●e chastity . theodora condemned to the stews . her strange deliverance . cruelty . agathon . two ministers . secundianus . zeal . gods judgement on persecutors . serapions apostacy , and recovery . danger of apostacy . constancy . a vision . the beginning of the novatian schism . pride the cause of schism . a synod against novatus . aurelius . mappalicus . gods judgement on persecutors . a terrible plague . the brotherly love of christians . a special providence . cyprians consolatory letter . persecution stirred up by a sorcerer . sin the forerunner of persecution . a vision . christians charged as the causes of all plagues . confuted by cyprian and tertullian . cyprian martyr . sixtus and his deacons . the courage and constancy of laurence . the rage of tyrants . in all these things we are more then conquerors . dionysia . banished . the power of the word of god. gods providence . the cruel torments of the christians . priscus , malchus , alexander zeal . three hundred christians put into a lime-kiln . three virgins cruelly tormented . fructuosus . valerian em●peror . gods judgement on persecutors . marinus . asyrius . satans subtilty power of prayer . peace in the church . a special providence . p●ace causeth the church to flourish . sin the forerunner of persecution . contention amongst christians . p●ide . bibles burnt . cruel edicts . horrible torments . false accusations of christians . courage . humane infirmity . zeal . subtilty . constancy . a miracle of mercy . silvanus . pamphilus . tiranion . zenobius . sylvanus . peter . dorotheus . gorgonius . anthimus . dioclesian's wife . christians burnt in a church . a christian city burnt . eustratius , a persecutor converted and martyred . peter . a legion of christians martyred . inhumane c●uelty . cruel torments . hellish cruelty . admirable patience . courage and constancy . tormentors wearied . humane infirmity . the story of mauritius and his legion . a most christian speech . christian courage . the mercies of the wicked are cruelty . gods judgements on persecutors . hypocrisie . silvanus . lucianus . peter . quirinus . cruel torments gods judgements on persecutors . a terrible famine . pestilence . charity of christians ▪ gods judgements on persecutors . hypocrisie . wicked laws . cru●lty . theodorius . romanus's noble courage . true nobility . note . blasphemy . a child tormented . an appeal to christ. the childes martyrdom . gordius . courage . flattery . constancy . menas note . humane infirmity . fourty young gentlemen . tenta●ion of flattery . a mother encourageth her son to die . cyrius . john. athanasia . sebastian barlaam : vitalis ▪ constancy . agricola . vincentius . horrible cruelty . joy unspeakable . procopius . georg. zeal . hermogenes . eulalia . zeal . tentation . eulalia . horrible cruelty . agnes . tentation . courage . faith. a remarkable judgement . faith. julitta an excellent story . strength of faith. tentation . constancy . barbara . magit●a●s st●r up persecution . simeon . the persion king requ●●ed divine worsh●p . usthazares . zeal . recovery after fall . tentation . repentance . his martyrdom . simeon beheaded . pusices . his martyrdom . magicians authors of persecution . simeon sisters . slanders . b●shops and min●ste●s persecuted . andas . hormisda . constancy . suenes . benjamin . his apostacy . devilish subtilty . christians might not study . they may be in no offices . the most dangerous persecution . christ●ans made the object of scorn . barbarous cruelty . emilianus . domitius . theodorus . a miracle of mercy . artemius . two brethren martyrs . barbarous cruelty . marcus ar●thusius . courage . barbarous cruelty . cyrillus god's judgement on persecutors . maris●oldly ●oldly reproveth julian . blasphemy . devilish subtilty . christian wisdom . juventius and maxentius . christian courage . apollo's image broken with lightning . christians fined . athanasius driven away . courage . a special providence . blasphemy . zeal . courage . note . athanas●us accused of sedition . his miraculous deliverance . his banishment and danger . his miraculous deliverance . he is restored for a time , and again banished . christian virgins shamefully abused . the arrians cruelty . b. paul banished . subtilty . an. christi persecution raised by valens . he succeeded julian . miletius . eusebius . pelagius . an admirable story . courage . gods providence . eighty godly ministers burned . cruelty of hereticks . peter . cruelty . the emperour refused admonition . gods judgement ●n persecutors . bloody schismaticks . profane schismaticks . turbulent schismaticks . profane schismaticks . gods judgement on them . impure schismaticks . profane hereticks . cruelty of hereticks . prodigious ministers loaden with burthens . cruelty to infants . pampinian . hippo besieged . a special providence . pride . a noble earl martyred . an evil conscience . constancy . rome sacked . charity . gods providence . a special providence . moors converted . cruelty of hereticks . the bishop of habensa . christians murthered at a sermon . horrible profaness . armogastes tormented . a special providence . saturu's noble courage . tentation . resisted . gensericks death . manichaeans punished . eugenius chosen bishop . envy . cruelty of hereticks . constancy . constancy . barbarous cruelty . multitudes banished . foelix . tentation . constancy . an excellent story . cruelty of hereticks . cyprians sympathy . charity . barbarous cruelty . a special providence . subtilty of hereticks . pride of hereticks . unjust cruelty . a confession of ●aith . a wicked edict . cru●lty of hereticks . devillish subtilty . a wicked sentence . dionysia . impudence of hereticks . courage . she encourageth her son . the benefit of good examples . slanders . tentation . courage and constancy . gods mercy . many burned in a ship . admirable courage and comfort . tentation . constancy of a boy . an excellent example of an heathen . profaness of hereticks . the destruction of the persecuting vandals . sin the forerunner of persecution . notes for div a -e the f●●st reformers ▪ peter valdo . charity . popish malice . christian courage . pope alexander raiseth persecution . god● providence . persecution spreads the gospel . king of france persecutes them . many burnt . the spreading of the gospel . malicious slanders . vindication . the greate enc●ease of the waldenses . popish rage and malice . five burnt at collen . a bloody edict against the waldenses . they defend themselves by arms. valdo's zeal and courage . sang●i● martyrum , semen ecclesia . dominicans instituted . inquisitors begun , an. chri. · injustice . prodigious cruelty . a knight burned . a disputation between the popelings and the waldenses . the popelings bafled . horrible cruelty . the number of the waldenses . their godly lives . good pastors . persecution raised . popish cruelty ▪ in pragela . popish malice . infants starved to death . popish cruelty . frassiniere ▪ popish cruelty . the king forbids the persecution . yet the arch-bishop continues it . popish malice . slanders . ja pateneri the arch-bishops cruelty . gods judgement on persecutors . popish lies . gods providence . popish subtilty barbarous crueltie .. a girevous persecution . the lieutenant repulsed . plain dealing . popish uncleannesse . in dauphine . the weaknesse of a woman . the innocency of the waldenses . popish subtilty and injustice . a speciall providence . in piedmont . love. popish malice . slanders . persecution in piedmont . cruelty . cat. girard . popish malice . prayer . profanenesse . a just judgement . a specall prouidence . gods judgement on persecutors gods mercy . slanders . zeole and courageth . persecution renued . constancy . the antiquity of the faith. unity . zeal . the first french bibles printed . one of them drowned . a speciall providence . the pope stirs up persecution . courage . a special providence . bar. hector . persecution . renewed . profanenesse . prudence . popish malice . the german prince interceds for them . popish malice . a great persecution . humane infirmity . popish malice . a speciall providence . treachery . prodigious villany . a miracle of mercy . a special providence . popish subtilty . popish dissimulation and perfidiousness . fasting and prayer . a special providence . power of prayer . profaneness . a special providence ▪ a just reward . prayer . a speciall providence . popish subtilty perfidiousness , papist trechery a notable story . a speciall providence . barbarous cruelty . gods judgement on persecutors . uncleannesse . popish perfidiousness . their ministers sent away . cruelty . barbarous cruelty . prayer in danger . a league . a good resolution . images demolished . a speciall providence . popish subtilty . a special providence . gods providence . joy in tribulations . prayer in danger . speciall providences . thanksgiving ▪ a speciall providence . prayer . the enemies every where beaten . prayer in danger . a speciall providence . scorners punished . subtilty . per●idiousnesse . the spaniards●epulsed ●epulsed . peace obtained bar. copin zeal . christ best of all . tentation . constancy . his exhortation to his wife and children copin murthered gods providence . their holy lives . their godly conversation ▪ the pope persecutes them . popish lies . humane frailty popish cruelty . a speciall providence . barbarous cruelty . prodigious wickednesse . zeal . horrible cruelties . their totall extirpation . devilish slanders . note . p. masson martyred . a cruel decree . k. francis the first . called mi●●irs barbarous cruelty . prodigious cruelty . a bloody speech . gods judgement on persecutors . miniers his horrible death . gods judgement on persecutors . popish uncleannesse . profanenesse . a godly book-seller burnt . popish subtlity popes rage against earl remund . he goes to the popes legate . the earl whipt naked . beziers besieged . faith and courage . beziers stormed . barbarous cruelty . carcasson besieged . popish cruelty . a brave speech popish cruelty , and unleannesse . carcasson stormed . the pilgrims repulsed with great losse . popish profaanenesse and perfidiousness . the earl made a prisoner . a speciall providence . carcasson taken simon of montfort made generall . eearl of beziers dieth . the king of arragon encourageth the albingenses . earl simons pride abated . prodigious cruelty . menerbe taken . courage and constancy . the castle of termes taken . six thousand pilgrims slain . horrible cruelty . popish subtilty the legate dies . the english help the albingenses . popish pride popish hypocrisie . articles against earl remund . earl remund in danger . his brother betrays him . tholouse besieged . the pilgrims beaten . the siege raised . popish perfidiousness● , and cruelty . popish perfidiousnesse . subtilty prince lewis retires . earl simon beaten . young remunds successe . earl simon honoured . and disgraced . a council against the albingenses . popish cruelty a new army of pilgrims . cruelty . a popish brag . e. s●mon bea●en thanksgiving . many pilgrims slaine . e. simon slain by a woman . prince lewis his cruelty . earl guido slaine . the emperours cruell edict against them the gospellers dispersed persecuted . the gospellers encrease . the king of france against them . avignion besieged . a famine in the kings army . a dreadfull judgement many of them drowned . the french beaten . the k●ng removes further from the city . a plague in the french cam● the king of france dyeth . av●gnion taken by treachery . the young ●ing of france persecuts them . his armies bea●en . tholouse besieged . a great famine popish treachery . unreasonable terms put upon the earl of tholouse . pope gregories counsells against them . persecution continued . a cruell edict against them . the bones of one of them burnt . a brave answer albingenses in spaine . persecuted and destroyed . trancavell and others defend them . he prevailes exceedingly . a dying woman burnt . earl remund escapes . he is forced to submit . persecution in italy . . earl remund prospers . persecution in millan . earl of provence beaten a great persecution . pope urban persecutes them ▪ another persecution . a cruel edict . they increase , and are persecuted . lollard . christianity brought into bohemia . persecution begun . tyranny . persecution in prague . a speciall providence . the christians prevaile . subtilty . . christians slain . gods judgement on persecutors . wenceslaus reigns ludomilla murthered . wenceslaus murthered . gods judgement on persecutors . woytich banished . the pope usurps over the bohemians . john melicius . the pope antichrist . melicius imprisoned . m. mathias mathias banished . john husse , jerome 〈◊〉 prague . popish malice , and subtilty . the pope excommunicates the bohemians . multitudes martyred . encouragment . apostacy . constancy . unnaturall cruelty . many drowned a loving wife . cruelty . a minister and others burned . profanenesse and blasphemy . martin loquis . prodigious cruelty . some beheaded . schism . calixtines . popish subtilty . thaborites destroyed . reformation begun . popish malice . a minister racked . a wicked edict . popish cruelty . elders chosen . a synod . ordination of ministers . the waldenses· admonition . the waldenses persecuted . the church increaseth . popish subtilty . slanders . confession . the brethren banished . persecution . popish malice . gods judgement on persecutors . anno . a cruel edict . devillish wickednesse . tentation resisted . gods judgement on persecu●ors . anno. . luther zahere an apostate . popish lies and slanderous . persecution . two burnt . a godly woman burnt . two godly men burnt . comfort in death . gods judgement on persecutors . a new persecution . popish malice . charles the fifth warres against the protestants . a great persecution . persecution causeth reformation . a speciall providence . popish malice . ministers persecuted . a speciall providence . conversion . john augusta . popish lies and slanders . a wicked edict . two hundred ministers banished . the baron of schanow . jesuites first brought into prague . maximilian emperour . rodulphus emperour . sin the forerunner of persecution . mathias emperour . ferdinand forcibly made king of bohemia . ferdinand a usurper . popish malice . the first artifice . the second artifice . the third artifice . the fourth artifice . the states inhibited their meeting . the jesuites banished by the states . an army raised against the bohemians . frederick chosen king of bohemia . anno . novemb. ▪ prague taken . anno ● . popish subtilty the fifth artifice . the sixth artifice . the seventh artifice . plundering . the eight artifice . the ninth artifice . the tenth artifice . apostacy rewarded . popish perfidiousness . the eleventh artifice . the twelfth . artifice . the thirteenth artifice . the fourteenth artifice . the fifteenth artifice . the sixteenth artifice . ministers persecuted . barbarous cruelty . gods providence . a speciall providence . cruelty to ministers . prodigious cruelty . ingratitude . anno . pescinus ▪ the seventeenth artifice ministers charged with treason . ministers banished . the eighteenth artifice . the german ministers banished . blasp●emy . illiterate persons put into the places of christs ministers . twenty one ministers banished . ministers charged with sedition . tentation . constancy . a minister martyred . popish cruelty . the vice-roy . courage and constancy . cou●age , and constancy . the nineteenth artifice . summa papavera . the chiefest nobles imprisoned . the nobles examined . a brave speech success no sign of a good cause their condemnation . profane blasphemy . tenta●●t●n resisted . crede quod habes & habes . blasphemy . joy in tribulation . faith. prayer . courage . the martyrs mutual farwell . the l. schlik . his faith and courage . his martyrdom . the l. wenceslaus . his patience . psal. . . his martyrdom . the l. harant his message to his wife . his martyrdom . sir casper kaplitz . his courage and constancy . his martyr●●m . ●ro●●p●us dorzecki . his prayer and 〈◊〉 . his fi●elity to h●s p●ince . his martyrdom . l frederick de bile . l. hen. otto . his ●aith . joy unspeakable . his martyrdom . dion . zervius . his martyrdom . an aged man. his martyrdom . the lord of rugenia his excellent speech . his martyrdom . val. cockan . his martyrdom . toby steffick . his prayer . his martyrdom . d. jessenius . a prophecy . his martyrdom . christ● ▪ chober . his excellent speech . his martyrdom . john shultis . his martyrdom . maxim. hostialic● ▪ his martyrdom . john kutnaur . h●s speech to the jesuits . his speech at death . his martyrdom . sim. sussickey . tentation . his martyrdom . nath. wodnianskey . his speech to the j●su●●es . his counsel to his son . his martyrdom . wen. gesbitzky his prayer . his martyrdom . martin fruin . he is murthered . their goods con●●scated . recantation prescribed . the twentieth artifice . the protestants beggered . their debts and money seized on . the s●uldiers get most . the one and twentieth artifice . charles de zerotine . another obedi●● . the two and twentieth artifice . protestant tutors banished successe makes the enemies proud . the protestants all bani●●ed . false testimonies bought . protestants chi●dren taken from them . popish subtilty tentation . many seduced . lord de zerotine goeth into exile . a cruel ed●ct . protestants wives b●nished from their husbands . the exiles sought after . the three and twentieth artifice . laws repealed the four and twentieth artifice . apostates pro●moted . the five and twentieth artifice . the protestants in the silve● mines had a promise of favour . popish perfidiousness . souldiers quartered upon them . don martins cruelty . the bolislavians persecuted . constancy . apostacy . constancy . recovery . bethlem gabor . gods providence . a new persecution . in litomeric . popish subtilty patience in persecution . in radecium . tentation resisted . popish cruelty ▪ constancy . humane infirmity . constancy . at bidsove . popish cruelty . at zaticum . bibles burnt . don martins cruelty . exile denied to the protestants . at tusta . apostacy . at rokizan . popish subtilty constancy . john foelix . barbarous cruelty . foelix escapes . at slana . john blyssa . banished . at prachatice . prodigious cruelties . the twenty sixth artifice . popish subtilty popish profanenesse . christians stript . popish uncleannesse . the twenty seventh artifice . prodigious cruelties . the twenty eighth artifice . at minion . popish malice . death denied them . prodigious ▪ wickednesse . blasphemy . prodigious wickedness . constancy . comfort in ●fflictions . danger of apostacy . bibles burnt . prodiges . gods judgment on apostates . gods judgement on persecutors . the pope stirs up persecution . gods judgements on persecutors . the popish army flies . a new army raised . they fly when none pursues . f. romanes conversion . zeale . subtilty . treachery . good counsel . note . he goeth to the emperour . is imprisoned . carried into spaine . condemned by the inquisitors . burned . rochus . condemned . thi●ty christians condemned . a wicked oath . cacalla condemned . popish malice . malice . many burnt together . the spanish inquisition . invented by dominicans . subtilty . their dealing with strangers . their familiars . sequestration . stript of all in prison . subtil●y . how inquisitors deal with the prisoners . they proceed to the rack . their privy parts a●e only covered with linnen . the jeobit . inhumane cruelty . rail●ngs . scoffs . threats . another cruel tormen● . the trough . divellish cruelty . torment with fire . subtilty . a woman , and her tow daughters , and neece . a judas . perjury . flie. their cruel prisons . all pity denied them . a maid whipt for shewing them favour . the prisoners denied leave to sing psalmes . their hospital cruel mercy . their condemnation . their habits . a wicked oath degradation . hypocrisie . abominable lyes . their cruelty concealed . flattery . a lady imprisoned . their cr●el usage o● her . they torment her in the trough . she dyed . john pontio . humane frailty . recovery . his speech at death . john gonsalvo . tormented in prison , with a cleft stick . a church in sivil . some of them cast into prison a cleft stick . their death ▪ malice . ferdinando . his torments . a special providence . humane infirmity . recovery . execution . juliano . zeale . a special providence . a false brother . twenty burnt . juliano's torments and constancy . his death . john leon. leon goeth towa●ds england . is apprehended . sent to spaine . tormented . martyred . a ma●ds sufferings , and martyrdom ▪ christopher losada . his constancy . death . arias . he turns persecutor . a special providence . arias his re●covery . his courage . his martyrdome . scriptures contemned . grosse ignorance . ministers honoured . aegidio chosen bishop . he is persecuted . imprisoned . gods judgement on persecutors . released . his excellent vertues . zeale . he goes to the emperour . his return to sivil . his weaknesse . chosen divinity-lecturer . a strange providence . courage . imprisoned . his death . his corps burned . nicholas burton . god● providence . he is sent to sivil . condemned . john baker . will. burgate . will. burges . will. hooker . encenas . treachery . courage . constancy . francis encenas . a special providence . faninus . humane infirmity ▪ danger of apostacy . recovery after his fall . a prophesie . a special providence . tentation resisted . proffer of life refused . faith. comfort in death . note . a special providence . dominicus . apprehended . constancy . thanks for sufferings . galeacius trecius . cruelty . humane infirmity ▪ recovery . note . joy unspeakable . tentation resisted . note . his education . his enmity to the truth . conversion . zeale . his apprehension . constancy . h●s release . courage . his appe●ring at rome . note . h●s return to bonony . a special providence . he is again apprehended . his release . love to christ man●fold afflictions . constancy . his martyrd●me . francis gamba . constancy . tentations ●esisted . comfort at death . algerus . joy in afflictions . note . tentation resisted . john aloysius . iames bovellus . persecution raised by the pope . horrible cruelty . patience of the saints . anthony ricetto . tentation re●sisted . constancy . francis spinola sega . sega's martyrdome . humane infirmity . recovery . spinola's martyrdome . an english man at rome . an heroical act his cruel torments . patience . his martyrdome . idolatry detested . his going to lisbone . humility . zeal . prayer . grosse idolatry an heroical act his danger . his speech to to the king. courage . he is tortured . his cru●l martyrdome . constancy . gods judgment on persecutors . a special providence . the pope stirs up the emperor to persecute the p●otestants . duke of saxony and the lantgrave taken prisoners . a cruel persecution . henry voes , john esch. comfort and joy in death . a miracle of mercy . henry sutphen . popish malice . some that came to catch were converted . popish subtilty and malice . courage . implacable malice . he is condemned unheard . popish cruelty his martyrdome . many drowned . miltenburg sacked . a minister condemned to be hanged . ingratitude . he is hanged . peter spengler . the rising of the anabaptists . he is robbed by them . his good counsel . popish cruelty a christian speech at his death . a miracle . popish cruelty false witnesses . his constant death . wolfgang scuch idolatry reformed . popist rage . he goeth to the duke and is imprisoned . he is reviled . his bible burnt . his faith . his martyrdome . gods judgements on persecutors . john huglin burned ▪ george carpenter . christ preferred before wife and children . his signe ▪ his martyrdome . leonard keyser . popish malice . his martyrdome . a minister worried . gods judgements on persecutors . tentation . ignorance . her martyrdome . popish malice . two godly men burnt . nicholas drowned . pistorius . charity . his martyrdome . one hanged . a minister beheaded . george scherter . a miracle . ministers martyrs . popish cruelty vincit ●eritas . mr. persival . cruelty . justus insberg . a special providence . giles tilleman . conversion . charity . constancy . earnest prayer meekn●sse . f●●ght refused ▪ constancy . note . his martyrdome . a great persecution . martin converted in his old age . he is condemned . his martyrdome . two godly virgins . burnt . constancy and courage . a miracle . andrew thiessen . constancy . popish cruelty joy and comfort at death . adrian tailor and his wife . master peter bruly . a special providence . popish malice and cruel●y . peter mioce . his conversion put into a dungeon amongst toads . note . zeale . popish lies . a godly mininister martyrred . christopher fabri . a traytor . the people drive away the executioner . his martyrdom . two men and their wives . blasphemy . zeal . vincit veritas . popish subtilty . courage . meaning the emperour . n●te . austins courage . tentation . zeal . magdenburg besieged ; and delivered . hostius . zeal . his letter to his wife . his martyrdome . bertrand . an heroical act . courage . cruelty . barbarous cruelty . admirable patience . a special providence . zurich . thirty taken at a sermon . james faber his excellent answer . o● ●urnay godfride . courage . a minister poisoned . in lile . christian charity . robert oguire and his 〈◊〉 carried to prison . baudizon . joy in tribulation . they are examined . an holy practice . fervent prayer they are tortured . robert and baudizon condemned . popish malice note . zeal . blasphemy . faith and courage . their martyrdome . martin and his mother . popish subtilty . humane frailty . recovery . joy in tribulation . faith and patience . tentation . resisted . their martyrdome . charles coninck tentation resisted . ●ods judgement on a persecutor . barbarous cruelty . don fredericks cruelty to zutphen . at naerden . treachery . the siege of harlem . a famine . the town surrendred . popish perfidiousnesse . a minister hanged . another beheaded . barbarous cruelties . valenciennes besieged . popish perfidiousnesse and cruelty . john herwin . a special providence . his conversion herwin imprisoned . zeale . courage . constancy . vincit veritas . popish malice ▪ and subtilty . flight refused . thanks for sufferings . tentation resisted . zeale . whence persecution ariseth . his martyrdome . john de boscane ▪ his cruel martyrdome . john de buisons beheaded in prison . the church of antwerp persecu●ed . bartholomews constancy . the church of rome a glorious strumpet . scoblant , john hues , joris coomans . joy in tribulation . faith ▪ his excellent speech . scoblants martyrdome . john hues died in prison . courage . joris his martyrdome . giles , and john annik . a special providence . their martyrdome . lewis meulin . a widow charity . her martyrdome . christopher gauderin . his conversion . his imprison●ent . vincit veritas . mans life but two days . prayer . his zeale . his faith . martyrdome . admirable constancy . giles de meyer his imprisonment . his constancy . popish malice and cruelty . his martyrdome . peter coulogue and betkin his maid . their torments . prayer . gods judgement on a persecutor . their martyrdome . a great persecution . the prince proscribed . joanville suborned to kill him . popish subtilty . a special providence . beltazar gerard suborned to kill him . the prince his death . abominable villanies . magdenburg burnt . cruelties used there . cruelties at hoxter . griphenburg . heidleberg . frankendal . saxony . pomeren . horrible cruelties . blasphemy . a minister killed with a cat. magdenburg . rapes and ravishings . bazil merchan●s murthered . a minister murthered . the crabbats eat infants . a comet . a blazing star . and two armies . water turned to blood . three suns . two armies . two swords , and two armies . three suns and th●ee rainbows . trees dropt blood . blood on houses and stone-walls , and sickles . it rained blood . two armies . a strange tempest . a fight of jackdaws . two armies . water turned into blood . a monstrous c●●ld . two armies . bloody bread . a fish-pond turn'd to blood it rain'd blood & brimstone . a battel of birds & dogs john clark. a mother encourageth her sonne . zeale . his torments . his martyrdome . mr. castellane . popish hypocrisie . his martyrdome . james panane . dennis de reux john de cadurco a special providence . five burnt at paris . alexand. canus john pointer . peter gaudet . popish treachery . john cornor . martin gonin . claudius . popish treachery . stephen brune . a special providence . note . an excellent speech . john de beck . aymund de lavoy . flight refused . courage . his torments . prayes for his enemies . his martyrdome . francis bribard william husson . his martyrdome . james cobard . fourteene martyred . peter chapot . zeale . vincit veritas . humane infi●mity . a cruel law . a● creeple martyred . zeale . his martyrdome . stephen polliot . john english. michael michelote . faith , and courage . treachery . seven martyrs . four martyrs . blondel . popish malice . courage . charity . humane infirmity . recovery . hubert . florent venote . cruelty . a miracle of mercy . henry the second . his martyrdome . anne audebert courage and comfort at death . a tailor . admirable courage . popish pride . popish subtilty gods judgements on persecutors . claudius . thomas . zeale . cruelty . an excellent spirit . peter bergerius an admirable example . three godly men . note . matthew dimonet a persecutor converted . tentation resisted . simon laloe . an hangman converted . nicholas naile . popish cruelty . peter serre . charity . treachery . note . admirable patience . note . a judas . courage . cruelty . zeale . a miracle . philber hamlin . zeale . apostacy . a prophesie . gods judgemen● on an apostate . nicholas of jenvile . popish treachery . blind zeal . popish malice . a special providence . popish rage and cruelty . popish lyes and slanders . satans subtilty . christian wisdom . gods merciful providence . nicholas clivet and one granvelle . popish malice . gods judgement on persecutors . courage . a christian speech . popish malice . gods mercy . tentation resisted . tentation . hum●ne infirmity . good counsel . recovery after a fall . a special providence . gods judgement on persecutors . du bourg executed . popish cruelty the church prospers under persecution . a great persecution in dauphine . popish cruelty two ministers beheaded . ar●● ecclesiae . a great conversion . popish malice . christians murthered at a sermon . slanders . a special providence . barbarous cruelty . gods judgement on persecutors . persecution in paris . at senlis . a special providence . at chaalons . mr. fournier . faith. popish cruelty a special providence . a special providence . his delivery . his death . at amiens bibles burnt . at abbevilly . at meaux . abominable villanies . at troys bibles burnt . at bar. popish cruelty at crant . at sens. at auxerre . at nevers . at chastillon . at guyen . at montargis . a brave answer of the lady rene. at monlius . at mans. at anger 's . bibles burnt . horrible blasphemies . popish perfidiousnesse . a bloody edict . in ligueul . john de tour. at tours . barbarous cruelties . popish subtilty the mother and her daughter drowned . glee . vincit verit●● . joy in tribulation . tentation resisted . faith. her martyrdome . ponteou de mer impudence . marliorat hanged . at valougnes . monsieur valougnes . popish profaneness and blasphemy . at vire . at agen. at reime . at bl●is . blasphemy . a miracle . in guillac . horrid cruelties . peter domo . popish perfidiousnesse . in souraize . prodigious villanies . blasphemy . faith and patience . faith. a special providence . peter roch buried quick . two crowned with thorns . janetta calvin . at mont de marson . in tholouse . horrible cruelties . popish perfidiousness . carcasson . popish lies . at limox . abominable villany . at nonnay . blasphemy . barbarous cruelties . at foix. at aurange . horrible cruelties . perfidiousness . at grenoble . at cisterno . at beaune . at mascon . bonnet bor a godly minister barbarous cruelty . courage and constancy . his martyrdome . see this more fully in the life of the admiral at the end of this book . divellish dissimulation . sin the forerunner of persecution . the queen of navar dieth . dissimulation . the k. of navar married . the admiral shot . dissimulation . good counsel neglected . deep dissimulation . the massacre suspected . the kings commission shewed for it . the massacre begins . of merlins miraculous escape , see in my book of examples . the admiral slain . his head imbalmed , and sent to the pope . popish cruelty ten thousand slain in paris . popish lies . the river died red with blood prince of conde's zeal , and courage . divellish dissimulation . above thirty thousand massacred in three moneths the lord de la place h●s holy zeal . the lord de la place murthered . peter ramus murthered . a dutiful and loving son . two ministers murthered . hellish cruelty . an infant murthered . at meaux . two hundred protestants murthered . at troys . gods providence . prodigious wickednesse and cruelty . courage and constancy of gods people . the massacre at orleance . a noble counsellor . monstrous ingratitude . blasphemy . a doctor of the law. an apothecary . a cook. the reward of apostates . the patience of the saints . gods providence . popish malice and cruelty . three hundred and fifty murthered . francis de bossu and his two sons . the father encourageth his sons to die . prodigious cruelty . their grease is sold. the murtherers absolved . at angiers . hypocrisie . a minister murthered . a godly minister pistolled . and his wife murthered . at roan six thousand murthered . at tholouse . popish subtilty and cruelty . three hundred murthered . at bourdeaux . a special providence . a bloody jesuite . the lord of obiers murthered , and a minister . an holy speech gods providence . gods care of his people . a special providence . a terrible famine . two executed for eating part of their own daughter . a remarkable story . a wicked oath an admirable providence . gods judgement on a bloody persecutor . a famine . an extraordinary providence . rochel delivered . gods judgements on persecutors . gods judgement on the duke of a●jou see in my book of examples . the kings sicknesse and death . anger implacable . rochel besieged . anno a terible famine . margaret pierrone . tentation . she chooses to be burnt rather than to burne her bible . popish treachery . cruelty . a noble gentleman murthered . christ preferred before all . protestants murthered at church . at sondres . popish treachery . a special providence . a noble lady . courage , and constancy . faith. a special providence . horrible cruelties . dominico berto ▪ barbarous cruelty . a special providence . theophilus messino . constancy . tentation resisted . prodigious cruelties . a noble virgin . an excellent speech . a wicked edict . popish perfidiousnesse . courage and constancy . patrick hamilton . zeale . popish subtilty . his condemnation . constancy . his martyrdome . gods judgement on a persecutor . david straton , norman gourlay . stratons conversion . his prayer . tentation resisted . thomas forret . grosse ignorance . his martyrdom . jerome russel , alexander kennedy . humane infirmity . joy in tribulation . their condemnation and martyrdome . popish cruelty . john rogers . his character . his charity . a special providence . popis● malice . a prophesie . he goeth into the west . he is opposed by the bishop . the power of the word . his prohesie accomplished . his second ▪ coming to dundee . charity . he is in danger of being murthered . gods providence . he preserves the murtherer . he goes to montrosse . meditation . popish malice ▪ a prophesie . his fervent prayer in the night . a prophesie . he comes to leith . faith , and courage . hi● departvre from leith . popish malice . a prophesie . he goes to haddington . john knox : see his li●e in my first part . a prophesie . his apprehension by bothwell . bothwels promise . he is carried to edenburgh . bothwel falsifies his promise he is carried to st. andrews . his accusation ▪ his patience . his prayer . popish subtilty he administreth the sacrament . the cardinals feare . his prayer at death . his exhortation to the people . he prayes for his persecutors a prophesie . the cardinals pride , and carnal confidence . the castle surprized . popish uncleannesse . the cardinal slain . adam wallace . his accusation . the ministers work . his martyrdome . henry forrest . popish perfidiousnesse . his martyrdome . walter mill. popish uncleanness . his speech at death . his martyrdome . popish malice . popish lyes . the malice against the english . popish malice and cruelty . popish perfidiousnesse . prodigious ▪ cruelties many starved and strip● . horrible murthers . popish perfidiousness . an irish monster . multitudes drowned . popish treachery . a just reward . prodigious cruelties . they deny them liberty to pray . some buried alive . some were hung upon tenter-hooks . blasphemy . many had their bellies ript . children had their brains dashed out . many burned . some perish by famine . unnatural cruelties . children kill english children . some boiled in cauldrons . some had their eyes pulled out prodigious cruelties . bibles burnt . blasphemies . aposttaes murthered . constancy , and courage . gods judgements on persecutors . popish perfidousnesse . many knocked on the head a boy murthered by his master . berbarous cruelty , and impudence . many drowned . they made candles of their grease . prodigious cruelties . popish uncleannesse . their cruelty to the cattel . henry cowel . constancy . robert ecklin . a childs constancy . childrens beastly cruelty popish uncleannesse . monstrous c●ue●ty to a boy . many burnt . one hundred and fifty thousand murthe●red in ulster . gods judgements on persecutors . boys and women murderers . souldiers hanged . constancy . popish perfidiousnesse . gods judgements on persecutors . some worried with dogs . the munster remonstrance . gods judgements on persecutors . apparitions at portendown b●idge . a miracle . an edict in favour of the protestants . a cruel edict . the elector palatine intercedes for them . they are cruel●y dealt with gods providence for them king of france intercede ; for them . popish malice . gods mercy . the duke favours them . satans malic● popish subtilty prevented . courage and constancy . they are favoured , but again molested . they are encouraged . their prudence . satans policy . dissembling hypocrites . they are confuted . popish policy . persecution renewed . gods providence . gods mercy . the massacre of paris . a special providence . the dukes letter to draw them to popery . their answer . a cruel edict popish subt●●ty . courage , and constancy . they are banished . popish subtilty they are forced to flie . they are forced to flie . popish subtilty . popish subtilty . humane frailty . repentance . reason ▪ why they persecuted the protestants . a bloody order . popish cruelty they go into banishment . constancy . popish cruelty popish dissimulation . popish injustice . popish subtilty . popish cruelty the protestants defend themselves . popish subtilty . barbarous cruelty . women tipt up . base cruelty . horrid cruelty . courage and constancy . popish subtilty and perfidiousnesse . a special providence . gods judgements on persecutors . many irish slaine . a special providence . his charactea a special providence . the booke of martyrs· vvherein are set downe the names of such martyrs as suffered persecution, and laid downe theire lives for witnesse-bearing unto the gospell of christ jesus; drawne downe from the primitive church, to these later times, especially respecting such as have suffered in this land under the tyranny of antichrist, in opposition to popish errours. taylor, john, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a stc estc s this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text 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(eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the booke of martyrs· vvherein are set downe the names of such martyrs as suffered persecution, and laid downe theire lives for witnesse-bearing unto the gospell of christ jesus; drawne downe from the primitive church, to these later times, especially respecting such as have suffered in this land under the tyranny of antichrist, in opposition to popish errours. taylor, john, - . [ ] p. : ill. (woodcut) by i[ohn] b[eale], london : . by john taylor. in verse. printer's name from stc. signatures: a b⁴ (-b ). running title reads: a catalogue of martyrs. reproduction of the original in the henry e. huntington library and art gallery. a r stained; ill. not filmed. quire a of british library copy filmed at end. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng martyrs -- poetry -- early works to . - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - tcp staff (michigan) sampled and proofread - tcp staff (michigan) text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the booke of martyrs vvherein are set downe the names of such martyrs as suffered persecution , and laid downe theire lives for witnesse-bearing unto the gospell of christ jesus ; drawne downe from the primitive church , to these later times , especially respecting such as have suffered in this land under the tyranny of antichrist , in opposition to popish errours . london , printed by i. b. . a briefe catalogve of such martyrs as suffered persecution , and laid downe their lives for witnesse-bearing unto the gospel of christ iesus ; drawne downe from the primitive church , to these later times , especially respecting such as have suffered in this land under the tyranny of antichrist in opposition to popish errors . i sing their deaths who dying made death yeeld , by scriptures sword , & faiths vnbatterd shield , whom satan , men , or monsters could not tame , nor force them to deny their saviours name . evangelists , that did the gospel write , apostles and brave martyrs , that did fight gainst death and hell , and all the power of sin , and boldly di'd eternall life to win . iohn baptist by king herod lost his head , who to the world repentance published , our blest redeemer in his love did follow , and conquered death mans sinful soule to hallow , he was the death of death , and he did quell the sting and power of satan , sin , and hell , and vnder his great standard , valiantly , a number numberlesse have dar'd to dye . through bondage , famine , slavery , sword and fire through all divised torments they aspire victoriously to gaine th'imortall crowne , of never ending honour and renowne . saint steven was the third that lost his breath , and ( for his masters sake ) was ston'd to death : and after him in scripture may be read , th' apostle iames was brain'd and butchered . saint marke th'evangelist in fire did burne , and bartholmew was flead , yet would not turnes saint andrew like a valiant champion di'd , and ( willing ) on a crosse was crucifi'd mathias , philip , peter , and saint paul , ston'd , crucifi'd , beheaded , martyrs all . th' apostles of their lives , no reckoning make , and think them wel spent for their saviors sake the tyrant emperours , in number ten , ( most cruell , barbarous , and inhumane men ) more christians by their bloody meanes did slay then for a yeere five thousand to each day . and many romish bishops in those daies , were martyr'd to their high creators prayse ; and though each day so many thousands bleed , yet doubly more and more they daily breed . as camomile growes better being trod , so death and tortures drawes more unto god. or as the vine that 's cut and prun'd beares more in one yeere , than it did in three before : this bloody persecution did out-weare after christs death the first . yeares : thus did the primitive church first indure , being catholike , apostolike , and pure : then over all the world was truely knowne , that romish bishops claimed but their owne in their owne dioces to be chiefe pastor . and not to be the worlds great lord and master . and now our britains glory will i sing , from lucius raigne , the worlds first christian king vnto these daies of happy peacefull state , a catalogue of martyrs i 'll relate : first vrsulae , and eleven thousand with her , all virgins , for christs faith did die together . then hengist with the saxons hither came , who many kill'd with sword and furious flame . besides eleven hundred monkes were kill'd . at bangor abby all their bloods were spill'd . and when the saxons race to end was run , the danes came in ; and all the kingdome won . before whose swords did many thousands fall , which on the name of iesus christ did call . then william conqueror with a multitude . vnto the normans yoake this land subdu'd , the pope then caus'd all priests to leave their wives , to lead foule sodomitick single lives . then afterward in second henries raigne , was sawcie saint thomas becket slaine ; a popish saint and martyr made , because he di'd a traytor to his soveraignes lawes . king henry and king richard dead and gone , their brother iohn ( by right ) ascends the throne , whom all his life the pope of rome did vex , and with oppressions all the realme perplex ; with candle , booke , and bell , he curst and blest , and bulls and legates did the king molest ; vntill such time he on his knees fell downe , and to the pope surrendred up his crowne . at last , because he durst the pope withstand , he di'd impoysoned by a friers hand . when thus by treason they had kil'd king iohn , then the third henry englands crowne put on : then england bought the romish doctrine deare , it cost her threescore thousand marks a yeare . for agnus dei , pardons , peter pence , for which the pope had all this coine from hence : king henry died , then edward tooke the sway , his sonne and grandchilde , england did obey , the first of them call'd long shankes , conquests won , lost by carnarvan his unhappy son , who by his queene was in a dungeon cast , till ( being murder'd ) sadly breath'd his last . edward the third , a brave victorious king , did frenchmens pride into subjection bring . richard the second next to raigne began , who lost more then his royall grandsire wan . then 'gan iohn wiekliffe boldly to begin to preach 'gainst antichrist , that man of sin ; who many troubles stoutly did abide , yet ( spight the pope ) he naturally di'd ; and being dead , from out his grave was turn'd , and had his martyr'd bones to ashes burn'd ; which ashes they did cast into a brooke , because he had the romish faith forsooke . yet whilst the second richard here surviv'd , no martyrs were by fire of life depriv'd . henry the fourth was in the throne invested , in whose raigne many were too much molested . and william sautre first his life did give through flames of fire , who now in heav'n doth live . the next iohn badby in the furious flame , and william thorp , but wan immortall fame . then the fifth henry , a victorious prince , the realme of france did conquer and convince . the good lord cobham then ( oldcastle nam'd ) by popish priests an hereticke was proclaim'd , was hang'd and burn'd by the unlawfull doome , of satans servants , slaves to hell and rome . and leaving some unnam'd , iohn browne esquire , iohn beverly a preacher di'd in fire . besides a number from the lollards tower , racks , tortures , halters , and the flame devoure . iohn hus a glorious martyr of the lord , was in bohemia burned for gods word . and reverend ierom did to constance come , from prage , and stoutly sufferd martyrdome . in smithfield one iohn claidon sufferd death , and with him richard turming lost his breath , at this time sixteene godly folkes in kent , the antichristian vassalls did torment . then death cut off the fifth king henries raigne , the crowne the sixth king henry did obtaine . and william taylor a true zealous priest , did passe through fire unto his saviour christ. good richard hoveden , with him william white , each unto god ( through fire ) did yeeld his sprite , duke humphrey ( though no martyr ) kild in 's bed , and richard wych a priest was burned dead . then saint-like good king henry was depos'd , by the fourth edward in the tower inclos'd : then edward fled , and henry once againe , by warwicks power the kingdome did obtaine . thus did the various state of humane things , make kings of captive , and of captives kings : vntill at last king edward turned backe , brought henries royalty to finall wracke : in whose raigne iohn goose ( as the story saith ) was the first martyr , burned for christs faith. king henry in the tower was stab'd to death , and edward yeeldeth up his life and breath , his sonne young edward , of that name the fift , whom the third richard from his life did lift . who by foule murders , blood , and tyranny , vsurp'd the throne of englands monarchy ; till valiant henry of that name the seven , kill'd him , and made uneven england even : then first ioan broughton , & a man call'd babrane by faith ( thorow fire ) went to old father abram . an old man was in swithfield burn'd , because hee did resist against the roman lawes . one ierom hang'd and burned on the gallowes , in florence , with two other of his fellowes : and william tilsworth , thomas bernard , and iames morton , cause they did the pope withstand burned all , and father rogers , and old reine , did die by fire , a better life to gaine . one thomas novice , and one thomas chase , di'd constant martyrs by the heavenly grace . a woman and a man call'd laurence guest , by death gain'd everlasting life and rest : besides a number past mens reckoning up , for iesus sake dranke of afflictions cup. some carried faggots through a world of mocke some rackt , some pin'd , some fetred in the stocks : some naked strip'd and scourged with a lash , for their rejecting of the romish trash . some branded in the cheeke did alwaies beare the badge and marke of their redeemer deare . thus the insulting tyrannizing pope , with cursings , fagot , fire , and sword and rope . did force the soules , and consciences of men , to run despairing to damnations den . and they that valiantly his power withstood , did seale their resolution with their blood . before his triple , treble , trouble crowne , ( in adoration ) emperours must fall downe , were they as high as any caesar borne , to kisse his feet they must not hold it scorne . henry the sixth the emperour did fall downe , whom with his feet pope celestine did crowne . henry the fourth his empresse and young son , all three to rome did barefoote goe and run : and three daies so , these three did all attend his holinesse , a godlesse eare to lend , which afterward was granted on condition , that he should give his crowne up in submission , pandulphus the popes legat , with a frowne , did make king iohn of england yeeld his crown . king henry of that name the second , hee kneeld downe , and kist the romish legats knee . the emperour when pope adrian was to ride , did hold his stirrop on the meere wrong side , for which his holinesse in angry sort , disdainfully did checke the emp'rour for 't . when as the pope doth ride in cope of gold , kings ( like to foot-men ) must his bridle hold : in pomp he must be borne upon mens shoulders , with glorious shew , amazing the beholders . whilst kings and princes must before him goe , to usher him in his vaine-glorious showe : this being true , as no man can deny , those that will not be blind may plainly spy , that their insulting proud commanding priest , is absolute and onely anti-christ ; h'exalts himselfe 'bove all that 's called god , vpon the emperours necke he proudly trod : he is th'abomination ( void of grace ) that mounts himselfe into the holy place : he makes the princes of the earth drinke up , and quaffe the poyson of the cursed cup , who being drunken with the dregs of sin , they have his sworne and forsworne vassals bin , bewitched with his soule inchanting charmes , gainst one another they have rose in armes ; by forraigne and domesticke bloody broiles , whilst he hath fild his coffers with their spoiles : his double dealing too too plaine appeares , in setting christian princes by the eares , whilst he into his avaritious hands , hath seiz'd their persons , moveables , and lands : and as the christian kings thēselves made weak , the turke into their kingdomes 'gan to break ; and thus the turk and pope ioin'd with the devil , have beene the authors of all christian evil . the second booke . vvhen the th henry in his grave was laid , and the th henry englands scepter swaid , romes bloody persecution raged more in england , than in ten kings raignes before : and therefore reader , in this little booke , for every martyrs name thou must not looke : but men of chiefest note , respect and fame , that died in england , onely those i name . and first the papists tyranny began , in murthering richard hun , a zealous man , for being kept in prison by their power , they closely hang'd him in the lollards tower. and then they all in generall decreed , reporting hun himselfe had done the deed . and sixteene daies just after this was done , they burn'd the foresaid corps of richard hun. then to the number of full thirty five , the furious flames did all of life deprive ; in severall places of this wofull land , because they did the pope of rome withstand . at which time thomas bilney did beginne , to preach and teach 'gainst antichristian sinne ; where in saint georges church in ipswich town the papists from the pulpit pluckt him downe and as in dolefull prison he did lie , he put his finger into the flames to trie ; he prov'd , & god did give him strength to beare his death , to live with his redeemer deare . the next of note was one iohn frub , a man of learning great , a martyrs fame he wan . then learned luther , and grave zwinglius , with calvin , beza , oecolampadius , all glorious , gracious reverend lamps of light , were instruments to clear bleard englands sight . in flanders william tindall for gods word , was sacrific'd to glorifie the lord. iohn lambert valiantly his death did take , and burn'd in smithfield for his saviours sake . about this time , that honourable man , lord cromwell , life , and timelesse death began ; he like an earth-quake made the abbies fall . the fryeries and the nunneries all . this famous noble , worthy essex earle , this iem , this iewell , this most orient pearle , was for his truth from all he had discarded . and with his heads losse , all his faith rewarded , the next of worthy note by fire that dide , was good * anne ayscough , who did strong abide , racks , torturs , & the cruel raging flame , to magnifie her high creators name . then'gan the kings eies to be opened quite inlightned by the everlasting light . he banisht superstitious idle fables , and packt the papists hence with all their bables . then bonner , gardner , brethren both in evill , factors and actors , blood-hounds for the devill , their burning fame to infamy soone faded , they godlesse , gracelesse , were disgrac'd , degraded . the king then having this good worke begun , he died , and left the kingdome to his son . then raign'd young edward , that sweete princely child . by whom all popery was cleane exil'd . but he too good to live 'mongst wicked men , th' almighty tooke him hence to heaven agen : no sooner edward was laid in his tombe , but england was the slaughter-house of rome . gardner and bonner were from prison turn'd , aud whom they pleas'd were either sav'd or burn'd , queene mary imitating lezabel , advanc'd againe the ministers of hell : then tyranny began to tyrannize , tortures and torments then they did devise ; then master rogers with a faith most fervent , was burn'd , and di'd ( in smithfield ) gods true servant . next unto him did laeurence sanders die , by fire ( for iesus sake ) at covenerie ; he did imbrace , and kindly kisse the stake , to gaine heav'ns glory , did the world forsake . good bishop hooper was at gloster burn'd , cause he against the romish doctrine spurn'd ; and doctor tayler a true zealous man , at hadley burned , eternall glory wan . then bishop farrer next his life did spend in fire , to gaine the life shall never end . next william flower , first did lose his hand , then burn'd , because he did the pope withstand in essex , thomas hawkes , with faith victorious did die with fire to gaine a life most glorious . master john bradford ( for his saviours sake ) in smithfield burn'd , a godly end did make . two reverend bishops , father latimer , and ridley , each of them a heavenly star , liv'd in gods feare , and in his favour di'd ; at oxford burn'd , and now are glorifi'd . john philpot gladly did the fire imbrace , and died , and lives in his redeemers grace . then that grave father , and religious man , arch-bishop cranmers troubles hot began , his pomp , his state , his glory , and his pride , was to know iesus , and him crucifide : he liv'd a godly preacher of gods word , and dy'd a glorious martyr of the lord. iohn careles in close prison carefully , did change his cares for joyes eternally . but this small volume cannot well containe , one quarter of the saints in england slane . in henries raigne and maries , ( cruell queene ) eight thousand people there hath slaughterd bin some by the sword , some hang'd , some burnt in fire some starv'd to death in prison all expire : twelve thousand and seven hundred more beside much persecution trouble did abide , some rackt , some whipt , some tortur'd , some in stocks , some doing pennance with a world of mocks ; some with an iron in the faces burn'd , some out of all their goods to beggry turn'd . some bar-foot , baring faggots on their shoulders were made a wondring stocke to the beholders : all this and more , much more they did endure , because they would not yeeld to live impure : but now to speake the law lesse cause wherefore , and why these people troubled were so sore , because they would not make their plaints and mones to senslesse images , dead stocks & stones , because they said the sacramentall bread , is not the lord which shall judge quick & dead . because they not beleev'd a purgatory , and held the popes decrees an idle story . because they would not creepe unto the crosse , and change gods sacred word for human drosse because they held the masse an idoll soule . at once which pickt the purse and damn'd the soule because they knew the pope and all his crue , hell-hounds whom heaven ( in rage ) on earth did spue . and in a word , they thus were over-trod , because they truly serv'd the living god. this was the maine and onely cause of all , because they would not offer unto baal . the popes outragious aud contagious actor , was bishop benner , hells most truly factor : romes hang-man , & the firebrand of this realme , that with a flood of blood did overwhelme , the true beleevers of gods holy truth , he butchered , not regarding age or youth . with him was joyn'd a man almost as il , who tooke delight gods servants blood to spil ; call'd steven gardner , englands chanceller , and bishop of the see of winchester : these two did strive each other to excell , who should doe greatest service unto hell ; vntill at last god heard his servants cry , and each of them did die immediatly . thus when iehovah heard the just complaints , of his beloved , poore , afflicted saints ; then this too cruell pope defending queen , ( the bloodiest princesse that this land hath seen ) she did decease , and persecution ceast , and tired wofull england purchast rest . queene mary being dead , her welcome death reviv'd our joyes in blest elizabeth , innumerable were her woes and cares , abundant were the subtill wyles and snares , which satan and his ministers oft laid , to rave the life of that most harmelesse maid . she was accus'd , abus'd , revil'd , miscal'd ; she was from prison unto prison hal'd : long in the tower she was close prisoner shut , her loving servants all away were put : from thence to windsor , thence to woodstock sent , closely mewd up from all the worlds content : but god whose mercies ever did defend her , did in her greatest sorrowes comfort send her . he did behold her from his throne most high , and kept her as the apple of his eye , let hell and hell-hounds still attempt to spill , yet the almighty guards his servants still . and he at last did ease her sorrowes mone , and rais'd her to her lawfull awfull throne ; this royall debora , this princely dame , vvhole life made all the world admire the same . as iudith in bethulia's same was spread , for cutting off great holophernes head : so our eliza stoutly did beginne , vntopping and beheading romish sinne , shee purg'd the land of papistry agen , she liv'd belov'd of god , admir'd of men : she made the antichristian kingdome quake , she made the mighty power of spaine to shake : as farre as sunne or moone disperst their raies , so far and further went her matchlesse praise . she was at home , abroad , in every part , load-starre and load-stone to each eye and heart supported onely by gods powerfull hand , she foure and forty yeeres did rule this land , and when she left this royall princely seat , she chang'd earths greatnes to be heavenly great . thus did this westerne worlds great wonder die , she fell from height to be advanc'd more hie . terrestriall kings and kingdomes all must fade . then blest is she that is immortall made . her death fill'd wofull england full of feares , the papists long'd for change with itching eares . for her decease was all their onely hope , to raise againe the doctrine of the pope . but he whose power is all omnipotent , did their unhappy hopelesse hopes prevent . succession lawfully did leave the crowne , vnto a prince whose vertue and renowne , and learning doth out-strip all kings as far , as doth the sunne obscure a little star . vvhat man ( that is but man ) could baffle more romes seven headen purple whore , how wisely hath he bellarmine confuted , and how divinely hath he oft disputed . how zealously he doth gods faith defend , how often on gods word he doth attend . how clement , pious , and how gracious good , is he , as fits the greatnesse of his blood . vvert not for him , how would the muses doe ? he is their patterne , and their patron too . he is th'appollo , from whose radiant beames , the quintessence of poetry out-streames . and from the splendor of his piercing raies , a world of worthy writers wins the baies . yet all the worthy vertues so transparent , and so well knowne in him , to be inherent , cannot perswade papists leave their strife , with cursed treasons to attempt his life : for when their disputations help'd them not , they would dispute in a damn'd powder-plot . in which the romish went beyond the divell , for hell could not invent a plot so evill . but he that plac'd him on his royall throne , ( the god of iacobs , iudahs holy one ) that god ( for iesus sake ) i doe beseech , ( with humble heart , and with unfaigned speech ) that he and his , may britaines scepter sway ; till time , the world , and all things passe away . finis notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e * daughter of sir 〈◊〉 ayscough , knight the mirror of martyrs in a short vieuu lively expressing the force of their faith, the feruency of their loue, the wisedome of their sayings, the patience of their suffrings, etc. : with their prayers and preparation for their last farevvell : whereunto is added two godly letters written by m. bradford, full of sweet consolation for such as are afflicted in conscience. cotton, clement. approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a stc estc s ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) the mirror of martyrs in a short vieuu lively expressing the force of their faith, the feruency of their loue, the wisedome of their sayings, the patience of their suffrings, etc. : with their prayers and preparation for their last farevvell : whereunto is added two godly letters written by m. bradford, full of sweet consolation for such as are afflicted in conscience. cotton, clement. bradford, john, ?- . [ ], , [ ] p. printed by t.p. for io. budge, and are to be sold at his shop at the great south doore of s. paules, and at brittaines bursse, at london : . dedication signed: clem. cotton. signatures: a⁸(-a ) [par.]² b-k¹² l⁴. page misnumbered as . includes index. reproduction of original bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first 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markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the mirror of martyrs . in a short vievv lively expressing the force of their faith , the feruency of their loue , the wisedome of their sayings , the patience of their suffrings , &c. with their prayers and preparation for their last farewell . whereunto is added two godly letters written by m. bradford , full of sweet consolation for such as are afflicted in conscience . ¶ they loved not their liues vnto the death . reuel . . . at london , ¶ printed by t. p. for io : budge , and are to be sold at his shop at the great south doore of s. paules , and at brittaines bursse . an. . deut. . . ¶ remember that thou wast a bond-man in the land of egypt : and that the lord thy god redeemed thee . deut. . . ¶ remember the day thou camest out of the land of egypt , all the dayes of thy life . to all svch as from a true heart delight to see the mightie power of christ magnified in his martyrs , salvation . deare christian reader , who either wantest leisure to read , or abilitie to buye that rich and plentifull store-house of storie , doctrine , and comfort , the acts and monuments : penned by the most innocent hearted man of god , and true nathanaell , m r. iohn foxe : and yet knowing th'incomparable worth of the things contained therein , doest often wish thy selfe some of that pretious store for thy present vse , loe here , a mirror fitched thence , which how so euer in regard of the smalnesse , it cannot shew thee all ; yet mayest thou here behold the choice of many memorable things , which will yeeld thee sound comfort , and profitable delight . accept then ( good reader i praye thee in stead of the greater ) this little institution of a christian martyr , with the same mind with which it is now offered vnto thee , & vse it to the same ends for which it was at the first framed into this so smal a volume & if in reading the whole or any part therof , thou , or any of thine , doe reape but the least good ; be thankefull therfore to thy good god , and helpe mee with thy prayers . thine ever in christ , c. c. the faythfvll soule , to her spouse christ . i am my welbeloveds , & my welbeloved is mine . set me as a seale on thine heart , and as a signet vpon thine arme : for loue is strong as death : ielousie is cruell as the graue : the coles therof are fiery coles , and a vehement flame . much water cannot quench loue , neither can the flouds drowne it : if a man should giue all the substance of his house for loue , they would greatlie contemne it . a preamble before the booke . happy , happy , yea thrise , and everlastingly happy is that soule which by faith feeles it selfe handfasted vnto christ ! thogh it meet with a prosperous estate in this world , it easily swels not : and if it meet with th' adverse things of the world , it easily quailes not . for it hath the word of christ , and the spirit of christ residing and dwelling in it . shee is not to learne in whome shee hath beleeued : neither can she ever be finally forced from beleeving . bring her to triall , and prooue whether of the two , christ or belial she will embrace ; offer her gold to forgoe christ shee greatly contemns it : let the mighty terrify with threats , shee feares not their feare , nor is carefull vpon the perill of life , to giue them a direct answere : she regards not whippings ; she dreads not rackings : vpon honorable conditions shee esteems the prison a pallace ; fetters of jron , ornaments of fine gold : the darkest dungeon , a delightsome dwelling ; rather then shee will violate the chastitie of her faith to christ her onely spouse , she will willingly endure headding and hanging ; yea burning and broyling : in a word , nothing can be able to separate this sweet soule from that loue of god to her ; which is in christ iesus her lord. now the jmage of such a soule who desires to see , and by sight thereof to be transformed inro the same jmage : let him often with a spirituall eye prie into this mirrour of martyrs , following : where he shall behold their faith victorious , their hope liuely , their peace passing al vnderstanding , their ioy vnspeakable and glorious : their speach alwaies gracious , their prayers full of fervor , their liues full of beautie , their ends full of honor : this honor shal be to all the saints . revel . . . what are these ? and whēce come these ? verse . these are they that came out of great tribulation , and haue washed their long white robes in the bloud of the lambe . verse . therefore are they in the presence of the throne of god , and serue him day and night in his temple , and hee that sitteth on the throne will dwell among them . verse . they shal hūger no more , neither thirst any more , neither shall the sunne light on them , neither heat . verse . for the lambe which is in the midst of the thron shal governe them , and shall lead them to the liuely fountaines of waters , and god shall wipe away all teares from their eies . revel . . . heere is the patience of saints : heere are they that keepe the commandemets of god , and the faith of iesus . verse . and i heard a voyce from heauen saying vnto mee , write , blessed are the dead which die in the lord from henceforth ; yea saith the spirit , that they may rest from their labours ; and their works do follow them . psal. . . precious in the sight of the lord is the death of his saints . psal. . . and deare shall their bloud bee in his sight ▪ reuel . . . how long lord , which art holy & true ! doest thou not judge and auenge our bloud on thē that dwel on the earth ? verse . and it was sayd vnto thē that they should rest for a little season , vntill their fellow servants & their brethren that should bee killed even as they were , were fulfilled . to the right noble and vertuous princesse , the lady elizabeths grace , eldest daughter to our soveraigne lord king iames. that neither this poore and weake seruice which is heere to be offred to the church of christ , nor the memorie of his faithfull martyrs which in this small briefe i endevor to reviue , and celebrate , might bee the lesse esteemed of the good , or any way vilified of the bad , by comming abroad without the patronage and protection of some person of eminencie in the sayd church : it was needfull for me most noble lady , to make choyse of such a patron as for eminencie of place , and vertues , might h●ue large romth in the hearts of the former ; and also whose sole authoritie might suffice to put to silence the jgnorance of the foolish . all which meeting togeather in your grace , my humble sute is , that through your princely hands this poore mite may now be cast into the lords treasurie . wherein your grace shall walke in her royall stepps , who ( though dead , yet now seemes to liue in you ) by her sacred hands did first consecrate the larger volume , whence this epitome is extracted , to the vse of the church and people of god. be pleased then most gratious lady ( for the matter belongeth vnto you ) to receiue vnder your favorable protectiō this mirrour or memorial of the martyrs , who living , had the protection of angels : and when the lord shall haue perfourmed to your grace all the good that hee hath promised , and of all loyall hearts is earnestly expected , it shall then bee no offence vnto your princely mind that you haue so doone . that great god who by his omni-presence filleth heaven and earth with his glorie , fill and replenish your graces heart with all the gifts and graces of his blessed spirit ; which may beautifie and adorne your person in the sight of god and man in this life : and heereafter crowne you with jmmortall glorie for ever and ever in his kingdome of glory , amen . your graces most humbly devoted in all humble and dutifull affection , clem : cotton . the mirror of the martyrs . ¶ in a short view liuely expressing and shewing the force of their faith , the feruencie of their love , the wisedome of their sayings , the patience of their suffrings , their constancy , comforts , and sweet meditations in the middest of all their conflicts . ¶ with their prayers and preparation for their last farewell . bishop hooper . the godly bishop hooper being brought vnto the place where he should suffer , seeing a pardon lying vpon a stoole to be tendered vnto him if he would recant , cryed to them that stood by , if you loue my soule , away with it : if you loue my soule , away with it . a blind boye being suffered to come vnto him ( after much entreaty ) to conferre with him : m r. hooper hearing his talke , the water stood in his eyes : ah poore boy sayd he , god hath taken from thee the sight of thy bodilie eyes , for what cause he best knoweth : but hee hath giuen thee another sight much more pretious ; for he hath endued thy soule with the eye of knowledge and faith . god giue thee grace that thou loose not that sight : for thē should'st thou be blind both in body and soule . the day before his martyrdome , he spent the most of the day in prayer , vnlesse any were licenced to speake with him , amongst the which s r. anthony kingston was one : who being brought into his chāber found him at prayer , and at the first view of him , burst foorth into teares . m r. hooper at the first blush knew him not . then sayd s r anthony why my lord , know you not me , an old friend of yours , anthony kingston ? yes m r. kingston i know you well sayd m r. hooper and i am glad to see you in good health , & doe praise god for it . kingston , but i am sorie to see you in this case : for as i vnderstand , you are come hither to die : but alas consider that life is sweet , and death is bitter . therefore seeing life may be had , desire to liue : for life hereafter may do good . hooper . indeed it is very true m. kingston i am come hither to die , and to end this life heere ; because i will not gainesay the former truth i haue heeretofore taught in this diocesse amongst you : and i thanke you for your friendly counsaile , though not so friendly as i could haue wished it . life indeed is sweet , and death is bitter ; but alas cōsider that the death to come is more bitter , and the life to come more sweet . therefore for the desire & loue i haue to the one , & the feare and terror i haue of th' other , i do not so much regard this death , nor esteeme this life : but haue setled my selfe through the strength of gods spirit , patiently to passe through the torments and extremities of the fire now prepared for me ; rather then to deny gods word and truth . the night before he suffred , his desire was to go to bed that night betimes , saiing , that he had many things to thinke on : and so did at of the clock , and slept one sleepe soundly , and bestowed the rest of the night after in prayer . being got vp in the morning , hee desired that none should come vnto him , that hee might bee solitary till the hower of his death . bishop ridley . worthie bishoppe ridley going to his burning at oxford , looking backe , espyed m r. latimer coming after : to whome he sayd , oh be ye there ? yea sayd father latimer , haue after as fast as i can . bejng come to the stake , he ranne to m r. latimer , jmbraced him and kissed him , and as they that stood neere reported ) comforted him , saying : bee of good comfort brother ; for god will either asswage the furie of the fire , or else strengthen vs to abide it . being at the stake , he held vp both his hands to heaven , and sayd : oh heauenly father , i giue thee most heartie thankes , that thou hast called me to be a professor of thee euen vnto death . a fagot being brought which was kindled with fire and laid downe at m. ridleys feet , father latimer spake on this manner to him : be of good comfort m. ridley , and playe the man : wee shall by gods grace light such a candle this day in england , as i trust shall neuer be put out . by reason the fire was ill made , m. ridley continued long in his torments , in so much as he often cryed , i cannot burne , i cannot burne : for christs sake let the fire come to mee : lord haue mercie vpon mee : let the fire come to me , i cannot burne . m. iohn philpot. the valiant servant of christ m. iohn philpot having the newes of his death brought him by one of the sheriffes men , that hee must the next day bee burned at a stake , sayd , i am ready : god grant me strength , and a ioyfull resurrection . and so went to his chamber and powred out his spirit vnto the lord , giving him most heartie thankes , that had made him worthy to suffer for his truth . as hee was entring into smithfield , the passage was somewhat foule , and twoo officers tooke him vp to beare him to the stake . thē he sayd merilie , what ? will ye make me a pope ? i am content to go to my iourneys end on foote . but first comming into smithfield , hee kneeled downe there , saying these words , i will paye my vowes in thee o smithfield . iohn bradford . holy bradford having newes brought him in great haste by the keepers wife of the counter , that hee should be burned the next day , and that his chayne was a buying : with that put off his cap , and lifting vp his eyes to heaven , said : i thanke god for it : i haue long looked for this time , and therefore it commeth not to me now sodainlie ; but as a thing expected euery houre , the lord make me worthy thereof . after which he went alone , and prayed secretly a long time . a little before they carried him from the counter to newgate , he made a notable prayer of his farewell , with such plentie of teares , and aboundance of the spirit of praier , that it ravished the minds of the hearers . also when he shifted himselfe with a cleane shirt that was made for his burning , hee made such a prayer of the wedding garment , that some there present so admired him , that their eies were no lesse thorowly occupied in beholding him , thē their eares gaue place to the hearing of his prayers . at his departing the chāber , hee made in like sort a prayer , in which hee vehemently desired of god that his wordes might not bee spoken in vaine . ¶ his behauiour at his death . mr. bradford cōming to the stake fell flat vpon his face , praying the space of one minute of an hower , the sheriffe willed him to make an end , because the presse was great : at that word standing vpon his feet , he tooke a fagot in his hand and kissed it , and so likewise the stake : so putting off his rayment , he went to the stake holding vp his hands , and casting vp his countenance to heaven , sayd thus , o england , englād , repēt thee of thy sins , repent thee of thy sins , &c. to the young man that suffered with him hee sayd , be of good comfort brother , for we shall haue a merry supper with the lord this night , and spake no more wordes that any man heard , but jmbracing the reeds , sayd thus , straight is the way and narrow is the gate that leadeth vnto life eternall , and fewe there be that find it . m. william tims . william tims being convented before bonner & winchester : tims said the bishops ; thou hast a good fresh spirit , it were well if thou had'st learning to thy spirit : yea my lords sayd tims , and it were well also that as you bee learned men ; so yee had a good spirit to your learning . bishop latimer . reuerend latimer writes thus to bishop ridley , lo sir , i haue blotted your papers and play'd the foole egregiously : but so i thought it better , then not to fulfill your request at this time . pardon me , and pray for me : pray for me , pray for me i say . for i am sometimes so scarefull that i could creepe into a mouse hole : sometimes god doth visit me againe with his comforts . so he is comming and going , comming and going ; to teach me to know mine owne infirmitie , that i might thanke him who is worthy , least i should rob him of his glorie , as many doe , and almost all the world , fare yee well . ¶ the requests which father latimer was wont to make . the first was , that as god had appointed him to be a preacher of his word ; so also he would giue him grace to stand to his doctrine vnto the death , and that he might giue his heart blood for the same . the second was , that god of his mercie would restore his gospell to enggland once againe : and these words once againe , once againe , hee did so inculcate and beat into the eares of the lord , as though hee had seene god face to face , and would haue no nay . his third request was for the lady elizabeth our late soueraigne , whō in his prayer hee was wont to name , & euen with teares begged of god , that shee might liue to be a comfort to this comfortlesse realme . bishop ridley . ridley writes thus in a letter to bradford , wee looke euery day to be called on : i weene i am the weakest many waies of our company : and yet i thanke our lord god and heauenly father through christ , that since i heard of our deere brother rogers departing , and his stout confession of christ and his truth euen vnto death , mine heart blessed be god reioyced so in it , that since that time ( i say ) i never felt any lumpishnesse nor heauinesse of heart , as i grant i haue felt sometimes before : o good brother bradford blessed bee god for thee , and blessed be the time that euer i knew thee . iohn rogers . maister rogers that morning hee should be burned , being in a sound sleepe , was hardly awaked with much shogging , whē the keepers wife came sodainely vp to giue him warning of his burning . at length beeing awaked , and bid to make hast , nay then sayd hee , and if it be so , i shall not need to tye my points . the sunday before hee suffred , hee dranke to m. hooper being then in a chamber vnderneath him in newgate , and bad them commend him to him , and to tell him , that there was never little fellow would better sticke to a man , then he would sticke to him : supposing they should haue beene burned together . laurence saunders . mr. savnders at the time of his first examination before steven gardiner , reporto his bed-fellow that lay with him the night following , that in the time of his examination , he was so wonderfully comforted , that not onely in his spirit , but also in body hee receiued a certaine tast of that holy communion of saints ; whilst a most pleasant refreshing issued from euery part and member of his body vnto the seat of the heart , and from thence did ebbe and flow to & fro vnto all the parts againe . in a letter to his wife : faine would this flesh make strange of that which the spirit doth imbrace . oh lord how loth is this loytring sluggard to passe foorth into gods path ? it fancieth forsooth much feare of fraybugs ? and were it not for the force of faith , which pulleth it forwards by the raines of gods most sweet promise ; and hope which pricketh on behind ; great aduenture there would be of fainting by the way . but blessed & euerlastingly blessed be that heauenly father of ours , who in his christ our sufficient sauiour , hath vouchsafed to shine in our hearts by the light of his knowledge in the face of iesus christ. his wife comming to visit him in prison , was forbidden to enter the prison ; by reason whereof the keeper tooke the little babe shee had in her armes and caried him to his father . lavrence savnders seeing him reioyced greatly , saying , that hee esteemed more of such a boy , then if pound should be giuen him . and to the standers by which praysed the goodlinesse of the child , he sayd , what man fearing god , would not loose this life presently , rather then by preserving it heere , hee should adiudge this boy to be a bastard , and his wife an whore , and him-sefe an whoremonger , yea were there no other cause why a man of my estate should loose his life , yet who would not giue it to avouch this child to be legitimate , and his mariage to be lawfull and holy . beeing come to the stake where hee was burned , hee fell prostrate to the groūd and prayed : and rysing vppe againe , hee tooke the stake in his armes to which he should be chained , and kissed it , saying , welcome the crosse of christ : welcome euerlasting life . robert glouer gen. mr. glover a day or twoo before hee should bee burnt , felt his heart so lumpish and heavy , that hee found in himselfe no aptnes not willingnesse to die , but rather a dulnesse of spiritfull of much discomfort to beare the bitter crosse of martyrdome ready now to bee layd vppon him : wherevpon , fearing in himselfe least the lord had vtterly withdrawen his wonted favour from him ; he made his moane to one avgvstine bernhere his deere friend , signifying vnto him how earnestly hee had praied vnto the lord , and yet could receiue no motion nor sence of any comfort from him . to whome the sayd austen answering , desired him patiētly to waite the lords leisure , howsoeuer his present feeling was ; and to play the man , nothing doubting but the lord in due season would satisfie his desire with plentie of consolation , whereof hee sayd hee was right certaine and sure : and therefore desired him whensoeuer any feeling of gods heavenly mercies should begin to touch his heart , that hee would giue him some signe thereof . the next day when the time of his martyrdome was come , and as hee was going to the stake & come to the sight of it , albeit all the night before prayjng for comfort and courage , hee felt no answere of his praier : sodainely he was so mightily replenished with the comfort of gods holy spirit and heavenly joies , that hee cried out clapping his hands to austen sayjng these words , hee is come austen , hee is come , hee is come : and that with such joy and alacritie as one seeming rather to bee risen from some deadly danger to liberty of life , then as one passing out of this world by any paines of death . m. iohn lambart . iohn lambart having his nether parts consumed with fire , lifting vp such hands as hee had , and his fingers ends flaming with fire , cryed to the people , none but christ , none but christ. adam damplip . this good man beejng advertised by his keeper that his execution drew neere , was never seen to quaile , but was as merrie , and eate his supper that night as chearefully as ever hee did in all his life ; at which his keeper and the rest of the prisoners wondring , asked him how hee could take such newes so chearefully : ah my maisters sayth he , doe yee thinke i haue beene thus long gods prisoner in the marshalsey , and haue not yet-learned to die ? yes , yes , i doubt not but god will strengthen me therein . kerby martyr . one kerby beeing councelled by m. winkfield to pittie himselfe , and to take no more vppon him then hee should bee able to performe : the fire saith hee is hot , the terrour is great , the paine wil be extreame , and life is sweet . to whom kerby answered , m. winkfield be at my burning , and you shall say , there standeth a christian souldier in the fire . for i know that fire , and water , sword , and all other things are in the hāds of god , who will suffer no more to bee layd vppon vs then hee will giue strength to beare . thomas bilney . mr. thomas bilney beeing put in mind , that though the fire which he should suffer the next day should be of great heat vnto his body , yet the comfort of gods spirit should coole it to his euerlasting comfort and refreshing : at those words putting his finger towards the flame of the candle thē burning before them ( as also hee diuers times did ) and feeling the heat thereof , o sayd hee i feele by experience and haue knowne it long by philosophy , that fire by gods ordinance is naturally hot , but yet i am perswaded by gods holy word , and by th' experience of some spoken of in the same , that in the flame they felt no heat , and in the fire they felt no consumption : and i constantly beleeue ▪ that howsoeuer the stubble of this my body shal be wasted by it , yet my soule and spirit shall be purged thereby . a paine for the time : after which notwithstanding followeth vnspeakeable ioy. and then entreated notably vpon the first and second verses of the chap. of isaias , which sentēces for the joy & cōfort some of his friends tooke in them , caused them to be faire written out ; the comfort whereof they left not to their dyjng day . the sayd bilney beeing visited by certain of his friēds the night before he suffred , they found him eating an alebrew with such a cherefull heart and quiet minde , as made them wonder thereat , sayjng , they were not a little glad to see him at that time so cheerefully to refresh himselfe . to whome hee made this answere , oh sayd he , i follow the example of the husbandmen in the countrie , who hauing a ruinous house to dwell in , doe yet bestow cost as long as they remaine in it , to vphold the same : and so do i now with this ruinous house of my body ; refreshing the same as you see , with these good creatures of god. iames baynam . this baynam as hee stood at the stake in the midst of the flaming fire , which fire had halfe consumed his armes and his legges , hee was heard to speake these words , o yee papists . behold yee looke for miracles , and heere yee may see a miracle : for in this fire i feele no more paine then if i were in a bed of down ; but it is to me as sweet as a bed of roses . henry voes . the like speach i finde of a young man burnt at bruxels , who when the fire was kindled at his feet , sayd , me thinks you strew roses vnder my feete . hugh laverocke . this laverocke a lame creple , & iohn apprice a blind man , being chained both of them to the stake ; lavercock casting away his crutch , and comforting his fellow . martyr , fayd , be of good comfort my brother , for my l. of london is our good phisition , hee will shortly cure vs both : thee of thy blindnes , and me of my lamenesse . william hunter . william hvnter apprētice of the age of yeares standing at the stake , sayd , son of god shine vppon me : and jmediately the son in the element shone out of a darke cloud ( for it was a glomie day ) so full in his face , that hee was constrained to turne his face an other way . the sayd william hvnter beeing brought downe from london to be burnt : remained by the way two dayes at burntwood , whether his father and mother came to comfort him , who heartely desired of god that hee might cōtinue in the good way hee had begun , vnto the end ; and his mother sayd vnto him , that shee was glad shee was euer so happy as to beare such a sonne who could find in his heart to loose his life for christs sake . then said william to his mother : for my little paine which i shall suffer which is also but for a moment , christ hath promised me mother ( saith he ) a crowne of life . and may not you bee glad of that mother ? with that his mother kneeled downe on her knees , sayjng , i pray god strengthen thee my sonne vnto the end . and i thinke thee as well bestowed as any child that euer i bare . at which words m. higbed ( one that was then to suffer for the same cause ) tooke her in his armes , sayjng , i rejoyce much to see you in this mind , and you haue good cause so to doe . robert samuel . mr. robert samvel minister , was kept in streight prison by the bishops chancellor of norvvich : wherein hee was chained boult vpright to a great post , in such sort , that standing only on tip-toe , hee was faine to stay vp the whole poyse of his body thereby . and to make amends , they added a far greater torment , keeping him without meat and drinke , whereby hee was miserablie vexed with hunger and thirst , saving that hee had allowed him every day or mouthfuls of bread and spoonfuls of water , rather to reserue him to further torment , then to preserue his life . o the worthy constancy of the martyr ! o pitilesse hearts of the papists , worthy to be complained of before god & nature ! o the wonderfull strength of christ in his martyrs ! how oft-times would hee haue drunke his owne water , but his body was so dryed vp with long emptines , that hee was not able to make water , no not so much as one drop . now after he had beene thus long famished with hunger ( see a strange thing that happened to him , of which himselfe was the reporter ) he fell as it were into a slumber , at which time one clad all in white , seemed to stand before him : which ministred comfort vnto him , by these words , samuell , samuell be of good cheare , and take a good heart vnto thee : for after this day , thou shalt never hunger nor thirst : which thing came even to passe accordingly : for speedily after hee was burned , and from the time till hee should suffer he felt neither hunger nor thirst . cut. simpson , deacon . cvtbert sympsons patience was thus commended by bishop boner : ye see saith boner what a personable man this is : & touching his patience , i say vnto you , that if hee were not an hereticke , i would affirme that he were a man of the greatest patience that ever yet came before me . for i tell you , hee hath been thrice racked in one day . also in my house hee hath felt some sorrow , and yet i never saw his patience broken . the day before he was cōdēned ( being in the stockes in the bish : colehouse ) cloney his keeper came in with the keyes about of the clocke at night after his vsuall manner , to view his prison , and to see whether all were present : who when he spied the sayd cutbert to be there , departed again , locking the dores after him . within houres after at a of the clocke towards midnight ( whether awake or in a slumber i cannot say ) hee heard one comming in , first opening the outward doore , then the second , and after the third doore , and so looking in to the said cvtbert , having no candle nor linke that hee could see , but giving a brightnes and light most cōfortable & joyfull to his heart , saying , ha , vnto him ; and departed away againe . who it was hee could not tell . but this hee declared or times with his owne mouth to one m. avsten , to his wife , & thomas sampson , besides many others in newgate , a little before his death . at the sight whereof hee received such a joyfull comfort , that hee also expressed no little joy and solace in telling of it . iohn rough. mr. iohn rovgh minister , having bin at the burning of one avsto in smithfield , returning homeward mette m. farrar a marchant of halifax , who asked where hee had beene ? i haue bin saith he where i would not for one of mine eyes but i had bin . where haue you been sayd m. farrar ? forsooth saith hee , i haue been to learne the way . and so told him the whole matter of the burning of avsto , where shortly after hee was burned himselfe . d. rowland taylor . mr. doctor taylor beeing come to chelmesford in the way towards his martyrdome , was receiued there of the sheriffe of svffolke to conduct him to hadley to be burnt . at supper the sheriffe of essex labored him with might and maine to haue him returne to the vnitie of the catholique romish church , affirming that that which he spake proceeded of a good heart & good will towards him , and therevpon drank to him : the yeomen of the guard also sayd , vpon that condition m. doctor we all drink to you . when they had all dranke , and the cup was come to him , hee stayed a while as one studyjng what answere hee might giue . at length he spake thus to them , m. sheriffe , and my maisters all , i heartely thanke you of your good will. i haue given eare to your words . and to be plaine with you i doe perceiue that i haue bin deceiued my selfe , and am like to deceiue a great many at hadley of their expectation . at which speach they all reioyced , yea good m. doctor sayd the sheriffe , jt is the comfortablest word you spake yet . why should yee cast away your selfe in vaine , play a wise mans part , and i dare warrant you , you shall haue favour . and then they began to pray him to explaine his meaning further vnto them . then sayd doctor taylor , i will tell you how i am deceiued my selfe , and how i thinke i shall deceiue a great many . i am as you see a man that hath a great carkasse whicht i though should haue beene buried in hadley church-yard , had i dyed in my bed as i well hoped i should haue done : but therein i see i was deceiued : and there are a great many of wormes in hadley church-yard that should haue had iolly feeding vppon this carkasse , which they haue long looked for . but now i know wee bee deceiued , both i and they : for this carkasse must be burnt to ashes , and so shall they loose their bait and feeding which they expected . the same morning in which he was called vp by the sheriffe to goe to his burning about of the clocke in the morning , being sodainely awaked out of his sound sleepe , he sate vp in his bed and putting on his shirt , hee had these words ; speaking somewhat thicke after his accustomed manner , ah horson theeues , ah horson theeues , robbe god of his honor , robbe god of his honor . beeing risen and tyjng his points , he cast his arms about a balke which was in the chamber between m. bradfords bed and his , and clasping his hands about it ; o m. bradford sayd he , what a great swing should i giue , if i were hanged ? beejng come within miles of hadley , he desired to light off his horse to make water : which done , hee lept and fecht a friske or twaine as men cōmonly do in daunsing , why m. doctor sayd the sheriffe , how doe ye now ? well i thanke god m. sheriffe sayd he , never better , for now i know i am almost at home , i lacke but stiles to go ouer and i am euen at my fathers house . but m. sheriffe , shall wee not goe through hadley ? yes , you shall sayd the sheriffe . thē said he , o god i thanke thee that i shall yet once ere i dye see my flocke , whom thou lord knowest i haue most deerely loued , & truly taught . good lord blesse them , and keepe thē stedfast in thy truth . at the time of his degrading by bishop boner , bejng furnished fully with all his attire according to their ridiculous custome , hee set his hands by his side walking vp and down , and sayd : how say ye now my lord , am i not a goodly foole ? how say ye my maisters ? if i were now in cheap , should i not haue boyes enough to laugh at these apish toyes , and toying trumperies ? when all his trinkets were taken from him , hee sayd , good lord deliver me from you : and gojng from them vp to his chamber , hee sayd , good lord deliuer me from you , good lord deliuer mee from you . iohn leafe . this iohn leafe a prentise to one hvmphrey gavvdy tallow chandler , who was burned with m. iohn bradford , had bils sent him into the counter in breadstreet after his judgement , th' one containing a recantation , th' other his confession : to know to which of them hee would subscribe . hearing first the bill of his recantation read vnto him , ( because hee could nether write nor read himselfe ) that hee refused : and when hee heard th' other read vnto him , which hee liked well off , in stead of a pen , he tooke a pinne , and so pricking his hand , sprinkled the blood vppon the sayd bill , willing the reader thereof to shew the bishop , that hee had sealed the same with his blood already . richard woodman . the conflicts whieh richard woodman had with the feare of death , recorded in his owne words , as followeth . then daies after , my lord chamberlain sent of his men to take mee , whose names were deane , ieffrey , , and frauncis , i being at plough with my folkes , right in the way as they were comming to my house , least mistrusting them of all other , came vnto them and asked them how they did . and they said they arrested me in the king and queenes name , and that i must goe with them to my lord chamberlaine their maister . which words made my flesh to tremble and quake in regard the thing was sodaine . but i answered them , that i would goe with them . yet i desired them to go with me to my house that i might break my fast , and put on some other geare : and they sayd i should . then i remembred my selfe , saying in my heart , why am i thus afrayd ? they can lay none euill to my charge , if they kill me for well dooing , i may thinke my selfe happy . i remembred how i was contented gladly to dye before , in that quarrell , and so haue continued euer since , and should i now feare to die ? god forbid i should , for then were all my labour in vaine . so by and by i was perswaded i praise god , cōsidering it was but the frailtie of my flesh which was loth to forgoe my wife , children , & goods : for i saw nothing but present death before mine eies . and as soone as i was perswaded in mine heart to die , i regarded nothing in this world , but was as merrie , glad , and ioyfull i praise god as euer i was . this battaile lasted but a quarter of an houre , but it was sharper for the time then death i dare say . m. glouer . robert glover had a contrarie effect in his troubles , as his owne words testifye . after i came into prison sayth hee and had reposed my selfe a while , i wept for joy and gladnes my bellyfull , musing much of the great mercies of god , and as it were , saying thus vnto my selfe , o lord who am i , on whome thou should'st bestow thus thy great mercie , to bee numbred among thy saints , which suffer for thy gospell sake ? and so beholding on the one side my jmperfection , vnablenes , sinnefull miserie , and vnworthines ; and on th' other side the greatnes of gods mercie , to be called to so high promotion , i was as it were amazed and overcome for a while with joy and gladnes , concluding thus with my selfe in mine heart , o lord thou shewest power in weakenes , wisedome in foolishnes , mercie in sinfulnesse : who shall let thee to choose where and whom thou wilt ? as i haue euer zealously loued the profession of thy word , so haue i euer thought my selfe vnworthie to bee partaker of th' afflictions of the same . the same robert glover , at an other time was much discouraged by satan , not to persevere in his suffring , suggesting to him his vnworthines to suffer for christ and his gospell , but these his suggestions were thus repelled by him . what were all those whome god in former time chose to be his witnesses ? were they not men subiect to sinne and imperfection as other men bee ? all wee sayth iohn haue receiued of his fulnes . they were no bringers of any goodnes to god : they were altogether receiuers . they chose not god first , but hee chose them . they loued not god first , but hee loued them , yea , when they were enemies to him , and full of sinne . hee is and wil be the same god still . as rich in mercie , as mighty , as ready , as willing to forgiue sinnes now without respect of persons , as hee was then ; and so wil be to the worlds end , to all that call vppon him . it is no arrogancie , nor presumption in any man to burthen god with his promise , chalenging his ayd and assistance in all perils and daungers ; calling vpon him in the name of christ , for whose sake , whosoeuer commeth to the father , is sure to receiue more then hee can wish or desire . i also answered the enemie on this manner : i am a sinner , and therefore vnworthy to be a martyr . what then ? must i deny gods word , because i am a sinner ; and not worthy to professe it ? what bring i to passe in so dooing , but adding sinne to sinne ? what is a greater sinne , then to deny the truth af christs gospell ? i might also by the like reason , forbeare to doe any of gods commaundements , when i am prouoked to pray , th' enemie may say vnto mee , thou art not worthy to pray , and therefore i shall not pray . i shall not forbeare to steale , &c. because i am not worthy to do any of gods commaundements . these be delusiōs of the deuill , which must be ouercome by continuance of prayer , and with the word of god applied according to the measure of euery mans gift . george wise-heart . this wise-heart a scottishman ( rightly so called in regard of that true wisedome of the spirit wherewith his heart was filled , ) beejng come to the place of execution , the hangman came vnto him vppon his knees , craving forgiuenesse of him . to whome he answered , come hether to me : when hee was come nie him , hee kissed his cheeke , and sayd , loe here is a signe that i forgiue thee ; my heart doe thine office . and by and by hee was put vpon the gibbet and martyred . walter mill. walter mill a scottish minister beejng disturbed in his praier in the time of his examination , having ended the same , sayd ; wee ought more to obay god then men. i serue one more mightie , even th'omnipotent lord. and where ye call me s r. walter , they vsually call mee walter , and not s r. walter . i haue beene one of the popes knights too long . beejng threatned with the sentence of death : i know i must die once saith he , and therefore as christ said to iudas , quod facis , fac citius . ye shall know , that i will not recant the truth ; for i am corne , i am no chaffe : i will not be blowne away with the wind , nor burst with the flaile : i will abide both . patrick hamleton . mr. patrick hamleton beejng in the fire , was heard by certaine faithfull men of credit then aliue , there to cite and appeale the black frier campbell that accused him , to appeare before the high god as generall iudge of all men , to answere to the innocency of his death , and whether his accusation were iust or no , between that and a certaine day of the next moneth which hee there named . moreouer , by the same witnesse it is testified , that the sayd fryer dyed immediately before the same day came , without remorse of conscience that hee had persecuted the poore innocent . robert farrar . bishop farrar being visited of a knights sonne called richard iones a little before his death , the sayd richard seemed much to lament the painfulnes of the death he had to suffer . to whom the bishop answered , that if hee saw him once to st●r●e in the paines of his burning , he should giue no credit to his doctrine . and as he sayd , so he right well performed the same : for so patiently hee stood , that hee neuer mooued , but even as hee stood holding vp his stumps of his hands , so hee still continued , till one richard gravell with a staffe dashed him vppon the head , and so stroke him downe into the fier . rawlins whight . this whight a fisherman , a very aged man in the towne of cardiffe in wales , grew very expert in the scriptures by the helpe of a little boy he had , beejng his owne sonne , who dayly read the same , to him every night after supper , sommer and winter , and now and then some other good booke . in which kind of vertuous exercise the old man had such delight and pleasure , that as it seemed , hee practised himselfe rather in the studie of the scripture , then in the trade or science which before time hee had vsed : so that ravvlins within few yeares , in the time of king edvvard , by the helpe of his little boy , as a speciall minister no doubt appointed by god for that purpose , profited and went forward in such sort , that hee was not onely able to resolue himselfe touching his former blindnes and jgnorance ( for by all likelihood hee was before king edvvards dayes a papist ) but was also able to admonish and jnstruct others . so as when occasion serued , hee would go from one place to another visiting such as he had best hope in . and thus in that countrey became a notable professor of the truth , beejng at all times and in all such places not without the helpe of his little boy . and to this his jndustrie god added to him a singular guift of memorie , so that by the benefit thereof hee could and would doe that in alleadging and rehearsing the text , which men of riper knowledge by their notes and other helps of memorie could hardly accomplish . in so much that vpon alleadging some place of scripture , hee was able very often to cite the booke , the leafe , yea and the very sentence : such was the wonderfull worke of god in this simple and vnlearned father . in the daies of queene marie it so fell out , that god called him not onely formerly to beleeue in him , but then to suffer for his sake : in which his suffrings , the lord endued him with inuincible cōstācie , in so much as beeing convented before the bishop of landaffe , the bishop would needs with his company fall to prayer in his chappell , to see ( as he sayd ) if god would turne the poore mans heart : which ravvlins hearing , sayd , now you deale well my lord , and like a good bishop indeed . go to therefore my lord , pray you to your god , and i wil pray to my god : i know that my god will heare my prayer , and performe my desire . by and by the bishop and his men fell to prayer . and ravvlins turning him to a pew somewhat neere , fell downe vppon his knees ; covering his face with his hands . bejng all risen from praier : the bishop sayd , now rawlins how is it with thee ? wil 't thou revoke thine opinions , or no ? surely said rawlins ; my lord , rawlins you left mee , and rawlins you find me , and by gods grace rawlins i will continue . the bishop seejng his prayers tooke none effect , was perswaded by some about him ( before hee read the sentence ) to haue a masse , thinking that god would thereby worke some miracle vpon the old man , when ravvlins heard the sacring bell ring , ( as the vse is ) hee rose out of his place and came to the quier doore , and there standing a while turned himselfe to the people , speaking these words , good people , if there be any brethren amongst you , or at the least , if there bee but one brother amongst you , l●t that same one beare witnesse at the day of iudgement , that i bow not to this idol , meaning the host the priest held over his head . hearing that the time of his burning drew neere , he sent to his wife willing her to provide him his wedding garment , in which he ment to be burned , meaning his shirt . beejng brought out of prison and seejng himselfe guarded with a great company of bils and gleaues , he sayd , alas what needs all this adoe ? i will not start away by gods grace : but with al my heart and mind i giue vnto god most hearty thank th●t hath made mee worthy to abide all this for his holy names sake . at the light of his wife and children whome hee saw in the way as he went to be burnt , it so pierced his heart , that the teares trickled downe his cheekes : but sodainely misliking his jnfirmitie , he began to be angrie with himselfe , and striking himselfe on the brest with his hand , vsed these words , ah flesh , stayest thou me so ? would'st thou faine preuaile ? well , i tell thee doe what thou canst , thou shalt not by gods grace get the victorie . when hee came to the sight of the stake , hee set himselfe forwards very boldly , but in going towards it , he fell downe vppon his knees and kissed the ground , and in rising againe , the earth a little sticking vpon his nose , he sayd these words , earth vnto earth , and dust vnto dust : thou art my mother , and vnto thee shall i returne . then went hee cheerefully and very joyfully vnto the stake , setting his back close vnto it , and when hee had stood there a while , casting his eye vpon the reporter of this historie , and call●ng him to him , sayd , i feele a great fighting betweene the flesh and the spirit , and the flesh would very faine get the masterie : and therefore i pray , if you see mee any thing tempted , hold vp but your finger to mee , and i trust i shall remember my selfe . the reporter . there was observed in this good father going to his death , and standing at the stake , a wonderfull change in nature . for whereas hee was wont before to goe stooping , or rather croked through the jnfirmitie of age : and having a sadde countenance , and feeble complexion , & withall a feeble and soft voice and gesture : now he went and stretched vp him selfe & bare withall a most pleasant countenance , not without great courage , both in speach and behauiour . thomas spurdance . this spvrdance being asked of the bish. when hee was at masse , and received the ceremonies of the church , answered , neuer sayd hee since i was borne . no ? sayd the bishop , how old art thou ? he sayd , i thinke forty . why , how vsed you your selfe yeares agone sayd the bishop ? as ye doe now , sayd hee . and even now quoth the bishop , he sayd , he vsed not the ceremonies since hee was borne . no more i haue my lord sayd hee , since i was borne againe . iohn . . elizabeth folkes . elizabeth bejng examined if she beleeued not that christs body was in the sacrament substantially , and really , yes sayth she i beleeue it is a reall lye , and a substantiall lye indeed . iulius palmer . palmer shewing his vnmoueable constancy in standing to the truth , and beejng now ready to yeeld vppe his life for the same truth , s r. richard abridges said vnto him , well palmer sayth the knight , i perceiue that one of vs two must bee damned , for wee be of sundrie faiths , and sure i am there is but one faith that leadeth to life and salvation . pal. o sir i hope that both of vs shal be saved . brid . how may that be palmer ? pal. very well sir. for as it hath pleased our mercifull saviour according to the gospels parable , to call me at the third houre of the day , even in my flowers , at the age of yeares ; even so i trust hee hath called , and will call you at the houre , in this your old age , and giue you everlasting life for your portion . brid . sai'st thou so ? well palmer , well , i would i might haue thee but one moneth in mine house , i doubt not but i would cōvert thee , or thou shouldst convert me . bradbegs wife . this good woman had children named patience and charitie . at the time of her condemnation shee told the bishop that if he would needes burne her , yet shee trusted hee would take and keepe patience and charitie , ( meaning her two children ) nay by the faith of my body sayth the bishop will i not : i will meddle with neyther of them both . m. frith . iohn frith after much trouble , bejng at length sent for to croydon from the tower to appeare before th'archbishoppe of canterbury , thomas cranmer , sitting therewith other bishops , to receiue his last doome ; was earnestly laboured withall by one of his gentlemen , and his porter , who were the messengers that set him , to free himselfe out of the bishops hands . for they greatly lamented friths case , beejng sure if hee came to croydon he would bee cast away , such was his cōstancie : in regard whereof vppon bristow causie , the gentleman plotted a way for frith to escape , and drew the porter to his part . in the end they acquaint frith with their purpose , who with a smiling countenance made them this answere , and is this the effect of your secret consultation so long continued betweene you ? surely you haue lost a great deale more time then this ere now : and so are yee like to doe at this time , for if you both should leaue me heere alone , and should goe tell the bishops that you had lost frith , and that he had escaped away from you , i would surely follow you as fast as i could , and would bring them newes of friths finding . do ye thinke ( sayd he ) i am afrayd to declare mine opinion to the bishops of england in a manifest truth ? agnes bongeor . this deere servant of christ bejng condemned to be burned , had prepared her selfe to goe with her fellowe martyrs to the stake , the same morning they went : but it was her happe of all the rest to bee kept backe , in regard her name was wrong written , to wit , agnes boyer , for agnes bongeor : what piteous moane this good woman made , how bitterly shee wept ; what strāge thoughts came into her mind , how naked and desolate shee esteemed her selfe , into what plunge of dispaire & care her poore soule was cast ; it was lamentable to behold ; because she went not with her fellows to giue her life in the defence of her christ and his gospell , for of all things in the world shee least expected this restraint . for that very morning in which shee was kept backe from burning , shee had put on a smocke which she had prepared onely for that purpose : and also having a little jnfant sucking on her , shee likewise sent it away to another nurse ; so little looked she for life . bejng in this great perplexitie of mind , a friend of hers came to her , demaunding of her whether abrahams obedience was accepted before god , for sacrificing his sonne isaak , or in that hee would haue offred him , vnto which she made this answere , i know that abrahams will before god was allowed for the deede , for he would haue done it , if the angell of the lord had not stay'd him : but i sayd shee am vnhappy , the lord thinks mee not worthy of this dignitie , and therefore abrahams case and mine is not alike . friend . why ? you were resolved to goe with your company , if god had beene so pleased . agnes . yes with all my heart , and for that i went not with them , it is my chiefest griefe . friend . deere sister i pray thee consider abraham and thy selfe well , & thou shalt see , thou nothing differest from him at all . agnes . alas sir , there is a farre greater matter in abraham then in me : for abraham was tryed with the offring of his child , but so am not i ; our cases therefore are not alike . friend . good sister weigh the matter jndifferently : abraham i graunt would haue offred his owne son : and haue not you done the like in your little sucking babe , which you were content to part with ? but consider that whereas abraham was commaunded but to offer his sonne , you are heavy and perplexed because you cannot offer your selfe ; which goeth somewhat more neere you , then abrahams obedience did , and therfore in gods sight and acceptation is assuredly no lesse allowed . after which talke between them she began a little to stay her selfe , and gaue her selfe wholy to th'exercises of prayer , and reading , wherin shee found no little comfort , waiting for the time of her martyrdome , which at length she obtained . thomas hudson martyr . seaman , carman , and hudson , beejng all three fastened to the stake in a pit called the lolards pit without bishops-gate in norvvich : hvdson suddainely slippeth from vnder the chame from his two fellowes , to the wonder of many , whereby arose much doubtfulnes in mens minds . but sweet hvdson felt not his christ. he felt more in his heart and conscience , then they could conceiue off . in the meane while his cōpanions at the stake cried out to him to cōfort him , what they could : exhorting him in the bowels of christ , to be of good comfort . but alas good soule hee was compassed ( god knoweth ) with great dolour and griefe of mind , not for his death , but for lacke of feeling the comfort of the holy ghost , the comforter . and therefore beejng very carefull , hee humbly fell on his knees praying vehemently and earnestly vnto the lord , who at length according to his mercies of old sent comfort , and then rose he with great joy , as a man new changed even from death to life , saying , now i thank god i am strong and passe not what man can doe vnto mee . so went hee to the stake to his fellowes againe , who all suffred together most joyfully . roger holland . holland having leaue giuen him to speake after sentence pronounced by boner bishop of london , vttered these words . i told you even now that your authoritie was from god , and that by his sufferance you doe these things : and now i tell you , god hath heard the prayers of his servants , which hath beene poured out with teares for his afflicted church which daily you persecute , as now ye doo vs. but this i dare be bold in god to say , ( which by his spirit i am mooued to speake ) that god will shorten your hand of cruelty , that for a time you shal not molest his saints : and this shall you in short time well perceiue my deere brethren to bee most true : for after this day in this place , shall there not be any by him ( boner he meanes , put to the tryall of fire and faggot . and after that day , was there never any that suffred in smithfield for the testimonie of the gospell , god be thanked . william pickes somewhat before his apprehension , went into his garden and tooke with him a bible of rogers translation , where hee sitting with his face towards the south , reading on the said bible , suddenly fell downe vppon his booke betweene and a clocke at noone , drops of fresh blood , not knowing from whence they came . then he seeing the same was sore astonished , and could by noe meanes learne from whence they should fall : and wiping out one of the drops of blood with his finger , called his wife & said , in the vertue of god wife what : me●neth this ? will the lord haue sacrifices ? i see well enough the lord will haue blood . his will be done , and giue mee grace to abide the triall . afterward hee looked dayly to be apprehended of the papists , which came to passe accordingly . prests wife . one prests wife of exeter , beeing asked of the bishop whether she had an husband & childrē , or not , answered , i haue an husband and children , and i haue them not . so long as i was at libertie , i refused neither husband nor children : but standing heere as i doe in the cause of christ and his truth , where i must eyther forsake christ , or my husband , i am content to sticke onely to christ my spirituall husband , and to forsake th' other . beeing oft-times offred money to relieue her necessities , shee would for the most part refuse it , saying , that she was going to a countrey , where money beares no masterie . elizabeth yong. elizabeth yong beejng committed to close prison , the keeper was charged by doctor martin in her hearing , to giue her one day bread & an other day water , to which shee made this answere , sir , if you take away my meat , god i trust will take away my hunger . iohn cardmaker . mr. cardmaker disputing with one about the real presence , asked the partie whether the sacrament whereof he spake had a beginning or no. which hee affirmed . the sayd m r. cardmaker thus inferred therevppon : if the sacrament ( sayd hee ) as you confesse haue a beginning and an ending , then it cannot be god : for god hath neither beginning nor ending , and so willing him to note it well , hee departed from him . iohn bradford . mr. bradford beejng solicited by one percivall cresvvel to make sute for him , after many words , said . cres. i pray you let me labor for you . brad. you may do what you will. cres. but tell me , what sute i should make for you . brad. forsooth that that you will doe , doe it not at my request , for i desire nothing at your hands . if the queene will giue me life , i will thanke her . if she will banish me , i will thanke her . if shee will burne me , i wil thanke her . if shee will condemne mee to perpetuall prison , i will thanke her . ¶ out of a letter of bradfords , to crāmer , ridley , and latimer . this day i thinke , or to morrow at the vttermost . hearty hooper , sincere savnders , and trusty taylor , end their course , and receiue their crowne . the next am i , which hourely looke for the porter to open mee the gates after them , to enter into the desired rest . cranmer archbishop . svch was the patience & mildnes of that worthy martyr thomas cranmer towards his enemies , that it was grown to a common proverb : doe my l. of canterbury a shrewd turne , & thē you may be sure to haue him your friend for your labor , while you liue . laurence saunders . ¶ out of a letter written to his wife . to number the mercies of god vnto me in perticular , were to number the drops of water which are in the sea , the sands on the shore , the starres in the skie . o my deere wife , and ye the rest of my friends , rejoyce with mee i say , reioyce with thanksgiving for this my present promotion , in that i am made worthy to magnifie my god , not onely in my life by my slow mouth , & vncircumcised lippes , bearing witnes vnto his truth : but also by my blood to seale the same to the glory of my god , and confirmation of his true church . and as yet i testify vnto you , that the comfort of my sweet christ , doth driue from my fantasie the feare of death . but if my deere husband christ do for my tryall , leaue mee alone a little to my selfe , alas , i know in what case i shall bee then : but if for my proofe hee doe so , yet am i sure he will not be long or farre from mee . though hee stand behind the wall and hide himselfe as salomon sayth in his misticall song , yet will hee peepe in by a crest to see how i doe . hee is a very tender hearted ioseph : though he speke roughly to his brethren , and handle them hardly , yea & threaten greeuous bondage to his best beloved beniamin : yet can hee not contain himselfe from weeping with vs , and vpon vs , with falling on our necks , and sweetly ●issing vs ▪ such , such a brother is our christ vnto all &c. ¶ out of another letter to his wife . we be shortly to be dispatched hence to our good christ , amen , amen . wife , i would haue you to send mee my shirt : you know wherevnto it is consecrated , let it be sowed downe on both sides , and not open . o my heauenly father looke vpon me in the face of thy christ , or else i shall not bee able to abide thy countenance , such is my filthines . he will doe so , and therefore i will not be affrayd what sin , death , hell , and damnation , can do against me . ¶ out of a letter written to m. robert glover the same morning hee was burned . oh deare brother , whome i loue in the lord , being loved also of you in the lord , be merrie and rejoyce for mee , now ready to goe vppe to that mine jnheritance , which i my selfe jndeede am most vnworthy of , but my deare christ is worthy , who hath purchased the same for me with so deare a price . oh wretched sinner that i am , not thankfull vnto this my father , who hath vouchsafed mee woorthy to bee a vessell vnto his honour . but o lord , now accept my thankes , though they proceed out of a ( not enough ) circumcised heart . salute all that loue vs in the truth , gods blessing bee with you alwayes , amen . euen now towards the offring vp of a burnt sacrifice . o my christ helpe , or else i perish . bishop hooper . ¶ out of a letter consolatory , which he writ to certain godly brethren taken in bow church-yard at prayer , and layd in the counter in bread-streete . remember what lookers on you haue to see and behold you in your fight ; god and all his holy angels , who are ready alwaies to take you vp into heaven , if you be slaine in his fight . also you haue standing at your backes all the multitude of the faithfull , who shal take courage , strength , and desire to follow such noble and valiant christians as you be . be not afrayd of your adversaries : for he that is in you , is stronger then hee that is in them . shrinke not although it be paine to you : your paines be not now so great , as hereafter your joyes shall bee . read the comfortable chapters to the rom. . . heb. . . and vppon your knees thanke god that ever you were accounted worthy to suffer any thing for his names sake . read the second of lukes gospell , and there you shall see how the sheapheards that watched vppon their sheepe all night , as soone as they heard that christ was borne at bethlem , by & by they went to see him . they did not reason or debate with themselues , who should keepe the wolfe from the sheep in the mean time , but did as they were commanded , and committed their sheepe vnto him , whose pleasure they obayed . so let vs , now wee bee called , commit all other things to him that calleth vs. hee will take heede that all things shall be well . he will helpe the husband , hee will comfort the wife . hee will guide the seruants , hee will keepe the house , hee will preserue the goods . yea , rather then faile , if it should lye vndone , he will wash the dishes , and rocke the cradle . cast therefore all your care vppon him , for he careth for you . ¶ out of another letter of m r. hoopers to his friends , perswading them to constancy . it was an easie thing to hold with christ whiles the prince and the world held with him , but now the world hateth him , it is the true tryal who be his . in the name and in the vertue thē of his holie spirit prepare your selues to adversity & constancy . let vs not run away when it is most time to fight . remember none shall bee crowned but such as fight manfully . you must now turne all your cogitati●ns from the perill you see : and marke the felicitie that followeth the perill : either victorie of your enemies in this world , or else a surrender for euer of your right in the inheritance to come . beware of beholding to much the felicite or miserie of this world : for the consideration and too earnest loue or feare of either of them draweth from god. thinke with your selues : the felicitie of the world is good : but yet none otherwise then it standeth with the fauor of god. it is to be kept : but yet so farre forth as by keeping of it wee loose not god. it is good abiding and tarrying still among our friends here : but yet so that we tarrie not therwithall in gods displeasure , and to dwell hereafter with deuils in fire euerlasting . there is nothing vnder god but may bee kept , so that god , being aboue all things we haue , be not lost . of aduersity iudge the same . long imprisonment is painfull , but yet libertie vppon euill conditions is more painfull . the prisons stincke : but yet not so much as sweet houses whereas the feare and true honour of god lacketh : losse of goods is great , but losse of gods grace and fauour is greater . i must bee alone and solitarie : it is better to bee alone and haue god with mee , then to bee in company with the wicked , and want his presence . i am a poore simple creature , and cannot tell how to answere before such a great sort of noble and learned wen : it is better to make answere before the pompe and pride of wicked men , then to stand naked in the sight of all heaven and earth , before the iust god at the latter day . i shall die then by the hands of the cruell man : hee is blessed that looseth his life full of miseries , and findeth the life of eternall ioyes . it is paine and griefe to depart from life and friends : but yet not so much as to depart from grace and heauen it selfe . felicitie nor adversitie then can apreare to be great , if it be wayed with the joyes or paine of the life to come . ¶ the last will and testament of doctor rowland taylor . i say to my wife , and to my children : the lord gaue you vnto mee , and the lord hath taken me from you , and you from mee : blessed be the name of the lord. i beleeue they are blessed that dye in the lord. god careth for sparrowes , and for the haires of our heads . i haue euer found him more faithfull and fauorable , then is any father or husband . trust yee therefore in him by the meanes of our deere sauiour christs merits : beleeue , loue , feare and obay him : pray to him , for hee hath promised to helpe . count me not dead for i shall certainely liue , and neuer die . i goe before you , and you shall follow after to our long home . i goe to the rest of my childrē susan , george , ellen , robert , zacharie : i haue bequeathed you to the onely omnipotent . i say to my deare friends of hadley , and to all other which haue heard me preach : that i depart hence with a quiet conscience , as touching my doctrine : for the which i pray you thanke god with me , for after my small tallent , i haue declared to you those lessons i gathered out of gods blessed booke the bible . if i therefore or an angell from heaven should preach vnto you any other gospell then that ye haue received , gods great curse vppon that preacher . beware for gods sake that ye deny not god , neither decline from the woord of faith , least god decline from you , and so ye doe everlastingly perish . for gods sake beware of poperie , for though it appeare to haue in it vnitie , yet the same is in vanitie , and antichristianitie , and not in christs faith and veritie . beware of the sin against the holy ghost , now after such a light opened so plainlie and simplie , truelie , thorowlie , and generally to all england . the lord grant all men his good and holy spirit ; increase of his wisdome , contemning this wicked world , heartie desire to bee with god & the heavenly company , through iesus christ our onely mediatour , advocate , righteousnes , life , sanctification , and onelie hope . amen , amen , pray , pray . rowland taylor , departing hence in sure hope without all doubting of eternall salvation , i thanke god my heavenly father through his sonne iesus christ my certaine saviour . iohn warren . in the confession of his faith hath this sweete speach , without christ no heauenly guift is giuen , nor sin forgiuen . iohn warren vpholster . alice binden . shee beeing at the stake , tooke forth a shilling of phillip and marie , which her father had bowed and sent her , ( when she was first sent to prison ) desiring her brother ( there present ) to returne the same to her father againe , with obedient salutations : and to tell him it was the first peece of money that he sent her after her troubles began , which ( as she protested ) shee had kept , and now sent him : to doe him to vnderstand , that shee neuer lacked mony while she lay in prison . and yet what extremity she endured in prison , this briefe relation following may testifie . her constancy beeing such in the profession of the trueth , that shee could no waye bee remooved from it , her fond husbād ( who first had procured her jmprisonmēt , & had also taken money of the constable to carrie her to prison himselfe ) told the bishop that she had a brother called richard hale , who if his lordship could keepe from her , she would turne : for he comforteth her ( sayd hee ) and giveth her mony , and perswadeth her not to relent . this councell beeing as soone apprehended as tendered ; was forth-with put also in execution . for thervpon the bishop gaue cōmandement she should bee committed to his prison called mondayes hole , giving also straight charge that if her brother at any time came at her , he should be layd hold on . this prison was within a court where the prebends chambers were , beeing a vault beneath the ground , and the window beeing jnclosed with a pale ; of height by estimation foot and a halfe , and distant from the same three foot , so that she looking frō beneath might onelie see such as stoode at the pale . her brother in the meane while sought her , with no lesse danger of life , then diligēce . but in regard of many impediments hee could never know where she lay , till comming by gods vnsearchable providence very earlie thither in a morning ( her keeper being thē gone to church to ring , for he was bel-ringer ) chanced to heare her voice as she poured out her sorrowfull complaints vnto god ; saying the psalmes of david : in which place hee could none otherwise releeue her , but by putting money in a loafe of bread , and sticking the same on a pole , and so reached it vnto her ; for neither with meate nor drinke could hee sustaine her . and this was weekes after her cōming thither . all which time no creature was knowne to come at her , more then her keeper . her lyjng in that prison was onely vppon a little short straw , between a paire of stocks and a stone wall : beeing allowed farthings a day ; that is a halfe peny bread , & a farthing drinke : neither could shee get any more for her money : wherfore she desired to haue her whole allowance in bread , and vsed water for her drinke . thus did she lye weekes , during all which time , shee never chaunged her apparell : whereby she became at the last a most piteous & loathsome creature to behold . at her first comming into this place , shee did greevously bewaile her state with great sorrow and lamentation , reasoning with her selfe : why her lord god did with so heauie iustice suffer her to be sequestred from her louing fellowes , into so extreame miserie . in these dolorous mournings did she continue , till on a night , as shee was in her sorrowfull supplications , rehearsing this verse of the psalme : why art thou so heauie o my soule ? and againe , the right hand of the lord can change all this : she received comfort in the middest of her miseries : and after that , continued very joyful vntill her deliverance from the same . in march following the bishoppe called her before him : demaunding of her whether shee would goe home and goe to church or no , promising her great favour if shee would be reformed . to whom she answered , i thinke , and am throughly perswaded by the great extremitie that you haue already shewed mee , that you are not of god , neither can your dooings bee godly , and i see sayth she , that you seeke my vtter destruction , shewing how lame she was of the cold shee had taken , and for lacke of foode while she lay in that painefull prison . then did the bishop deliuer her from that filthie hole , and sent her to west-gate , where after shee had been changed , and for a while been cleane kept , her skinne did wholly pill and scale off , as if shee had been poysoned with some mortall venom , where shee continued till the of iune , on which day shee was bereaved of life by the terrible fier . one thing more touching this good woman is to be noted , that while she was in prison shee practised with a prison fellow of hers , the wife of one potkin , to liue both of them with pence halfe-penny a day , to try thereby how wel they could sustaine penurie and hunger , before they were put to it , for they had heard , that when they should remoue from thēce to the bishops prison , their allowance should be but farthings a day a peece , and thus they lived daies ere shee was remoued . ¶ thomas wats his farewell to his wife and children . after his priuate praier made to himselfe , hee came to his wife and sixe children being there , and sayd these words in effect : wife and my good children , i must now depart away from you . therefore hencefoorth know i you no more : but as the lord hath giuen you vnto me , so i giue you againe vnto the lord ; whom i charge you see you obay , and feare him : aad beware yee turne not to this abhominable papistrie , against the which anon you shall see mee by gods grace giue my blood . let not the murthering of gods saints cause you to relent , but take occasion therby to be the stronger in the lords quarrell , and i doubt not but hee will bee a mercifull father vnto you . in the end hee bad them farewell , and kissed them all & was carried to the fier . ¶ bradfords mementoes to the lord rvssell , afterwards called the good earle of bedford . remember lots wife which looked backe . remember that none are crowned , but such as striue lawfully . remember fravncis spira . remember that all you haue , is at christs commaundement . remember he lost more for you , then you can loose for him . remember that it is not lost which you loose for his sake , for you shall find much more heere , and elsewhere . remember you shall dye ; when , where , and how , ye cannot tel . remember that the death of sinners is terrible . remember that the death of gods saints is precious in his sight . remember the multitude goeth the wide way , which windeth to wo. remember the straight way which leadeth to life , hath but few trauellers . remember christ biddeth you enter in thereat . remember hee that trusteth in the lord , shall receiue strength to stand against all the assaults of his enemies . be certaine , all the haires of your head are numbred . be certain , your good father hath appointed your bounds , over which the devill dare not looke . commit your selfe to him : hee is , hath been , and will bee your keeper . let christ be your marke and scope to prick at : let him be your patterne to worke by : let him be your ensample to follow : giue him as your heart , so your hand : as your mind , so your tongue : as your faith , so your feet : and let his word be your candle to goe before you in al matters of religion . blessed is he that walketh not to these popish praiers , nor standeth at them , nor sitteth at them : glorifie god both in soule and body . ¶ fifteene short sentences left by robert smith martyr , to anne smith his wife . seeke first to loue god deere wife with your whole heart , and then it shall be easie for you to loue your neighbour . be friendly to all creatures , but especially to your owne soule . be alwaies an enemie to the deuill & the world , but chiefely to your owne flesh . in hearing of good things , ioyne the eares of your head and heart together . seeke vnitie and quietnesse with all men , but specially with your conscience : for it will not easily be pacified . loue all men , but specially your enemies . hate the sinnes that are past , but especially those to come . be as ready to further your enemie , as hee is to hinder you , that yee may bee the child of god. defile not that which christ hath cleansed , least his blood bee layd to your charge . remember that god hath hedged in your tongue with the teeth and lippes , that it might speake vnder correction . be ready at all times to looke to your brothers eye , but especially to your owne eye . for he that warneth an other of that hee himselfe is faultie , giueth his neighbour the cleere wine , and himselfe the dregges . beware of riches and worldly honor : for without vnderstanding , prayer , and fasting , it is a snare , & like to consuming fier , of which if a man take a little it will warme him , but if too much , it will consume him . shew mercie to the saints for christs sake , & christ shall reward you for the saints sake . among all other prisoners , visit your owne soule : for it is inclosed in a perillous prison . if you loue god , hate euill , &c. your husband ro : smith . if yee will meet with me againe , forsake not christ for any paine . certaine deuout prayers , which some of the godly martyrs made at the hower of their death . ¶ the prayer which m r. hooper bishop of glocester , made at his death . lord , sayd he , i am hell , but thou art heaven : i am swill and a sincke of sinne , but thou art a gracious god , and a merciful saviour and redeemer . haue mercie therefore vppon me most miserable and wretched offender , after thy great mercie , and according to thine jnestimable goodnes : thou art assended into heaven ; receiue me hell to be partaker of thy joyes , where thou sittest in equall glory with the father . for well thou knowest lord wherefore i am come hither to suffer , and why the wicked doe persecute this thy poore seruant : not for my sinnes and transgressions committed against thee , but because i will not allow of their wicked doings , to the contaminating of thy blood , and to the deniall of the knowledge of thy truth wherwith it did please thee by thy holy spirit to jnstruct mee : the which with as much diligence as a poore wretch might ( being called thereto ) i haue set forth to thy glory . and well thou seest my lord & god what terrible paynes and cruel torments be here prepared for thy poore creature : such lord as without thy strength none is able to beare or patiently to passe . but all things that are jmpossible with man , with thee are possible . therefore strengthen me of thy goodnesse , that in the fire i breake not the bounds of patience ; or else asswage the terrour of the paines as shall seeme most to thy glory . heere the party who heard thus much of his prayer , beeing espied of the maior , was commaunded away and could be suffred to heare no more . ¶ the prayer of doctor cranmer archbishop of canterburie : when it was thought he would haue made his recantation . o father of heauen : o sonne of god , redeemer of the world : o holy ghost three persons and one god haue mercy vppon me most wretched caytiffe , and miserable sinner : i haue offended both against heauen and earth , more then my tongue can expresse . whether then may i goe , or whether should i flee ? to heauen i am ashamed to lift vppe mine eyes , and in earth i find no place of refuge or succour . to thee therefore o lord do i runne ; to thee do i humble my selfe , saying . o lord my god , my sinnes be great , but yet haue mercie vppon mee for thy great mercie . the great mistery that god became man , was not wroght for small or few offences . thou didst not giue thy sonne o heauenly father vnto death for little sinnes onely , but for all the greatest sinnes of the world : so that the sinner returne to thee with his whole heart , as i doe heere at this present . wherfore haue mercie vppon mee ô god , whose property it is always to haue mercie : haue mercie vpon mee ô lord , for thy great mercie . i craue nothing for mine owne merits , but for thy names sake , that it may be hallowed thereby , and for thy deere sonne iesus christs sake . and now therefore , o our father , &c. his repentance for subscription ; vttered a little before his death . and now i come to the great thing , that so much troubleth my conscience more then any thing that ever i did or sayd in my whole life , and that is , the setting abroad of a writing contrarie to the truth : which now i heere renownce & refuse as things written with my hand contrary to the truth which i thought in mine heart , and written for feare of death , and to saue life if it might be ; and that is , all such bils and papers which i haue written or signed with mine hand since my degradatiō : wherein i haue written many things vntrue . and for as much as my hand offeded in writing cōtrary to my heart ; mine hand shal be punished therefore : for may i come to the fire , it shall first be burned : which accordingly he did . for being at the stake , whē the fire began to flame , hee put his right hand vnto it , which hee held so stedfast and jmmoueable ( saving that once with the same hand hee wiped his face ) that all men might see his hand burned before it touched his body . ¶ the prayer of steven knight , made vppon his knees at his death . o lord iesus christ , for whose loue i willingly leaue this life , and desire rather the bitter death of the crosse , with the losse of all earthly things , then to abide the blaspheaming of thy most holy name , or to obay men in breaking thy holy commandemēt . thou seest ( oh lord ) that where i might liue in worldly wealth to worshippe a false god and honour thine enemy , i choose rather the torment of the body and losse of this my life , and haue counted all things but vild , dust , and dunge , that i might winne thee : which death is dearer vnto me then thousands of gold and silver . such loue ( oh lord ) hast thou layd vppe within my breast , that i hunger for thee as the deere that is wounded desireth the soile . send thy holy comforter ( o lord ) to ayd , comfort , and strengthen this weake peece of earth , which is empty of all strength of it selfe . thou remembrest ( oh lord ) that i am but dust , and able to doe nothing that is good . therefore ( o lord ) as of thine accustomed goodnesse and loue , thou hast bidden me to this banket , & accounted me worthy to drinke of thine owne cup amongst thine elect : even so giue me strength ( oh lord ) against this thine element , which as to my sight it is most yrksome and terrible : so to my mind it may at thy commandent ( as an obedient servant ) bee sweet and pleasant , that through the strength of thy holy spirit , i may passe through the rage of this fire into thy bosome according to thy promise : and for this mortall , receiue an jmmortall ; and for this corruptible , may put on jncorruption . accept this burnt offring ( o lord ) not for the sacrifice , but for thy deare sonnes sake my saviour . for whose testimonie i offer this free-will offring , with all my heart , and with all my soule . o heauenly father forgiue mee my sinnes , as i forgiue all the world : o sweet son of god my sauiour , spread thy wings ouer me . o blessed holy ghost , through whose mercifull inspiration i come hither to dye : conduct me into euerlasting life . lord into thine hands i commend my spirit . amen . ¶ a prayer which master george marsh vsed daily to say , o lord iesus christ which art the onely phisition of wounded consciences , wee miserable sinners trusting in thy gracious goodnesse , doe briefly open to thee the evill tree of our hearts , with all the rootes , boughes , leaues , knots and snags , all which thou knowest : for thou throughly perceiuest as well th'jnward lusts , doubtings , and denyings of thy prouidence ; as these grosse outward sinnes which wee commit in words & deeds . wherefore wee beseech thee according to the little measure we haue receaued , we being farre vnable and vnapt to praye , that thou wouldest mercifully circumcise our stonye hearts , and for these old hearts , create within vs and replenish vs with a new spirit : & water and moysten vs with the juice of heauenly grace and wels of spirituall waters , whereby the jnward venome and noisome juice of the flesh , may be dryed vp , and custome of the old man changed : and our hearts alwayes bringing forth thornes and bryars to be burned with fire ; frō hence forth may beare spirituall fruits in righteousnes and holinesse vnto life euerlasting , amen . beloued , among other exercises i doe daily on my knees vse this confession of sinnes , willing and exhorting you to doe the same , and daily to acknowledge vnfainedly to god your vnbeliefe , vnthankfulnes , and disobedience against him . this shall you doe if you will diligently consider and looke vppon your selues , first in the pure glasse of gods commandements , & there see your jnward euils , filthines , and vncleanesse , and so learne to vanquish the same , that is to wit , to fall into hearty displeasure against sinne , and thereby be provoked to long after christ. for we truely are sinners : but he is just and the justifier of all them that belieue in him . if wee hunger and thirst after righteousnesse , let vs resort to his table , for he is a liberall feast-maker . hee will set before vs his own holy body , which was giuē for vs to be out meat , and his pretious bloud which was shed for vs , and for many , for remission of sinnes , to be our drinke . he biddeth , willeth , calleth for guests which hunger and thirst : come ( sayth he ) all yee that are laden and labour vnto mee and i will refresh , coole and ease you , and you shall find rest vnto your soules . ¶ a prayer of nicholas sheterden before his death . o lord my god and saviour , which art lord in heauen and earth , maker of all things visible and jnvisible . i am thy creature & worke of thine hands . lord looke vpon mee and other thy people which at this time are oppressed of the worldly minded men , for thy lawes sake , yea ; for thy law it selfe is now trodden vnderfoote , and mens jnventions exalted aboue it ; and for that cause do i , and many of thy creatures refuse the glory , praise , and commodities of this life , and do chose to suffer adversitie , and to be banished , yea to be burnt with the books of thy word , for the hopes sake that is layd vppe in store . for lord thou knowest , if wee would but seeme to please men in things contrarie to thy word , wee might by thy permission enioy these comodities as other men do ; as wife , children , goods , and friends , which all i acknowledge to be thy gifts , given vnto the end i shold serve thee . and now lord , that the world will not suffer mee to enioy them except i offend thy lawes , behold i giue vnto thee my whole spirit , soule , and body . and lo i leaue heere all the pleasures of this life , and doe now leaue th' vse of them , for the hopes sake of eternall life purchased in christs blood , and promised to all that fight on his side , and are content to suffer with him for his truth , whēsoever the world and the deuill shall persecute the same . o father , i presume not to come heere to thee trusting in mine owne righteousnes : no , but in the onely merits of thy sonne my saviour . for the which excellent gift of salvation , i cannot worthilye prayse thee , neither is any sacrifice worthy or to be accepted with thee , in comparison of our bodies mortified and obedient to thy wil. and now lord whatsoever rebellion hath been , or is found in my members against thy will , yet doe i heere giue vnto thee my body to the death , rather then i will vse any strange worshipping , which i beseech thee accept at my hands for a pure sacrifice . let this torment be to me the last enemie destroyed , even death the end of miserie , and the beginning of all joy , peace , and solace : and when the time of the resurrection commeth , let me enjoy againe these mēbers then glorified , which now be spoyled and consumed by the fier . o lord iesus receiue my spirit into thine hands . amen . george tankerfield . george tankerfield sitting before a fier , a little before his death at st . albans , after he had put off his hose and shooes , stretched out his legge to the flame and when it had touched his foot , he quickly withdrew his leg , shewing how the flesh did perswade him one way , and the spirit an other . the flesh sayd , ô thou foole , wilt thou burne and needst not ? the spirit sayd , be not afrayd , this burning is nothing to eternall fier . the flesh sayd , do not leaue the company of thy friends and acquaintance which loue thee , and will let thee lacke nothing . the spirit sayd , the company of iesus christ and his glorious presence , doth farre exceed all fleshly friends . the flesh sayd , doe not shorten thy time now , for thou maist if thou wilt , liue much longer . the spirit sayd , this life is nothing to that which is to come , which lasteth for euer and ever . ¶ the prayer of richard browne , who standing at the stake and holding vp both his hands sayd . o lord i yeild mee to thy grace , graunt mee pardon for my trespasse . let neuer the feend my soule chase . lord i will bow , and thou shalt beat , let neuer my soule come in hell heat . into thy hands i commend my spirit . ¶ a godly and deuout prayer mentioned in the storie of m r. philpot martyr , fit for such as suffer at the stake . mercifull god and father to whome approached our sauiour christ in his feare & need by reason of death , and found comfort : gracious god , and most bounteous christ , on whome steuen called in his extreame need and receiued strength : most benigne and holy spirit , who in the midst of all crosses and death did'st comfort th'apostle st . paul with more consolations in christ thē hee felt sorrows & terrors ; haue mercie vpon me miserable , vild , and wretched sinner , who now draweth neere vnto the gates of death , deserued both in body and soule eternall , by reason of my manifold , horrible , old , and new transgressions , which to thine eies ô lord are open and knowne . oh be mercifull vnto mee for the bitter death and bloodshedding of thine onely sonne iesus christ. and though thy justice do require in respect of my sinnes , that thou shouldst not heare me , measuring mee with the same measure i haue measured thy maiestie , contēning al thy gracious calls : yet let thy mercie which is aboue all thy works , and wherwith th' earth is filled , let thy mercy i say prevaile towards mee through and for the mediation of onr saviour , for whose sake it hath pleased thee now to bring mee foorth as one of thy witnesses , and a record bearer to thy veritie and truth taught by him , to giue my life therefore ; ( to which dignitie ô lord and deere father i acknowledge there was never any so vnfit nor vnworthy , no not the theefe that hanged vppon the crosse ) so i therfore most humbly beseech thee , that thou woldst accordingly aid , helpe , and assist me with thy strength and heavenly grace , that with christ thy sonne i may find comfort : with steven i may see thy presence and gracious power : with paul and all others which for thy names sake haue suffred affliction and death , i may find thy sweet consolation so present with mee , that i may by my death glorifie thy name , propagate and ratifie thy truth , comfort the hearts of the heavie , confirm thy church in thy veritie , convert some to be converted , & so depart foorth of this miserable life , where i doe nothing but heape sinne dayly vppon sinne , and so enter into the fruition of thy blessed presence and mercie : whereof giue and encrease in mee a liuely trust , sence , and feeling , where through the terrors of death , the torments of the fire , the pangs of sinne , the darts of satan , and the dolours of hell , may never depresse mee ; but may bee driven away through the working of thy most gratious spirit , which now plenteously endew mee withall that i may offer ( as i now desire to do in christ by him ) my selfe wholy , soule and body , to be an holy , liuely , and acceptable sacrifice in thy sight . deere father whose i am , and alwaies haue been even from my mothers wombe , yea even before the world was made to whom i commend my selfe , soule , and body , familie , friends , countrey , and all thy whole church , yea , even my very enemies according to thy good pleasure : beseeching thee entirely to giue once more to this realme of england the blessing of thy word againe , with godly peace , to the teaching and setting foorth of the same . oh deare father now giue me grace to come vnto thee , purge and so purifie mee by this fire in christs death & passion , through thy spirit , that i may bee a burnt offring of sweet smel in thy sight , who liuest and raignest with the son and holy ghost , now and for ever more , amen . m. bartlet greene. ¶ a sweet description of the miseries of this life , and of the ioyes of the life to come , written by m r. bartlet greene. better is the day of death ( sayth salomon ) then the day of birth . man that is borne of a woman liueth but a short time , and is replenished with many miseries , but happy are the dead that dye in the lord. man of a woman is borne in trauell to liue in miserie : man through christ doth dye to liue . straight as he commeth into this world , with cries hee vttereth his miserable estate : straight as he departeth , with songs hee praiseth god for ever . scearce yet in his cradle , deadly enemies assaile him : after death no adversarie can annoy him : whilst he is heere , hee displeaseth god : when hee is dead , hee fulfilleth his will. in this life hee dyeth through sinne : in the life to come he liueth in righteousnesse . through many tribvlations on earth he is still purged : with joy vnspeakable in heaven , hee is made perfect for ever . heere hee dyeth every houre : there hee liveth continually . heere is sinne ; there is righteousnes . here is time , there is eternitie . heere is hatred : there is loue . heere is paine : there is pleasure . heere is miserie : there is felicitie . heere is corruption : there is jmmortalitie . heere we see vanitie : there we shall behold the maiestie of god , with triumphant & vnspeakable joy , in glory everlasting . seeke therefore the things that are aboue , where christ sitteth on the right hand of god the father , to whom with the holy ghost be all glory and houour world without end , amen . lady iane. ¶ an effectuall prayer made by the lady iane in the time of her trouble . o lord thou god & father of my life , heare me poore and desolate woman , who flyeth vnto thee onely in all troubles and miseries . thou ( o lord ) art the onely defender and deliuerer of those that put their trust in thee : & therfore i beeing defiled with sinne , encombred with affliction , vnquieted with troubles , wrapped in cares , over-whelmed with miseries , vexed with temptations , and grieuously tormented with the long jmprisonment of this vilde masse of claye my sinfull body : do come vnto thee o mercifull saviour crauing thy mercie and helpe : with the which so little hope of deliuerance is left , that i may vtterly despaire of any libertie . albeit it is expedient , that seeing our life standeth vpon trying , we should be visited sometime with some adversity , whereby we might be tried whether wee be thy flocke , or no , and also know thee and our selues the better : yet thou that sayd'st thou would'st not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our power , be merciful vnto me now a miserable wretch i beseech thee ; that i may neither bee too much puffed vppe with prosperity , neither to much pressed downe with adversity : least i beeing too full should denye thee my god , or being too low brought , should despaire & blaspheme thee my lord and saviour . o mercifull god , consider my miserie , best knowne to thee , and bee thou now vnto mee a strong tower of defence , i humbly require thee , suffer me not to bee tempted aboue my power , but either be thou a deliuerer to mee out of this great misery , or else giue me grace patiently to beare thy heauy hand and sharpe correction . it was t●y right hand that deliuered the poore people of israell out of the hāds of pharaoh , which for the space of fortie yeares did oppresse and keepe thē in bondage . let it therefore seeme good to thy fatherly goodnesse to deliuer me sorrowfull wretch ( for whome thy sonne christ shedde his pretious bloud on the crosse ) out of this miserable captiuitie and bondage wherein i now am . how long wilt thou bee absent , for ever ? oh lord hast thou forgotten to bee gracious , and hast thou shut vppe thy loving kindnesse in displeasure ? wilt thou bee no more entreated ? is thy mercy clean gone for ever , and thy promise come vtterly to an end for evermore ? why doest thou make so long tarrying ? shall i despaire of thy mercy o god ? farre be that from me . i am thy workemanship created in christ iesus : giue mee grace therfore to tarrie thy leisure , and patiently to beare thy workes : assuredly knowing that as thou caust , so thou wilt deliuer me when it shal please thee , nothing doubting or mistrusting thy goodness towards me : for thou knowest better what is good for me , then i doe : therefore doe with mee in all things what thou wilt . onelie in the meane time arme me i beseech thee with thy armor , that i may stand fast , my loines being girt about with veritie , having on the breast-plate of righteousnes , and shodde with the shoes prepared in the gospell of peace , aboue all things taking vnto me the shield of faith , wherewith i may be able to quench al the fiery darts of the devil , and taking the helmet of hope , and the sword of the spirit , which is thy most holy word : praying alwaies with all manner of prayer and supplication , that i may referre my selfe wholly to thy will , abyding thy pleasure , and comforting my selfe in those troubles that it shall please thee to send : seeing such troubles be profitable for mee , and seeing i am assuredly perswaded , that it cannot but bee well , all that thou dooest . heare mee ô mercifull father for his sake whome thou would'st should bee a sacrifice for my sinnes , to whome with thee and the holy ghost bee all honour and glorie , amen . ¶ a prayer of the lord cromwell which he at the houre of his death . o lord iesu which art the onely health of all men living , and the everlasting life of them which die in thee : i wretched sinner do submit my selfe wholy vnto thy most blessed will , beejng sure that the thing cannot perish which is committed vnto thy mercie : willingly now i leaue this fraile and wicked flesh , in sure hope that thou wilt in better wise raise it vp & restore it to me at the day of the resurrection of the just . i beseech thee most mercifull lord iesus christ that thou wilt by thy grace make strong my soule against all temptations , and defend mee with the buckler of thy mercie against al the assaults of satan . i see and acknowledge that ther is in my selfe no hope of salvation , but all my hope and trust is in thy most mercifull goodnes . i haue no merits nor good works which i may alleadge before thee : of sinnes and evill works alas i see a great heape : but yet thorow thy mercie i trust to be in the nūber of thē to whom thou wilt not jmpute their sins , but wilt accept me for just and righteous , and to bee th'inheritor of everlasting life . thou mercifull lord wastborn for my sake , thou didst suffer both hunger & thirst for my sake : thou didst teach , pray , and fast for my sake : all thy holy actions and workes thou wroughtest for my sake : thou suffred'st most greeuous paines and torments for my sake : finally , thou gavest thy most precious body and blood to be shed vppon the crosse for my sake . now most merciful saviour , let all these things profit mee , that thou freely hast doone for mee . let thy blood clense & wash away the spots and foulenes of my sinnes . let thy righteousnesse hide and couer my vnrighteousnes . let the merits of thy passion and blood shedding bee a satisfaction for my sinnes . giue me lord thy grace , that the faith of my salvation in thy blood waver not , but may be ever firme and constant : that the hope of thy mercie and life everlasting never decay in me . that loue may not bee cold in mee . finally , that the weakenes of my flesh bee not ouercome with the feare of death . graunt me mercifull sauiour , that when death hath shut vp the eies of my body , and hath taken away the vse of my tongue , yet the eyes of my soule may still behold and looke vppon thee , and my heart may still cry and say vnto thee , lord iesu into thine hands i commed my soule , lord receiue my spirit . amen . ¶ the prayer that martin luther sayd at his death . my heavenly father and eternall & mercifull god , thou hast manifested to mee thy deere son our lord iesus christ. i haue taught him , i haue knowne him , i loue him as my life ; my health , and my redemption : whome the wicked haue persecuted , maligned , and with jniurie afflicted . draw my soule to thee . after this hee sayd , i commend my spirit into thine hands , thou hast redeemed mee ô god , of truth god so loved the world , &c. anne askew . ¶ the prayer of anne askew . o lord i haue more enemies then there bee haires on my head : yet lord let them never overcome mee with vaine words , but fight thou lord in my stead , for on thee cast i my care . with all the spight they can jmagine they fall vppon me which am thy poore creature : yet sweet lord let me not set by them , which are against mee : for in thee is my whole delight . and lord i heartely desire of thee , that thou wilt of thy mercifull goodnesse forgiue them that violence which they doe and haue done to me . opē also their blind hearts that they may heereafter do that thing in thy sight which is only acceptable before thee , and to set foorth thy veritie aright without all fantasies of sinnefull men . so be it o lord , so be it . by me anne askew . william flower . ¶ the prayer and confession which william flower made at his death . oh eternall god , most mightie and mercifull father , who hast sent down thy sonne vppon the earth to saue mee , and all mankind , who ascended vp into heaven againe , and left his blood heere vppon the earth behind him , for the redemption of our sinnes : haue mercie vppon mee , haue mercie vpon me , for thy deere sonne our saviour christs sake , in whom i confesse onely to bee all salvation , and justification , and that there is none other meane nor way , nor holinesse , in which , or by which any man can be saved in this world . this is my faith , which i beseech men heere to beare witnes off . then sayd hee the lords prayer , and so made an end . fier beeing set vnto him and burning therein , he cried thrise with a loud voice , o sonne of god haue mercy vpon mee , o sonne of god receiue my soule : and so his speach beeing taken from him , hee spake no more , lifting vp notwithstanding his stumpe with his other arme as long as he could . ¶ here followeth two worthy and godly letters full of heavenly consolation , written by that holie man of god m. iohn bradford martyr : fit for all such to read and obserue as feele in them a wounded spirit . ¶ the first letter written to mistres h. a godly gentlewoman , comforting her in that common and godly sorrow which the feeling and sence of sinne worketh in gods children . i humblie and heartilie praye the everlasting good god and father of mercie to blesse and keepe your hart and mind in the knowledge and the loue of his truth , and of his christ through th'jnspiration & working of the holy spirit , amen . although i haue no doubt but that you prosper and goe forwards daily in the way of godlinesse , more and more drawing towards perfection , and haue no need of any thing that i can write ; yet because my desire is that you might be more fervent and persevere vnto the end , i could not but write something vnto you , beseeching you both often and diligentlie to call vnto your mind as a meane to stirre you hervnto , yea , as a thing which god most straightly requireth you to belieue , that you are the beloued of god , and that hee is your deare father , in , through , & for christ & his deaths sake ▪ this loue and tender kindnesse of god towards vs in christ is aboundantlie herein declared , in that he hath to the godly worke of creation of this world , made vs after his jmage , redeemed vs being lost , called vs into his church , sealed vs with his marke and signe manuel of baptisme , kept and conserved vs all the daies of our life , fedde , nowrished , defended , and most mercifullie chastised vs , and now hath kindled in our hearts the sparkles of his feare , faith , loue , and knowledge of his christ & truth : and therefore we lament because wee can lament no more our vnthankefulnesse , our frailenes , our diffidence , and wavering in things whereof we should be most certain . all these things we should vse as meanes to confirme our faith of this , that god is our god and father , and to assure vs that he loueth vs as our father in christ ▪ to this end i say , should we vse the things before touched , especiallie in that of all things god requireth this faith and perswasion of his father by goodnesse as his chiefest seruice . for before he aske any thing of vs , he saith , i am the lord thy god , giuing himselfe , and all he hath to vs , to be our own . and this he doth in respect of himselfe , of his owne mercie & truth , and not in respect of vs , for then were grace no more grace . in consideration wherof , when he saith , thou shalt haue none other gods but mee , thou shalt loue mee with all thy heart , &c. though of dutie wee are bound to accomplish all that he requireth , and are culpable and guiltie if wee doe not the same , yet he requireth not these things further of vs , then to make vs more in loue , and more certaine of this his covenant that hee is the lord our god. in certaintie whereof , as he hath giuen this world to serue our need and commoditie : so hath he giuen vs his son christ iesus , and in christ , himselfe to be a pledge and gage : wherof the holie ghost doth now and then giue vs some tast and sweet feeling and smell to our eternall ioye . therefore as i said , because god is your father in christ , and requireth of you straightly to belieue it , giue your selfe to obedience , although you doe it not with such feeling as you desire . first must faith goe before , and then feeling will follow . if our jmperfection , frailty , & many evils should bee occasions whereby satan would haue vs doubt ; as much as in vs lyeth let vs abhorre that suggestion as of all others most pernicious : for so indeed it is . for whē we stand in doubt whether god bee our father or no , we cannot bee thankfull to god , we cannot heartily pray , or thinke any thing we do acceptable to god ; we cannot loue our neighbours and giue ouer our selues to care for them , and doe for them as we should do : and therfore satā is most busie hereabouts , knowing full wel that if we doubt of gods eternall sweet mercies in christ , wee cannot please god , or doe any thing as we should to man. continually casteth he into our memories our jmperfection , frailty , folly , and offences , that we shold doubt of gods mercie and fauour towards vs. therefore my good sister , we must not bee sluggish herein , but as satan laboreth to loosen our faith , so must we labour to fasten it by thinking on the promises and covenant of god in christs bloud , namelie , that god is our god with all that ever he hath ; which covenant dependeth and hangeth vpon gods owne goodnes , mercie , and truth onely , and not on our obedience and worthines in any poynt ; for then should we never bee certaine . indeed god requireth of vs obedience and worthines , but not that thereby wee might be made his childrē , and he our father : but because he is our father and wee his children through his own goodnes in christ , therfore requireth he faith and obedience . now , if we want this obedience & worthinesse which hee requireth , should wee therefore doubt whether he bee our father ? nay , that were to make our obedience & worthines the cause , and so to put christ out of place , for whose sake god is our father . but rather because hee is our father and wee feele our selues to want such things as he requireth wee should be stirred vppe to an holy blushing and shamfastnesse , because wee are not as wee should bee : and therevpon should wee take occasion to go to our father in prayer on this manner . deare father , thou of thine owne mercie in christ iesus hast chosen me to bee thy child , and therefore thou would'st i should be brought into thy church and faithfull company of thy children : wherein thou hast kept me hitherto , thy name bee praised therefore . now i see my selfe to want faith , hope , loue &c. which thy children haue and thou requirest of me ; wherethrough the deuill would haue me doubt , yea , vtterly to despaire off thy fatherly goodnesse , favour and mercie . therefore i come to thee as to my merciful father through thy deare sonne iesus christ , and pray ▪ thee to helpe me : good lord helpe me , and giue mee faith , hope , loue , thankfulnesse , &c. and graunt that thy holy spirit may be with me , for ever , and more and more to assure mee that thou art my father : that this mercifull couenant that thou madest with mee in respect of thy grace in christ , and for christ , and not in respect of any my worthinesse , &c. on this sort i say you must pray and vse your cogitatiōs when satan would haue you to doubt of your salvation . he doth all he can to prevaile heerein against you . do you all yee can to prevaile heerein against him . though you feele not as you would , yet doubt not , but hope beyond hope as abraham did . for alwaies as i sayd , faith goeth before feeling . as certaine as god is almightie , as certaine as god is mercifull , as certaine as god is true , as certaine as iesus christ was crucified , is risen , and sitteth on the right hand of god his father , as certaine as this is gods commandement , i am the lord thy god , &c. so certaine ought you to beleeue that god is your father . as you are bound to haue none other gods but him : so are ye no lesse bound to beleeue that god is your god. what profit shold it be to you to belieue this to be true , i am the lord thy god , to others ; if you should not beleeue that this is true to your selfe ? the devill beleeueth on this sort . and whatsoever it be that wold moue you to doubt of this whether god be your god through christ , that same commeth vndoubtedly of the deuill . wherefore did god make you , but because hee loved you ? might hee not haue made you blind , dumb , deafe , lame , frantick ? might hee not haue made you a iew , a turk , a papist ? and why did he loue you ? what was there in you to mooue him to loue you ? surely nothing moued him to loue you , and therefore to make you , and so hitherto to keepe you , but his owne goodnes in christ. now thē in that his goodnesse in christ still remaineth as much as it was that is , even as great as himselfe ( for it cannot bee lessened ) how should it bee but that he is your god & father ? beleeue this , beleeue this my good sister , for god is no changeling : them whome hee loueth , hee loveth to the end . cast therefore your selfe wholly vppon him , and thinke without all wauering , that you are gods child , that you are a citizen of heaven , that you are the temple of the holy ghost &c. if heereof you bee assured as you ought to bee , then shall your conscience be quietted , then shall you lamēt more and more that you want many things which god loueth : then shall you labour to be holy in soule and in body : then shall you endeavour that gods glorie may shine in all your words and works : then shall you not be afraid what man can doe vnto you : then shall you haue wisedome to answere your aduersaries , as shal serue for their shame , and to your comfort : then shall you bee certaine that no man can touch one haire of your head further then it shall please your father , to your everlasting joy : then shal you be most certaine , that god as your good father will be more carefull of your children and make better prouision for thē , if al you haue were gone , then you can : then shall you ( beeing assured i say of gods fauour towards you ) giue over your selfe wholly to helpe & care for others that bee in need : then shall you cōtemne this life , and desire to be at home with your good and sweet father : then shall you labour to mortifie all things that would spot either soule or body . all these things spring out of this certaine perswasion and faith , that god is our father and wee his children by christ iesus . al things should helpe our faith herein : but satan goeth about in all things to hinder vs. therefore let vs vse earnest and hearty prayer : let vs oftē remember this covenant i am the lord thy god : let vs looke vppon christ and his precious bloud shed for th' obsignation and sealing of this covenant : let vs remember all the free promises of god in his gospell : let vs set before vs gods benefits generally in making this world , in ruling it , in governing it , in calling and keeping his church , &c. let vs set before vs gods benefits particularly , how he hath made vs his creatures after his jmage , how he hath made vs of perfect lyms , forme , beauty , memory , &c. how hee hath made vs christians , and given vs a right judgement in his religion : how ever since wee were born , he hath blessed , kept , norished and defended vs : how hee hath often beaten chastised , and fatherly corrected vs : how he hath spared vs , and now doth spare vs , giuing vs time , space , place , & grace . this if you do and vse earnest and often prayer , and so flee from all things which might troble the peace of your conscience , giving your selfe to diligence in your vocation , you shall at length find that ( which god grant mee with you ) a sure certaintie of salvation , without all such wavering as should hinder your peace with god in christ , to your eternall joye and comfort , amen , amen . yours to be vsed in christ iohn bradford . ¶ the second letter written to a faithfull woman in her heauinesse and trouble of mind : most comfortable for all to read that are afflicted or broken hearted for their sinnes . god our father for his mercies sake in christ , with his eternall consolatiō so comfort you , as i desire to be comforted in my most need : yea , hee will comfort you my deare sister , only cast your care vppon him , and hee neuer can nor will forsake you . whom he loueth , hee loueth to the end : none of his chosen can perish . of which nūber i know your selfe to be one my dearely beloved sister . god jncrease the faith thereof daily more and more in you : hee giue vnto you to hang whollie on him , and on his providence and protectiō . for who so dwelleth vnder that secret thing and helpe of the lord , hee shall bee cocke-sure for evermore . he that dwelleth i say : for if we be flitters as was lot a flitter from zoar , where god promised him protectiō if he had dwelled there still , we shall remoue to our losse , as hee did into the mountaines . dwell therefore , that is trust , and that finally to the end in the lord , my deare sister ; and you shall be as mount syon . as the mountaines compasse ierusalem : so doth the lord all his people . how then can he forget you who are as deare to him as the apple of his eye , for his deare sons sake . ah deare heart that i were now with you to bee a symon to you , to helpe & carry your crosse with you . god send you some good symon to bee with you and helpe you . you complaine in your letters of the blindnesse of your mind & the troubles you feele . my dearly beloued , god make you thankefull for that which god hath given you : he open your eyes to see what & how great benefits you receiued , that you may be lesse covetous or rather jmpatient for so ( i feare me ) it should be called , and more thankfull . haue you not receiued at his hands sight to see your blindnes , and thereto a desirous and seeking heart to see where he lyeth in the midde day , as his deare spouse speaketh of her selfe in the canticles ? ah ioyce , my good ioyce , what a guift is this ? many haue some sight , but none this sighing , none this sobbing , none this seeking which you haue ( i know ) but such as hee hath married to himselfe in his eternall sweet mercies . you are not content with the magdalen to kisse his feet , but you wold with moses see his face : forgetting how he biddeth vs seeke his face , psalme . yea , and that euer more , psa. . which signifieth no such sight as you desire to haue in this life , who would see god now face to face , whereas he cannot be seen , but covered vnder some thing , yea , somthing which is as you would say cleane contrary to god : as to see his mercie in his anger . in bringing vs to hell , faith seeth him bringing vs to heaven : in darkenesse it beholdeth brightnesse : in hyding his face from vs , it beholdeth his merry countenance . how did iob see god , but you would say vnder satans cloake ? for who cast the fire from heaven vpon his goods ? who overthrew his house , and stirred vppe men to take away his cattle , but satan ? and yet iob pierced thorough all these and sawe gods working , saying , the lord hath giuen , the lord hath taken , &c. in reading the psalmes , how often do you see that dauid in the shaddowe of death saw gods sweet loue ? and so my dearely beloued i see that you in your darknes & dimnes by faith do see charity & britnes : by faith i say , because faith is of things absent , of things hoped for , of things which i appeale to your owne conseience whether you desire not . and can you desire any thing which you know not ? and is there of heauenly things any other true knoledge , thē by faith ? therfore my deare heart , bee thankefull , for before god i writte it , you haue great cause . ah my ioyce how happye is that state in which you are . verilie , you are in the blessed state of gods deare children : for they mourne , and doe not you so ? and that not for worldly weale , but for spirituall riches ; fayth , hope , and charitie . do not you hunger and thirst for righteousnes ? and i pray you , sayth not christ , happie are such . how should god wipe away the teares from your eyes in heaven , if on earth you shed no teares ? how could heaven bee a place of rest , if on earth you did find it ? how could you desire to be at home , if in your journey you found no griefe ? how could you so often call vpon god & talke with him as i know you doe , if your enemie should sleepe all the daye long ? how should you elsewhere bee made like vnto christ , i meane in joye , if in sorrow you sobbed not with him ? if you will haue joye and felicity , you must needs feele sorrow and misery . if you will go to heaven , you must saile by hell . if you will imbrace christ in his robes , you must not thinke scorne of him in his ragges . if you will sitte at christs table in his kingdome , you must first abide with him in his temptations . if you will drinke of his cup of glorie , forsake not his cup of jgnominie . can the head corner stone be reiected , and the other more base stones in gods building bee in this world set by ? you are one of his living stones in this building : be content therfore to be hewen and snagged at , that you may bee made more meet to be joyned to your fellowes which suffer with you satans snatches , and freats of the flesh , wherethrough they are enforced to crie , oh wretches that wee are , who shall deliuer vs ? you are of gods corne , feare not therefore the flayle , the fanne , milstone , nor oven . you are one of christs lambs : looke therefore to bee fleeced , halled at , and even slaine . if you were a market sheepe , you should goe in more fat pasture . if you were for the faire , you should be stalled and want no meate : but because you are for gods owne vse , therfore you must pasture vppon the bare common , abiding the stormes and tempests that will fall . happy & twice happy are you my deare sister , that god haleth you now whither you would not , that you might come whither you would . suffer a little and be still . let satan rage against you , let the world crie out , let your conscience accuse you , let the law leade you , and presse you downe , yet shall they not prevaile , for christ is emanuell , that is , god with vs. if god be with vs , who canne bee against vs. the lord is with you ; your father cannot forget you ; your spouse loveth you . if the waues and surges arise , crie with peter , saue lord i perish , and hee will put out his hand and helpe you . cast out your ankor of hope , and it will not cease for al the stormie surges , till it take hold on the rocke of gods truth and mercie . thinke not that hee which hath given you so many things corporally , as jnductions of spirituall & heavenly mercies , and that without your deserts or desire , can deny you any spirituall thing desiring it . for if he hath given you to desire , hee will giue you to haue and enioy the thing desired . the desire to haue , and the going about to aske , ought to certifie your conscience , that they bee his earnests of the things which you asking , hee will giue you : yea , before you aske , and whilst you are about to aske , hee will grant the same as isaiah saith , to his glorie and your eternal consolation . he that spared not his owne son for you , will not , nor cannot think any thing too good for you , my heartely beloved . if he had not chosen you as certainly he hath , he would not thus haue called you : hee would never haue justified you : hee would never haue so glorified you with his gratious gifts which i know to be in you , praysed be his name therefore : hee would never haue so exercised your faith with temptations as he hath done , and doth , if i say hee had not chosen you . if hee haue chosen you ( as doubtlesse deere hart he hath don in christ , for in you i haue seene his earnest , and to me you could not deny it , i know both where and when ) if i say hee haue chosen you , then neither can you , nor ever shall you perish . for if you fall , hee putteth vnder his hand : you shall not lie still : so carefull is christ your keeper over you . never was mother so mindfull over her child , as he is over you . and hath hee not alwaies been so ? speake woman , when did he finally forget you ? and will he now trow ye in your most need doe otherwise , you calling vpon him and desiring to please him ? ah my ioyce , thinke you god to bee mutable ? is hee a changeling ? doth not he loue to the end thē whom hee loveth ? are not his gifts and calling such as he cannot repent him off thē , for els were he no god. if you should perish , then wanted hee power : for i am certain his will towards you is not to bee doubted off . hath not the spirit , which is the spirit of truth , told you so ? and will you hearken with eue to the liing spirit which would haue you to despaire ? god forbid it , for to doubt and stand in a māmering , would cause you that you should never truely loue god , but ever serue him of a servile feare , least hee should cast you off for your vnworthinesse and vnthankfulnesse , as though your thankfulnes , or worthines , were any causes with god why hee hath chosen you , or will finally keepe you . ah my owne deare heart , christ onely , christ onely , and his mercie and truth . in him is the cause of your election . this christ , this mercie , this truth of god remaineth for euer , is certaine for euer , i say for euer . if an angell from heaven should tell you contrarie , accursed bee he . your thankefulnes and worthinesse are fruits and effects of your election , they are no causes . these fruites and effects shall be so much the more fruitfull and effectuall , by how much the more you wauer not . therefore dearely beloved , arise and remember from whence you are fallen . you haue a sheapeheard who neither slumbereth nor sleepeth , night nor day . no man , nor deuill can pull you out of his hands . night and day hee commandeth his angells to keepe you . haue you forgotten what i read to you out of the psalme , the lord is my sheepheard , i can want nothing . doe you know that god sparred noah into the arke on the one side , so that hee could not get out ? so hath hee done to you my good sister , so hath hee done to you . tenne thousand shall fall on your right hand , & two thousand on your l●ft hand yet no euill shall touch you . say boldly therefore , many a time from my youth vppe haue they fought against mee , but they haue not preuailed , no nor neuer shall preuaile , for the lord is round about his people . and who are the people of god , but such as hope in him ? happie are they that hope in the lord : and you are one of those my deare heart , for i am sure you haue hoped in the lord : i haue your wordes to shewe most manifestly , & i know they were written vnfainedly . i need not say , that euen before god you haue simply confessed to mee , and that oftentimes no lesse . and if once you had this hope , as you doubtles had it , thogh now ye fele it not , yet shall ye feele it againe : for the anger of god lasteth but for a moment , but his mercy lasteth for euer . tell mee my deare heart , who hath so weakned you ? surely not a perswasion which came of him that called you . for why should ye wauer ? why should ye wauer , & be so heauie hearted ? whome looke yee on ? on your selfe ? on your worthines ? on your thankefulnesse ? on that which god requireth of you , as faith , hope , loue , feare , ioye , &c. then can yee but wauer indeed : for what haue you as god requireth ? belieue you , hope you , loue you , &c. as much as ye should doe ? no , no , nor neuer can in this life . ah my dearely beloued , haue you so soone forgotten that which should bee had in memory ? namely , that when you should bee secure and quiet in conscience , thē should your faith burst throghout all things , not onely that you haue in you , or else are in heaven , earth , or hell , vntill it come to christ crucified , and th' eternall sweet mercies of god , and his goodnesse in christ. heere , heere is the resting place , heere is your spouses bed : creepe into it , and in your armes of faith embrace him , bewaile your weakenesse , your vnworthines , your dissidence : and you shall see he will turne to you . what sayd i you shall see ? nay , i should haue said you shall feele he will turne to you . you know that moses when hee went into the mount to talke with god , hee entred into a darke cloud : and helias had his face couered when god passed by . both these deare friends of god heard god , but they saw him not , but you would bee preferred before them . see now my deare heart , how couetous you are ? ah , be thankefull be thankefull ; but god be praised your couetousnes is moses couetousnes : well with him you shall be satisfied , but when ? forsooth when hee shall appeare . heere is not the time of seeing , but as it were in a glasse ▪ isaak was deceived because hee was not content with hearing onely . therefore to make an end of these many words , wherewith i feare me i do but hinder you from better exercises : in as much as you are indeed the child of god , elect in christ before the beginning of all times : in as much as you are given to the custody of christ , as one of gods most precious jewels : in as much as christ is faithfull , and hitherto and for euer hath and shal haue al power , so that you shall never perish , no ; one haire of your head shall not be lost : i desire you , i craue at your hands with all my very heart , i aske of you with hand , pen , tongue & mind , in christ , through christ , for christ , for his names sake , bloud , mercies , power , and truths sake ( my most entirely beloued sister ) that you admit no doubting of gods final mercies towards you , howsoeuer ynu feele your selfe : but complaine to god , and craue of him as of your tender father , all things and in that time which shal be most opportune , you shall find & feele farre aboue that your hart or the heart of any creature can conceiue , to your eternall joy , amen , amen , amen . the good spirit of god alwaies keep vs as his deere children : he comfort you as i desire to be comforted my deerely beloved for evermore . the peace of christ dwell in both our harts for ever amen . gods holy spirit alwaies comfort & keepe you amen , amen . this . of ianuarie by him that in the lord wisheth to you as well and as much felicitie , as to his owne heart . iohn bradford . finis . a table directing to the names of the martyrs , and to the speciall matters that are mentioned in this booke . a fol. adam damplip , his speach to his keeper . . agnes bongeor , her complaint . , . she is comforted . . alice bindon , her straight handling . , . anne askew , her prayer . . b bartlet greene , his description of temporall miseries , &c. , , . bradbegges wife , shee commends her two children patience and charitie , to the bishop . . c fol. cutbert simpson . boner commends his patience . . his comfortable vision . . d doctor taylor , pag. . e elizabeth folks , her answere , pretily retorted . eliza : yong , her sweet speech . , . f father latimer . , , . g george wise-hart , his speach to his executioner . . george marsh , his prayer . . george tankerfield , his conflicts with the flesh . . h hugh latimer , his speach to m r. ridley at the stake . fol. . his comforts were going & cōming . . his requests . . hugh laverocke , his speach . . henry voes , his speach . . i iames baynham , his speach at his death . . iohn hooper , his speach at the stake . . his speach to a blind boy . . his answere to s r. ant : kingston . , , ▪ notes out of his letters , frō , to . iohn bradford , how he tooke the newes of his death . . with what efficacie hee made his prayers in the counter . . his behauiour at his death . . his answere to creswell . , . his mementoes . a note out of a letter of his to cranmer . . his two letters . , . iohn cardmaker , his question and answere to it . fol. . iohn philpot , how he tooke the newes of his death . . his speach he vsed in smith-field . . a prayer mentioned in his storie . . ioh : rough , his speach to one farrar . . iohn warren , his sweet sentence . . iohn frith , his answere to them that would haue wrought his escape . . iohn lābart , his speach at the stake . . iohn rogers , his saying when hee heard of his burning . . his saying to bishop hooper . . iohn leafe , hee liked better the bill of his confession , then that of his recantation . . iulins palmer , his charitable answere to sir richard abridges . , . k kerby , his speach to m. wink-field . . l laurence saunders preacher , his comfort at his first convention . fol. . what a sluggard he found of his flesh . his speach vpon the sight of his child . his speach at the stake . . notes out of a letter to his wife . . , . out of a letter to m. glouer . . lady iane , her prayer . lord cromwell , his prayer . . letters of m. bradfords . , . m martin luther , his prayer . . n nicholas ridley , his saying to latimer . , . his mournefull complaint in the fier . . what comfort hee felt after the newes of m. rogers burning . . nicholas sheterden , his prayer . . p patrik hamleton , he foretels the death of his persecut●r . fol. . . prests wife , her answers . , . r rawlins white , expert in the scripture . . sundrie of his speaches . . . . richard woodman , his conflict with the feare of death . . richard browne , his prayer . . robert farrar , his speach to m. richard iones . . robert glover , his lumpishnes before his death . , . with supplie of comfort . . his comfort & conflict . , , , . robert-samuell , his extreame handling . , . his vision of comfort . . robert smith , his sentences . roger holland , his prophesie . , . rowland taylor , his pleasant answere to the sheriffe . . fol. his speach when he came neere hadley . . to boner when he was degraded . . his last will and testament . , to . s steven knight , his prayer . . t thomas bilney , his saying to his friends . , . hee putteth his finger in the candle to trie his strength . . thomas spurdance , his answere to the bishop . , . thomas hudsons conflict and comfort . , . thomas wats , his farewell . . thomas crāmer , a proverb of him . . his prayer . . his repentance . , . he burns his right hand first . . w fol. william hunter , his mother thinks him well bestowed on christ. . walter mill , he would not be called sir walter , and why . . his constancie . . william pickes , foretels his troble . . . william flower , his prayer . . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a -e cant. . . cant. . . verse . . notes for div a -e qu : eliz. notes for div a -e his blood violently gushed out of his heart , at his burning at oxford . an. . the bi : of dover . this was spoken in the moneth of iune , and q. mary dyed sep. following the . . of the parish of staple hurst in ●he coū●y of kēt . ian. . . ma. anno . notes for div a -e anno. . note . note . note . note . martyrologia alphabetikē, or, an alphabetical martyrology containing the tryals and dying expressions of many martyrs of note since christ : extracted out of foxe's acts and monuments of the church : with an alphabetical list of god's judgements remarkably shown on many noted and cruel persecutors : together with an appendix of things pertinent to martyrology by n.t., m.a.t.c.c. [i.e. master of arts trinity college cambridge] actes and monuments. selections foxe, john, - . approx. kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from -bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : - (eebo-tcp phase ). a wing f estc r ocm this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons . universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase , no. a ) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set ) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, - ; : ) martyrologia alphabetikē, or, an alphabetical martyrology containing the tryals and dying expressions of many martyrs of note since christ : extracted out of foxe's acts and monuments of the church : with an alphabetical list of god's judgements remarkably shown on many noted and cruel persecutors : together with an appendix of things pertinent to martyrology by n.t., m.a.t.c.c. [i.e. master of arts trinity college cambridge] actes and monuments. selections foxe, john, - . n. t., m.a.t.c.c. [ ], , [ ] p. printed for r. butler ..., and are to be sold by samuel wooley ..., london : . errata: prelim. p. [ ]. advertisement: prelim. p. [ ] and p. [ ] at end. an alphabetical list of god's judgments remarkably shown on many noted and cruel persecutors. london : printed for richard butler, and an appendix of things pertinent to the ... preceding martyrologic ... london : printed for r. butler, [n.d.] both have special t.p.'s. reproduction of original in the university of illinois (urbana-champaign campus). library. created by converting tcp files to tei p using tcp tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between and available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the , texts created during phase of the project have been released into the public domain as of january . anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. % (or pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf- unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p , characters represented either as utf- unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng martyrs. church history. persecution. - tcp assigned for keying and markup - spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images - rina kor sampled and proofread - rina kor text and markup reviewed and edited - pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion ΜΑΡΤΥΡΟΛΟΓΙΑ ΑΛΦΑΒΕΤΙΚΕ or , an alphabetical martyrology . containing the tryals and dying expressions of many martyrs of note since christ . extracted out of foxe's acts and monuments of the church . with an alphabetical list of god's judgements remarkably shown on many noted and cruel persecutors . together with an appendix of things pertinent to the understanding this martyrology . by n. t. m. a. t. c. c. — these all dyed in the faith , hebr. . . — in all these things we are more than conquerors . rom. . . london , printed for r. butler in barbican , and are to be sold by samuel wooley bookseller in louth , in lincolnshire . . errata , in the epistile page . read cor. , , , . in the book p. . l. . read iames bainham . p. . l. . put out then . p. . l. . read pomponius . p. . l. . put out so . p. . l. . read cruel . p. . l. . read sparer in words . p. . l. . read wind. p. . l. . read wounds . p. . l. . read trailed . p. . l. . read must . p. . and . read thiessen . p. . l. . read confuted . p. . l. . read fool. p. . l. . concerning dr. london's punishment in the former part of the book . add page . p. . l. . read maximinus . p. . l. . read sute . advertisement . two sermons of hypocrisie , and the vain hope of self-deceiving sinners . a vindication of oaths , and swearing in weighty cases , as lawful and useful under the gospel : and the quakers opinion and practice against oaths and oath-taking , proved to be unscriptural , and without any just reason ; as also against their own principles . both written by iohn cheney , minister of the gospel . printed for r. butler , and are to be sold with the rest of his works by iohn miller , at the rose at the west-end of st. paul's church . to the christian reader , all encrease of grace here , and all fulness of glory hereafter . so great an enmity hath satan evidenced , ever since his own apostasie , against mankind , that he must be conceded to have bin very sedulous and vigilant in all ages to destroy souls , one while alluring them to sin against god , by his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of worldly or sensual propositions , or else deterring them from adhering to god , vi & armis , by his assaults and persecutions ; the verity of which hath been continuedly evidenced in the successive ages of god's church , wherein the first member dying , dyed a martyr on the account of his religion , and the several prophets and children of god before christ have been so persecuted , sawn asunder , cast into dungeons , fiery furnaces , lyons dens , &c. that if to these we add the consideration of st. paul's martyrology in heb. . we may propose our saviour's enquiry ; which of the prophets have they not slain ? nor did the fury of satan and his instruments terminate there ; but when christ the son of god was incarnated and became man for our salvation , satan the arch-enemy of man , assails him as tempter ; but being put to flight so , he becomes accuser , and by his instruments persecuted our dearest saviour , not desisting till they had crucified the lord of life : which being effected , this serpentine seed continued its enmity againg christ in his members ; so that few of christ's apostles or followers have escaped tribulation ; as the writings of the sacred writ aver , and the succeeding pages will much evidence , which seem in respect of their matter to be serviceable to the church of god many wayes : . in demonstrating the verity of our religion , and the great and sure foundation of our faith , sealed by the blood of many thousand martyrs , who have as witnesses thereof , attested the verity of their professions by their deaths . . in evidencing the state of god's people here , whose life is but a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a warfare , whilst they remain members of the church militant on earth , which may disswade us from singing requiem's to our souls , and may excite our constant watch . . in assuring us of the triumph of christ the captain of our salvation , who in himself and members hath verified that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the seed of the woman's breaking the serpent's head , in that in the midst of all troubles the saints of god have experienced joy , which may engage our running with patience the race that is set before us . . in declaring god's fidelity to his people , who in the greatest misery hath shown them the greatest mercy , and often then hath most given his people assurance of their living with him , when they were going to dye for him ; which may support our spirits under pressures , in that they cannot separate us from god here or hereafter , rom. . . cor. . , . . in proposing the examples of many thousands of constant martyrs , who chose rather to suffer than sin ; and found more joy in dying for christ than ever they did trouble in serving of christ. . in shewing the sad effects of apostasie upon many of god's people , who found all the wordly enjoyments without a christ but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , bitter sweets , and have not acquiesced , till through god's spirit they did reassume the profession of christ , and at last did dye for christ , which may incite our holy jealousie over our selves . . in setting before us the care of god for his people in their lives , and death , and after death , by supplying their wants , comforting their souls , mitigating their pains , and preserving their names to succeeding generations , verifying his own assertion , that the memory of the just shall be blessed . . in representing the efficacy of christianity and its champions constancy , so as often to have influenced the very persecutors of it and them ; not onely to pity them , but also to close with their principles , and dye for the same faith ; so that we have no need to be ashamed of the gospel of christ. . in demonstrating the frustration of the grand design of christ's enemies ( the extirpation of his faith and religion by persecution ) it being evidently manifested that christianity hath been more propagated , the more it hath been persecuted ; and it was long since observed that sanguis martyrum was semen ecclesiae . so that against all opposition the faith of christ and its professors have been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , more than conquerors ; nor hath the gates of hell hitherto prevailed against the church of christ. . in manifesting god's mercy and justice . his mercy in preserving his true religion and its professors amidst all their enemies , and his iustice in his divers inflictions of punishments upon their persecutors . insomuch that some have confessedly acknowledged christ conqueror , his cause true , and themselves because persecutors of it , damned . this is the matter of the pages humbly offer'd , and unfeignedly recommended to thy perusal . and as to the manner of the epitome , an alphabetical method , both as to sufferers and persecutors , seemed most apt for thy reaping advantage . the reasons moving the epitomizing the voluminous works of the author were these : . because many who probably would read those greater volumes , either cannot acquire them being scarce , or cannot purchase them being dear , or perhaps have not time to peruse them being great , to occur all which this abstract may suffice . . the chief things in these volumes desired by the vulgar ( whose instruction is chiefly designed hereby ) is the lives and deaths , the constancy and comforts of the martyrs , which here are briefly contained as to the most remarkable martyrs ever since christ's time ; which being portable , may serve as a manual to be oft in our hands to be perused , till we get their experiences on our hearts . and although in these halcyon dayes of the church ( which god long continue ) these endeavours way seem to some supervacaneous ; yet if we consider that while we are in the world we must expect troubles , it is no small prudence to prepare for it . however , the ten premised reasons may plead for thy acceptance of what is humbly tendred , and sincerely published for god's glory , and thy soul 's good , by thine in the service of god , n. t. an alphabetical martyrology . a a andrew the apostle , and brother of peter , being conversant in a city called patris in achaia , brought many to the faith of christ. egeas the governour hearing of it resorted to him , and with threats of the cross disswaded him by his proconsul ; but andrew said he would not have preached the honour and glory of the cross , if he had feared the death of the cross. and being condemned , when he saw the cross he said , o cross , most welcome and long looked for , with a willing mind , joyfully and desirously i come to thee , being the scholar of him who did hang on thee , because i have always been thy lover , and have coveted to embrace thee . and so being crucified he gave up the ghost the last of november . see vol. . pag. , . one alexander under the tenth persecution standing near the bar , at the examination of the christians , beckned to them with signs to confess christ ; which the multitude perceiving , made it known to the judge , who examining what he was , and being answered by him , i am a christian , condemned him to be devoured of wild beasts . and he having endured sad torments never sighed , but from the bottom of his heart praised and prayed to the lord. vol. . p. . apollinia an ancient virgin , under the seventh persecution , having her teeth dashed out , and being threatned to be cast into a great fire made before her , unless she would blaspheme with them , and deny christ ; she paused a while , and suddenly leaped into the fire , and was burned . vol. . p. . ammonarion , an holy virgin , told the persecuting judge , that for no punishment she would yield to his request ; and constantly she performed her words , under very severe torments , and was at last slain with a sword. vol. . pag. , . alban the first english martyr , under the tenth persecution , did receive a clerk into his house , flying for religion , by whose precepts and precedents he of a pagan became a christian ; and when the emperour sent to apprehend the clerk , alban put on the clerks habits , and offered himself to the souldiers as the clerk , and so was had away ; and being commanded on pain of death , by the emperour , to sacrifice to idols , he said , i am a christian , and worship the true and living god , who created all the world ; and the sacrifices offered to devils can neither help them that offer them , nor can they accomplish the desires of their supplicants ; but they whoever they be that offer sacrifice to devils , shall receive everlasting pains of hell for their portion . whereupon he was cruelly beaten , and at last beheaded . vol. . pag. . agnes a virgin of rome , in the tenth persecution , of noble parentage , before she was marriageable she was dedicated to christ , and boldly resisted the wicked edicts of the emperour , who by fair and foul ways induced her to renounce her faith , yet she remained constant and courageous , and offered her body to suffer any torment or pain , not refusing to suffer whatsoever it should be , though death it self : but the tyrant threatned to expose her chastity to danger , by sending her to the stews , unless she would ask minerva pardon . whereupon she inveighed against minerva , and said , christ is not so forgetful of those that are his , that he will suffer violently to be taken from them their golden and pure chastity . thou shalt , saith she , bathe thy sword in my blood if thou wilt , but thou shalt not defile my body with filthy lust , for any thing thou canst do . after which the tyrant commanded her to be set naked in the open street , to the shame of himself and all present , who went from her ; and she returned god thanks for this deliverance of her chastity : and an executioner being sent to kill her , she willingly met him and prayed , o god vouchsafe to open heavens gates , once shut up against all the inhabitants of the earth ; and receive , o christ , my soul that seeketh thee . and so she was beheaded . vol. . p. , . anselm , an italian , born and brought up in the abby of beck in normandy , and afterwards made archbishop of canterbury , said he had rather be in hell without sin , than in heaven with sin . vol. . p. . augustinus a barber , about hennegow in germany , being an embracer of the gospel , yet naturally so timerous that he fled twice when he was sought for , was so bold when he was apprehended that he confounded all opposers : and being desired to pity his soul and recant , he said he evidenced his pity to his soul in giving his body rather to be burned , than to do any thing contrary to his conscience . and being set at the stake , and the fire kindled , he heartily prayed unto the lord , and patiently departed , . vol. . pag. . aymond de lavoy at bourdeaux in france , a preacher of the gospel , being persecuted and sent for ; his people and friends perswaded him to flye ; to whom he said , he had rather never have been born than so to do ; it was the office of a good shepherd not to flye in time of danger , but rather to abide the peril lest the flock be scattered ; or lest some scruple might by his flight be left in their minds , that he had fed them with dreams and fables , contrary to gods word ; wherefore beseeching them to move him no more therein , he told them he feared not to yield up both body and soul in the quarrel of the truth which he had taught , saying he was ready , with s. paul , acts . not only to be bound , but also to dye for the testimony of christ. and when the sumner came to apprehend him , being in the city of bourdeaux three days , aymond preached each day a sermon , and in his defence the people flew upon the sumner , till aymond desired them not to stop his martyrdom , since it was the will of god he should suffer for him . being apprehended , his greatest accusation was , that he denyed purgatory : he was nine months in prison , in great misery , bewailing his former life , though no man could charge him with any outward crime ; and enduring more severe torments by the officers afterwards , he being of a weak body , comforted himself thus , this body ( said he ) must once dye , but the spirit shall live ; the kingdom of god endureth for ever . and swooning , when he came to himself , he said , oh lord why hast thou forsaken me ? but his tormentors further vexing him , he said , o lord i beseech thee forgive them , they know not what they do . and when sentence was given against him , he comforted himself with s. paul's words , rom. . saying , who shall separate us from the love of god ? shall the sword , hunger , nakedness ? no , nothing shall pluck me from him . and being brought to the place of execution , he sang the . psalm , and testified he dyed for the gospel of christ , and said , o lord haste thee to help me , and tarry not : and desired all to study the gospel , and not to fear them that kill the body . he said he found his flesh to resist marvellously his spirit , but he should soon cast it off : and then begging the people to pray for him , he said often , o lord my god into thy hands i commend my soul. in the often repeating of which he dyed , being strangled and burned . vol. . p. , . anne audebert , an apothecaries wife and widow at orleance in france , being judged to be burnt for religion's sake , when the rope was about her neck to strangle her , she called it her wedding girdle wherewith she should be married to christ : and as she should be burned on a saturday , she said , i was first married upon a saturday , and on a saturday i shall be married again . and martyred she was with such constancy as made the beholders to marvel . vol. . p. . somponius algerius a young man , burnt at rome . being in prison at venice , ( from whence he was sent to rome ) he wrote an epistle to the persecuted and afflicted saints , wherein he declares the many ways he was tempted to recant , to which tempters he said , god forbid i should deny christ , whom i ought to confess , i will not set more by my life than by my soul , nor will i exchange the life to come for this present world . vol. . p. , , . mrs. anne askew being . apprehended , and often examined as an heretick , subscribed two of her confessions thus , by anne askew that neither wisheth death nor feareth his might , and as merry as one that is bound towards heaven , god have the praise thereof with thanks . she always concluded her letters with pray , pray , pray . she was racked till almost dead , to discover her confederates , but she would not ; then was she by flattery tempted , but was not so won to deny her faith , but said she would rather burn than deny it . in newgate before she suffered she made a confession of her faith , clearing her self from errours , and proving her self a christian ; and then prayed for support against the malice of her enemies , that they might not overcome her ; and that god would pardon their sins , and open their eyes and hearts to do what god pleased , and to set forth his truth without errour . she was of a family that she might have lived in great wealth and prosperity , if she had loved the world more than christ , but she being constant , was at last ( being unable to go by reason of her racking ) brought in a chair to smithfield , and there chained to a stake , when wrisley then lord chancellor sent her pardon , and bad her recant ; but she refused to look once on them , and said she came not thither to deny her lord and master ; and so was burned in iune . with whom suffered also iohn lacels , iohn adams , and nicholas belenian , which three men though courageous before , yet by her exhortation and example were emboldened , and received greater comfort . vol. . p. . iohn ardeley an essex man , being burnt iune . . was examined and perswaded by bishop bonner to recant ; to whom he said , bear as good a face , my lord , as you can , you and all of your religion are of a false faith , and not of the catholick church . god foreshield i should recant , for then should i lose my soul ; and if every hair on my head was a man , i would suffer death in the faith and opinion that i now am in . and so he did . vol. . p. . will. allen a norfolk man , burnt at walsingham . in september , because he would not go in procession and kneel to the cross ; he was in such favour with the justices of peace , for his tryed conversation amongst them , that he was permitted to go to his sufferings untyed , and there being fastned with a chain , stood quietly without shrinking till he dyed . vol. . p. . rose allen of much bentley in essex , being fetching drink for her sick mother , in a morning with a light candle , who was also with her self and father apprehended by edmond tyrrel esq to be all three carried to colchester goal for the gospel , who perswaded this rose allen to counsel her parents well ; who said , they had a better counsellor than she , to wit , the holy ghost , who i trust will not suffer them to erre . and being for this accused of heresie by him , she said , with that which you call heresie i worship my lord god : to whom he then said , i perceive you will also burn for company's sake : and she answered , not for company's sake , but for christ's sake ; and if he call me to it , i hope in his mercy he will enable me to bear it . so tyrrel took her candle and held it to her hand , burning it crossways the back of it , till the sinews crackt asunder ; and asked her often during that tyranny , what you whore will you not cry ? to whom she said , she had no cause to weep , if he considered it well he had more cause to weep , for she had none she thanked god , but rather had cause to rejoice ; and she said , that though at first burning it was some grief to her , yet the longer it burnt the lesser she felt , or well near no pain at all . vol. . p. . iohn alcock , a young man in suffolk , apprehended at hadley because he would not move his cap as the priest came into church with a procession , and being bid to take heed of the priest , he said , i fear not , for he shall do no more than god will give him leave ; and happy shall i be if god will call me to dye for his truths sake . and being sent up to london he dyed in prison at newgate , and was buried in a dunghil . vol. . p. . richard atkins burnt at rome . he was born in hartfordshire in england , and travelling to rome he came to the english colledge , knocking at whose gates several english scholars came out , and bid him go to the hospital , and there he should receive his meat and drink : but he declared he came not to any such intent , but to reprove the great misorder of their lives , which ( said he ) i grieve to hear and pity to behold : i came also to let your proud antichrist understand that he doth rob god of his honour , and poyseneth the whole world with his blasphemies : so declaming against their idolatry he was put into the inquisition by one hugh griffith a welchman , and a student in that colledge , where after a few days he was set at liberty : but one day going in the streets , and meeting a priest which carried the sacrament , which offended his conscience , he catched at it to have pulled it down , but missing of it he was let pass : a while after he seeing divers persons in s. peter's church at mass , he stept up without any reverence , and threw down the chalice of wine , and would have gotten the wafer-cake out of the priest's hands ; for which he was much beaten with persons fists , and cast into prison ; and upon examination why he would do such a crime , he said , i came for that intent , to rebuke the popes wickedness , and your idolatry . upon this he was condemned to be burned : which sentence he gladly received , he said , because the sum of his offence pertained to the glory of god. a while after he was set on the bare back of an ass , stript from the head to the waist , and so carried in the streets , who called to the people and told them they were in a wrong way , and willed them for christ's sake to have regard to the saving of their souls ; all the way as he went he had four men that did nothing else but thrust at his body with burning torches , whereat he never moved nor shrunk , but with a chearful countenance often bended his body to meet the torches , and would take them in his own hand and hold them burnig to his own body ; which posture he continued in near the space of half a mile , till he came at the place of execution , before s. peter's church ▪ then made they a device not to make the fire about him , but to burn his legs first , which he suffered marvellously chearfully ; then they offered him a cross , but he put it away , telling them they did ill to trouble him with such paltry , when he was preparing himself for god , whom he beheld in majesty and mercy ready to receive him into the eternal rest : and so he dyed . vol. . p. . francis d' alost in flanders , beheaded may . . said to his apprehenders , now ye think to deprive me of life , and so to do me a great hurt , but ye are deceived ; for it is all one as if ye took counters from me , to fill my hand with a great sum of gold. being at the place of execution , he said , seeing ye thirst after my blood , i willingly yield it unto your hands , and my soul into the hands of my merciful lord god almighty . and so he was beheaded , and his body given for a prey to the fowls of the air . addition to vol. . of massacre in france and flanders , p. , . b b bartholomew the apostle is said to have preached to the indians , and to have converted the gospel of s. mathew into their tongue : he continued there a great space doing miracles , at last in albania , a city of greater armenia , after divers persecutions , he was beaten down with staves , and then crucified ; and after being excoreate was at length beheaded . vol. . p. . blandina a woman , under the fourth persecution , was so tormented that the tormentors for weariness gave her over , admiring at her strength and courage , who became stronger and stronger ; and as oft as she spake these words , i am a christian , neither have we done any evil , it was a marvellous comfort , and emboldened her to abide the torments . vol. . p. . she afterwards was fastned to a stake , and cast to ravening beasts , but no beast would come near her ; so the persecutors took her down , and laid her in prison till another time . at length she was put in a net , and cast to the wild bull , and after she was sufficiently gored with his horns she felt nothing of pain , but was thus slain ; of whom the very persecutors said , never woman was put to death of them that suffered so much as she did . vol. . p. , . barlaam a martyr , under the tenth persecution , having endured many torments , was at last laid on the altar by the persecutors , where incense was offered to their idols , and they put incense into his hand , thinking that fire would cause his hand to scatter the incense , and so he have sacrificed , but the flame eat round about his hand , which remained as though it had been covered with hot embers , when as barlaam recited that of the psalmist , blessed be god who teacheth my hands to fight . vol. . p. , . ioane boughton , mother to the lady young , was burned april . . ( and in the ninth year of king hen. . king of england ) in smithfield , for holding of wickliffe's opinions , from which all the doctors in london could not turn her : and being told that she should be burnt , she defied them , saying , she was so beloved of god and his holy angels , that she passed not for the fire ; and in the midst of it she cryed to god to take her soul into his holy hands . vol. . p. . iohn brown of ashford was burned . at ashford , being taken away by force from his own house , the same day his wife was churched , and he was carried to prison at canterbury , for no crime but for asking a mass-priest , where the soul was when he began mass and when he had done mass ? who answering he knew not ; iohn brown asked him then , how he could save the soul ? for which he was continued in prison from low-sunday till fryday before whitsontide , his wife not knowing where he was all this time ; till the night before he was burned being set in the stocks at ashford , she came and sat up by him , to whom he declared the whole passage , and said that the bishops , warham and fisher , heated his feet on the coals , and burned them to the bones , to make him deny his lord ; which i will never do , added he , for if i should deny him in this world , he would deny me hereafter . i pray thee , said he further , good elizabeth , continue as thou hast begun , and bring up thy children vertuously in the fear of god. and the next day being whitsonday-eve this godly martyr was burned ; standing at the stake he thus prayed , holding up his hands , o lord i yield me to thy grace , grant me mercy for my trespass , let never the fiend my soul chase : lord i will bow , and thou shalt beat , let never my soul come in hell heat . into thy hands i commend my spirit , for thou hast redeemed me , o lord of truth . and so he ended . vol. . p. . iohn bertrand , a forester in france , . being condemned for the gospel's sake , he being to enter a cart , to be carried to execution , gave thanks he was not there for any evil action , but for the quarrel of our saviour ; and when tyed to the post he sang the . psalm ; and with eyes looking up to heaven , seeing the place of execution , he said , o the happy journey , and fair place prepared for me . he in the fire cryed , o lord give thy hand to thy servant , i recommend my soul to thee : and so meekly yielded up the ghost . vol. . p. . dominicus de basana , an italian , burned at placentia , . being asked whether he was a priest , said , not of the pope , but of christ ; being asked if he would renounce his doctrine , answered , he maintained no doctrine of his own , but of christs , which also he was ready to seal with his blood , and gave hearty thanks to god which so accepted him , as worthy to glorifie his name with his martyrdom : and being cast into prison , he continued constant ; yea at his execution he did preach , and pray for his enemies , and so finished his days . vol. . p. . a bookseller of avinion was burned by the means of the bishop of aix , for selling some bibles in the french tongue ; and as a sign of the crime for which he was burnt , he had two bibles hanged about his neck , one before and another behind him . vol. . p. . maurice blane , a young man in merindol in france , being one of the waldenses , and taken by one iohn miniers lord of opede , who went as captain against merindol , was shot to death with harquebusses , and though he was not very well instructed , yet in all his torments he lifted up his eyes to heaven , and with a loud voice ceased not to call on god ; and the last words he was heard to say were , o lord god these men take from me a life full of misery , but thou wilt give me life everlasting , by thy son iesus christ , to whom be glory . vol. . p. . thomas bilney , being brought up under popish ignorance , and did in order to his obtaining pardon of sins , use fasting , watching , buying pardons , &c. and at last hearing that the new testament was translated into latine elegantly by erasmus , out of a love to the latine more than to the word of god ( which he then knew not what it meant ) bought one and did read it ; and at his first reading he happened on tim. . . it is a faithful saying , &c. which sentence through gods instructions , and co-workings , exhilerated him , and was a means of his conversion to the faith of christ , learning that all travels and watchings without christ availed nothing : and having tasted of the sweetness of christ himself , he greatly endeavoured the promoting of christ's gospel , and opposed popery in its abuses of pardons , &c. vol. . p. . he was instrumental to the conversion of mr. latimer , p. . he was of trinity hall in cambridge , and first framed that university to the knowledge of christ , vol. . p. . . he once recanted , and was absolved , which created such trouble to him , that for two years he almost despaired , nor could any scripture comfort him , till at length god , by the means of mr. latimer , comforted him . and he propagated the doctrine of christ in norfolk , and was burned at norwich . the night before which eating an ale-berry chearfully , some friends said they were glad to see him so merry , to whom he said , he did as husbandmen , repair the ruinous house of his body . he often tryed the heat of the fire , by putting his finger in the candle flame , saying , i feel and know fire to be naturally hot , yet i am perswaded by gods word , and by experience of some in it , that in the flames they felt no heat . and i believe howsoever that the stubble of my body shall be wasted by it , yet my soul shall be thereby purged : it is a pain for a time , on which follows joy unspeakable . vol. . p. . richard bayfield , a monk of s. bennets belonging to berry , converted by means of one dr. barnes , was november . . degraded and condemned ; and being struck with a crosier he fell backward , broke his head , and swooned ; when he came to himself again , he thanked god that he was delivered from the malignant church of antichrist , and was come into the sincere church of christ militant here on earth : and i trust anon , said he , to be in heaven with christ , and that church triumphant for ever . and being in a slow fire was half an hour alive , and when the left arm was on fire and burned , he rolled it with his right hand , and it fell from his body ; and he continued in prayer to the end without moving . vol. . p. . iames beinham , a lawyer , in king henry the eighth's days , for knowledge of the new testament was burnt , april the last . who first abjured , but soon relapsed , declaring he would not suffer the like hell he did when he was abjured for all the world ; and when he was again taken and burning , he in the fire , when his legs were half consumed , said , o ye papists , ye look for miracles , here ye may see one , for in this fire i feel no more pain than if i were in a bed of down , and it is to me as a bed of roses . vol. . p. . thomas benet , master of art in cambridge , thinking after his conversion not safe to stay there , went to exeter , and there taught a school : and at last abhorring the blasphemy of the papists , he fixt up bills against the popes supremacy , &c. for which , after much enquiry being found out , he at length suffered , all their endeavours being not able to reclaim him to popery , to whose perswaders he mildly answered ; desiring them to desist , for he was resolved , and did more desire to dye for christ , than to live longer and partake of and behold their detestable idolatry . at the fire he prayed so fervently , and his sayings were so pious , and himself so constant , that his very enemies counted him a good man , and god's servant ; yet was he burnt : and at stake being commanded by one esq barnhouse to pray to saints , he would not , it being god on whom only he must call : to whom the esquire said , he should pray to saints , or else he would make him , and therewith thrust a fir-bush on fire at his face : to whom the martyr said , alas , sir ! trouble me not ; and prayed , father forgive them . whereupon the esquire caused the fire to be kindled , and then the martyr lifted up his eyes and hands , saying , o lord receive my spirit ; and so continuing prayers , did never stir nor strive , but abode the flames until he ended . vol. . p. . dr. barnes of cambridge , in king henry the eighth's days , burned in smithfield . iuly . he much promoted good learning in cambridge , and then religion , yet afterwards recanted twice , but at length preached christianity again ; for which , he being apprehended , was to be burnt ; who making his confession , said , he dyed for the faith of christ , by whom alone he doubted not but to be saved : he prayed for pardon : and whereas stephen gardner bishop of winchester caused his martyrdom , he there said , i pray god forgive him , as heartily , and as freely , and as charitably , and without feigning , as ever christ forgave them that put him to death . and then putting off his cloaths , made him fit for the fire , and patiently took his death , and was burnt with mr. garret and mr. hierom. vol. . pag. . see more mr. hierom. george bucker : see adam damlip . iohn bradford a lancashire man , a good scholar , servant to the lord harrington , afterwards went to cambridge , and after one years time was made master of arts and fellow of pembroke hall ; and some time after ordained by bishop ridley , and made prebend of s. paul's in london . vol. . p. . he was a zealous preacher and a good liver , yet in queen mary's days silenced and imprisoned ; although but three days before he appeased the people in london , by preaching against sedition , and perswading them to obedience , who were incensed much against one bourn ( who afterward was made bishop of bath ) who preached against king edward . and pleaded for popery , so that a dagger was thrown at him , till this mr. bradford appeared in the pulpit , and then the people cryed out , god save thy life , o bradford . he slept but four hours in the night , and spent most of the other hours in prayer and studying ; so that he counted that hour lost , he said , in which he had done none good with pen , study , or exhorting : he preached twice a day in prison , unless sickness hindred him . when the keepers wife with sorrow brought him news of his burning next day , he said , i thank god for it , i have looked for the same a long time ; it comes not on me suddenly , but as a thing waited for every day and hour , o lord make me worthy of it . when he went from the counter to newgate , he prayed , and gave every servant and officer in the house money , wishing them to serve god and eschew evil , and prayed to god to effect it in them : he was imprisoned two years , lacking one month and a half . he being upon examination offered mercy , if he would recant , said , mercy with god's mercy i desire ; but mercy with god's wrath god keep me from ; his good will be done , life with his displeasure is worse than death , and death with his favour is true life . vol. . p. . one creswel , an acquaintance of his , after this came to him , and proffered him his service to make suit to the queen for him : to whom he said , if the queen will give me life , i will thank her ; if she will banish me , i will thank her ; if she will burn me , i will thank her ; if she will condemn me to perpetual imprisonment , i will thank her . vol. . p. . at the stake he freely forgave all persons , and beg'd all persons to forgive him : he prayed and kissed the stake and faggot , crying , o england , england , repent thee of thy sins , repent thee of thy sins , beware of idolatry , beware of false antichrists , take heed they do not deceive you . vol. . p. . his letters were many and pious , exhorting to constancy : . from god's love to us : . god's power over our enemies , and care for us : . the necessity of dying once : . the shortness of the troubles : . the eternity of our joys : . examples of christians : . the conjugal relation engageth both soul and body to christ : . all worldly enjoyments , and life it self , but tokens of god's love to us , and must not be denyed if call'd for by god , as tokens of our love to him : . death is our due for sin , but when for christ , prepares a greater glory : . god's care over their children and families that dye for him : . our cross from god as a father . vol. . p. . to . roger bernard , a suffolk man , burned with two others at s. edmunds-bury , iune . . he being diversly flattery allured to turn , yet though a poor labourer continued constant ; and when he was threatned with punishments , he said , friends , i am not better than my master christ , and the prophets , whom your fathers served after this sort ; and i for his names sake am content to suffer the like at your hands , if god shall so permit , trusting that he will strengthen me in the same , according to his promise , in spite of the devil and all his ministers . and so constantly he endured the flames with prayer and praises . vol. . p. . agnes bongeor , one of prisoners at colchester , who with another woman , one margaret thurston , was not executed with the other , because of the mistake of her name in the writ , being there written bowyer instead of bongeor ; which mistake caused much sorrow to the poor woman , who was thereupon dejected , even almost to despair , because she was left and the rest taken and burnt , as if god did not think her worthy of that honour ; in order to the receiving of which , she had disposed of a sucking child that morning to another nurse , and had habited her self fit for the fire : but at last with much endeavours she was comforted , by a friend 's proposing the instance of abraham , whose will in offering his son was by god accepted , as if isaac had been sacrificed ; and so her desire to have offered up her self , had god pleased ; and also the real offer of her child , disposed of already to another nurse , in order to her self being burnt , might be acceptable before god. and she being thus comforted in due time , september . . was also with the said margaret thurston burnt at colchester . vol. . p. , . bergerius , being imprisoned for the gospel's sake , met there with one iohn chambon a thief , imprisoned also at lions in france . which chambon was almost famished for want of food , eating only such things as horses and dogs refused , and was also almost devoured of lice , insomuch that he cryed out against god , and cursed his parents that bare him , till by the prayers and endeavours of this bergerius he was converted ; and he declared to divers persons by letters , that his lice left him the next day after his conversion , so that he had not one ; and he was sufficiently provided for by the alms of persons , so that he fared very well . vol. . p. , . iohn badby an english martyr . martyred for opposing transubstantiation ; he , though he felt the flames , which were immediately quenched , and he invited to recant by the kings eldest son , with promises of great revenues , and with threats of being burned , if he would not recant , could not not be perswaded to recant . vol. . p. . guy de brez , prisoner at tournay in flanders . writeth to his wife thus ( after the declaring what conflicts he had with his flesh , and the victory which through christ he had in order to suffering ) be comforted , our separation shall not be for ever , it will not be long e're we be gathered together under one head , iesus christ : the world is not the place of rest : heaven is our home , and the world but our place of banishment : let us aspire after our country : consider the honour god doth you , in that you have a husband who is not only called to be a minister of christ , but highly advanced to partake of the crown of martyrdom , which honour the angels in heaven are not capable of . i rejoice in my sufferings , i am filled with the abundant riches of my god. i now taste and see gods goodness , i feel by experience he never forsakes them that trust in him ; i have profited more in the school-house of my prison than in all my life time before ; i would not change my condition with them which are my persecutors , i eat and drink and rest with more hearts-ease than they . additions to vol. . concerning massacre in france and flanders . p. , . francis le bossu , with his two sons , martyred at lyons in france in the massacre there . he encouraged his two sons to suffer with him for the gospel , exhorting them thus , children , we know the enmity of the wicked and the world against gods people is no strange thing : let not their drawn swords affright us , they will be but as a bridge whereby we shall pass over out of a miserable life into immortal blessedness ; we have breathed and lived long enough among the wicked , let us now go and live with one god. and so all three embracing each other , were found slain . additions to vol. . concerning massacre in france . p. . c c calocerius seeing the great patience of the christians in so great torments and persecutions , cryed out , vere magnus deus christianorum , that is , truly the god of the christians is a great god. which words being heard , he was apprehended , and brought to the place of execution , and made partaker of their martyrdom . vol. . p. . cecilia the virgin brought valerian her espoused husband , and tiburtius his brother , to the faith of christ , and with her exhortations made them constant to martyrdom ; after whose sufferings she was apprehended and brought to offer sacrifice to idols , but refusing , she was had to the judge to be condemned ; in the mean time the serjeants and others began to perswade her to favour her self , and not cast her self away ; to whom she so reply'd with reasons and godly exhortations , that by the grace of god they were converted also , and divers others were with them baptized , to the number of persons ; which being done she was condemned , and was inclosed in a hot bath a day and a night without hurt , and was afterwards ordered to be beheaded in the bath . vol. . cyprian , being also named statius , he was an african and born in carthage , an idolater and a gentile , altogether given to the study of magical arts , who was converted to the christian faith , through the grace of god , by the means of cecilius a priest , and by the occasion of hearing the history of the prophet ionah ; and was after his conversion ordained priest and bishop of carthage : soon after in which office and dignity he so shined in gifts and vertues , that he had the covernment of all the east church , and church of spain , and was called the bishop of the christian men : and was beheaded in the . year of christ , under the eighth persecution . he is said to observe abuses in mans life . . a wise man without good works . . an old man without religion . . youth without obedience . . rich men without alms. . a woman shameless . . a guide without vertue . . a christian contentious . . a poor man proud . . a king unrighteous . . a bishop negligent . . people without discipline . . subjects without love . vol. . p. , , &c. christians to the number of being assembled in their temple at nicomedia , to celebrate the nativity of christ , and fire being caused to be set to the temple by the order of maximianus , under the tenth persecution , with a cryer , that all that would have life should come out of the temple , and do sacrifice upon the next altar of iupiter . one in the behalf of all the rest answered , they were all christians , and that they would do sacrifice only to christ , his father , and the holy ghost , and that they were all now ready to offer . whereupon they all and the temple were burned . vol. . p. . iohn clardon , a currier of london , was burned only for having english books in his house , which as his enemies said contained heretical opinions , which he owned against the popish party , . year of christ. vol. . p. . iohn clerke of meldon in france , a wool-carder , for saying the pope was antichrist in a bill he set upon the church doors against the pope's pardons , was to be whipt three several times , and each time marked on the forehead with a note of infamy , whose mother being a christian woman , and seeing those things done to her son , courageously emboldened him , crying , blessed be christ , and welcome be these marks . he afterwards removing to metz in lotharing , the night before the people idolatrously , according to their custom , was to go out of town to worship some images , he brake them down ; and the next day the monks and people coming to worship , found their images broken , whereof they suspected this clerke , who being examined confessed the fact , and shewed his reason for it ; whereat the people were enraged , and cut off his right arm , and with pinsers pulled off his nose , arms , and breast , and then burnt him , an. . who patiently endured it , singing , their images be of silver and gold , the work of mens hands . vol. . p. . dr. iohn castellane , a french divine , was degraded and burnt only for religion , in which he continued constant to death , and so patiently underwent it , . that many ignorant people were thereby drawn to the knowledge of the truth , and many weak were greatly confirmed . vol. . p. , , . george carpenter burned in munchen in bavaria , feb. . . whose crimes were , because he held a priest could not forgive sins , nor call god out of heaven , that god was not in the bread in the sacrament , nor that the element of water in baptism did confer grace ; which four articles he refused to recant : and being asked if he was let go if he would not go to his wife and children : he answered , if i was let go , whither should i go rather than to my wife and well-beloved children ? and being told if he would recant he should be set at liberty ; he said , my wife and children are so dearly beloved of me , that they cannot be bought from me for all the riches of the duke of bavaria ; but for the love of my lord god i will willingly forsake them . and being led to the place of execution , he promised a sign of his faith , that while he could open his mouth , he would not cease to call upon the name of iesus ; and being in the fire he cryed aloud , iesus , iesus , and so gave up his spirit joyfully . vol. . p. . one cowbridge burnt at oxford , he was a person distracted , and knew not what he said , and yet burned for an heretick , who in the midst of the flames , lifting up his head to heaven soberly and discreetly called upon the name of the lord jesus christ , and so departed . vol. . p. . roger clarke , a suffolk man , taken at ipswich , and judged . with one kerby , by my lord wentworth ; who , after sentence given , talked with another justice on the bench a good while , to whom clarke said , my lord , speak out , and if you have done any thing contrary to your conscience , ask of god mercy , and we from our hearts do forgive you ; speak not in secret , for ye shall come before a iudge , and then make answer openly , even before him that shall judge all men. he was burn'd at berry , and at stake , kneeled down , and said , my soul doth magnifie the lord , &c. vol. . p. . dirick carver , a beer-brewer in bright-hamsted in sussex , an ancient and pious man , though not understanding a letter of the book , was apprehended for having , with some others , been at prayer in his house ; and after his apprehension he so improved his time in learning , though ancient , that before he suffered , through gods blessing , he could read any english printed book . at the stake in lewis , iuly . . he went into the barrel , having stript himself , and there spake to the people . dear brethren and sisters , witness to you all that i am to seal with my blood christs gospel , because i know it is true ; and because i will not deny gods gospel , and be obedient to mens laws , i here am condemned to dye . dear brethren and sisters , as many as believe on the father , son , and holy ghost unto everlasting life , see ye do the works pertaining to the same ; i ask ye all , whom i have offended , forgiveness , for the lords sake , as i heartily forgive all you who have offended me in thought word and deed . lord have mercy upon me , for unto thee do i commend my soul , and my spirit doth rejoice in thee . and so the fire being kindled , he said , oh lord have mercy upon me , and sprang up in the fire calling on the name of jesus , and so ended . vol. . p. . richard colliar of ashford in kent , being examined and condemned for the gospels sake , as soon as he was condemned he sang a psalm , and was afterwards burnt with five more kentish men , at three stakes in one fire , in august . vol. . p. . tho. cranmer , a gentleman of a family ancient as the conquest , born at arselacton in nottinghamshire , brought up at school , and at cambridge was fellow of iesus colledge , and afterwards one of the heads of the university , used to examine all graduates in divinity , who would not admit any to be batchellors or doctors in divinity , but those who were well read in the scriptures ; whereby he refused many fryars , some of whom by being thereby brought to consult the word of god were converted , and afterwards returned him thanks . this cranmer was afterwards by king hen. . made arch-bishop of canterbury , for his service to him in endeavouring to satisfie his conscience about the divorce of his queen , catherine his first wife , the widow of his late deceased brother : he was of a mild nature , soon reconciled to his enemies , and so ready to do them good that it grew proverbial , do my lord of canterbury a displeasure , and then you may be sure to have him your friend whilst he lives . vol. . p. . he was by many endeavours tempted to recant , and after much resistance did at last recant , chiefly out of a design to compleat an answer against a papish book which he had begun ; but though he subscribed , the papists were ordered to burn him , march . at oxford , by the queen , who had ordered doctor cole to have a funeral sermon in readiness against that day ; and accordingly at the day appointed , the doctor did preach , and cranmer was had to the church not knowing the design ; but as he was perswaded to publish his recantation publickly , and after sermon , when it was expected he should declare his recantation , he with many tears and earnest desires did entreat the people to pray for him to god for pardon of his sins , amongst which , none troubled him more than his subscribing to popery with his hand , which he hated in his heart ; but , saith he , for as much as my hand hath offended , it shall be first punished ; for may i come to the fire , it shall first be burnt ; and so he began to cry against the papists and popery , whereby the papists expectation were frustrated and they grew mad at him , stopping his mouth , and pulling him down , and led him forthwith to the town-ditch to be burnt , where in the fire he put forth his right hand into the flames as soon as they came near him , and held it there till it was burnt , his body being unburnt ; often saying , oh unworthy right hand ; and saying often , lord iesus receive my spirit , he stood immovable in the flames , and dyed march . . vol. . p. , . iohn carter , a weaver of coventry , dyed in the kings-bench a prisoner for the gospel , who expected and desired to have been burnt . in a letter to mr. philpot he writes thus , my friends report me to be more worthy to be burnt than any that was burnt yet , god's blessing on their hearts for their good report , god make me worthy of that dignity , and hasten the time , that i might set forth his glory . he wrote divers letters of encouragement to the persecuted brethren ; and in one letter to his wife he begs , and chargeth her to rejoice with him in this his state of sufferings for christ's sake . vol. . p. . &c. peter chevet : see peter . mrs. gertrude crockhay , wife to mr. robert crockhay at st. katherines by the tower in london , being for the gospel persecuted , fled . to gelderland , beyond sea , to look after some estate that should fall to her children by a former husband : but there also she was betrayed , and came to trouble at antwerp ; where , at the request of her friends , she was set at liberty , and she came for england , where she was infested again by the papists ; and being very sick : they told her daughter , that unless her mother would receive the sacrament she should not be buried with christian burial : who hearing the same , said , oh how happy am i that i shall not rise with them , but against them : the earth is the lords and all the fullness thereof , and therefore i commit the matter to him . soon after she dyed , and was buried in her husbands garden . vol. . p. , . christians to the number of slain in the massacre at paris in france , . which was effected by the french king 's inviting the chief captains of them , and all other that would , to the wedding between the prince of navarre , and the kings sister ; at which being kindly received , some of them after the compleating of that marriage were slain , and all the souldiers in paris charged to be in arms at a watch-word , so that within three days of them were slain , besides many other in the days following in paris , and the persecution in other places in a months time compleated the number of aforesaid ; which news being sent to the pope , he solemnly gave thanks for it as a mercy ; and the french king also did the like ; and the messenger of the news had crowns for his news : but the poor protestants were much troubled , of whom some turned , others fled , and all had been destroyed , had not those in rochel by god's mercy been courageous , and resolved to be stedfast and fight for the faith ; which being known , the french king besiegeth it , and chargeth all his nobles and gentry , on pain of great punishment , to besiege it ; which was done with great vigour by the whole force of france , and also of the duke of anjou , duke of alanson , navarre , and condee , which forces assaulted it seven times and were resisted , so that they lost captains ; and at last the duke of anjou being made king of polony , which news coming to the camp they rejoiced ; whereat the new king treated with them of rochel , and finding them not unconformable , made peace with them , and prevailed with the french king by edict to let them have peace , and the liberty of religion in that and other cities , . vol. . p. , to . d d dorotheus and gorgoneus , persons of dioclesian's privy chamber , seeing the sad torments inflicted on peter their houshold companion , said to dioclesian , why , o emperour , do you punish in peter that opinion which is in all of us ? why is this accounted in him an offence , that we all confess we are of that faith , religion , and iudgment that he is of ? wherefore he commanded them to be brought forth , and to be tormented almost with like pains to peter's , and afterwards to be hanged . vol. . p. , . iohn diazius , a spaniard , was murthered . by his brother alphonsus diazius , who hired a man with an hatchet to cleave his own brother's head , as he was reading some letters , under a pretence sent to him by his brother , who was by when the fact was done , and forth with fled with the murtherer : but he being the popes lawyer , and procuring his companion in rome on purpose to murther his brother being a protestant , escaped punishment . vol. . p. . dennis a french martyr . burnt at melda , for saying the mass is a plain denying of the death of christ ; he was wont to have always in his mouth the words of christ , he that denyeth me before men , him also will i deny before my father , and to muse on the same earnestly . he was burnt with a slow fire , and did abide much torment . vol. . p. . adam damlip , alias george bucker , a great papist , in his travels at rome seeing the great profaneness and impiety of that place , where he expected so much goodness , loathed popery ; and at calice reforming , he preached against it , and was at length sentenced to death . when the news was told him by the jaylor of the marshalsee in london on a saturday night , that on monday he must for calice , and suffer there , he did eat his supper chearfully , insomuch that some asked him how he could do it , being to dye so soon ; to whom he said , ah masters , do you think that i have been god's prisoner so long in the marshalsee , and have not learned to dye ? yes , yes ; and i doubt not but god will strengthen me therein . he was at calice the next saturday following hanged , drawn , and quartered as a traytor , in king henry the eighth's time . and his greatest enemy , who at his death said he would not depart till he did see his heart out , ( one sir ralph ellerken ) was soon after slain amongst others by the french , and his enemies cutting off his privy members , cut his heart out of his body ; which cruelty they did to none other of the company , and may be looked on as a just judgment of god on him , who so desired to see damlip's heart . vol. . p. , . iohn denley , a gentleman of maidstone in kent , burnt for the gospel's sake at uxbridge , august . . who in the flames sang a psalm ; whereat dr. story caused one to throw a faggot at him , which hurting his face did cause him to lay both his hands on it , and to leave singing ; whereupon the doctor said to him that flung the faggot , you have spoiled a good old song ; but mr. denley being yet in the flame put abroad his hands again and sang , yielding up his spirit into the hands of god. vol. . p. . alice driver , a suffolk woman and a labourers wife , persecuted for the gospel of christ , said that quen mary , for her persecuting the saints of god , was like iezebel ; for which she had her ears cut off presently , which she suffered joyfully ; and said , she thought her self happy that she was counted worthy to suffer any thing for the name of christ. being examined by several doctors , she reasoned with them so , and silenced them all . she perceiving which , said , have ye no more to say ? god be thanked you be not able to resist the spirit of god in a poor weak woman : i was never brought up at the university , but often drave the plow before my father ; yet , in the defence of gods truth , and in the cause of my master christ , by his grace i will set foot to foot against any of you in the maintenance of the same ; and if i had a thousand lives , they should all go for the payment of it . she being at stake , and a chain put about her neck to bind her with , she said , here is a goodly neck-kerchief , blessed be god for it . she was burned november . . vol. . p. , , . iohn davis , a school-boy of twelve years of age , was , because he had a bible , and had written some things against the papists , betrayed by his aunt , one mrs. iohnson , in worcester , . with whom he lived ; and he was imprisoned from august . till . days before easter , with fetters and bolts ; and one perswading him from burning , advised him first to try the candle , who holding his finger , and the other holding a candle under it a good space , he cryed not , felt no pain , nor was his finger scorched . he was afterwards arraigned , and should have been punished with death , but that king henry the th . dyed , and the law was thereby out of force . vol. . p. , . e e eulalia , a virgin of noble parentage in eremita , a city in portugal , of twelve years of age , refusing great marriages and dowries , being a christian , joined her self with gods children under the th . persecution ; and being kept close by her parents , lest she should hasten her own death , she by night stole out and ran to the judgment seat , and cryed out , i am a christian , an enemy to your devilish sacrifices ; i spurn your idols all under my feet , i confess god omnipotent with heart and mouth : isis , apollo , venus , what are they ? maximinus himself , what is he ? the one a thing of nought , because the work of mens hands ; and the other a cast-away , because he worshippeth the same work . whereat the judge incens'd , threatned torments , but first perswades her to return and offer incense ; whereat she spits in his face , spurns abroad with her feet the incense ; and then was miserably tormented , scratched and cut to the bones , she singing and praising god , saying , o lord i will not forget thee ! what a pleasure is it , o christ , for them that remember thy triumphant victory , to attain to these high dignities ? and so she was burned . vol. . p. . edmund , king of eastangles , in the saxon heptarchy in brittain , being summoned to submit to inguar , a dane , returned an answer , that he , a christian king , would not , for the love of a temporal life , subject himself to a pagan duke , unless he became a christian first ; whereupon he was taken , and fixt to a stake , and shot to death . vol. . p. . f f fructuosus , bishop of tarraconia in spain , being by emilianus under the eighth persecution , in the year of christ . to be burned , because he would not worship idols , said , he worshipped not any dumb god of stocks and blocks , but one god the creator of all things : and being cast into the fire with his hands tyed behind him , his bands were by the fire dissolved , his hands unhurt , and his body remained whole , and he lifted up his hands and praised god , praying also that the fire might speedily dispatch him ; which then was soon done : in the mean time a souldier in the house of emilianus , with the daughter of emilianus , said they saw the heavens open and the martyr to enter in . vol. . p. . nicholas finchman burned in dornick . who being condemned , blessed god which had counted him worthy to be a witness in the cause of his dear and well beloved son ; and patiently took his death , commending his spirit unto god in the midst of the fire . vol. . p. . iames faber an old man , about the year of christ . being apprehended , said , he could not answer or satisfie them in reasoning , yet he would constantly abide in the truth of the gospel ; and so was martyred . vol. . p. . ioannes filieul , or filiolus , and iulianus leville , suffered both at sanserre in france . who having their tongues cut out , yet had some utterance given them of god , that at their death they said , we bid sin , the flesh , the world and the devil farewel for ever , with whom never we shall have to do hereafter . vol. . p. . fininus at ferraria , an italian , was burnt . who being apprehended , by the perswasion of his friends he recanted , and then was in so great horrour that he almost despaired , till he publickly again preached the gospel ; for which he being again taken , could not by all the solicitations of his wife and children be drawn from it , but told them that his lord had commanded him not to deny him for taking care of his family , wherefore he desired them to depart : and being afterwards commanded by pope iulius the third to be executed , he returned thanks to the messengers of the news , and much rejoiced at it : and being asked what would become of his wife and children , if he so left them : he said he had left them to a good overseer , christ the lord , a faithful keeper of all committed to him . one seeing him so merry before his death , asked the reason , since christ wept and sweat drops of blood before his passion ? to whom he answered , christ sustained in his body all the sorrows and conflicts of hell and death due to us , by whose death we are delivered from sorrow and fear of them all . and at the stake , after his prayers to god , he meekly gave his neck to the cord , with which he was strangled , and was afterwards burned . vol. . p. , . iohn frith burnt at one stake in smithfield . with one andrew hewet , this frith willingly embraced the stake , and whenas one dr. cooke bad the people pray for them no more than for a dog , he said smiling , father forgive them ; and the fire being by the wind more blown to his partner than himself , he , though in so great torments , rejoiced ; and seeming to feel no torments , comforted his fellow-sufferer rather than was careful for himself . vol. . p. , . henry filmer , a preacher of the gospel , in king hen. . days , about windsor , was brought to be burnt by the envy of dr. london , and the false accusations of his own brother , induced to it by promises of maintenance from the doctor : to which brother , filmer ( seeing himself like to suffer by reason of his accusations ) said , ah , brother , what cause hast thou to shew me this unkindness ? i have been always a natural brother to thee ; and is this a brotherly part , to reward me now so ? god forgive thee it my brother , and give thee grace to repent . he suffered with one testwood and anthony persons . as he came to his brothers door , as he was going to suffer ; he called his brother three or four times , but he appeared not : and then filmer said , and will he not come ? then god forgive him , and make him a good man. he being with the other two at the stake , drank to each other ; and filmer said , be merry , for i trust , that after this sharp breakfast , we shall have a good dinner in the kingdom of christ. vol. . p. , . dr. robert farrar , bishop of s. davids in wales , being to be burnt , and much pitied by a knights son , who lamented the painfulness of the death he was to suffer ; to whom ferrar said , if ye see me once stir in the pains of my burning , you shall not believe my doctrine : and as he said , so it was ; for he stood so patiently that he never moved ; but as he stood holding up his stumps , so he continued till he was struck down by a staff , march . . in the reign of queen mary . vol. . p. . william flower , alias branch , a cambridgeshire man , brought up a monk , at last was reformed ; and after removing from place to place , he came to lambeth , by london ; and on an easter-day went to westminster , and in s. margarets church he , out of zeal for gods cause , drew his hanger , and wounded the priest as he was administring the sacrament ; for which he was imprisoned , and though he much lamented the fact as done amiss , yet did he justifie his faith against them . and bishop bonner threatning him one while , and then perswading him by proffers of gifts , he thankt him and said , whereas it was in his power to kill , or not kill his body , he was contented he should do what he pleased ; but he knew over his soul he had no such power , but that being separated from the body is in the hands of no man , but only of god , either to save or spill . at length he was burnt in westminster-abby yard , april . . where his right hand was cut off , he not shewing any sense of pain ; and at last , burning in the fire , he cryed out , o thou son of god have mercy on me , o thou son of god receive my soul ; and dyed by much torment , his lower part being burnt when his upper part was untouched , by reason of want of fuel . vol. . p. , . . elizabeth folkes , an essex maid , being imprisoned and condemned for the gospel , kneeled down and lifting up her hands , prayed to god and praised him that ever she was born to see that most blessed day , that the lord would count her worthy to suffer for the testimony of christ ; and , lord , said she , if it be thy will , forgive them that have done this against me ; for they know not what they do : and going to the stake at colchester , august . . and the people not permitting her to give her petticoat to her mother ( who was present and kist her at the stake , and exhorted her to be strong in the lord ) she threw away the coat , saying , farewel all the world , farewel faith , farewel hope ; and then taking hold of the stake , she said , welcome love. she was burned with five more , who all clapped their hands for joy in the flames . vol. . p. . iohn frith being in the tower as an heretick , because he held against transubstantiation . and being afterwards sent for to croydon by my lord of canterbury , cranmer , in king henry the th's time , the lords men who were sent for him advised him to submit to the bishops and doctors opinion : to whom frith said , my conscience is such , that in any wise i neither may , nor can , for any worldly respect , without danger of damnation , start aside from that true knowledge , though i should presently lose twenty lives if i had so many . the servants , still endeavouring to save him , contrived how he might fly , and so escape ; which they imparted to him : to whom he said , should you leave me , i would surely follow you ; should you bring the bishops news ye had lost frith , i would bring them news i had found him , and brought him again : for , though before i was taken , i being at liberty , fled , to make use of my liberty ; yet i being taken , cannot fly , but run from god , and should then be worthy of a thousand hells . and so he went chearfully to the bishops at croydon , and there disputed the point ; and after was sent to bishop stokesteys , the bishop of london's consistory ; and soon after was burnt . vol. . p. , , . see more of frith p. . of this book . g g germanicus , a young devout man , being by the proconsul of antoninus verus in the th persecution , perswaded to favour himself being in the flower of his age ; he would not be allured , but constantly , and boldly , and of his own accord provoked the beasts to come upon him to devour him , to be delivered the more speedily out of this wretched life . vol. . p. . gordius , a centurion of caesaria , in the th persecution , willingly exiled himself , till a publick feast of mars was celebrated , and much people was assembled ; and then appearing in the theatre , cryed out , i am found of them that sought me not : and being examined by the sheriff , he said , i came hither to publish that i set nothing by your decrees against christian religion , but i profess christ to be my hope and safety : hereupon he was scourged , and he said , it would be an hindrance to him , if he could not suffer divers torments for christ. and having more torments tryed on him , he sang , the lord is my helper , i will not fear the thing that man can do unto me ; i will fear no evil , because thou lord art with me . after this , being with prayers and entreaties dealt with , he derided the madness of the magistrates ; who being thereby incensed , condemned him . and he being much importuned by divers acquaintance to deny christ with tongue , and to keep his conscience to himself ; he said , my tongue , which by the goodness of god i have , cannot be brought to deny the author of it . and to those who wept for him , and by tears importuned him to save himself ; he said , weep not , i pray , for me : but weep for the enemies of god , which always make war against the christians , who prepare for these a fire , and purchase to themselves hell fire ; but molest not , i pray , my setled mind ; truly i am ready to suffer for the name of christ a thousand deaths if need were . vol. . p. . iohn goose in the time of king edward the th , being to be burnt , desired of the sheriff somewhat to eat , and he did eat as if he had been towards no manner of danger , saying , i eat now a good and competent dinner , for i shall pass a little sharp shower ere i go to supper : and having dined , he gave thanks , and desired that he might be shortly led to the place where he should yield up his spirit to god ; and was burned on tower-hill in august . vol. . p. . lawrence ghest , in king henry the seventh's days , being to be burnt at salisbury , and having his wife and seven children shewn him , and his wife desiring him to favour himself , he desired her to be content , and not to be a block in his way , for he was in a good course , running toward the mark of his salvation ; and so he was burned . vol. . p. . galeasius trecius , an italian , burned at aus pompeia in italy . for professing the gospel . he having professed it a while , and then by the perswasion of friends denying it , felt great sorrow , and , as he declared , never greater in all his life ; but recovering by the grace of god , he longed for a time to evidence his return by confession of his faith again , affirming he never felt more joy of heart than when by papists examined , nor more sorrow than when he recanted , declaring that death was much more sweet to him , with the testimony of the truth , than life with the least denyal of the truth and loss of a good conscience : and being imprisoned , he could not be prevailed with to recant , but confirmed his first faith , and burned . vol. . p. , . franciscus gamba , an italian , burn'd at comun . being accused for an heretick , and importuned to recant ; he defended his doctrine by manifest scriptures , and proved his opinions to be the true doctrine of christ , and rather than he would deny them he was ready to stand to the effusion of his blood : and being long and often assailed by his friends to recant , he could not be expugned , but gave thanks to god , that he was made worthy to suffer the rebukes of the world , and civil death for the testimony of his son ; and so went chearfully to death : and when at his death the fryars held a cross before him , he said that his mind was so replenished with joy and comfort in christ , that he needed not them , nor their cross : and declaring many comfortable things to the people , he was strangled and burned . vol. . p. . garret , a great promoter of christianity in oxford , was at last iuly . . by gardner bishop of winchester to be burnt , who professing his faith , and detesting all heresies , beg'd pardon of god for his sins , and of all persons whom he had offended : he resigned up his soul to god , whom he believed would through christ save him , and pardon his sins , and desired the persons present to pray for him ; and dyed christianly with barus and hierom. vol. . p. . william gardiner , born at bristow , and there dealing in merchandise under one mr. paget a merchant , at years of age sailed to spain , but by chance the ship arrived at lisborne the chief city of portugal , where he stayed and merchandised , and learning their tongue , he acted for many english merchants , and had much knowledge in scripture and the reformed religion : and being there , and happening to be at the solemnizing of a marriage between the king of portugal's son , and the king of spain's daughter , and beholding great pomp and greater idolatry acted by the kings , and all the assembly's adoring the mass , praying , kneeling and worshipping the external sacrament , he was much troubled , and could he have got near the altar would have interrupted them ; but being hindred by the throng of the people , he was very sorrowful for his neglect of that opportunity to declare against their idolatry , which neglect he much lamented , and contrived how to redeem it ; to effect which he cast up all his accounts , and bad adieu to worldly concerns ; and giving himself to reading , meditating , fasting , weeping , and praying : he being cleanly drest the next sunday , when the like solemnity was to be done , he gat to the altar betimes , and there stood with a testament in his hand till the cardinal came to solemnize it , and till he consecrated , sacrificed , and lifted up on high the host , shewing his god to the people , who with the kings and nobles gave great reverence to it ; and at last , when the cardinal came to begin to toss it to and fro round the chalice , making several circles , this gardner stept in , and with one hand took the cake and trod it under foot , and with the other hand overthrew the chalice , in the presence of the kings , and the nobles and citizens , which abashed them all ; and one cut him with a sword , but the king commanded he should be saved ; and being examined , he confessed himself to be an english-man and a protestant , and decryed much against their idolatry ; for which after several torments to cause him to confess others , he taking all the blame on himself , they put a hard roul of linen with a string into his throat , and so often pulled that up , and then cut of his right hand , which he took in his left and kist , then in the market-place they cut off his left hand , and he kneeling down kissed it , then was he carried to execution , and being hung on high a fire was made under him , and he by degrees let down into it , so that only his legs at first felt the fire , yet would he not recant ; and being bid to pray to saints , he said , that when christ leaves off to be our mediator and advocate , then he would pray to our lady and the saints . and then he prayed , o eternal god , father of all mercies ; i beseech thee look down upon thy servant . and the more terribly he burnt , the more vehemently he prayed ; which his enemies desiring to hinder , he said the . psalm ; before the close of which , the rope was burnt asunder , and he fell down into the fire , and was burned to death , . whose death was not unpunished , for among the king of portugal's ships ready to sail , being in a haven hard by , one was burnt by a spark of fire blown from the martyrs fire ; and within half a year the kings son dyed ; and the king himself within a year . vol. . p. , , , . robert glover was apprehended to be burnt at coventry , being very sickly in prison , said , he found daily amendment of body , and increase of peace in conscience ; many consolations from god , and sometimes , as it were , a taste and a glimmering of the life to come : but he was much assaulted by satan , from his unworthiness , to do or suffer for christ. which objection he answered from gods mercies , and the unworthiness of like servants in all ages , who have been accepted . yet , three days before he was burnt , he had a sad dulness of spirit , and was desolate of all spiritual comfort ; against which he prayed much , and earnestly ; but yet finding no ease , nor comfort , he told it to his friend , one austin , who advised him to wait god's time for the manifestation of himself , and to continue stedfast in the faith and willing to suffer ; knowing his cause to be right , not doubting but god in his due time would replenish his heart with spiritual joy ; requesting him to shew it by some token , if he felt any such thing : and as he went to burning , as soon as he came in sight of the stake ▪ he cryed out , being suddenly full of comfort , clapping his hands together , austin , he is come , he is come ; with so great joy and alacrity , as if he had been one risen from some deadly danger , to liberty of life ; and so dyed chearfully in september , . vol. . p. , . bartlet green , a londoner , brought up at oxford ; converted from popery by peter martyr , reader of divinity in oxford ; and afterwards he was student in the temple , and at twenty five years of age , ianuary . . he was burnt , with six others , for the gospel of christ. he often repeated , as he went to the stake , and at the stake , this distich . christe deus sine te spes est mihi nulla salutis , te duce vera sequor , te duce falsa nego . in english thus . o christ my god , sure hope of health , besides thee i have none ; the truth i love , and falshood hate , by thee my guide alone . vol. . p. . he wrote to one in a letter , thus : man of woman is born in travel , to live in misery ; man , through christ , doth dye in joy , and live in felicity : he is born to dye , and dyes to live ; whilst here he displeased god , when dead he fulfilled his will. vol. . p. . charles le roy de gand , once a fryar carmelite , but reformed , had a canonship promised him by the magistrate , if he would but yield a little : to which , he said , you proffer me a canonship , that i might live quietly , and be in security ; but know , sir , that rest is no true rest , which is obtained against peace of conscience ; and so he was burned at bruges , april . . addit . to vol . of massacre of france , p. . h h john husse , a bohemian , was burned . about iuly , by the council of constance ; where he often desired to be heard , to clear himself of the errours they impeached him of , and could not . then he requesting their proving by scripture any errour he held , they would not ; but , because he held wicklif's doctrine they degraded him , and left him to the secular power , to sigismund king of the romans ; by whom he was condemned , and burned , and all this cruelty against a safe conduct , sealed by the emperour , and promised by the council . when he was to be burned he prayed often , and especially for his enemies ; and after the kindling of the fire he sang aloud , iesus christ , the son of the living god , have mercy upon me . vol. . p. , . richard hunn burned in smithfield , december . . sixteen days after he was privately murdered by the papists . vol. . p. . mr. hierom was condemned in king henry the th's time , . by bishop gardner , bishop of winchester ; and at the stake he confessed his faith , and exhorted all persons to duties to god and man , considering what price christ paid for us ; and exciting them to bear their cross with christ , considering his example of patience under sufferings ; and at last prayed them to pray for him , that he , barns , and garret , who were all three together burnt , might have their souls , leaving these wretched bodies , constantly depart in the true faith of christ ; and so , committing his soul to christ , he dyed . these three , which at this fire were burnt together , took each other by the hand ; and kissing each other , quietly , and peaceably , offered themselves to the tormentors hands ; and took their deaths christianly , and patiently . vol. . p. , . mr. iohn hooper , student in oxford , flying , in king henry the th's time , beyond sea , because of persecution for the six articles ; was at zurick acquainted with mr. bullinger , and married a burgonian woman : but , in king edward the th's days , he returned , and did promise his friends they should hear from him : though , saith he , the last news of me i shall not be able to write ; for there , saith he , where i shall take most pains , there shall you hear of me to be burnt to ashes : which prophesie came to effect : he preached at london often twice a day , but alwayes once a day : he was , in his sermons , earnest ; in his tongue , eloquent ; in scriptures , perfect ; in pains , indefatigable ; he was spare of dyet , sparest of words , and sparest of time . he was , by king edward the th , made bishop of glocester and worcester ; in both which diocesses he preached at , and visited them : and , at worcester , his manner was every day to have a certain number of poor beggars of the town dine in his pallace with whole and wholsome meat , four at a mess ; whom he examined , or caused to be examined , in the lords prayer , creed , and ten commandments , before himself sate down to dinner . he was with one iohn rogers the two first that were condemned in queen mary's days : to which rogers bishop hooper said , brother rogers , must we two begin first to fry these faggots ? fear not but god will give us strength . he suffered amongst his people , at glocester ; where sir anthony kingston , his old friend , did desire him to accept of life , and not dye ; saying , life is sweet , and death bitter : to whom bishop hooper answered , true , but eternal death is more bitter , and eternal life most sweet ; in respect of which , i value not this life . vol. . p. , , . he was after that perswaded much , but he said , death to me for christ's sake is welcome . at the fire a box was set on a stool before him with the queens pardon ( as it was said ) if he would turn ; but he cryed , if ye love my sonl away with it , if ye love my soul away with it : he was prohibited to speak to the people , and permitted only to pray : he begged of the sheriffs for a speedy fire to dispatch him ; but when he was to be burnt , what through the wetness of the wood and greatness of the frude , three fires one after another were made before he was consumed ; in the first fire he prayed mildly , as one without pain , lord iesus thou son of david have mercy on me , and receive my soul. after the second fire was spent he wiped both eyes , and looking on the people , beg'd for gods sake more fire : and in the third fire he cryed out , lord iesus receive my spirit , lord iesus have mercy on me ; and so spoke no more , continuing motion of his lips , till they shrank to his gums ; and beating his breast with his hands till one arm fell off , and the other by fat , water , and blood , stuck to the iron , by which he was fastned to the stake ; and so he dyed . vol. . p. . in a letter he wrote out of prison to divers friends , he undervalues the worldly joyes and troubles , in comparison of hells misery , or heavens glory ; and exhorts them to constancy , thus : it was an easie thing to hold with god and christ , whilst the prince and world held with him ; but now the world hateth him , it is the true tryal who be his : let us not run when it is most time to fight ; none shall be crowned , but them that fight manfully : beware of beholding the worlds felicity , or misery , too much ; whose love , or fear , draweth from god : think the felicity of the world good , but yet no otherwise than stands with gods favour : it is to be kept , yet so as we lose not god ; of adversity , judge the same : imprisonment is painful , yet liberty , on evil terms , worse : i must be alone , and solitary ; yet that is better , and to have god with us , than to enjoy the company of the wicked : loss of goods is great , but loss of gods favour greater : i shall dye by the hands of cruel men ; but he is blessed that loseth a life full of misery , and findeth a life full of eternal ioyes : neither felicity , or misery , in the world , can be great , if compared with joys , or pains , in the world to come . vol. . p. , . in another letter he exhorts the godly to meet often , and pray and confer together of their ignorance , before their knowledge of god ; and their state , by their knowledge of god in his word ; and to compare their popish principles with gods word , being careful to do all things for three ends ; gods glory , the churches edification , and their souls profit . p. , . in another letter , exhorting to patience under the cross , he saith , that our enemies cruelty hath no further power than god permits , and what comes to us by the will of our heavenly father , can be no harm , but felicity to us . we , as men , suffer these evils ; but as christians we overcome them , nor can they separate betwen gods love and us ; they can but last our short life , and then must give way to our partaking of eternal joyes . vol. . p. . nothing can hurt us that is taken from us for gods cause , nor can any thing do us good that is kept against gods commandment ; let us surrender goods and life to his will , and then it matters not whether we keep or lose it . vol. . p. . william hunter , an apprence to one thomas taylor , a silk-weaver in london , fled at nineteen years old for religion's sake , to burntwood , to his fathers house ; and being at burntwood , in the church , found a bible , and did read in it , till a sumner came in and threatned him for it , telling him he was an heretick and deserved death ; and called one thomas wood vicar of southwel ( being then in the town ) to him , who said to hunter , he ought not to read , and that he was an heretick ; and threatned him much . to whom hunter said , i would you and i were now fast tyed to a stake , to prove whether you , or i , would stand strongest to our faith ; i dare set my foot to yours , even to death . yet being thus threatned , whilst the vicar went to inform , he fled into the country ; but his father was sent for , and forced to go and seek him , and to bring him into his enemies hands : who , much against his natural affection and will , rode two or three days into the country to seek him . and his son , meeting him , did conjecture the cause of his fathers journey ; and said , he would return with him and save him harmless , whatever came of it : and as soon as he came home he was laid in the stocks , and had before one justice brown ; who soon sent him to bishop bonner , who a while flattered the young man ; but at last , seeing he would not recant , threatned to make him sure enough : to whom william said , you can do no more than god will permit you , i will never recant while i live , god willing : then was he imprisoned for three quarters of a year , and allowed but a halfpenny a day , and at length condemned : to whom , after condemnation , bonner said , if he would turn he would make him freeman of the city , and give him forty pound to set up with ; or else would make him steward of his house : to wom william hunter said , i thank you for your offers , yet if you cannot perswade my conscience by scripture , i cannot find in my heart to turn from god for the love of the world ; for i count all things but dung and loss , in respect of the love of christ. when he came to burntwood to be burnt , his parents came to him , and desired of god heartily that he might continue to the end in that good way he had begun ; and his mother said , she was glad she was so happy to bear such a child that could find in his heart to lose his life for christ's sake : to whom william hunter said , for my little pain which i shall suffer , which is but short , christ hath promised me a crown of joy ; may you not be glad of that mother ? who answered , yea , i think thee as well bestowed as any child i ever did bear ; and prayed to god to strengthen him to the end . he was burnt march . . as he went to the stake he met his father , who said to him , god be with thee my son william : and he answered , god be with you my good father ; be of good comfort , for i hope we shall meet again when we shall be merry . and , taking up a faggot , he kneeled down and prayed , and read the . psalm , and then went to the stake , standing upright , begging the people to pray for him and to dispatch him quickly : he still had his pardon offered , if he would recant ; but he refused . at his request for the peoples prayers , one justice brown said , he would pray no more for him , than for a dog. to whom william hunter said , you now have , sir , what you sought for ; i pray god it be not laid to your charge , howbeit i forgive you . and soon after he prayed , son of god , shine on me ; and immediately the sun in the element shone out of a dark cloud so full in his face , that he was forced to turn away his head ; whereat the people mused , because it was so dark a day a little time before . then william hunter took and embraced a faggot in his arms , and when the fire was kindled , he lift up his hands to heaven , and said , lord , lord , lord , receive my spirit , and so dyed . vol. . p. , to . thomas hawks , an essex gentleman , being threatned by bishop bonner if he would not recant , said always , ye shall do no more than god will give you leave ; and at last at his condemnation being urged to recant , he said , no , had i an hundred bodies i would suffer them all to be torn in pieces , rather than recant . as he went to execution , iune . . being desired by his friends that he would shew them some sign in the flames , if he could , whereby they might know more certainly , whether the pain of the burning was so great that a man might not therein keep his mind quiet ; which he promised to do , and that if the pain was tolerable he would lift up his hands towards heaven before he gave up the ghost : and being at stake , he mildly and patiently addressed himself to the fire , and after he had been in the fire , his fingers burnt and gone , and skin so drawn together , that all men thought he had been dead , he suddenly reached up his hands burning of a light fire over his head , to the living god , and with great rejoicing as seemed struck or clapped them three times together , and then sinking down into the fire he gave up his spirit . he wrote to his wife and children to fear and serve god , and to continue fervent in prayer , for then god would provide for them better than he was able to do ever ; yea , saith he , god will cause all men that fear him to pity you , to help you , to succour you in all your necessities ; so that if any would do you wrong , he will be avenged on him . vol. . p. . iohn hullier , fellow of kings colledge in cambridge , was burnt for the gospel ; who being degraded said chearfully , this is the joyfullest day that ever i saw , and i thank you all that ye have delivered me from all this paltry . he was burned on iesus green in cambridge ; he said he dyed in the right faith , and desired the people to take notice that he dyed in a just cause , and for the testimony of the truth : and feeling the fire , he called earnestly on god ; and many books being burnt with him , he gat one which was cast into the fire , and fell into his arms , and was a communion-book , which he did read in till the flame and smoke hindred him from seeing : and then laying the book next his heart he prayed again : and when all the people thought he had been dead , he suddenly said , lord iesus receive my spirit , dying very meekly : and after his flesh was burnt his bones stood upright , as if he had been alive . vol. . p. , . thomas hudson , a glover , of ailsham in norfolk , an ignorant person till he learned the english tongue , about one or two years before the reign of queen mary ; and then he detested the mass and popish idolatry , and became a zealous protestant , reading , praying , singing psalms ; and being sought for , he prayed , if it was gods will , he might suffer persecution for the gospel of christ : and when persons came to apprehend him , he said , welcome friends , welcome ; you are they that shall lead me to life in christ : and so he went with them . and being by bishop hopton ( then bishop of norwich ) his commissary berry , asked to recant , he said , god forbid , i had rather dye many deaths , than do so . then was he sent to norwich to the bishop , and went as merrily as ever he was ; and was burned with two more , may . . and being bound with them to the stake by a chain , he not feeling the joyes of christ , came from under the chain , being troubled in mind , and fell down and prayed earnestly to god , who hearing him , and restoring to him comfort , he arose and went to the stake again , saying , now i am strong , and pass not what men can do unto me . vol. . p. , . roger holland , son to a lancashire gentleman , and apprentice to a merchant-taylor in london , a zealous man ; to whom this roger was a great trouble , being a debauched lad , and a great papist , yet did he trust him with his accounts ; but it hapned one night that roger lost thirty pound at dice , and not being able to pay it , resolved next morning to go to france , or flanders ; but acquainted his fellow-servant , a maid , whose name was elizabeth , a woman of great christian profession and practice ; to whom he gave a bill to give his master for the thirty pound , that his master might not acquaint his friends with it ; and that if ever he was worth it , he would pay it to his master : and so he going to leave the house , the maid , having money by her , brought him thirty pound , and gave him ; saying , i will take the bill my self , and conceal the thing from your friends , and my master ; and you may have this thirty pound to pay my master , on condition that you will throw away your popish books and read the bible , and attend all christian lectures ; nor more swear , curse , drink , whore , nor play : but if you do those things again , and i know of it , i will then tell my master of the business . but in half a years space roger was so reformed , and so zealous a protestant , that he was admired by his associates : and going into lancashire to his friends , he was , by his books he carried , and by his discourse , instrumental , that his father and his friends began to try the truth of god , and to hate popery . and at his return to london his father gave him fifty pound to set up with ; and then he paid the maid elizabeth her thirty pound , and soon after married her ; and they lived heavenly together , till he was apprehended for the gospels sake , and by bishop bonner persecuted ; to whom he openly told the impurity of their principles , the corrupt tendency of their confessions from his own practice , who cared not what sin he used to commit so long as he was a papist , since the popish priest would , for money , absolve him . and when he was condemned , he told bishop bonner , that his cruelty should be but short , nor after that day should he burn any more : which came so to pass . at the stake , he said , lord , i humbly thank thy majesty that thou hast called me from the state of death to the light of thy heavenly word , and now into the fellowship of saints , that i may sing and say , holy , holy , holy , lord god of hosts ; lord , into thy hands i commend my spirit : lord , bless these thy people , and save them from idolatry : and so praising god he dyed in the flames , with two more , in smithfield , iuly . . vol. . p. . to . bartholomew hector , burnt at turin in piedmont , iune . . being bound to the stake , and gunpowder and brimstone placed about him , he lifted up his eyes to heaven , and said , lord , how sweet and welcome are these to me ? addition to vol. . concerning massacres in france , p. . philibert hamelin , a minister in tournay , being perswaded to fly , said , no , i esteem it altogether unbeseeming for a man called to preach the gospel to others to run away for fear of danger , but rather to maintain its truth even in the midst of the flaming fire : and he was executed . at tournay . additions to vol. . of massacres of france . p. . iohn herwin , a souldier of flanders , of very dissolute prophane life ; but coming over to england was , by means of a beer-brewer in london ( with whom he was a servant ) converted , and became a zealous protestant , and a pious liver . and afterwards , returning to flanders , he was apprehended for the gospel , and imprisoned ; which he took patiently , and chearfully : and in prison he sang psalms , and testified his inward joy by a letter to the brethren , whom he exhorted to persevere constant in the faith. after sentence of death he blessed god for that honour to dye for christ ; and being led out to execution , he said , see how the wicked world rewards the poor servants of christ. whilst i gave my self to drinking , carding , dicing , and such like vices ; i was let alone , and accounted a good-fellow ; and who but i ? and no sooner began i to look after a godly life , but the world wars on me , imprisons me , persecutes me , and will put me to death . at the stake he sang the . psalm ; and said to the people , i am now going to be sacrificed , follow ye me , when god of his goodness shall call you to it . he was burned at honscot , november . . additions to the . vol. concerning massacre in france and flanders . p. . i i james , the son of zebedee , and brother of iohn , brought by a person to the tribunal seat of herod , and condemned ; the person seeing he should now suffer death , being moved therewith in heart and conscience , did confess himself , of his own accord , a christian ; and as he and iames were led together , he desired iames to forgive him what he had done : after that iames had a little paused with himself upon the matter , turning to him , peace ( saith he ) be to thee brother , and kissed him ; and both were beheaded together , anno christi . vol. . p. . iames , the brother of our lord , who was bishop of ierusalem ; called , for his holiness , iames the just , had knees like camels knees by praying ; being by the iews set upon the pinacle of the temple to give testimony concerning ( as they expected against ) jesus , he declared jesus to be the christ : whereupon the iews threw him down , and he not being dead , they came to stone him ; who turned on his knees and prayed , saying , o lord god , father , i beseech thee forgive them , for they know not what they do : yet they stoned him , and at last , with a fullers instrument , struck him on the head , and he dyed . vol. . p. , . iohn the evangelist was banished into pathmos the . year of christ ; and after the death of domitian was recalled by pertinax the emperour ; and being returned to ephesus , he was desired to resort to the adjacent places to appoint bishops : where he committed a comely ingenuous young man to the bishop of the place , to be by him kept with great diligence ; in witness hereof , christ and his church : which young man the bishop received , and with diligence brought up , baptized , and at length committed to him a cure in the lords behalf . the young man now having his liberty , through the corruptness of his companions , became dissolute , a thief , and a murderer , yea , the captain of them : and s. iohn being sent for again into those parts , demanded of the bishop , the charge committed to him ; who said , he was dead to god , and become an evil man , a thief frequenting this mountain : whereat s. iohn rent his cloaths , and said , i have left a good keeper of my brother's soul : and got him a horse and presently fell into the company of the thieves , and was designedly taken , desiring to be brought to their captain who was well armed , yet beginning to know s. iohn , fled ; but when recalled by s. iohn , he threw down his arms and became truly penitent , and was received into church again . after this , s. iohn going to bathe himself , and seeing cerinthus the heretick in the bath , would not go in lest the bath should fall on them . vol. . p. , . ignatius was given to be devoured of wild beasts the . year of christ ; when he was going to the lions , he said , oh , would to god i were come to the beasts prepared for me , which i wish with gaping mouths were ready to come upon me ; whom i will provoke , that they may without delay devour me . i esteem nothing visible or invisible , so i may get or obtain christ ; let the fire , gallows , devouring of beasts , breaking of bones , pulling asunder of members , bruising , or pressing , my whole body , and the torments of the devil , or hell it self come upon me , so that i may win christ : and when he heard the lions roaring , he said , i am the wheat , or grain , of christ ; i shall be ground with the teeth of wild beasts , that i may be found pure bread. vol. . p. . iustin martyr was a profound philosopher , and became a christian by seeing the constancy of their sufferings ; whence he gathered they could not endure carnality or vice , who could thus easily lay down their lives ; and being a christian , he wrote divers apologies in their behalf , and prevailed not a little for their good ; and was at last martyred , soon after polycarpus , in the th persecution ; he dyed chearfully , and with honour . vol. . p. . , . iulitta being spoiled of her goods by the emperours officer under the th persecution ; and complaining to the emperour , that so she might have her goods again , the officer pleaded her to be a christian , and therefore not to have her goods ; which being proved , and owned , she was sentenced to lose goods and life : whereupon she said , farewel life , welcome death ; farewel riches , welcome poverty : all that i have , were it a thousand times more than it is , would i lose , rather than speak blasphemy against god my creator . i yield thee thanks most hearty , o god , for this great gift of grace , that i can despise this transitory world , preferring christianity above all treasures . and whenever she was examined , she said , she was a servant of christ , and did detest their idolatry . and as she past to the fire , she exhorted the women thus , o sisters , stick not to travel after true piety , cease to accuse feminine frailty ; are not we created of the same mould with men , and made after gods image as well as they ? god used not flesh only in creating woman to declare her weakness ; but bone also , in token that she must be strong in the living god ; all false gods for saking , constant in faith , and patient in adversity : wax weary of your lives my sisters led in darkness , and love my christ , my god , my redeemer : perswade your selves there is a future state , wherein the worshippers of idols shall be perpetually tormented , and the servants of the high god crowned eternally . with which words she embraced the fire . vol. . p. , . ierome of prage , a bohemian , burnt . being condemned , and to be crowned with a paper mitre painted with red devils ; he willingly received it , saying , he would wear that for christs sake , who wore a crown of thorns for him . and going to execution he sung psalms , and prayed ; and after the fire was kindled , he said , o lord god father almighty , have mercy upon me , and be merciful unto mine offences ; for thou knowest how sincerely i have loved thy truth . and so the fire consumed him ; whose ashes , as also the ashes of iohn husse , were gathered up and cast into the river rheine . vol. . p. , . ioris of aschen in flanders , hanged on a gibbit for the gospel , . being condemned , wrote to his parents ; he said , comfortable news , namely , that in all my life i never saw one day so pleasing to me as this is , in which the lord hath counted me worthy to be one of his champions to suffer for his holy name ; for which i give him most humble thanks . — i do take my last farewel of you , till we meet in heaven ; be not grieved , i pray you , but be patient ; for the affliction which is befallen me is most acceptable to me ; for which i bless and praise god. additions to vol. . concerning massacre in flanders . p. , . k k leonard keyser , of bavaria , was , for maintaining justification by faith , degraded and to be burned ; who as he went to execution spake and said : o lord jesus ! remain with me , sustain me and help me , and give me force and power . and when the wood was fit to be set on fire , he cry'd with a loud voice , o jesus ! i am thine , have mercy upon me and save me ; and so was burned august . . vol. . pag. , . kerby , a suffolk man , being apprehended at ipswich . was to be condemned ; and one mr. wingfield much perswading him to accept of mercy and not burn , he said ; ah m. wingfield , be at my burning , and you will say , there stands a christian souldier in the fire ; for i know that fire , water , sword , and all things are in the hand of god , who will suffer no more to be laid upon me than he will give me strength to bear . being condemned , he said , praised be almighty god ; and at the fire he shew'd himself a christian , and died calling upon god , and holding up his hands . vol. . pag. . l l lucius hearing ptolomeus unjustly condemned by urbicius , in the th persecution , reproved the judge , who said to lucius , methinks thou art a christian ? which being granted by lucius , the judge forthwith condemned him to be had away to the place of execution : whereupon lucius said , i thank you with all my heart that you release me from most wicked governours , and send me to my most good and loving father , who is the king of gods . vol. . p. . laurence a deacon of xystus bishop of rome , seeing him going to be martyred , earnestly desired to die with him , and cry'd out to him , saying ; oh dear father ! whither goest thou without the company of thy dear son ? hast thou proved me unnatural ? now try whether thou hast chosen a faithful minister or no ? grant that the body of thy scholar may be sacrificed , whose mind thou hast beautified with good letters . to whom xystus said , he should follow him after dayes . and when this laurence was to be persecuted , he being as deacon , treasurer of the church , and commanded by his persecutors to produce the treasure , caused a number of poor people to come together , and said ; these were the church's riches in whom christ dwells . whereat the persecutors raged , and caused the fire to be kindled , and he was laid on a hot burning iron-bed , or grid-iron , and held down with hot forks , who said to the tyrant : this side is roasted enough , turn up o tyrant that , assay whether roasted or raw thou thinkest the better meat . this was done under the th persecution , vol. . pag. , . simon laloe burned at dyon in france . shew'd such faith and constancy , that his executioner , iames silvester , seeing it , was so compuncted with repentance , and fell into such despair , that they had much adoe with all their promises of the gospel to recover any comfort in him ; at last through christ's mercy he was comforted and converted , and he with his family removed to geneva . vol. . pag. . iohn lambert being much examined concerning the sacrament , and released by reason of the death of archbishop warham , was at last by the malice of stephen gardiner bishop of winchester brought before king henry the viii . and many nobles , and ten bishops caused to dispute him . and against reason by popish instigation the king was perswaded to condemn him ; and he was burned in smithfield , who was very chearful the day of his sufferings ; and when in the fire his legs were burned to the stumps , the tormentors withdrew the fire , so that a small fire and coals were left under him , and two persecutors ran their halberts into him ; then he lifting up that hand he had with fingers flaming cry'd out , none but christ ! none but christ ! and so being let down from their halberts fell into the fire , and died . vol. . pag. . iohn lacels servant to king henry viii . was burnt with mrs. anne askew about iune . who in a letter against transubstantiation , subscribed himself thus , iohn lacels late servant to the king , and now i trust to serve the everlasting king with the testimony of my blood in smithfield . vol. . pag. . iohn lawrence burnt at colchester march . . he was so badly used in prison that he could not go to the stake , but was carried in a chair and burnt sitting . whilst he was burning the young children came about the fire and cry'd as well as they could speak , saying : lord strengthen thy servant , and keep thy promise : lord strengthen thy servant , and keep thy promise . vol. . pag. . hugh lawrence , a kentish man , being august . . examined by the bishop of dover , dr. thornton and dr. harpsfield , stood constantly against popery ; being required to subscribe to their articles , he took a pen and writ , ye are all of antichrist , and him ye fol. intending to write as appears , follow ; but was prevented , condemned and burned with more kentish men at stakes in one fire . vol. . p. . hugh latimer writing to bishop ridley , saith , pray for me , for sometimes i am so fearful that i would creep into a mouse-hole , sometimes god doth visit me again with his comfort ; so he cometh and goeth to teach me to fell and to know my infirmity . vol. . p. . he was a leicester-shire man , and went to cambridge at years of age ; he was a zealous papist , till by gods will and mr. bilney's endeavours he was converted , and then he became a zealous protestant , p. . and openly preached against popery in cambridge , and other places , for which he was imprisoned , p. , . yet was he by god long preserved , and by the lord cromwell in king henry the th's days made bishop of worcester , p. . but some years after he lost his bishoprick , because he would not comply to the six articles ; and when his rotchet was pulled off , he leaped for joy of being lightned of so great a burden as his bishops office ; he was usually studying both summer and winter by two of the clock in the morning , p. . he was a great prophet , foretelling most plagues that came on england , and used to say his preaching the gospel would cost him his life , as it also did ; he prayed earnestly and often , so that being aged he could not get up again from his knees ; in his prayer he much and earnestly desired the restoring the gospel again to england , which god granted in a short time by queen elizabeth ; he also beg'd that as god had called him to be a minister of the gospel , he might have grace to stand for it to death , and to give his hearts blood for it ; which god answered and effected ; for at the stake in the greatest extremity he lifted up his eyes to heaven , and with an amiable countenance said , god is faithful who hath promised not to suffer us to be tempted above our strength ; and by and by fire breaking his body the blood of his heart was shed for christ , in such abundance , that the standers by did marvel , as if all the blood of his body was gathered to his heart . p. . the bishops according to custom presenting the king each new-years-day with a gift , he being bishop of worcester , whilst others presented gold , silver , &c. presented king henry the th with a new testament with a napkin having this poesie , whoremongers and adulterers god will judge , pag. . he being at the stake in his shirt , to be burned in oxford with bishop ridley , the executioner brought a faggot kindled with fire and laid it at ridley's feet , to whom latimer said , be of good comfort mr. ridley , and play the man , we shall light such a candle this day by gods grace in england , as i trust shall never be put out ; and in the flame he cryed , oh father of heaven receive my soul ; receiving the flames , as it were embracing them , he soon dyed feeling little or no pain . vol. . p. . hugh laverock , a lame man of years of age , going on crutches , and one apprice a blind man were burned , . by bishop bonners command ; and at the stake this laverock the cripple threw away his crutches , and turning to apprice did comfort him saying , be of good comfort , my brother , for my lord of london is our good physician , he will heal us both shortly , thee of thy blindness , and me of my lameness . and so they both suffered . vol. . p. . mrs. ioice lewis , a gentlewoman of manceter , was burnt for the gospel in queen maries days ; who was at first in her days a great papist , till the burning of one laurence saunders by the papists for the mass , which put her upon an enquiry into it ; and she consulting some persons about it , declined it , nor would frequent mass ; for which she was punished , and at last condemned : and when in the morning before she suffered , the sheriff told her of it , after one years imprisonment , giving her but one hours time to prepare for it ; she said , your message is welcome to me ; and i thank god that he will make me worthy to adventure my life in his quarrel . going to the stake she prayed against popist idolatry , and drank to all them that truly believed the gospel : in the fire she neither struggled nor stirred , but only held up her hands to heaven , and so dyed soon . vol. . p. . mrs. elizabeth lawson , an ancient gentlewoman of years of age of bedfield in suffolk , was sent to berry goal . because she would not go to mass , and at last she was condemned to be burnt : she continued in prison two years and three quarters , in which time her son and many more were burnt , and she hearing of it , said often , good lord what is the cause that i may not yet come to thee with thy children ? well good lord , thy blessed will be done , and not mine . but by the death of queen mary she was delivered . vol. . p. . m m martyrs to the number of at carthage under the th persecution , being offered near lime-kills , either to offer incense to iupiter , or to go into the furnace of lime , did all together rush into the kill , and were there , with the dusty smoak of the lime , smothered . vol. . p. . a mother exhorted her child of seven years of age , suffering under the th persecution , to suffer joyfully ; and while it was tormenting and slaying , she sang to god thus , all laud and praise with heart and voice , o lord we yield to thee ; to whom the death of all thy saints we know most dear to be . vol. . p. . mary . see ursula . michael michfote , a taylor in france , burned . being apprehended for the gospel's sake , and put to his choice whether he would turn and be beheaded , or not turn and be burnt ; he said , god who had given him grace not to deny the truth , would also give him patience to abide the fire ; and so he was burned . vol. . p. . lodovicus marsac , being with two others , at lyons in france , apprehended and condemned . they all sang psalms ; and the other two having a rope put about their necks , and he having not one , did desire that he might have one of those precious chains about his neck , in honour of his lord ; which request was granted , and they all three were cast into the fire . vol. . p. . martyrs murthered at calabria in italy , . whom the executioner , bringing out one by one with a muster , on a stage before the people , took a knife and slew , by cutting the throat , of one , and leaving him half dead , bleeding , went for another ; and so served every one till the were murthered ; which sight amazed the people , and shamed even some of the romanists . vol. . p. . . walter mille , a scotch man , . was condemned to be burnt ; whom the popish party could neither affright with threats , nor allure with proposals ; but he said to them , i am accused of my life , i know i must dye once , and therefore ye shall know i will not recant the truth : i am corn , not chaff ; i will not be blown away with the wind , nor burst with the flail , but will abide both : and at the stake , the bishops being constrained by the people to give him liberty to speak , he made his humble supplication to god on his knees ; and then said to the people , dear friends , i suffer this day not for any crime laid to my charge ( albeit i be a miserable sinner before god ) but only for the defence of the faith of christ iesus ; for which i praise god that he hath this day called me , of his mercy , amongst the rest of his servants , the martyrs , to seal up his truth with my life ; which as i received on him , so i willingly offer it to his glory ; and so he dyed : and was the last martyr that dyed in scotland for religion . vol. . p. . george marsh , of deane in lancashire , married , and was a farmer ; but after his wife's death he went to cambridge to study , and was a minister of gods word , and zealous against popery , for which he was imprisoned : his mother , and divers other friends , advised him to fly : to whose counsel , saith he , my flesh would gladly have consented , but my spirit did not fully agree . whereupon he prayed earnestly to god for direction , and unexpectedly in the morning he had a letter from a friend , whose bearer said to him , before he looked on the letter , that his friends advice was , not to flee , but to abide boldly and confess the name of christ ; which he did . he was many wayes , and much sollicited to turn upon the account of his children : whom , he said , he would gladly keep , could it be with a pure conscience ; and he would have accepted of queen mary's mercy , should he not thereby , by denying christ , win everlasting misery . he was burned april . . with a firkin of pitch over his head ; which melting and dropping on him , added much to his torments ; yet after much misery when they thought him to be dead , he spread his hands , saying , father of heaven have mercy upon me , and so he dyed . vol. . p. . menas , an egyptian , under the th persecution , lived a retired life a great while ; at length returning to the city cotis , in the open theatre , at a time of pastimes , he loudly proclaimed himself a christian ; and being brought to pyrrhus the president , and demanded of his faith , he said , it is convenient i should confess god , citing rom. . . and being most painfully pinched and tormented , he said in the midst of his torments , there is nothing in my mind that can be compared to the price of one soul ; and said , i have learned of my lord and king , not to fear them who kill the body , and have no power to kill the soul. and being sentenced to be beheaded , he said , i give thee thanks my lord god , which hast so accepted me to be found a partaker of thy precious death ; and hast not given me to be devoured of my fierce enemies , but hast made me to remain constant in thy pure faith to my life's end . vol. . p. , . n n saintinus nivet , being a cripple , burnt at paris . when apprehended and asked if he would stand to what he said , he asked his judges if they dare be so bold to deny what was so plain in express words of scripture , and did so little regard his own life , that he desired his judges for gods sake , that they would rather take care of their own souls and lives , and consider how much innocent blood they spilled daily , in fighting against christ and his gospel . he suffered at paris . vol. . p. . noblemen , and others , of alsatia , were burned and martyred the . year of christ , under pope henricus . for holding every day was free for eating flesh , so it be done soberly ; and that they did wickedly who restrained priests from their lawful wives . vol. . pag. . iohn noyes , a shoe-maker of laxfield in suffolk , burned . in september , when he came to the place of execution he kneeled down and sang the th psalm ; and being bound at the stake , he said , fear not them that kill the body , but fear him that can kill both body and soul , and cast it into everlasting fire : and seeing his sister weeping , he desired her not to weep for him , but for her sins . having a faggot thrown at him , he kissed it , and said , blessed be the time that ever i was born to come to this . and in the fire he said , lord have mercy upon me , christ have mercy upon me , son of david have mercy upon me . he wrote a letter to his wife containing nothing but consolation from texts of scripture , and bidding her farewell , he desired his wife and children to leave worldly care , and see that they were diligent to pray . vol. . p. , , . nichaise of tombe , born in tournay , martyred for the gospel , being condemned , he said , praised be god. at the stake he said , lord they have hated me without a cause ; and prayed thus , eternal father ! have pity and compassion on me , according as thou hast promised to all that ask the same of thee in thy sons name . and so he continued praying until his last gasp . additions to vol. . of the massacre in france and flanders . p. . o o origen at years old wrote to his father leonides , to encourage him to suffer martyrdom under the fifth persecution , began the . year of christ. he wrote about volumes , as much as notaries and as many women could pen. vol. . p. . cicely ormes , wife of edward ormes a worsted-weaver in norwich , was burnt september . . at norwich . she was an ignorant simple woman , yet zealous in the lord's cause ; and being threatned by the chancellor of norwich , she said , he should not be so desirous of her sinful flesh , as she would by god's grace be content to give it in so good a quarrel . being condemned , at the stake she pray'd and repeated her faith , and then said to the people : i would not have you think that i believe to be saved in that i offer my self here unto death for christ 's cause ; but i believe to be saved by the death of christ 's passion , and this my death is and shall be a witness of my faith unto you all : good people , as many as believe of you , i pray you pray for me . and then she coming to the stake , she kissed it , and said : welcome sweet cross of christ ; and so was bound to it : and in the fire she said ; my soul doth magnifie the lord , and my spirit hath rejoyced in god my saviour ; and so she yielded up her life . vol. . p. . robert oguier , of the city lile in flanders , his wife and two sons bardicon and martin were apprehended . and first the father and bardicon suffer'd , who upon examination confessed their faith ; and bardicon being apprehended , as he went , said : o lord assist us with thy grace , not onely to be prisoners for thy sake , but so as to seal with our bloods thy truth : and told the emperor's commissioners the tenour of their prayers ( in their meetings ) for god's glory , and the empires and emperors felicity . and then he and his father submitted themselves to the judges ( while martin his brother chose to accompany his mother , who was still detained in prison . ) and these two were by their judges condemned to be burnt , which sentence being past , they returned to prison , rejoycing that the lord had honoured them to enroll them amongst the number of martyrs . the day of execution being told them , they blessed god who delivering their bodies out of prison , would receive their souls into his kingdom . the father being advised to pity his soul , said : you see what pity i have of it , when for the name of christ i willingly abandon my body to the fire , hoping to day to be with him in paradise . at the stake he and his son sang the . psalm ; and being chained , the son said to his father ; be of good comfort , the worst will be past by and by : and often repeated these words ; o god , father everlasting , accept the sacrifice of our bodys for thy wel-beloved son jesus christ 's sake : and lifting his eyes to heaven , he spoke to his father , saying ; o father ! behold i see the heavens open , and millions of angels ready to receive us , rejoycing to see us thus witnessing our truth in the view of the world. father , let us be glad and rejoyce , for the joyes of heaven are set before us . fire being kindled , he oft repeated to his father thus , yet a little while , and we shall enter into the heavenly mansions ; and their last words were , jesus christ thou son of god into thy hands we commend our spirits . and within dayes the mother iane oguier and martin her son , were brought forth ; but in prison iane by the papists , was perswaded to recant , and to endeavour her son's return to popery ; who hearing of it , said to her ; oh mother , what have you done ? have you denyed him that redeemed you ? what evil hath he done you , that you should requite him with so great an injury ? ah , good god! that i should live to see this day , which pierceth my heart . and his mother hearing his words , and seeing his tears , began to renew her strength in the lord , and with tears cry'd , father of mercies be merciful to me , miserable sinner , and cover my transgressions under the righteousness of thy blessed son. lord enable me to stand to my first confession , and to abide stedfast in it to my last breath : and when the papists came to her again , she said ; avoid satan , get thee behind me ; for hence forth thou hast neither part nor portion in me , i will by the help of my god stand to my confession , and if i may not sign it with ink , i will seal it with my blood. and so she and her son were condemned to be burnt , and their ashes to be cast into air ; who rejoyced at the sentence , and accounted it a day of triumph over their enemies ; and martin being profer'd an hundred pound if he would recant , said , he would not lose an eternal kingdom for it . addition to vol. . of massacres of france pag. . to . p p philip the apostle , after he had much laboured amongst the barbarous nations , in preaching the word of salvation to them , at length he suffer'd in hierapolis a city of phrygia , being there crucified and stoned to death ; where also he was buried , and his daughters with him . vol. . pag. , . peter the apostle , being to be crucified under domitius nero , would be crucified with his head downwards , and his feet upwards ; because he said he was unworthy to be crucified after the same manner and form as the lord was . vol. . pag. . as he was a crucifying , he , seeing his wife going to her martyrdom , was greatly joyous and glad thereof , and spake to her with a loud voice , called her by her name , and bidding her remember the lord iesus . vol. . p. . polycarpus , three dayes before he was apprehended saw in a vision his bed on fire , and consumed ; and when he awaked he told them with him , how that he should die in the fire for christ : and when he was pursued , having removed once or twice , and might still have fled , he would not , but said ; the will of god be done : and came down to his pursuers as soon as he heard they were come , and spake to them with a chearful voice and a pleasant countenance , and caused the table to be spread , and they to dine with him ; and begg'd of them an hours time for prayer : which he made so , as the hearers thereof were astonished and sorry they had pursued him : and going to the place of execution , in an uproar of the people , when he could not be heard , there came a voice to him from heaven , saying : be of good chear , polycarp , and play the man. many heard the voice , but none was seen to speak . and after this , polycarp being advised by the proconsul to defie christ , he said ; years have i been his servant , and in all this time he hath not so much as hurt me ; how then can i speak evil of my king and soveraign lord who hath thus preserved me . being to be fixed to the stake , he would not ; but said , god who had given him strength to suffer , would give him power to abide , and not stir in the midst of the fire . so he stood , and thank'd god that he should now become a martyr ; and though the fire was kindled , yet could it not burn his body , but the wind kept it off ; and when the persecutors saw that , they order'd his body to be thrust thorow with a sword ; and so much blood issued out as quenched the fire . he suffered the . year of christ , about ianuary . and was martyred in his own church at smyrna . vol. . p. , , . ptolomeus being demanded , whether he was a christian , declared that he had taught and professed the verity of the christian doctrine ; for whoso denyeth to be what he is , either condemneth in denying the thing that he is , or maketh himself unworthy of that , the confession whereof he flyeth ; which thing is never found in a true and sincere christian. he was condemned to suffer . vol. . p. . ioannes pistorius , one of holland , preaching and speaking against the masses and other popish abuses , was committed to prison with ten other malefactors , whom he comforted ; and to one of them , being half naked , he gave his own gown : he was condemned and degraded , and had a fools coat put on him ; his fellows at his death sang te deum : and he coming to the stake gave his neck willingly to the band , saying , o death , where is thy victory ? . vol. . p. . stephen peloquine , burnt at ville france in france , . being half burnt , ceased not to hold up his hands , and call on the lord , to the admiration of people . vol. . p. . mrs. philips , a gentlewoman of paris , . being apprehended and condemned for the gospel's sake , received it couragiously ; and being to be distongued , she said , shall i , who do not stick to give my body , stick to give my tongue ? and being distongued , though she was in mourning for her husband , a lord of that country , then late deceased ; she laid aside her mourning , and on the day of execution she decked her self in her best aray , as if she was going to another marriage ; nor did she alter her colour or countenance , during her suffering . vol. . p. . anthony persons , a great preacher of the gospel in king henry the th's days , . and was , by dr. london , condemned ; who answering to his indictment , said , so long as i preached up the pope and his superstition , so long ye favoured me ; but since i took on me to preach christ , ye have alwayes sought my life ; but it makes no matter , for when ye have taken your pleasure on my body , i trust it shall not be in your power to hurt my soul. he , with one testwood , and filmer , were condemned to suffer : and the night before they suffered they spent almost wholly in prayers for strength under the cross , and comforting one another that their master christ who had led the way before them , and had so far made them worthy to suffer for his sake , would give them stedfast faith and power to overcome these fiery torments ; and of his free mercy , for his promise sake , receive their souls . praying that god would forgive their enemies and turn their hearts , which out of blindness and ignorance had done they knew not what . this persons afterwards coming to the stake , did embrace it , saying , now welcome mine own sweet wife ; for this day shall thou and i be married together in the love and peace of god. vol. . p. , , . iohn philpot , a knights son of hampshire , brought up at oxford ; a great scholar , and a zealous preacher , who in king edward the th's days was arch-deacon of winchester ; and in queen mary's days , with a few others , opposed popery , and stood in the vindication of the gospel in the convocation-house at london , against all the other prelates called by the queen to determine of religion . vol. . p. . being apprehended and examined by bishop bonner , and told that the next day he should be judged , he said , i am glad hereof , i look for no other but death at your hands , and i am as ready to yield my life in christ's cause as you are to require it . p. . and being in discourse with dr. story , he said , i am sure i have the iudge on my side , who shall justifie me in another world ; and however you now unrighteously do judge me , yet sure i am , in another world , to judge you : and after , when dr. story hastned his death , and said to philpot , he came to hasten it ; which he came to tell him , he said , that he might thank no body else for it : to whom philpot answered , i thank you with all my heart , and i pray god forgive you . and going again to prison , meeting with bishop bonner , who proffered him any pleasure he could shew him , he only requested this pleasure , that his lordship would hasten his judgment , and dispatch him out of this miserable world to his eternal rest , p. . at last he being condemned , and having word of it the night before , to be ready next morning to be burnt , he said , i am ready , god grant me strength and a joyful resurrection : and so retiring to his chamber , he prayed and praised god , that he had made him worthy to suffer for his truth . in the morning , coming to smithfield where he was burnt , he kneeled down at the entrance into it , and said , i will pay my vows in thee , o smithfield ! and then coming to the stake he kist it , saying ▪ shall i disdain to suffer at the stake , seeing my redeemer did not refuse to suffer on his cross for me : and then he said the , , . psalms ; and was burnt december . . his letters were many and pious , comforting the penitent sinners : from , . examples of penitents . . god can pardon more than we can sin , and will pardon him who with hope of mercy is sorry for his sin . . god permits his people to see the evil of their sins , and to sorrow for it , to let them experience his superabounding grace : he brings to hell , that with greater joy he might lift up to heaven . . satan's conflict in you tempting , and your strife against sin , is an evidence you are the child of god , whom he may unawares cause to fall by sin , but he shall never overcome ; for god doth it but to try your faith , and he beholds your resistance , is pleased with it , and will never forsake you : the just falls times a day , but yet he riseth again . . rejoyce therein , in that your temptation and sorrow shall add to your glory . pag. . in divers letters he much exhorts to martyrdom ; and in one to the lady vane , he thus writes : the world wonders we can be merry in such extreme misery , but our god is omnipotent who turns misery into felicity . believe me , dear sister , there is no such joy in the world , as the people of god have under the cross : i speak by experience , therefore believe me , and fear nothing that the world can do ; for when they imprison our bodies , they set at liberty our souls ; when they kill us , they bring us to everlasting life : and what greater glory can there be than to be at conformity with christ , which afflictions do work in us . pag. . in another he writes to her , he saith ; i that am under the cross have felt more true joy and consolation in it than ever i did by any benefit that god hath given me in all my life before ; for the more the world hates , the nigher god is unto us , and there is no joy but in god. pag. . in another to that lady , he writes thus : we have cause to be glad of the times of persecution as to our selves ; for if we be imprisoned , we are blessed ; if we lose all we have , we are blessed a hundred times ; if we die , we are blessed eternally : so that in suffering persecution all is full of blessings . vol. . pag. . agnes potten , an ipswich woman , burnt with ioan trunchfield in q. mary's dayes . they being undressed for the fire , with comfortable words of scripture exhorted people to constancy against popery ; and so continuing in the torment of the fire , they held up their hands and called on god constantly , so long as life endured . vol. . p. . iulius palmer , born at coventry , and student and fellow of magdalen colledge in oxford , who in king edward the sixth's dayes was a great papist , for which he was expelled the colledge , till queen mary's time , when he was received again to his fellowship ; and about years of age by scriptures , and peter martyr's books , and calvin's institutions , god so wrought that he became a zealous protestant , nor would be revoked from it , declaring the pope to be antichrist ; whereupon for his safety he left the colledge , and went to reding to teach a school , where in a short time by false pretended friends he was betray'd and forced to fly . and he thinking to receive some legacy due to him by his father's will , went to his mother in this his need , and begging her blessing on his knees , she saluted him thus ; you shall have christ 's curse and my curse where ever you go : to which words of his mother , he said , being amazed at the salutation : your curse , o mother , you may give me , which ( god knows ) i have not deserved ; but god's curse you cannot give me , for he hath already blessed me . then she said , you went out of god's blessing into the warm sun , when you went from your religion ; for i am sure you believe not as i and your father , and our fore-fathers believed , but art an heretique : and know your father bequeathed nothing for heretiques : as for money and goods , i have none for you ; faggots i have to burn you ; more you get not at my hands . to whom he answer'd , i am no heretick , but do embrace a religion as old as christ and his apostles ; and though you curse me , yet i pray god bless you : and so softly spoke to her , that she threw after him an old angel to keep him honest . so he went away from his mother , going privately to reding again , to gather up some money due to him , where he was basely betray'd , and brought to examination , and was condemned ; and about one hour before his execution , he comforts himself and two others who suffer'd with him , with christ's words , mat. . , , . and by these sayings ; be of good chear in the lord ; faint not we shall not end our lives in the fire , but make a change for a better life ; yea , for coals we shall receive pearls . and in the fire they three lifted up their hands , and quietly and chearfully as if feeling no pain , they cry'd , lord jesus strengthen us , lord jesus assist us , lord jesus receive our souls : and so called on iesus till they dyed , being burnt at newbury iuly . . vol. . pag. to . one prest's wife of exeter , being a protestant , but seeming to be a simple ignorant woman , left her husband and children , because they were papists , and went up and down to work for her living ; and being taken and examined , she said , in the cause of christ and his truth , she must either forsake christ or her husband ; i am content to stick only to christ my heavenly spouse ; and renounce the other ; whom i left not for whoredom , theft , or the like , but because they by their superstition and idolatry persecuted me , rebuked and troubled me , when i would have had them leave their idolatry . the doctors further talking with her , she said : you do but trouble my conscience ; you will have me follow your doings , but i will first lose my life ; i pray depart . she openly reproved and argued against their idolatry , and that they went about to damn souls by their doctrine , and perswading them to idolatry . she seemed to be a very simple woman , yet could she rehearse many places in scripture . and when ( she being condemned ) was desired to ask pardon , because she was an unlearned woman , not able to answer in such high matters ; she said , i am not indeed able to answer in such high matters , yet with my death am i content to be a witness of christ 's death . and being again proffer'd a pardon if she would recant , she said ; nay , that i will not ; god forbid i should lose life eternal for this carnal and short life ; i will never turn from my heavenly husband to my earthly ; from the fellowship of angels to my mortal children : and if my husband and children be faithful , i am theirs . god is my father , god is my mother , god is my brother , god is my sister , my kinsman , my friend most faithful . and at the stake she continued crying , lord , be merciful to me a sinner . vol. . p. , . peter chevet , burnt at maubert near paris march . . being threatned to suffer , he said ; truly i do not think to escape your hands ; and though ye scorch and roast me alive , yet will i never renounce my christ. being asked by the official , if he would not be absolved , he said , it is a question , oh poor man ! whether thou canst save thy self ; and wilt thou take upon thee to save others ? who being thereat angry , threatned him with longer imprisonment ; to whom the martyr said ; alas ! alas ! though i should rot in prison , yet shall you find me still the same man. and at the stake , having his cloaths pull'd off , he said : how happy , how happy , oh how happy am i ? with eyes lift up to heaven ; and so he died . additions to vol. . concerning massacre in france , pag. . r r romanus , a great encourager of the christians in antioch , when they were persecuted in the th persecution , was himself by galerius , then emperour , called out , apprehended , and sentenced to all the torments the christians should have undergone , who said , o emperour , i joyfully accept of thy sentence , i refuse not to be sacrificed for my brethren ; and that by as cruel a means as thou may'st invent : then he was scourged , and under the lashes he sang psalms , and laughed to scorn the heathens gods ; affirming the christian's god to be the only true god , before whose judicial seat all nations should appear : then was his side launched till the bones appeared ; yet he still preached christ , and exhorted them to adore the living god ; then were his teeth knockt out , his eye-lids torn , his face cut ; and he said , i thank thee that thou hast opened to me many mouths whereby i may preach my lord and saviour iesus christ ; look how many mouths i have , so many mouths i have lauding and praising god. after that he was brought to new wounds and stripes , and distongued ; who still spake and said , he that speaketh christ shall never want a tongue . at length he was had to prison , and there strangled . when some pleaded he was of noble parentage , and it was not lawful to put such a one to an un-noble death ; he said , he required them not to spare him for nobility-sake ; for , said he , not the blood of my progenitors , but chrstian profession maketh me noble . vol. . p. , . iohn rogers , a cambridge scholar , and chaplain to the merchants of brabant beyond sea , where he was acquainted with mr. tindal , and helped him and mr. coverdale in the translation of the bible ; he threw off the yoak of popery , and becoming a protestant , he married and went to live at wittenberg in saxony , vol. . p. . and there learning the dutch tongue , he had a congregation committed to his charge , where he staid till king edward the th's time ; and then being orderly called , came into england and preached there , and was by bishop ridley made prebend of paul's ; but in queen mary's days he suffered much , and was burned feb. . . he was the first that suffered in queen mary's days ; he prophesied of rome's downfall , and that e're long in england true gospel ordinances should be again restored , and the poor people of england should be brought to as good , or a better state : his wife , and ten children that could go , and one at her breast , met him going to burn ; but he was not moved , but continued constant , and suffered . vol. . p. , . bishop ridley , born in northumberlandshire , had his education in newcastle , was master of pembroke-hall in cambridge , vol. . p. . then chaplain to king henry the th , who made him bishop of rochester ; and in king edward the th's days he was made bishop of london . he preached every sunday , and holyday , in some place or other , if not hindred by great affairs : he was kind and affable , one that presently forgave injuries ; and was wont to tell his relations , that if they acted evil , he should esteem them as strangers to him ; and they who did honestly , should be to him as brothers and sisters . as soon as he was ready each morning , he alwayes prayed for half an hour , and then spent most part of the day and night in study , he not going to bed usually till eleven of the clock , and then praying . he did read every day a lecture in his family , gave every one of his family a new testament , and hired them to learn several chapters , especially the . of the acts. he being advised , by one that was his chaplain formerly , to consult others , and to turn papist , he said , i would have you know that i esteem nothing available for me , which also will not further the glory of god. vol. . p. . he being condemned at oxford , was kept close prisoner in mr. irish , the major's house ; where he being at supper the night before he was to suffer , he was very merry , and invited the guests at the table to his wedding next day ; for to morrow , saith he , i shall be married ; which the major's wife hearing , wept ; to whom he said , you love me not now i see , for i perceive you will not be at my wedding , nor are contented with my marriage ; but quiet your self , though my breakfast be sharp and painful , yet i am sure my supper shall be more pleasant and sweet . vol. . p. . and at the stake , he suffering with mr. latimer , he chearfully ran to him , embraced him , kissed him , and said , be of good chear brother , for god will either asswage the fury of the flames , or else strengthen us to abide it : and then he went to the stake and kissed it , and prayed effectually . being stript into his shirt , he held up his hands , and said , o heavenly father , i give thee most hearty thanks that thou hast called me to be a professor of thee , even to death . and fire being kindled , he often said , into thy hands o lord , i commend my spirit ; lord , lord , receive my spirit : but through the badness of the fire he burned on one side , and below on the legs , a great while , and yet his upper parts were not burned , so that he leaped under the faggots ; and calling to the lord for mercy , did call on the persons by to let the fire come to him , for he could not burn , he said ; and shewed them one side clean shirt , and all untouched , whole , and the other burnt . p. , . he writing to his friends , and taking leave of them , desires them not to be astonished at the manner of his sufferings ; and said , i assure you i esteem it the greatest honour that ever i was called to in my life ; and i thank my lord heartily for it , that he hath called me to the high favour to suffer death willingly for his sake , which is an inestimable gift of god ; therefore , o ye that love me , rejoice , and rejoice again , with me ; and render , with me , thanks to god that hath called me to this dignity . vol. . p. . could queen mary have been entreated for bishop ridley , or could his life have been purchased , the lord dacres in the north , his kinsman , would have given her marks , or pounds , rather than he should have been burned . vol. . p. . iohn rabec , burned at aniers in france , april . . had his tongue cut out , because he would not pronounce iesus maria , joining them both in one prayer ; and being urged thereto with great threats , he said , if his tongue should but offer to do so , he would himself bite it asunder . additions to vol. . concerning french massacre , p. . anthony ricetto , a martyr at venice , . being , by his son of twelve years of age , perswaded to recant , that he might not be fatherless ; said to his child , a good christian is bound to forego goods , children , yea life it self , for the maintenance of god's honour and glory : and so he was drowned , having an iron hoop about him , and to a chain fastned to that hoop a great weight fastned ; and so carryed in a wherry into the sea : where being laid on a board , and that board laid cross on two wherries , the wherries removing he fell into the sea ; which was the manner of the venetians punishing their martyrs . additions to vol. . p. . s s sanctus , being under the fourth persecution grievously tormented ; and by the tormentors asked , what he was , answered nothing , but said he was a christian : and notwithstanding his being scorched by hot plates in the tenderest parts of the body , so that his body lost the shape of a man ; yet he never shrank : and declared , that nothing was terrible or ought to be feared where the love of god is , and nothing grievous wherein the glory of christ is manifested . and when he was again punished , though his body was so misfigured before his second punishment , yet now was it reduced to its first shape of a man , and suppled in all its contracted parts . soon after he was again tormented , and set in an hot iron-chair ; nor yet would he confess any thing but that he was a christian : and after this , being made a sad spectacle to the people , he was beheaded . vol. . p. . , . souldiers , being put to their choice by the marshal of the camp by diocletian's order under the tenth persecution , whether they would sacrifice to idols at the emperours command , or lay aside their offices and weapons : they unanimously answered , they were ready not only to lay down their weapons , but their lives also if by the emperour's tyranny required , rather than they would obey the wicked decrees of him . vol. . p. . simeon archbishop of seleucia , being by sapores king of persia , under the tenth persecution , called and examined , confessed himself to be a christan : and being demanded , why he kneeled not before the king as he used to do , he said , that before he observed what the custom of the realm did require of him ; but now it is not lawful , for i come to stand in defence of our religion and doctrine . he was beheaded . vol. . pag. , . see usthazares in the latter part of this book . henry sutphen monk , an associate of luthers . converted breme , and being sent for after two years time to deithmar to preach amongst those great idolaters , he at last went , designing only to lay the foundation of a reformation , and so to return to breme , to satisfie the importunity of his friends . he being at breme , the monks and friars conspire against him , and consult his destruction ; accordingly they sent minatory letters to the inhabitants at deithmar , and also to their parish priest , who had received him : but sutphen's ananswer was , that being called by them to preach the gospel , he would do it ; and if it pleased god he should lose his life at deithmar ; there was as near a way to heaven as in any other place : for he doubted not at all that once he must suffer for the gospels sake . upon this courage he preached divers times , and popish priests were sent to supplant him , and to trap him in his sermons ; many of whom were converted by them , and did declare them to be agreeable to the word of god. after this many ways were used to destroy him ; and at last the franciscan friars conspired with some presidents of the country to kill him , before the inhabitants of the town of deithmar should know of it , or before his cause were try'd , not permitting him to speak to them for himself , lest ( as they said ) he should perswade them to be hereticks : whereupon the presidents assembled husbandmen , to whom ( when met together ) they imparted the business ; who detesting it would not do it , but would have returned home ; but were forced to obedience by the threats of their governour ; who to fit them for the work , gave them three barrels of hamborough beer , and then about midnight they came to deithmar to the priest's , and first wofully abused him , and then trained sutphen out of bed naked , and tying his hands behind him , forced him on so fast that his feet were much wounded by the ice ; whereof he complaining and desiring a horse , they said he should go on foot whether he would or no : and in the morning after much misery by him suffered , without any examination they condemned him to be burnt ; and accordingly they bound him hands , neck and feet , and brought him to the fire , which was not oftner kindled than it went out , nor could they make the wood burn . as he passed by to the fire , a woman , seeing the sad usage of him , wept bitterly : to whom he did reply , weep not , i pray , for me . and at the fire , being condemned , he said ; i have done no such thing as they accuse me of : and holding up his hands , he said ; o lord , forgive them , for they offend ignorantly , not knowing what they do . in the mean time , a certain woman offer'd to suffer stripes , and to give them much money , so they would but keep him in prison till he had pleaded his cause ; but they were the more enraged , and threw down and trod upon the woman . and seeing the fire would not burn sutphen , they smote him with their hands , and prick'd and struck him with divers weapons , and then bound him to a ladder by the neck to strangle him , so strait and hard that the blood gushed out of his nose and mouth ; the doer of it treading upon his breast the while , not permitting him to prate or pray ; and being tyed to a ladder , one iohn holmes ran to him , and struck him with a mace till he was dead . vol. . pag. , , , , . mr. peter spengler of schalt , in the countrey of brisgois . a vigilant preacher and a peaceable good man , often reconciling differences with great prudence , and much lamenting the corruptness of principles and practises of the popish monks , and especially their vow of single life and its consequents , which moved him to marry ; for which crime chiefly he was afterwards apprehended , and condemned to die : and being led to execution , he answer'd all persons gently , but desir'd the monks to let him alone , who troubled him with their babling about confession , when he was striving in his spirit against the horror of death , and making his prayer to god , to whom he said also that he had confessed his sins to god , not doubting but he had received absolution and forgiveness of them . and i , said he , shall be an acceptable sacrifice to my saviour jesus christ ; for i have done no such things whereof i am condemned , which might displease my god , who in this behalf hath given me a good and quiet conscience : saying also , he being very lean , it is all one , for i must shortly have forsaken my skin , which scarce cleaves to my bones : i know i am a mortal and corruptible worm ; i have oft desired my last day , and have made my request that i might be delivered out of this mortal body to be joyned with my saviour jesus christ. i have deserved through my sins my cross , and my saviour hath born the cross ; and for my part i will not glory in any other thing but in the cross of christ. presently he was cast into the river ; he strugling a while in it , the water was red with blood , which the people looked to be a miraculous sign to shew that innocent blood was that day shed . this was done at enshesheim . vol. . p. , . wolfgangus schuch , a german , at st. hyppolite . a town in lotharing ; a reverend and godly pastor , there preached he justification through christ by faith. he was apprehended willingly , offering himself to tryal by scripture , rather than to see the town of st. hyppolite be exposed to the danger threatn'd to it by anthony duke of lorrain for his sake ; and being apprehended , he was imprisoned in sad misery a year , where disputing with divers friars he confounded them all by scripture . at last he was condemned to be burnt ; at which sentence he sang , and being at the place of execution , he sang the . psalm till smoke and fire choak'd him . vol. . pag. . george scherler , a german preacher near saltzburg , was taken and imprisoned and condemned to be burnt alive ; but at last it was granted he should be first beheaded . he going to his death , said , that ye may know that i die a true christian , i will give you a manifest sign : which he did by god's power ; for after his head was off his body , falling on his belly , and so lying a good while , it easily turn'd it self on the back , and crossed the right foot over the left , and the right hand over the left ; at which sight the spectators marvelled , and the magigistrates burned not but buried the body amongst the christians ; and many were hereby brought to believe the gospel . vol. . p. . peter serre , was burned . in france ; who having his tongue cut out stood so quiet looking up to heaven at the time of his burning , as though he had felt no pain , bringing such admiration to the people , that one of the parliament of france that condemned him , said , that way was not best to bring lutherans to the fire , for that would do more hurt than good . vol. . p. . mrs. smith near coventry , condemned and burnt for having the lord's prayer in english , april . . vol. . p. . hellen stirk , a scottish woman , seeing her husband go to the stake . for christ's cause , and being her self condemned , did desire to suffer with her husband ; but when it was not permitted , she went to him and exhorted him to perseverance , and with a kiss parted , saying ; husband , rejoyce , for we have lived many a joyful day together ; but this day in which we must die together ought to be most joyful unto us both , because we must have joy for ever ; therefore i will not bid you good night , for we shall suddenly meet with joy in the kingdom of heaven . and after that , she parting with her sucking child from her breast , recommended her self to god and the child to nurse , and so was drowned . vol. . pag. , . laurence saunders , brought up at eaton , and then at king's colledge in cambridge three years ; then by his mother , having a great estate , was bound apprentice in london to a merchant , sir william chester ; but he not liking his apprentiship , his master gave him his indentures , perceiving his inclinations to study ; and being himself a good man , he wrote letters to his mother and friends ( who were great persons ) about it : whereby he went again to king's colledge , and after several years was a minister in leicestershire , and then in london till queen mary's dayes , when he had two livings , not being permitted to lay down either of them by reason of the troubles ; and as well as he could he preached at both , though at length at london he going to preach was disswaded for fear of danger , but he would not cease : and preaching , he did ( as he often had ) speak against popish tenets , for which he was examined by bishop bonner , and gardiner ; and at last imprisoned , he prayed much ; and in all spiritual assaults , he prayed and found present relief ; and he said , while bishop gardiner examined him , he found a great consolation in spirit , and also in body he received a certain taste of the communion of saints , whilst a pleasant refreshing issued from all parts of his body to his heart , and thence did ebb and flow to and fro . he in a letter to bishop gardiner , proved popery a whoreish and ravening religion , robbing god of his honour and worship in truth ; and also our consciences of peace and true comfort . he disswaded his wife and friends from sueing for his liberty : he , in his letters , spoke much of his own experience through god's grace , of christ's sweetness ; and how loath his flesh was to go forward in god's path , and also his hopes with the godly to be shortly singing halelujah in heaven ; and as he saluted those to whom he wrote with grace and mercy and peace , and assured them of his prayers for them , so also he generally begg'd their prayers , ending his letters with pray , pray , pray ; and after months imprisonment he was condemned , who said , my dear lord iesus christ hath begun to me a more bitter cup than mine can be , and shall not i pledge my most sweet saviour ? yes i hope . as he went to stake he oft fell down and prayed ; and at the stake he took it in his arms and kissed it , saying , welcome the cross of christ , welcome everlasting life ; and so being fastned , was burned with green wood to make his torments greater ; yet he stood quietly , and slept sweetly in the fire . vol. . p. . to . robert smith burnt , . at uxbridge , august ; who being at the stake , comforted the people , willing them to think well of his cause , and not doubt but that his body dying in that quarrel should rise again to life : and i doubt not , said he , but god will shew some token thereof : at length , being near half burnt , and cluster'd together on a lump like a black coal ; all men thinking him to be dead , he suddenly rose upright , lifting up his stumps of his arms , claping them together as a token of rejoicing ; and then bending down again he dyed . in a letter to his wife , he writes thus , if ye will meet with me again , forsake not christ for any pain . vol. . p. , . he wrote this exhortation to his children . give ear my children to my words , whom god hath dearly bought ; lay up my law within your heart , and print it in your thought : for i , your father , have foreseen the frail and filthy way , which flesh and blood would follow fain , even to their own decay ; for all and every living beast their crib do know full well ; but adam's heirs above the rest are ready to rebell : and all the creatures on the earth full well can keep their way , but man , above all other beasts , is apt to go astray ; for earth and ashes is his strength , his glory , and his reign ; and unto ashes , at the length , he shall return again : for flesh doth flourish like the flower , and grow up like a grass ; and is consumed in an hour , as it is brought to pass , in me the image of your years , your treasure , and your trust ; whom ye do see , before your face , dissolved into dust : for as you see your father's flesh converted into clay , even so shall ye , my children dear , consume and wear away . the sun and moon , and eke the stars , that serve the day and night ; the earth , and every earthly thing , shall be consumed quite ; and all the worship that is wrought , that have been heard or seen , shall clean consume and come to nought , as it had never been : therefore that ye may follow me , your father and your friend ; and enter into that same life which never shall have end . i leave you here a little book for you to look upon , that ye may see your father's face when i am dead and gone ; who for the hope of heavenly things , while he did here remain , gave over all his golden years in prison and in pain ; where i , among mine iron bonds enclosed in the dark , not many dayes before my death , did dedicate this work to you , mine heirs of earthly things which i have left behind , that ye may read and understand , and keep it in your mind ; that as you have been heirs of that which once shall wear away , even so ye may possess the part which never shall decay ; in following of your father's foot , in truth , and eke in love ; that ye may also be his heirs for evermore above : and in example to your youth , to whom i wish all good ; i preach you here a perfect faith , and seal it with my blood : have god alwayes before your eyes in all your whole intents , commit not sin in any wise , keep his commandements ; abhor that arrant whore of rome , and all her blasphemies ; and drink not of her decretals , nor yet of her decrees : give honour to your mother dear , remember well her pain ; and recompense her in her age in like with love again : be alwayes aiding at her hand , and let her not decay ; remember well your father's fall , that should have been her stay . give of your portion to the poor , as riches do arise ; and from the needy naked soul turn not away your eyes : for he that will not hear the cry of such as stand in need , shall cry himself , and not be heard , when he would hope to speed . if god hath given great increase , and blessed well your store ; remember ye are put in trust to minister the more . beware of foul and filthy lust , let whoredom have no place ; keep clean your vessels in the lord , that he may you embrace : ye are the temples of the lord , for ye are dearly bought ; and they who do defile the same shall surely come to nought . possess not pride in any case , build not your nests too high ; but have alwayes before your face that you were born to dye . defraud not him that hired is your labour to sustain , but give him alwayes , out of hand , his penny for his pain : and as ye would that other men against you should proceed , do ye the same again to them when they do stand in need : and part your portion with the poor , in money , and in meat ; and feed the fainted feeble soul with that which ye should eat ; that when your members shall lack meat , and cloathing to your back , ye may the better think on them that now do live and lack : ask counsel also at the wise , give ear unto the end ; refuse not ye the sweet rebuke of him that is your friend . be thankful alwayes to the lord with prayer and with praise ; desire you him in all your deeds , ever to direct your wayes , and sin not like the swinish sort , whose bellies being fed , consume their years upon the earth from belly unto bed . seek first , i say , the living god , set him alwayes before , and then be sure he will bless your basket and your store : and thus if you direct your dayes according to this book , then shall they say that see your wayes how like me you do look : and when you have so perfectly upon your fingers ends , possessed all within this book , then give it to your friends ; and i beseech the living god replenish you with grace , that i may have you in the heavens , and see you face to face : and though the sword hath cut me off , contrary to my kind , that i could not enjoy your love according to my mind ; yet i do hope that when the heavens shall vanish like a scrowl , i shall receive your perfect shape in body and in soul. and that i may enjoy your love , and ye enjoy the land ; i do beseech the living god to hold you in his hand . farewel , my children , from the world where ye must yet remain . the lord of hosts be your defence till we do meet again . farewel my love and loving wife , my children , and my friends , i hope to god to have you all when all things have their ends : and if you do abide in god as ye have now begun , your course , i warrant , shall be short ye have not far to run . god grant you so to end your years as he shall think it best , that ye may enter into heaven where i do hope to rest . vol. . p. , . robert samuel , a suffolk minister , was imprisoned by dr. hopton bishop of norwich , and kept sadly , being chained bolt upright , so that he stood on tip-toes day and night , and was kept without meat and drink , save only three mouthfuls of bread and three spoonfuls of water a day : and at last being to be burned he said to his friends , that when he was imprisoned and almost pin'd away or dayes together , he fell into a slumber , and one clad in white seem'd to stand by him , and comforting him , said ; samuel , samuel , be of good chear , and take a good heart to thee , for after this day thou shalt never hunger nor thirst more . which thing was effected , for from that time to his sufferings , he felt neither hunger nor thirst ; and it is said that his body when it was in the fire , shone as bright and white as new try'd silver . vol. . p. , . iohn spicer , burnt at salisbury , march . . with others : at the stake said , this is the joyfullest day that ever i saw . vol. . p. . agnes stanley , burned at smithfield with four more april . . she being by bishop bonner threatned with death if she would not recant , said ; i had rather every hair of my head were burned , if it were never so much worth , than that i should forsake my faith and opinion , which is the true faith. vol. . p. . thomas spurdance , one of queen mary's servants , being apprehended for the gospel , and examined at norwich by the bishop , who bad him submit to the queen's laws , he said ; you must know , my lord , that i have a soul as well as a body ; my soul is none of the queen's , but my body and goods are the queen's : and i must give god my soul , and all that belongs to it . that is , i must do the laws and commandments of god , and may not do commandments contrary to them for losing of my soul , but muct rather obey god than man ; if i save my life i shall lose it , and if for christ 's sake i lose it , i shall find it in everlasting life : and was burned at bury in november . vol. . pag. . william sparrow of london , burnt in november . . who being examined said , that that which the papists called heresie was true and godly , and if every hair of his head was a man ( he said ) he would burn them , rather than go from the truth . vol. . p. . cuthbert simpson , a minister in london , was wrakt often in one day to discover his confederates , but he would not ; and at last was burnt . he writing to his wife , perswades her to constancy , pleading god's promises to help us ; and that nothing shall befal us but what is profitable to us , either a correction of our sins , tryal of our faith , to set forth his glory , or for all together . vol. . p. , . archambant scraphom , martyred . in flanders , for speaking that the pope was the antichrist st. paul described : and being willed to subscribe his saying , reply'd , yea , yea , i am ready to sign it with my blood , rather than with ink. when he looked on his hands , he used to say , o flesh ! you must suffer and be burned to ashes , till the last day . additions to vol. . concerning the massacre of france , p. . t t theban souldiers a legion , having mauritius their captain , being sent for by maximinus the emperour , under the tenth persecution , to go against and persecute the christians , would not ; for which every tenth man was kill'd : and being still urged , they made a notable oration to the emperour , declaring , though they were his souldiers , yet were they god's servants ; and would not persecute the christians , nor sacrifice to the emperour 's devillish idols : whereupon again every tenth man was slain ; and afterwards their whole army totally destroy'd , who made no resistance , but laid down their armour and gave their naked bodies to their enemies fury . vol. . p. , . nicholas and francis thressen , being brought up in christianity by their father andreas thressen , who flying into england ( out of germany from their mother and two other children ) died there : and then these two sons returned into germany to their mother and the two children with her , and instructed them in christianity : with whom the papists laboured to make them recant ; and the two youngest being not well grounded , did so : the mother would not , and was condemned to perpetual prison . these two sons inveighed against popery , and despising torments were condemned to the fire ; and desiring to speak , had gaggs put into their mouths and balls of wood to hinder it ; but they with vehemency of speaking drave them out : and desiring for the lord's sake that they might have liberty to speak , they sang the creed with a loud voice , and went and were fastened to the stake , praying for their persecutors and exhorting each other , they did abide the fire patiently . the one feeling the flame to burn his beard , said ; ah! what a small pain is this to be compared to the glory to come : and so committing their spirits to the hands of god , they died . vol. . p. . giles tilleman , a cutler , born at brussels , burned . he received the gospel at years of age , and was very charitable to the poor , and so zealous in prayer that he seem'd to forget himself , and neither to hear nor see those that stood by him , till he was lift up by the arms . so patient was he of private injuries , that he would not speak again to revilers , insomuch that they said he had a dumb devil , though in the cause of religion he had words and scripture enough . when tidings came to him of the sentence against him , he gave hearty thanks to god that the hour was come that he might glorifie the lord ; and at the place of burning , when the hangman would have strangled him first , he would not let him , saying , there was no need that his pain should be mitigated , for , said he , i fear not the fire . and lifting up his eyes in the middle of the flames , he died . vol. . pag. . william tracy of todington in glocestershire esq . in his will and testament ordained his executors not to make any funeral pomp at his burial , neither passed he for any mass , saying , he trusted only in god , and hoped by him to be saved , and not by any saint . he said there was but one mediator between god and man , christ iesus ; and therefore he gave nothing that any should say or do any thing to help his soul after his death ; for which will he was near two years after his death taken up and burnt as an heretick , by the archbishop of canterbury's order to dr. parker chancellor in worcester diocese , whom king henry viii . made it cost pound . vol. . p. , . william tyndal of magdalen colledge in oxford removed thence to cambridge , and thence to glocestershire , where in the house of one welch a knight he resided sometime , disputing with the clergy , priests and abbots , and refuted them by scripture evidences , so that they hated him , and brought him to trouble : at last he intending to translate the bible into english for the good of his native people , and to deliver them from the blind idolatry and superstition of popery ; and finding england would not bear it , nor afford a place to do it in , he fled to saxony , and there translated the new testament . and after he translating books of moses , intending to print at antwerp , to which place he sailing did suffer shipwrack , and lost all his labour ; but he lodged at antwerp , and with the help of one coverdale performed the five books , and printed them ; and residing there he was basely betray'd by one henry philips an english-man , whom he had received lately as an intimate acquaintance : and being so persecuted that though many letters were for his delivering , he was executed ; who in prison converted the keeper , his daughter , and others . by the testimony of his condemner , he was a learned pious good man , who died with this earnest prayer , lord , open the king of england's eyes . he was martyred at filford castle in flanders . vol. . p. , to . robert testwood about windsor , in king henry eight's reign . for opposing idolatry and image-worship , was apprehended and persecuted by the bishop of london ; vol. . p. , . at last being condemned , he suffered with one filmire and persons , who kissed each other at parting from the prison , and at the stake drank to each other ; and then this testwood lifting up his eyes and hands , desired the lord to receive his spirit . see persons and filmire . their persecutors , symons and dr. london , soon after convicted of conspiracy against some nobles , and being perjured , did ride with papers on their heads , and their faces towards the horse tails , round about windsor market-place . vol. . p. , . rowland taylor , dr. of both canon and civil laws , and a perfect divine ; parson of hadley in suffolk , where he resided , calling his people together and preaching to them every sunday and holiday , when he might . he was humble and meek , and his life an example of piety . he was ready to do good to all , forgiving all enemies readily ; and never sought to do evil to any one . to the poor , blind , lame , and sick , he was a very father , a careful patron , and diligent provider . when mass was contrived to be set up in his church , he opposed it , and said it was against god's word , the queen's honour ; and tended to the utter subversion of the realm of england . whereupon he was sent for up to london , by the bishop of winchester , stephen gardiner : and his friends perswaded him not to go , saying he could not be heard for himself , but must expect imprisonment , and death ; and that christ advised to fly from one city to another : and the people of god would in time want such godly preachers . to whom he said , dear friends , i thank you for your care ; yet i know my cause so good , and the truth so strong on my side , that i will , by god's grace , go and appear before them ; and to their beards will resist their false doings . god will not forsake his church , but will raise up more fruitful teachers than i , who shall never have again so glorious a call as i now have ; wherefore i be seech you to pray for me , and i doubt not but god will give me strength and his spirit , that all my adversaries shall have shame of their doings . and so taking care of his people , he and his man , iohn hull , went towards london ; but his man advised him to fly , proffering his faithful service to him in all affairs : to whom the doctor replyed , oh john , shall i give place to this thy counsel , and leave my flock in this danger ? remember christ , the good shepherd , who not only fed his flock , but dyed for them also . him must i follow , and by god's grace will ; therefore , john , pray for me ; and if thou seest me at any time weak , comfort me ; and discourage me not in this godly enterprize , and purpose . when he came to bishop gardiner , who reviled him much , and asked him how he durst look him in the face , and if he knew who he was ? dr. taylor said , yes , i know who you are , dr. stephen gardiner , bishop of winchester , lord chancellor ; and yet but a mortal man i trow : but if i should be afraid of your lordly looks , why fear you not god the lord of us all ? how dare ye look any christian man in the face , seeing you have forsaken the truth , denyed christ , and done contrary to your oath and writing ? with what face will ye appear before christ's iudgment seat , and answer to your oath against popery in king henry the th 's time , and in king edward the th 's dayes , when you both spoke , and wrote against it . vol. . p. , , . when he was condemned with mr. bradford , and others ; they joyfully gave thanks , and stoutly said to the bishops , that god would require their blood at their hands , and that one day they should repent this their tyranny against the flock of christ. p. . when bonner , bishop of london , came to degrade him ; and brought with him the vestments , according to their popish manner ; he bad him put them on , but dr. taylor would not , so bonner caused another to put them on ; and then dr. taylor set his hands by his side , and walked up and down , saying , how do you like me now ? how say you my lord , am not i a goodly fool ? how say you my masters , if i were in cheapside now , should not i have boys enough to laugh at me , and at these apish toys , and toying trumpery ? so the bishop performed his ceremonies of degradation , and cursed him : to whom dr. taylor said , though you curse , god will bless : you have done me wrong , and violence ; yet i pray god , if it be his will , forgive you . the next day his wife and son and man , supped with him ; and he exhorted his son to obey god and his mother ; and exhorted her to be stedfast in the faith , and to shun popery ; and then wrote his last farewel to his people of hadley , perswading their stedfastness in the doctrine he had preached amongst them against popery . vol. . p. . the next day after he was carried out towards hadley to suffer , and his wife and children suspecting as much , lay all night in botolph's church-yard ; and as he went early in the morning , she cryed to him , rowland , rowland , and came to him ; who took his daughter mary in his arms , and then all of them kneeled and said the lords prayer ; then kissed he his wife , saying , farewel my dear wife , be of good comfort ; for i am quiet in my conscience , and god shall stir up a father for my children ; and kissing his two daughters , mary , and elizabeth , he said , god bless you : and so praying them all to keep close to god's word , and to flye idolatry , he went on : to whom his wife said , god be with thee my dear rowland , i will meet thee at hadley : and after this speech to his wife , he did see his son thomas , and his man iohn hull , whom he commanded to lift up his son , whom he blessed and prayed for ; and then gave him again to his servant . at burntwood as they went , they made a hood for the dr. with holes only to see and breathe through , that none might know him , nor he speak to any . the dr. was very pleasant all the way , as if he was going to a banquet . and when he came to chelmsford , the sheriff of suffolk met him ; and as they were at supper , the sheriff of essex perswaded him to turn to popery ; pleading his strength of body might live long , and he would be in great esteem , because all loved him for his sweetness and learning , and a pardon might still be had , and so drank to him , and so did all the yeomen of the guard , his attendants . and when the cup came to the dr. he considered a while before he spake , and at last thanked them for their counsel ; and said , to be plain with you , i perceive i have been deceived my self , and am like to deceive a great many of hadley of their expectation : at which words they rejoyced , saying , gods blessing on your heart , hold you there still , why should you cast away your life ? but he said , my meaning is this ; i am deceived , and , as i think , i shall deceive a great many : i am , ye see , a man of a great carcass , which i thought should have been buried in hadly church-yard , but herein i see i am deceived : and there are a great many worms in hadly church-yard which would have had a jolly feeding upon this carrion , but now i know they will be deceived , for this carcass must be burned to ashes : which sayings astonished the sheriff , that he should but jest at death now at hand . within miles of hadly , he desired to alight to make water , and fetched a frisk or two as men do in dancing , saying he was very well , never better ; for now i know i am almost at my father's home . and after that he did understand he should go through hadly , he blessed god that he should once more see his people before he died , whom he prayed god to bless and keep stedfast in word and truth ▪ and at hadly a poor man and children meeting him , begg'd an alms , and pray'd to god to comfort him , as he had done often him and his children . and the people of hadly stood in the streets weeping and praying for him , saying ; there goes our good shepherd ; oh god! what will become of us poor lambs : to whom the dr. all along said , i have preached among you god's truth , and am now come to seal it with my blood . and at the almes-house he gave them all the money he had : his care was once a fortnight to visit with the gentry the poor inhabitants , and whom he found to blame he reboked , whom he found to want he supply'd . at last coming to aldam common , ( the place of his suffering ) he would have spoke , but was not permitted ; onely he said to the people , he had preached and was now to seal the truth of the gospel with his blood , for which saying he was struck . and being ty'd fast to the stake in a pitch-barrel , he held up his hands , saying , merciful father of heaven , for jesus christ 's sake my saviour , receive my soul into thy hands : and so he stood with his hands joyned until one with a halberd knocked his brains out , and the dead corps fell down into the fire . vol , . p. , , . thomas tomkins , burnt march . . a london waver , to whom bishop bonner used cruelty ; and at his own palace hall at fulham , to terrifie the poor man , burnt his hand with a taper till the veins and sinews broke , and the water spirted in the faces of the standers by , who being moved with pity , requested the bishop to stay , saying he had try'd him enough : but the bishop stay'd not till he had effected his burning in smithfield . this tomkins never shrank at the burning his hand , but said he was wrapt in spirit , so that he felt no pain . vol. . p. , , . iohn taylor , otherwise called iohn cardmaker , prebendary of wells and a franciscan fryar , burnt with one warn may . . in smithfield , where the sheriff talking much with taylor , and the papists having noised abroad his recantation , the people began to suspect it ; but at last taylor suddenly went and pray'd , then stript himself to his shirt , went to the stake and kissed it , and shaking his fellow-sufferer iohn warn by the hand , comforted him ; and then heartily gave himself to be burned : whereat all the people cry'd out for joy , god be praised , the lord strengthen thee , cardmaker , the lord jesus receive thy spirit ; till such time as by fire he was consum'd . vol. . p. , . george tankerfield , a zealous papist in king edward vi. dayes , a cook in london ; but in queen mary's dayes seeing their popish persecution and cruelty , hated their doctrine , prayed to god for direction , and studied the word of god , and became a zealous protestant , who for the gospel was condemned and was burnt at st. albans , august . . in the inn before he suffered , he called for some malmsey and a loaf to eat and drink , in remembrance of christ's death and passion , which he said he did not in contempt of the ministry , or to detract from the ordinance , but because he could not have it administred to him according to god's word . and after he had with prayer and thanksgiving received , he caused a good fire to be made in his chamber , and he sitting by it , pull'd off his hose and shoes , and stretched out his feet towards it , and when the flame had touched his foot he quickly drew back his leg , shewing how the flesh did perswade him one way , and the spirit another . the flesh said , oh! thou foot , wilt thou burn and need not ? the spirit , be not afraid , for this is nothing in respect of fire eternal . the flesh said , do not leave the company of thy friends which love thee : the spirit said , the company of iesus christ and his glorious presence doth exceed all fleshly friends . the flesh saith , do not shorten thy time , for thou mayest live if thou wilt much longer : but the spirit said , this life is nothing to the life in heaven which lasteth for ever . and after he coming to the stake , pray'd , and with a joyful faith said , that although he had a sharp dinner , yet he hoped to have a joyful supper : and in the fire he calling on the name of the lord , was quickly out of pain . v. . p. . william tyms minister , burnt with several others april . . wrote to his sister thus , i take my leave of you till we meet in heaven , you shall find me merrily singing , holy , holy , holy , lord god of sabboth at my journey's end . and at the end of his letter , he wrote his name in blood , in token that he would seal the doctrine of christ with the rest , and also he wrote in blood these words , continue in prayer , ask in faith , and obtain your desire . in another letter to his parishioners at hockley in essex , exhorts them to constancy to his doctrine which he now was about sealing with his blood , praising god that ever he lived to see that day , and blessing god that ever he gave him a body to glorifie his name by . vol. . p. . iohn tuscaen , a young man of years of age , of audenard in flanders , hearing of the popish idolatry in worshiping the host , determined to demonstrate to them that the worshiping of that breaden-god was abominable and execrable sacriledge : to effect which , on may , . . called corpus christi day he went to a church in pamelle , which stood near to audenard , and seeing the priest at elevating the host , and the people ready to prostrate themselves before a breaden-cake , he stept to the priest , and snatched the cake out of his hands , broke it in pieces , and cast it unto the ground , saying unto the people , see here , my masters , your goodly breaden-god , who you see is not able to help himself , but is here broken all to pieces : how long , how long , o ye senseless priests , will ye thus defile the holy supper of the lord ? shall we never see an end of your filthy idolatries ? if the authority of the holy scriptures can nothing move you , yet at length be admonished by the present example , that there is not one jot of divinity within that bread , seeing it is subject to be thus handled ; will ye worship a dead idol , your selves being living men ? for which actions , and expressions he was imprisoned , and had first his hand cut off , which he took patiently , saying , o lord god , it is for the glory of thy name that i endure these things , enable me now with strength from above that i may finish this sacrifice . then was he burnt , and his ashes cast into the river escaut . additions to vol. . of the massacre of france and flanders , p. . du tour , deacon of the church at bourdeaux . in the massacre there . he had been a priest of the romish church , but now was a protestant , aged and sick in bed ; who was haled into open street , and asked if he would go to mass and save his life : but he said , no , especially now drawing so near its end , both in regard of my sickness and years : i hope i shall not so far forget the eternal salvation of my soul , as for fear of death to prolong this life for a few dayes , for so should i buy a short term of life at too dear a rate . and so they massacred him . additions to vol. . concerning massacre in france . p. . v v victor , a theban souldier , under the th persecution ; being dismissed for his age , and coming suddenly to the emperours souldiers , who had even then destroyed a legion of theban christian souldiers , and were very merry , inviting him also to sit down as a guest ; but he inquiring into the cause of their mirth , and feasting , detested it and them , and would not eat : and being demanded whether he was a christian , he said he was , and ever would be a christian ; whereupon they rushed on him and killed him . vol. . p. . usthazares , under the th persecution , having been tutor to sapores king of persia , and a professor of christianity , which afterwards he denyed again , yet was again reduced to it by occasion of simeon the arch-bishop of seleucia ; who being led to prison for christ , and saluted by usthazares as he passed by him ; the arch-bishop cryed out against him in great anger for his cowardice in revolting from christ ; whereupon usthazares wept bitterly , saying , with what face shall i look for my god who have denyed him ; when as this simeon , my old acquaintance , so much disdaineth me for it . and he went and acquainted the king he was a christian , nor would again be so foolish as to deny christ ; and being sentenced to be beheaded , he requested it might be proclaimed that he dyed not for treason , but for the name of christ ; that so those who had fallen away by his example , might also by him learn constancy . vol. . p. , . henry voes , and iohn esch , two augustin fryars , being converted to lutheranisme , adhereing to the word of god , and obeying and believing decrees of councils , or fathers , no farther than they agreed with scripture , were condemned by the papists to be burned . then they began to bless god which had delivered them from that false and abominable priesthood , and made them priests of his own holy order ; receiving them unto him as a sacrifice of sweet odour . their greatest errour , as by their bill of accusation appeared , was , that they said men ought to trust in god alone , forasmuch as men are lyars , and deceitful in their words and deeds . as they were led to execution , iuly . . at bruxels , they went joyfully and merrily , making continual protestation that they dyed for the glory of god , and the doctrine of the gospel , as true christians believing and following the holy church of the lamb of god , saying , this was the day they had long desired : and at the place of execution they joyfully embraced the stake , patiently and joyfully enduring whatsoever was done to them , and singing , te deum laudamus , that is , we praise thee , o god ; and rehearsing the creed in testimony of their faith. and a doctor bidding henry voes take heed he gloried not so foolishly in himself : he answered , god forbid that i should glory , save in the cross of christ. one of them seeing the fire kindled at his feet , said , methinks they strew roses under my feet : finally , the smoke and flame choaked them . vol. . p. . ursula and mary , two sisters of a noble family in delden in lower germany , were burnt . who being instructed in the book of god , defended the benefit of our salvation to come only by faith in christ , and all the other merchandise of the pope was needless . and mary being first ( though the younger ) put to the fire , she prayed ardently for her enemies , commending her self to god ; at whose constancy the judges greatly marvelled , and exhorted ursula the other sister to turn , or to desire she might be beheaded ; to whom she said she was guilty of and defended no errour , but defended what was consonant to scripture , in which she trusted to persevere to the end ; and as for the kind of death or punishment , she said she feared not the fire , but rather would follow the example of her dear sister . the bodies of these two could not be consumed by fire , but they were left by the executioners whole , lying on the ground white : but certain good christians privily in the night took them up and buried . vol. . p. . two virgins in the diocess of bamberg , . being led to slaughter , did sustain it with chearful countenances and patient hearts ; they had garlands of straw set on their heads , whereupon one said to the other , going to their martyrdom , seeing christ bare a crown of thorns for us , why should we stick to wear a crown of straw for him ? no doubt but the lord will render to us again better than crowns of gold. vol. . p. . w w wendelmuta , a widow in holland , was martyred . of christ , who being extremely beloved , had many importuning her to recant , but she would not ; and amongst the rest , a certain noble matron communing with her , perswaded her to keep silence , and to think silently in her heart what she believed , that she might prolong her days : to whom she said , ah you know not what you say ; it is written rom. . with the heart we believe to righteousness , and with the tongue we confess to salvation . and thus she remained stedfast and firm in her confession , and was november . condemned to be burnt to ashes ; which sentence she took mildly and quietly : and being at the place of execution , a monk brought her a blind cross , willing her to kiss it , and worship her god ; to whom she said , i worship no wooden god , but only that god which is in heaven : and so with a merry and joyful countenance , she embraced the stake , and by an ardent prayer commended her self to the hands of god. vol. . p. . waldenses began years after christ , and were so called from waldo who first instructed them ; and they delivered their doctrine from father to son successively . they had indeed divers names according to the places where they lived : in the northern parts they were called lollards ; about lyons in france they were called pauperes de lugduno ; in flanders , terraelupins , of a desart where wolves did haunt ; in dolphine , chugnards , by way of despite , because they lived harbourless . they taught at first in caves of the earth , and in the night for fear of persecution , and were a people fearing god , living uprightly and justly , yet they suffered much persecution , especially in merindol and calabria , whither they came from piedmont vallies , and though those places were desarts , yet were they by them so cultivated that they proved very fruitful . vol. . p. , . they were charitable to the poor , hospitable to strangers , and were known by these marks , they would not swear , nor name the devil ; were true to their promise , and would not take an oath , unless in judgment , or in making some solemn covenant ; nor would they in any company talk of dishonest matters , but whenever they heard wanton or swearing talk , they presently departed out of that company ; and also they always prayed before they went to any business , and opposed generally images , crossing , and other popish fooleries , as was testified by their very enemies , and their neighbouring inhabitants , to the french king. vol. . p. . they were also called albigenses , from the place where they frequented in tolouse ; and merindolians , from merindol a place of provence in france , which with cabriles were laid waste , burned and rased , their inhabitants cut asunder , and their women and maids ravished , those with child cut open , by one iohn minerius lord of opede , at the command of francis the french king , april . . vol. . p. , to page . their principles were these : . one god the creator of all things . . the son the onely mediator and advocate of all mankind . . the holy ghost the comforter and instructer of all truth . . they acknowledged the church to be the fellowship of the elect of god whereof iesus christ is the head. . they allow'd the ministers of the church , wishing such as did not their duty were removed . . magistrates they granted to be ordained of god to defend the good , and to punish the transgressors , and that they ought to the magistrate love and tribute , and that none herein was exempted . they acknowledged baptism to be an outward and visible sign representing to us the renewing of the spirit , and mortifying of the members . . they confessed the lord's supper to be a thanksgiving , and a memorial of the benefits received through christ. . matrimony they esteemed holy , instituted of god , and inhibited to no man. . good works they observed , and thought them to be practised of all men , as scripture teaches . . false doctrine leading from the true worship of god ought to be eschew'd . . the order and rule of their faith was the old and new testament , protesting they believed all contained in the apostolique creed . vol. . p. . they at they burying of their dead used to accompany the dead to the grave reverently , with a sufficient company , and made exhortation out of the word of god to the living , and to comfort the parents and friends of the party deceased , and to admonish all men diligently to prepare for death . vol. . p. . they were much persecuted by henry the ninth french king , and often delivered miraculously in angrogne , lusern and other places , valleys of piedmont ; till . when a peace being made between france and spain , those valleys were ( as due ) given to the duke of savoy , who entreated these waldenses gently , till by the pope and his legates he was instigated to persecute them , which was very severely and cruelly done , vol. . p. , . they were persecuted in all their places ; and one called the lord of trinity , and one trunchet were their great enemies . the waldenses used to go and pray before battel , and after battel gave thanks ; and though they were but few in number and without armour , only by slings and stones , and a few harquebusses , they so amazed and put to flight their enemies often , that they flying said , god fought for them . and at last ( though after much misery and cruelty ) they had a peace brought them by the lord of raconis from the duke of savoy , which was obtained by the mediation of his dutchess . vol. . p. , , , . so much of the waldenses rise and actions , vol. . p. . george wisehart , a scotchman , burnt march . . being condemned by david beton archbishop of st. andrews , although he answered all the articles he was accused of . who going to the stake sat down on his knees , and rose again , saying three times , o thou saviour of the world , have mercy on me , father of heaven i commend my spirit into thy holy hands : and then turning to the people , he said : i desire you not to be offended with the word of god , for which i suffer ; and exhorted them to embrace it , and to continue stedfast . for which , saith he , i suffer this day , not sorrowfully , but with a glad heart and mind : consider and behold my visage , ye shall not see me change my colour ; this grim fire i fear not , and so i pray you to do if any persecution befal you ; i know that my soul shall sup with christ , for whom i suffer this , within these six hours in heaven : then pray'd he for his enemies , saying , father , i beseech thee to forgive them that have ignorantly or of evil mind forged any lies upon me ; i freely forgive them with all my heart , and i beseech christ to forgive them , who this day condemned me to death . and being to be hang'd on a gibbet , and so burn'd , the executioner begg'd his pardon ; whom he kissed , saying , there is a token that i forgive thee , do thine office : and so he was burnt . vol. . p. , , . adam wallace , a scotchman , burnt . as an heretick . he passed over the night of his condemnation in singing and lauding god , having learned david's psalter by heart to his great consolation ; and being tempted by several to recant , he ( though a poor mean learnned man ) said , he would adhere to whatsoever could be proved by scripture , but he would consent to nothing that had not scripture evidence , though an angel from heaven came to perswade him . and on the day of his sufferings he asked , whether the fire was fit , saying , as it pleaseth god i am ready soon or late ; and so desired the faithful to remember him to all the brethren , being sure to meet together with them in heaven . as he went to the fire , the people said , god have mercy on you ; and on you too , said he . at the fire he lifting up his eyes two or three times , said to the people , let it not offend you that i suffer for the truth's sake ; for the disciple is not greater than his master . but he was not permitted to speak , and so was burned . vol. . p. . rawlins white , a welchman , a fisherman of cardiff , was very superstitious in time of popery , till afterwards through god's grace , he , upon the reformation , began to give ear to good men , and searched out the truth ; but being a very poor ignorant person , he knew not how to be informed ; and so resolved to put his child to learn to read , whom he caused , when he could read , to read every night summer and winter after supper , a piece of scripture or some good book , which profited him so much through god's grace , and the blessing of a good memory , that he soon became very perfect in scriptures , did see his former errours , and was enabled to admonish others ; by which means he was instrumental for the conversion of many others , whom he instructed ; for which he expected to be apprehended ; and his friends desired him to fly , but he said , no : he had learned , that if he should presume to deny his master christ , christ in the last day would deny and condemn him . i will therefore by his favourable grace bear witness of him before men , that i may find him in everlasting life . and at last was taken and imprisoned for a year ; where as oft as his friends visited him , he would spend the time in prayer and exhortation : and after many means of threats and flatteries used by bishop of landaffe to bring him to a conformity , but in vain : he resolved to condemn him , yet exhorted he his fellow-assistants to pray to god for grace for rawlins to convert him : whereat rawlins rejoyced , and commending them , said , go and pray , and i also will pray . after prayer , the bishop asked him , if he would recant , and he said , no. rawlins ye left me , and rawlins ye find me , and by god's grace rawlins i will continue . certainly if your petitions were just and lawful , god would have heard you ; but ye honour a false god , and pray not as ye ought to pray , and therefore hath not god granted your desire ; but god hath heard my complaint , and i trust will strengthen me in his own cause . then the bishop would have a mass , at which rawlins went , and begg'd the brethren or but one brother to bear witness that he did not worship that idol the host over the priest's head : and so , soon after he was condemned : who then sent to his wife for a shirt to be burnt in , which he called a wedding-garment . and going to the stake , seeing his wife and children there , who made great lamentation , his heart was pierced and he wept , but soon after , being angry with himself for that infirmity , he struck his breast , saying , ah flesh ! wouldest thou fain prevail ? well , i let thee do what thou canst , thou shalt not through god's grace have the victory . and being in the fire , he cry'd whilst he could open his mouth , o lord , receive my soul ; o lord receive my spirit . vol. . p. , , . thomas watts , an essex man , a linen-draper , expecting every day to be sent for and imprisoned for the gospel , did dispose of his things ; and sold , and gave to the poor , his cloath , and at length was imprisoned ; and not recanting by the flatteries and threats of bishop bonner , he was condemned ; and going to take leave of his wife and six children , he said to them thus : i must now depart from you , therefore henceforth i know you no more ; but as the lord hath given you to me , i give you again to him , whom i charge ye see to obey , and beware ye turn not to popery ; against which , by god's grace , i shall anon give my blood : let not the murdering of god's saints cause you to relent , but take occasion thereby to be strong in the lord's quarrel ; and i doubt not but he will be a merciful father to you : and so he went to the stake , kissed it , and was burned , iune . . vol. . p. . christopher ward burned at dartford , . who coming to the stake , being in a pitch barrel fastned to it , he held up his hands and eyes to heaven , saying , with a chearful and loud voice , the last verse of the . psalm , shew some good token upon me for good , that they which hate me may see it and be ashamed ; because thou lord hast helped me and comforted me : and the fire being kindled , he cryed with a loud voice , but without any impatience , lord iesus receive my soul ; and when his voice could not be heard , his hands were held up , and continued clasped together and held up towards heaven , even when he was dead and altogether roasted , as though they had been stayed up by some prop ; which token god granted as it were an answer to his prayer . vol. . p. . thomas whittle , a priest , burnt with six others , ian. . . was , by the perswasions of the papists , brought to recant ; but after that , he felt such an horrour of conscience , that he did earnestly beg to see again the bill he had subscribed ; and seeing it , he rent out his name , and then was right glad : and in a letter , after his condemnation , he said , now i am condemned to dye , my conscience and mind is , i praise god , quiet in christ , and i am willing and content to give this body to death for a testimony of his truth against antichrist ▪ in another letter he thus writes ; the world i do forsake , to christ i me take ; and for his gospel's sake , patiently i death take ; my body to the dust , now to return it must ; my soul i know full well , with my god shall dwell . vol. . p. . . ioan waste of derby , born blind , yet by hearing the word of god did become knowing ; and purchased a new testament , which she gat sometimes one prisoner to read , and sometimes another , by giving them often some money to read a chapter or two in it to her : by which means she grew understanding in the scriptures , could say much of them by heart ; and at last was burned for the gospel , august . . who told the great doctors that opposed her , that if they would take it upon their consciences to answer for her at the day of judgment , that their doctrines were true , she would embrace it ; but they would not ; and burnt her because she would not recant : who in the flames , while life lasted , did continue praying the prayers she had learned by heart , and calling on christ for mercy . vol. . p. , , . richard woodman of warbleton in sussex , imprisoned for reproving their priest who preached in queen mary's days contrary to his doctrine in king edward the vi. time , which he then averred to be true , and charged his people to believe no other . woodman was imprisoned one year and a half , and then dismissed , and afterwards sent for again , whom the commissioners found in his fields at plough , and its news made him tremble and fear ; but he said he would not go with them , they not having their commission about them : and he much reproved himself for his carnal fear , thus , they can lay no evil thing to my charge , and if they kill me for well-doing , i may think my self happy . and assoon as i was perswaded in my mind to dye , i was as merry and as joyful as ever i was . but having now escaped them , he fled home , and for six or seven weeks in a wood near his house , he lived under a tree , where he had his bible pen and ink and his provision brought dayly by his wife to him ; and then the country being sought for him , he went into flanders , and soon returned again , and was betray'd into his enemies hands by his father and brother . being taken , he was bound , which much rejoyced him , he said , that he should be bound for christ's sake : and he took leave of his wife and children , thinking never to see them again ; because it was said , he should not live six dayes ; yet he said , he knew it was not as they would , but as god pleased . i know , said he , what god can do , but what he will do i know not ; but i am sure he will work all things for the best for them that love and fear him . and so they went away with him . vol. . p. , , , . x x xystus bishop of rome , was martyred under the eighth persecution with his six deacons : and one deacon of them named lawrence , following him , desired to dye with him ; to whom xystus said , i am a weak old man , and therefore run the race of a lighter and easier death ; but you are young and lusty , and after three days you shall follow me . and so he did . vol. . p. . see lawrence , pag. of this book . y y forty young men souldiers under the tenth persecution , being charged by the emperour's officers to disown christ. they freely and boldly all with one accord confessed themselves to be christians , and told him their names ; and being endeavour'd with to win them by fair words as well as by threats of torments , they said , they desired not life , liberty , honours or dignities , or mony , but the celestial kingdom of christ : for the love of whom and faith in god they were ready to endure the cross , wheel , fire ; and were sentenced to be all that night in a pond of water in cold weather , and next day to be burnt ; who when they were putting off their cloaths , said , we give thanks , o lord , that with these our cloaths we may also by thy grace put off the sinful man ; for by means of the serpent we once put him on , and by the means of jesus christ we put him off . vol. . p. . elizabeth young , apprehended for selling some good books , and was examined many times and punished severely , and should have been burnt , had not queen mary lain irrecoverably sick . she being committed to prison , and charge being by dr. martin that she should have one day bread , and another day water onely for her provision , she said chearfully , if ye take away my meat , i trust god will take away my hunger . vol. . pag. . an alphabetical list of god's ivgments remarkably shown on many noted and cruel persecvtors . thes. . . it is a righteous thing with god to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you . london , printed for richard butler , next door to the lamb and three bowls in barbican . . an alphabetical list of gods iudgements . a a antiochus , a persecutor of agapetus a martyr , suddenly fell down from his judicial seat , and cry'd that all his inward bowels burned ; and so he gave up his breath . vol. . p. . alexander , the keeper of newgate-prison , a cruel enemy to god's people , who often hastened their death , dyed himself so miserably swell'd and so stinking , that none could endure the stench of him . and his son within years spent all his estate ; and it being wondred how he could have wasted it so soon , he said , evil gotten , evil spent : and in newgate-market he fell down suddenly , and dyed miserably . and his son-in-law iohn peterson after dyed rotting above ground . vol. . p. . arundel archbishop , giving sentence against the lord cobham , dyed before him , and his tongue was so smitten that he could neither swallow nor speak . vol. . p. . b b berry , commissary to the bishop of norwich , a great persecutor , as he came from church on a sunday after even-song , fell down on the ground , and never breathed more . vol. . p. . blanchenden , who would have had a poor man's legs cut off , who fled from him and others , following him to apprehend him for the gospel's sake , was soon after slain by his own servants . vol. . p. , . burton , the bailiff of crowland in lincolnshire , a pretended gospeller in king edward vi. time ; but in queen mary's dayes a zealous papist : a prophane swearer , and one that threatned the curate there to sheath his sword in him if he would not say mass : but soon after , he riding with a neighour on the fenne-bank , a crow flew over him , and shit on his nose , so that the excrements ran from the top of his nose to his beard ; which poyson'd scent so annoy'd his stomach , that he never ceased vomiting till he came at home , and there for extreme sickness went to bed , not being able for the stench in his stomach and his painful vomiting , to eat any meat , and cry'd out of the stink , cursing the crow ; and soon after dyed desperately . vol. . p. . robert baldwin , a persecutor , at the taking of one seaman , was struck with lightning , and so pined away . vol. . pag. . beaton , archbishop in scotland , a great persecutor of george wisehart , was soon after slain in his bed , and lay seven months unburied ; and at last was buried like a carrion on a dunghil . vol. . pag. . bishop bonner , bishop of london , and the greatest persecutor in queen mary's dayes ; being imprisoned by queen elizabeth , died in his bed unrepentant , and was deny'd christian burial , being at midnight tumbled into a hole amongst thieves and murderers . vol. . p. . c c caiaphas , who wickedly set upon christ , was deposed from the high-priest's room by caligula . vol. . p. . clarke , a great persecutor , hanged himself . vol. p. . coxe , a great promoter in king edw. vi. and in queen mary's dayes , going well to bed at night , was found dead next morning . vol. . p. . d d dr . dunnings , chancellor in norwich , a great persecutor in the midst of queen mary's reign and his rage , died suddenly in a chair in lincolnshire . vol. . p. . dale , a great papistical promoter , was eaten into his body with lice , and so died , vol. . p. . e e emperours , who were authors of persecution against christians , all of them came to sad ends : either staying themselves , or being slain by others , or dying by unheard of deaths . vol. . p. . sir ralph ellerken , a knight at calice , who at the martyrdom of adam damlip said , he would not stir till he see his heart out , had his own heart soon after cut out of his body by the french. see damlip pag. of this book , and see vol. . p. , . robert edgar , executing the office of a parish clerk against his conscience , was bereft of his wits , and kept in chains many years . vol. . p. . f f dr . foxford chancellor to bishop stoksely in king henry the th's dayes and a great persecutor , dyed suddenly . vol. . p. . bishop fisher , bishop of rochester , who with bishop warham caused one iohn brown to have his feet heated and burnt to the bones by coals to make him recant his religion , was soon after beheaded for opposing kings supremacy . vol. . p. . with sir thomas pure another great papist . see iohn brown , pag. . of this book . the wife of iohn petty of clerkenwel parish in london , being the occasion of her own husband 's taking , was immediately struck mad . vol. . p. . a dominick fryar , inveighing in the pulpit against the gospel , was suddenly struck with lightning , and so ended his life . vol. . p. . g g grimwood , a false witness against one iohn cooper , a suffolkman ( whereby the poor man was proved guilty of treason falsly , and was hang'd , drawn , and quartered , and his wife and nine children turned out of their estate , ) was afterwards sadly , and suddenly , afflicted ; for in harvest time , as he was stacking corn , and was very well , fearing no evil , his bowels suddenly fell out of his body , and he dyed most miserably . vol. . p. . bishop gardiner , a cruel persecutor , dyed despairing ; and having a bishop with him , who put him in mind of peter's denying his master , he said , i have denyed with peter , but never repented with peter . vol. . p. . he rejoycing at the news of bishop ridley's , and latimer's burning , at a dinner that day , was that instant struck sick , denyed the use of nature , either by urine , or otherwise , for fifteen days ; and then dyed with a sad inflamed body . vol. . p. . h h herod , the murtherer of iohn baptist , and condemner of christ ; was , by caligula caesar , condemned to perpetual banishment ; where he dyed miserably . vol. . p. . hoeimester , an arch-papist , going to ratisbon to dispute against the defenders of the gospel , dyed suddenly , and miserably in his journey , with roaring and crying . vol. . p. . i i jews , who refused christ , and also were persecutors of him , were forty years after christ's passion destroyed by titus , and vespasian his father , to the number of , besides them which vespasian slew in subduing galilee , and them which were sold and sent into egypt , and other provinces to vile slavery , to the number of , and were brought with titus in tryumph ; of which , part were devoured by wild beasts , and part of them were otherwise cruelly slain . vol. . p. , . . l l thomas leland , a justice of peace in lancashire , sitting in his chair , talking with his friends , fell down dead suddenly , not moving a joint : he was so great an enemy to christians , that he was called persecuting tho. leland . vol. . p. . leyson , sheriff , at the burning of bishop farrar , fetched the bishop's cattel into his own ground ; but many of them would not eat , but continued bellowing till they dyed . vol. . p. . iacobus latomus having , at brussels , made an oration against luther ; and being in his publick lecture at lovane , he fell into an open fury , uttering words of blasphemy and despair , that the divines there did carry him away and shut him up ; who , to his last breath , said nothing , but that he was damned and rejected of god , and that there was no hopes of salvation for him ; because he wittingly , and willingly , withstood the manifest truth of god's word . vol. . p. . dr. leyson , a civilian , a justice of peace , who would not let bishop farrar speak a word at the stake , about half a year after died ; and in his sickness , when he would have spoken his mind , could not . vol. . p. . dr. london , persecutor , punished . see the former part of this book . queen mary , while she promised her protection of the gospel she prospered , and by the help of the gospellers she gat the crown ; but after , she breaking her promise and bringing in of popery , and burning of god's people for the gospel's sake , she and her nation was much punished . she was , especially , punisht these several wayes ; . her best ship , yea , the best ship in all europe , called the great harry , was burned . . she was opposed in her endeavours to restore the abby-lands . . her subjects suffered almost a famine , so that the poor , for famine , were forced to eat acorns instead of bread. . she lost calice in france , which had been the english king 's right through the reign of eleven kings . . she was deprived of children which she greatly desired , and the whole nation were cheated in the rumors of her bringing forth a son. . she having married philip , king of spain , and so subjugated her subjects to a stranger , with whom she promised her self much felicity , was very unhappy by his withdrawing from her . vol. . p. . m m malicia accusing eugenia , ( who for fear of the th persecution had put on mans apparel to preserve her life and chastity , and called her self eugenius , ) to philippus , the judge , and father of the unknown eugenius , that he would have deflowered her , the said malicia ; the falsity was made apparent by eugenia's discovering her self to be a woman in mans habit ; and malicia , the accuser , was doubly ashamed , and was smitten with lightning . vol. . p. . iohn martin of briqueray , boasting he would cut off the nose of a minister of angrogn , one of the waldenses , . had his own nose bitten off by a woolf , so that he dyed thereof mad . vol. . p. . maximus , the great persecutor of the christians in the th persecution , was smitten with a dreadful ulcer in his privities and entrails , so that the physicians durst not come near him , nor could they cure him ; for which he caused them to be slain : and being put in mind of god's judgment herein for persecuting the christians , he ordered their peace ; yet after he again commanded their torments , ascribing plenty and peace to iupiter , and war and pestilence and famine , as caused by the christians ; but it did happen contrary : for , famine , war , and pestilence , destroyed most of his heathenish subjects ; while the christians , amongst them , relieved one another , and them also ; and were preserved to the enjoyment of peace : for maximus was afterwards forced to acknowledge the true god ; and being oppressed by his disease , he repented and glorified the christians god ; and made an absolute law for the christian's safety and welfare . vol. . p. . to . bishop morgan , bishop of s. david's , who usurped bishop farrar's place , after he had condemned him , was so afflicted that his meat would not go down , but rise up and come out of mouth and nose ; and so he continued to death . vol. . p. . morgan , the justice , that condemned the lady iane grey , fell mad not long after , and so dyed ; having ever in his mouth , lady iane , lady iane. vol. . p. . domitius nero began to reign the . year of christ : reigned years with great tyranny ; he slew most part of the senators ; set rome on fire , and laid it to the christians ; and caused them to be persecuted : at last he was , by the senate , declared a publick enemy to mankind ; and commanded to be drawn from the city and whipt to death : for fear whereof he fled into the country to a mannor of his servants , and slew himself - vol. . p. . p p a person being hired , by pope hildebrand , to murther henricus , the th emperour of germany , as he was at prayers ; by throwing a great stone upon him from a place directly over him . as the person moved the stone to do this horrid act , he broke the plank he stood on , and fell down , the stone falling on him ; and so was killed by that stone he designed to slay the emperour by , the emperour being safe . vol. . p. . pilate , under whom christ suffered , was apprehended under tiberius nero , and accused at rome ; deposed , and banished to lyons ; and at length slew himself . vol. . p. . a persecutor seeking three dayes for dionisius , that he might be persecuted , was struck with blindness . vol. . p. . portugal king , and his son , who persecuted william gardiner , dyed soon after . see p. . of this book . a persecutor of one iames abbyes , a martyr , in berry , told the people that abbyes was a mad-man not to be believed . after that abbyes was burnt , this reviling persecutor , being one of the sheriff's men , pulled off his cloaths , and was struck with a frenzy , running about and crying , abbyes was a good man , and is saved ; but i am damned : and though the sheriff did endeavour what he could to bring him to his right senses , yet could it not be done ; but he alwayes cryed out to his dying day , abbyes was a good man , and saved ; but i am damned . vol. . p. . iohn peters , ( son-in-law to one alexander , the keeper of newgate prison , who dyed miserably , ) did also dye sadly ; for his use in all his affirmations was to say , if it be not , true , i wish i rot e're i dye : and so he did rot away , and dyed miserably . vol. . p. . ponchet , an arch-bishop of towres , made sure to erect a chamber to be called chamber ardent , therein to condemn the protestants to the fire : and he was soon after stricken with such a disease , called the fire of god , which began at his feet and burned upwards , that he caused one member after another to be cut off ; and so he dyed miserably without any remedy . vol. . p. . s s scribes , and pharisees , who refused christ , and chose rather to be subject to caesar ; were at length destroy'd by their own caesar , when as christ's subjects were preserved . vol. . pag. . smith , a great papist and persecutor , fell down suddenly in the street , and dyed . vol. . p. . william swallow , a cruel tormentor of one george egles , shortly was so plagued that all his hair came off , his nails of fingers and toes came off , his eyes were near closed that he could not see , and his wife was stricken with the falling-sickness , which she never had before , vol. . p. . symons , a persecutor of robert testwood , soon after was convicted of conspiracy , and rode round about windsor market-place with his face towards the horses tail . see page of this book . t t tartarians army of waring against polonia . and having killed old and young of both sexes , were discomfited by thunder and lightning , at the instance , and prayers , of god's people . vol. . p. . twiford , in london , an executioner of several martyrs , and a suborner of false witnesses against one merial , at last died rotting above ground , so that none could abide him . vol. . p. . bishop thornton suffragan of dover , a cruel persecutor , coming to canterbury on a saturday ; on sunday , seeing his men playing at bowls , was taken with a palsey , and had to bed ; and being bid to remember the lord , he said , yes so i do , and my lord cardinal too ; and so soon died . vol. . p. . v v valerian , the butcher of the christians in the eighth persecution , was taken in wars against persia ; and sapores , king of persia , made him his foot-stool for him to mount on horseback by , to his life's end . vol. . p. . w w woodriffe , a sheriff in london , a cruel persecutor , was not above a week out of his office before he was smitten with a lameness all on one side , that he lay bed-rid or years untill his dying day . vol. . p. . an appendix of things pertinent to the understanding the preceding martyrology . containing the times , and authors , of the ten persecutions ; and other remarkable occurrences necessarily to be explained . london , printed for r. butler , next door to the lamb and three bowls in barbican . an appendix , &c. the first persecution was raised by nero domitius , the th emperour of rome ; who thought , by raising a persecution in all his provinces , to abolish the name of christians . it was done in the year of christ , . vol. . p. . the second persecution began in the . year of christ by domitian , who began mildly , yet did after so rage in pride , that he commanded himself to be worship'd as god : he slew most of the nobles , and all of the seed of david : he intending to destroy all of the seed of david , lest christ should come and cast him out of his empire : and sending for two nephews of iude , the brother of christ , who were then alive ; and demanding of them concerning christ's kingdom , upon their information that it was not an earthly kingdom , but an heavenly kingdom , to be manifested in the consummation of the world , when he should come again to judge the quick and dead . domitian stayed the persecution , and dismissed them . vol. . p. . the third persecution began by trajan , years after the other . he was a very just man in matters of the commom-wealth , but in religious things he was very cruel . vol. . p. . the fourth persecution began by marcus antoninus verus , who began to reign in the . year of christ , and was very sharp and severe against christians : which christians , when the armies of this emperour were warring against the vandals , and had like to have perished for want of water five dayes , did , to the number of a legion , withdraw themselves suddenly from the camp , and prostrated themselves before god ; and by ardent prayer obtained of god , by and by , a double relief ; rain for themselves , and lightning , discomfiting their enemies , who were many of them put to flight : which miracle so pleased the emperour , that he abated his fury against the christians ; grew milder , and ordered his rulers to give thanks to the christians , no less for his victory , than for the preservation of himself ; and also ordered that their accusers should be burned alive . vol. . p. . to . the fifth persecution was raised by severus , the emperour ; who , in the year of christ , . proclaimed , and commanded , no christian should be suffered . vol. . p. . the sixth persecution began by maximinus , about years of christ , against the teachers of the christians ; thinking thereby to destroy the rest the sooner . vol. . p. . the seventh persecution was raised by decius , in the . year of christ. vol. . p. . the eighth persecution was raised by emilianus , president of egypt , years after christ. vol. . p. . the ninth persecution was raised by aurelian , in the . year of christ. vol. . p. . the tenth persecution was raised by dioclesian , in the . year of christ , and lasted years . this dioclesian and maximinian , deposed the emperial office willingly , . and lived retiredly . vol. . p. . . king henry . king of england , by the instigation of stephen gardiner , and other popish prelates , was forced to make , and decree , these articles , to be observed by his subjects , . which were cause of great persecution . . that in the sacrament of the altar upon the efficacy of the words of christ exprest by the priest , christ's natural body is really present , water , bread , and wine ; and that after consecration there remains no bread , nor wine , nor any other substance ; but the substance of christ , god and man. . that the communion in both kinds is not necessary absolutely , by the law of god , to all persons ; and that in the flesh , under the form of bread is the very blood ; and with the blood , under the form of wine , is the very flesh ; as well apart , as they were both together . . that the priests , after the order of priesthood , may not marry by the law of god. . vows of chastity and widowhood , advisedly made by the law of god , ought to be kept ; and exempteth from other liberties of christian people , which else they might enjoy . . that it is meet and necessary , that private masses be continued in the english church and congregation . . that auricular confession is necessary , and expedient to be retained , used , and frequented in the church of god. the opposers of those articles were to be esteemed fellons , and to lose both life and goods ; which occasioned great and cruel persecutions . vol. . p. . these articles , and all other popish articles , were repealed by king edward the th . vol. . p. . finis . books printed for , and sold by , r. butler , next door to the lamb and three bowls in barbican . . a skirmish made upon quakerism , being a brief confutation of a most gross principle , or point of doctrine , published and maintained by one william penne , a quaker , in two sheets . . the shibboleth of quakerism , or that which they call the pure language , proved as used amongst us , to be only a matter of indifferency , and not of absolute necessity , as you-ing and thou-ing , and the naming the days and the months , &c. in two sheets . . one sheet against the quakers , detecting their error and mis-practice , in refusing to reverence men outwardly by word and behaviour after the manner in use among us , which is proved to be good and lawful . . quakerism proved to be gross blasphemy , and antichristian heresie , in four sheets ; all stitch'd together , price , nine-pence .