Christs Victory over Satans Tyranny, Book 12 · Part 35 – Part 38
RICHARD YEOMAN.
HEe was the Curate of Doctor Taylor before mentioned: he was a godly and deuout old man, being of the age of thréescore and ten years, and had many years dwelt in Hadlie; with him Doctor Taylor left his cure at his departure, but as soone as M. Newall had gotten the Benefice be droue away good M. Yeoman, as is before said, and set in a Popish Curate to maintaine the Romish Religion; then wandred he long time from place to place, exhorting al men to stand faithfully vntounto Gods word, and to giuegive themselues vntounto prayer, with patience to beare the crosse laid vponupon them for their triall, and with boldnesse to confesse the truth before the aduersaries, and with vndoubted hope to wait for the crowne of eternall felicitie: and perceiuing his aduersaries to lie in wait for him, he got a Pedlers packe, and trauelled from village to village, selling such things, and thereby got somewhat to sustaine himselfe, his wife and children.
At last M. Moyle a Iustice of Kent took him, and set him in the stocks a day and a night; but when he had nothing against him, he discharged him, so he came vntounto Hadley, and tarried secretly a yeare with his wife and children, spending the time in prayer and reading the Scriptures, and carding of wooll, which his wife did spin; his wife also did begge bread and meat for her selfe and her children: thus the Saints of God sustained hunger and miserie, whilest the Prophets of Baall lined in iollitie, and were costly pampered at Iesabels table: at last Parson Newall perceiuing this, came with the officers in the night, and broke open fiue doors vponupon Yeoman, whom he found in bed with his wife and children: then he said he thought he should finde a knaue and a whore together, and he would hauehave pluckt off the clothes, but that Yeoman held them fast, and bade his wife arise and put on her clothes: then he said, Nay parson, no whoore, but a man and his wife, according to Gods ordinance, and blessed be God, for lawfull matrimony, and I defie the Pope and all his popery: then they led him vntounto the Cage, and set him in the stocks vntill it was day. There was then in the Cage an old man, named Iohn Dale, who had sitten there thrée or foure dayes for saying vntounto Parson Newall and his Curat, Miserable and blinde guids, will you euer be blinde leaders of the blinds, will you neuer amend, will you neuer sée the truth of Gods word, will neither Gods threats nor promises enter into your hearts, will not the bloud of Martyrs nothing mollifie your stony stomacks? O indurate, hard hearted, peruerse and crooked generation, O damnable sort, to whom nothing can do good.
The said parson Newall caused them both to be carried vntounto Bury Gaole, being pinioned and bound like théeues, and their legges tyed vnderunder the horse bellies; where they were …yed in Irons: and because they continually rebuked Popery they were throwne into the lowest dungeon, where Iohn Dale died in prison, whose bodie was buried in the fields. He was a Weauer by his occupation. Then Richard Yeoman was remoued to Norwich prison, where he was straitly kept: hée boldly professed himselfe to be of the faith and religion that was set forth by King Edward the sixt, and from that he would in no wise vary. Being required to submit himselfe to the holy Father the Pope, I defie him (quoth he) and all his detestable abominations; I will in no wise hauehave to do with him, or with any thing that appertaineth vntounto him. The chiefe articles obiected against him were his marriage and the masse sacrifies, wherfore when he continued stedfast in the profession of the truth: he was condemned, & not only burned, but cruelly tormented in the fire.
IOHN ALCOCK.
THis Iohn was a Shereman, which came vntounto the aforesaid Hadley to seek worke: after Doctor Tayler was martyred, and Richard Yeoman was taken, he vsed to reade the Seruice in English in the Church of Hadley, as is touched before: at the length, because he would not moue his Cap, nor shew reuerence when Parson Newall went of procession: when Newall was almost out of the Church, he runne backe againe and caught him, and deliuered him vntounto the Constable, saying; hee is an Hereticke and a Traytor, and dispised the Quéenes proceedings. Wherefore I commaund you in the Quéenes Name, to hauehave him vntounto the stocks: when he was brought vntounto the Parson, he asked him▪ Fellow, What saist thou to the Sacrament of the Altar? I say (quoth he) as ye vse the matter, you make it a shamefull Idoll, and you are false Idolatrous Priests eueryevery one of you: then the Parson committed him to Ward, and the next day rode vp to London, and caried the said Alcocke with him; and after he had long beene imprisoned in Newgate, after many examinations and troubles, because he would not aske forgiuenesse of the Pope, and be reconciled vntounto the Romish Religion, he was cast into the lower Dungeon, where he died: His body was buried in a Dunghill.
THOMAS BENBRIDGE.
VPonUpon the twenty nine of Iuly he was apprehended for an Aduersary of the Romish Religion, and was examined before Doctor White, Bishop of Winchester, where he sustained sundry conflicts for the truth: The points of Religion that he stood vponupon were these:
That Baptisme is not administred at this present, as it was in the Apostles time, because it is not in the English tongue, that in the Sacrament is not the body and blood of Christ; that he knoweth not whether Confirmation bee a Sacrament or not, and whether the Bishop giueth Grace or not; that sinnes bee not forgiuen by absolution pronounced of a Priest, and that it is not necessary for a man to confesse all his sinnes vntounto a Priest: that he beleeued that the Bishops bee not the Successors of the Apostles, for that they bee not called as they were, nor hauehave not that Grace; that it is not the Pope but the Deuill that is supreme head of the Church which you speake of; that he will not beleeue touching Purgatorie as their Church doth; that Matrimony is no Sacrament, but a sacred order in signe of an holy thing; that Martine Luther died a good Christian, whose doctrine and life he did allow, for which he was condemned. He came vntounto the stake very rich in apparell, when the fire was kindled, first it tooke away a peece of his Beard, whereat he nothing shranke, then it tooke his legges, and his stockings being Leather made the fire to pierce the sharper, and the intollerable heate made him cry I recent, and suddenly thrust the fire from him, and hauing two or three of his Friends by, they helped to take the fire from him: and the Sheriffe being Sir Richard Pecksall, of his owne authority tooke him from the stake, and sent him to Prison againe: wherefore the Sheriffe was sent vntounto the Fleete, and his friends that helped him to prison. Before he was taken from the stake, Doctor Seaton made him to subscribe to certaine Articles touching the Pope, the Sacrament, and such other trash; but being in prison, he wrote a Letter vntounto Doctor Seaton, and recanted those words that he spake at the stake vntounto which he had subscribed: whereupon the same day seanight he was burned, where the vile Tormentors did rather broile him, then burne him.
Iohn Cooke Sawyer, Robert Milles alias Plumer, Sheareman, Alexander Lane a VVheelewrite, Iames Ashly a Bacheler.
IN August these were burned at S. Edmundsbury by the Bishop of Norwich, and Sir Edward Walgraue.
Sir Edward said vntounto Cooke, why come you not to Church?
Cook.
Because the Sacrament of the Altar is an abhominable Idol: and (sai… he) the vengeance of God will come vponupon all them which do maintaine it.
Sir Edward.
O thou ranke Traytor, if I had as good a Commission to cut out thy …ongue as to heare thee, thou shouldst be sure to hauehave it cut out: then hée commaunded the Constable to hauehave him away, saying, hee was both a Traytor and a Rebell: Then he …sked Robert Milles why he would not goe vntounto Church.
Miles.
Because I will follow no false Gods: then Alexander Lane was asked why he would not come to Church, he said; his conscience would not serue him so to doe. After the like manner they passed also with Iames Ashly; so the next day they appeared and had their condemnations, and were burned as before.