Christs Victory over Satans Tyranny, Book 12 · Part 33 – Part 34
Henry Pond, Reynald Estland, Robert Southam, Mathew Richarby, Iohn Floyd, Iohn Holiday, Roger Holand.
THe twenty seauen of Iune, these with others, to the number of forty Men and Women, were assembled together in a field by Islington at Prayer, and meditating vponupon the word of God: at length the Constable of Islington, with sixe or seauen others came vntounto them, and bad them deliuer their Bookes, and bad them stand and not depart: then they were carried vntounto Sir Roger Cholmeley, by the way all sauing two and twenty escaped, which were sent to Newgate, where word was sent to them by Alexander the Kéeper, that if they would heare Masse they should all bee deliuered: seauen of them escaped, though not without much trouble, and two, to wit; Mathew Withers and Thomas Tyler died, the rest were burned, as before.
They answered that they were not at Church since Lattine seruice was deuised, becau…e it was against the Word of GOD, and that Idolatry was committed in créeping to the Crosse, and because the Churches were furnished with Idols, and because they beléeued the Sacrament of the Altar to be an Idoll, and because the Customes, Rites, and Ceremonies of the Church then vsed, are not agréeable vntounto Gods word.
They said, that they beléeued that no Priest had power to remit si…s, and that those that knéele vntounto the Sacrament and worship it, commit Idolatry.
Reynald Estland refused to be sworne to answer, alleadging that to end a strife an oath is lawfull, but to begin a strife an oath is not lawfull: thus they standing vntounto their answeres, and refusing to acknowledge the Doctrine of the Romish Church, they were all together condemned.
The aforesaid Roger Holand was a Merchant Taylor of London, he was sometime Prentice vntounto one Maister Kempton, at the Blacke Boy in Watling-stréete: In his prentiship hee was a Papist, and very licentious, and hauing plaid away thirty pounds of his Maisters Money, he purposed to hauehave conueyed himselfe beyond Sea, but a religious Maid in the house vnderstanding his minde, lent him thirty pounds to saue his credit, and made him premise her to refuse all leud and wilde company, and all swearing and …iba…ory talke, and to leaue Papistry, and to resort eueryevery day vntounto the Lecture of Alhollowes, and to the Sermon of Paules eueryevery Sunday, and to cast away all his Papistry Bookes, and to pray to God for remission of sinnes, and grace to feare and breake his lawes, and then shall God kéepe thée, and send thée they harts desire.
Halfe a yeare after God wrote such a changing in this man, that he was become an earnest professor of the truth, and detested all Papistry and euill company: then he repayred vntounto Lancashire vntounto his Father, and brought diuers good Bookes with him, and bestowed them vponupon his friends, so that his father and others began to …ast the Gospell, and to detest the Masse, Idolatry, and superstition: and his father giuing him a stocke of Money, he maried the aforesaid Maid, called Elizabeth, and hauing a childe by her in the first yeare of Quéen Mary, he caused Maister Rose to baptise his Child in his house, and being …one into the Country to conuey away the Child, that the Papists should not hauehave it in their annointing hands: hee was bewrayed, and Bonner caused his goods to be seased vponupon, and vsed his wife most cruelly: after this he remained closely in the Citty, vntill he was taken as before.
When hee came before Bonner, who was acquainted with his friends, and for his friends sake and his, he perswaded him what he could to Papistry, and a Kinsman of his standing by, said; I thanke your good Lordship, your Honor meaneth good vntounto my Cozen, I pray God he hauehave grace to follow your councell.
Holand.
Sir, you craue of God you cannot tell what, I beseech God to open your eye… to sée the light of his word.
Then the Bishop and others perswaded him to submit himselfe vntounto my Lord, before he were entred into the Booke of contempt,
Holand.
I neuer meant but to submit my selfe vntounto the Magistrate, as I learne of Saint Paul in the 13. to the Romaines.
Chedsey.
I sée you are not an Anabaptist.
Holand.
The Papists and the Anabaptists agrée in this point, not to submit themselues vntounto any other Prince or Magistrate, then those that must first bee sworne to maintaine them and their doings.
Bonner.
I perceiue you will not be rul'd by any good councell, for any thing that either I or your friends, or any other can say.
Holand.
I may say vntounto you my Lord, as Saint Paul said vntounto Foelix, and to the Iewes, It is not vnknowne vntounto my Maister, vntounto whom I was Prentise, that I was of your blind Religion, vntill the latter end of King Edwa…ds raigne, hauing that liberty vnderunder your auriculer confession, that I made no conscience to sinne, but trusted in the Priests absolution, and hee for money did some pennance for me; which after I had giuen, I cared no more what offence I had done, no more the Priest cared after he had got my money, whether hee fasted with Bread and Water for me or no: so I accounted Letchery, swearing, and other vices, no offtence of danger, as long as I could for my Money hauehave them absolued, I so frailty obserued…y our Rules of Religion, that I would hauehave Ashes vppon Ashwednesday, though I had vsed neuer so much wickednesse at night, and albeit I could not of conscience eate flesh vponupon Friday, yet in swearing, drinking, or dicing all night long, I made no conscience at al. Thus was I brought vp, and continued vntill now of late, that God of his Grace by the light of his word called me vntounto repentance of my former Idolatry and wicked life: for in Lanchishire their blindnesse and whoredome is much more, then may with chast eares be heard, yet these my friends, which are not cléere in these notable crinics, thinke the Priest with his Masses can saue them, though they blaspheme God, and kéepe Contubines besides their Wiues as long as they liue; yea, I know some Priests very deuout, yet they hauehave sixe or seuen Children, by foure or fiue seuerall women. Now M. Doctor to your antiquity, vnity, and vniuersality (for these, Doctor Chedsie alledged as notes of their Religion. The antiquity of our Church is not from Pope Nicholas and Pope Ioane, but from the time that God said vntounto Adam, That the seede of the Woman should breake the Serpents head, and so vntounto faithfull Noah, to Abraham, Isaack, and Iacob, to whom it was promised, that their seed should multiply as the Stars in the sky, and so vntounto Moses, Daniell, and all the holy Fathers that were from the beginning vntounto the birth of Christ, all that beleeued these promises were of the Church, though the number of them were oft-times but small, as in Elias his dayes, when he thought that there was none but he that had not bowed their knées vntounto Baal, when God had reserued seuen thousand that neuer bowed their knées vntounto that Idoll, as I trust there be seuen hundred thousand that hauehave not bowed their knees vntounto that Idoll your Masse, and your God Maozim, which you vphold with your bloudie crueltie, daily persecuting Elias and the seruants of God, forcing them in their chambers and in the fields to pray vntounto God that his word may be once againe preached amongst vsus, and that he would shorten these Idolatrous and bloudy dayes: moreouer, our Church hauehave beene the Apostles and Euangelists, the Martyrs and Confessors of Christ, that hauehave at all times beene persecuted for the true testimony of the word of God; but for the vpholding of your Church and Religion, what antiquity can you shew? yea the Masse, that Idoll and chiefe pillar of your Religion, is not yet foure hundred yeares olde, and some of your Masses are yonger, as that Masse of S. Thomas Becket the Traytor, wherein you pray that you may be saued by the bloud of S. Thomas Becket.
The Laiety is neuer the better for your La…ine Seruice: he that vnderstands Latine can vnderstand but few words; the Priests doe so champe them and chaw them, and poste so fast that they vuderstand not themselues: and the people when they should pray with the Priest, they are set to their Beades to pray to our Ladies Psalter, so craf…y is Sathan to deuise these dreames which you defend, with faggot and fire to quench the light of the word of God, which as Dauid saith, should be a lantorne vntounto our feete, and wherein should a yong man direct his wayes but by the word of God, and yet you will hide it from vsus in a tongue vnknowne: Saint Paul had rather hauehave fiue words spoken with vnderstanding, then ten thousand in an vnknowne tongue, yet you will hauehave your Latine seruice, and praying in a strange tongue to be of such antiquitie.
Touching vniuersalitie: the Greek Church and a good part of Christendome besides, neuer receiued your seruice in an vnknowne tongue: nor your transubstan…iation, nor your receiuing all alone, nor your Purgatorie, nor Images,
The vnitie in your Church is nothing else but treason, murther, poysoning, one another: Idolatry, superstition, wickednes: What vnitie was in your church, when there was three Popes at once. Where was your head of vnity, when you had a woman Pope.
Boner
said, these they words are very blasphemous, and by the meanes of thy friends th…n hast been suffered to speake and art ouer malapert to teach any here, therefore Keeper take him away: afterward, for that he said that the Masse, transubstantiation, and the worshipping of the Sac…ment, is méere impiety and horrible Idolatry, he was condemned: he prophessed before Bonner and all the people that were there, that after this day in this place, shall there not bee any put to the tryall by the fire and faggot, and after that day there was neuer none that suffered in Smithfield for the testimony of the Gospell, God be thanked for it: These seauen were burned at Smithfield.
Robert Miles, Stephen Cotten, Robert Dynes, Stephen White, Iohn Slade, William Pickes or Pikars.
THe foureteenth of Iuly these sixe were taken at Islington, with the other seauen as before, and were burned at Brainford: the Articles that were ministred vntounto them were the same that were ministred vntounto the other seauen, and their answers the same in effect as the others were. When they were brought vntounto the stake they addressed themselues, and ioyfully went vntounto the fire, and ye…lded their soules, bodies, and liues into the hands of the omnipot…nt Lord.