All the Examinations of the Martyr John Bradford, Biography
¶All the examinacions of the Conſtante Martir of GOD M. Iohn Bradforde, before the Lorde Chauncellour. B. of Wincheſter the B. of London, & other cōmiſſioners: Whervnto ar annexed his priuate talk & conflictes in priſon after his condemnacion, with the Archbiſhop of york, the B. of Chicheſter, Alfonſus, and King Philips confeſſour, two Spaniſhe freers, and ſundry others. With his modeſt learned and godly anſweres.
Anno. Domini 1561
¶Cum Priuilegio ad imprimendum ſolum.
¶The Originall of his Lyfe.
IOhn Bradford borne in Lancaſterſhire, in Mancheſter, a notable towne of that coū trey, was of his gētle parentes brought vp in vertue & good learning euen from his very childhode, & among other praiſes of his good educacion, he obtained as a chief gift, the cōnynge & redines of writing, which knowledge was not onelyonly an ornamēte vntounto him, but alſo an helpe to the neceſſary ſuſtētaciō of his liuing. About ye time, was one ſir Ihō Haringtō paymaſter to king Henry the .8. which at Boloign by order of knighthode beīg muche renomed, but yet by his own vertue a great deale more noble, was ther ſuruier and paymaiſter of ye ſouldiers. Who then had the ſeruice of maſter Bradford, & ſo kept him both in his family & in his fauor: that it can ſcarce be told whether liued to other, ether more beloued or more profitable. For Bradford both lerned many things of him, & alſo experience and practiſe of thinges more increaſed & abounded. On the otherſide, he whiche tried his ſeruice ſo faithful, eſtemed him as a great treaſure & ſo loued him: that in all his affaires he would alwaies bee coupled wt him. In which trade of life when Bradford long time had bene cō uerſāt, ye way to riches ſemed not ſo farre of vntounto him, if he woulde hauehave ſet his mind to gathering of worldly riches, but the immutable prouidēce of god drew him another way. For after he was wery of this kind of life, & had made a diligēt and true accompt of his maiſters affairs: he deſired licēce to depart, and ſo wēt from him to the intent that he being rid of all other troubles, he might ſerue Ieſu Chriſte, the ſecrete working of goddes calling ſo mouinge him, which neuer ſuffred his minde to be at reſt: vntil it had fully & wholy poſſeſſed him: In ſo muche that after he had forſaken his maſter, & gotten him to the ſtudye of the law, his minde could not long abide in that trade of lawyers, but that forſaking alſo that kinde of ſtudy, in whiche he was not altogether ignorāt: he departed from the temple where he ſtudied ye cō mon and temporal lawes, to Cā bridge the temple of gods lawes to apply thoſe ſtudies, which pertained more to the miniſterye of gods church. In the which, with what vehemens and force he labored, it is euident by this: yt the firſt yere of his comimng thether, he obteined degree of ſchole, and was made maiſter of art, & gatte the fauour and admiration of all men, that by and by he was choſē felowe of Penbrooke hall, where he ſo daily profited, by a certayn heauēly dexterite of his wit, that as he was had in eſtimaciō of all good men: ſo alſo he began to be welbeloued of Martin Bucer, which hoped of no ſmall fruit to procede, from that his ſo godlye diſpoſicion. wherefore he counſelled him, to beſtow his giftes and talent, to the common profyte of inſtructynge Chriſtes flock. To whom when he had alledged hys weakenes and lack of learnyng: Bucer anſwered, that though he could not fede thē with fine cakes and white bread, yet he ſhould ſatiſfye them with barly bread, wer it neuer ſo courſe. By whoſe often exhortacions Bradforde beynge boldened, althoughe of his owne accord he was redy inough while he was altogether ī this thought it came happelye to paſſe, that by D. Ridly biſhoppe of London, he was ſent for from Cambridge, to take vppon him eccleſiaſticall orders and functiōs. Of whom beyng firſt made deacon and afterward licenſed to preach hauing a good ſtipēd out of the Cathedrall church of Poules: he diligētly labored in the miniſtery of publike teching in ye church of god, ſo lōg as kinge Edwarde liuinge there could be any place for godly teachers. But when at lenght ye religiō changed by death of ye prince, and he neuertheleſſe exerciſed his office of preching: an occaſō was foūd and yet moſt vniuſt (becauſe that by the lawes it was not yet concluded) that his mouth being ſtopped he was thruſte into priſon: the occaſion was this. The xiii. day of Auguſt, one of the Popiſh ſect called Bourn afterward biſhop of Bathe, railed with many wordes moſt ſhamefully vpō king Edward, and the pure doctrine of the goſpel in his time preched, whoſo behaued himſelf, yt he had muche a doe to eſcape, but yt the multitude of hearers would hauehave laide hande vponupon him, and pulled him out of ye pulpit, which thīg they declared by manifeſt tokens. For ſo great was the indignacion of al men kindled againſt him, that neither with ye reuerence of the place, nor by the aucthoritie of the biſhop of London then preſent, nor at the lawful commandement of the Maire: this commocion of the people could be pacyfied. But as for Bourn, he was ſo ſtricken with feare bothe by the greatnes of the tumulte, & chieflye for a dagger whyche was throwne from the middes of the company againſt the pulpit: that he durſt not make an ende of hys ſedicious ſermond (much like the Oracions that the Tribunes in Rome wer wonte to make) nether would ye people ſuffer him: he hū bly deſired Bradford which ſtode behind his backe in the pulpit, yt he would take his place & ſpeake to the people remembringe perchaunce, and not vnwiſelye vyrgils counſel.
That when among a people ſtoute
It chaunceth to betide
The multitude to make a fraye
Of wit ful often wide,
That ſtones & wepons flies a brode
and what come firſt to hande
Some ſadman cōmeth that for his right
Is loned of all the land:
Anon thei ceaſte and ſilence make,
And doune thei laie there rage
To harke at him, and he with ſpeche
their woode minds doth aſwage.
Neyther was his purpoſe diſappointed, for as ſone as Bradford ſtode forth in ye middeſt: al the tumulte was eaſilye appeaſed, & the people at the firſt ſight of him, wiſhed him lōg helth, crying Bradforde Bradforde god preſerue thy life Bradford. After yt with much attenciō thei heard him entreat of quiet & chriſtiā obedience. Finally after his ſermond ended: the moſt part of thē went quietlye & peaſably home to their houſes. In the meane time amonge the reſidew which reſiſted (for it could not bee that in ſo great offence of ye multitude, al thinges could ſo quickly be quieted) there was a certayn gētleman with his two ſeruants, whiche comming vp the pulpytte ſtaires ruſhed againſt the doore, deſyring to enter vponupon Bourn, I know not what he minded. Than Bradforde whiche ſeemed to knowe hym, and perceyuyng his entente: reſyſted as muche as he coulde, in the meane tyme, priuelye geuynge Bourne warnynge by hys Seruaunte, that hee ſhoulde auoyde the preſente daunger as ſoone as he could. Bourne ſtreight waie flying vntounto the Maior once againe, eſcaped death, & yet not thinking himſelfe ſafe ynoughe, he deſired Bradford that he woulde vouchſafe to be preſent and help him, til he mighte hide himſelfe in ſome houſe, that he might be ſafe from all feare and daunger, which gē tlenes he willingly perfourmed, that is to ſaie he couered him behinde with his gowne, till by the Maior and the Sherifes, he was ſafely brought into Poules ſcole. On this wiſe the railing preacher againſt king Edward, by Bradfordes helpe eſcaped death, which for his raylinge he had deſerued, whiche thing thei whiche woulde hauehave bene reuenged of him, dyd not diſſemble, for one of them opēly teſtifying to Bradford. ſaid: Ah Bradforde Bradforde dooeſt thou ſaue his lyfe whiche will not ſpare thyne? goe too I geue thee his lyfe, but if it were not for thy ſake, I woulde thruſt thys beaſt through with my ſworde. Mayſter Bradforde the ſame daye after dinner preaching to the Londoners in the chiefe ſtreate of the citie, did ſharply rebuke them for this ſedicious and tumultuouſe behauiour, waytinge afterwarde at London what ſhould be thend of this buſineſſe. Thou haſt now reader ye whole diſcourſe of Bradfordes facte, whereby thou dooeſt vnderſtande what reward he deſerued of equall Iudges, for ſo godly ſeruice. Nowe heare what rewarde he receiued.
Thre daies after this was done he was ſente for by the counſell, & biſhoppes, to the towre where the Queene than laye, and was compelled before them to purge hymſelfe of ſedicion and hereſy, ſurely by the ſame reaſon, that ye lambe ſometyme was accuſed by ye wolfe for troubling the water, in which he dronke a greate deale lower than the woolfe, not that he had offended, but that the woolfe was an hungred, not that hee hadde troubled the water, but that he was not hable to reſyſte the other, whiche troubled it in deede. After the ſame ſorte was Bradforde ſette a fyer wyth the flame of that Sedicion, whyche hee alone dyd quenche, and ſo commaunded to pryſone, where abydynge almoſte twoo yeares together hee ſuſtayned manye conflictes with the Papiſtes and other ſectes, he confirmed manye weake and coumforted the afflycted, he wrote alſo manye thynges, as hee hadde leyſure and got opportunitye by ſtealth. And among other thynges hee ſente manye Epiſtles, the copies whereof are extante, to the Citizens of London, to the Vnyuerſite and towne of Cambridge, to the townes of Walden and Mancheſter, alſo to hys twoo brethren theyr wyues and famylyes, in whiche Epiſtles, the ſyncere zeale of hys Chriſtyan heart and godlines, doth marueilouſly appeare. At lengthe after long labours & ſorowes, he was priuily ledde from the counter by night to Newgate. The next daie earlye in the morninge, he was brought foorth into Smithfield, with an other younge manne called Ihō Lyefe being eightene yeres olde, he was there burnte. At London the firſte of Iulii. Anno M.D.LV.