A General Martyrology, Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX. The Life and Martyrdom of William Gardiner in Portugal, Anno Christi, 1552.
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,His going to Lisbone. 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:Humility. 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,Zeal. 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,Prayer. 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,Grosse idolatry they adored it: yet Gardiner contained himself all this while. Then the Cardinal took the Host, tossed it to and fro about the Chalice,An heroical act 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,His danger. 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, His speech to to the King.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,Courage. 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,He is tortured. 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,His cru…l Martyrdome. 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?Constancy. 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 34. 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,Gods judgment on persecutors. 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, 1528.
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.A special Providence. 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.