The Marrow of Ecclesiastical History, Augustine Marlorat
The Life of Augustine Marlorat, who died Ano Christi 1562.
AUgustine Marlorat was born in Lorrain, Anno 1506. His parents dying whilst he was young,His Birth and Education. and his kindred gaping after his estate, thrust him at eight years old into a Monastery of Augustine Friars, by which means (God so ordering it) he was brought up in Learning,Gods providence. and became a Preache…, and being addicted to the study of the Tongues, and the Reformed Religion,He leaves his Monastery. he would no longer live amongst those idle Drones, and Slow-bellies; but leaving them, went to the University of Lausanna in the Country of Bern, where he profited much in Learning,He goes to Lusanna. and came to the knowledge of the Truth, and from thence was chosen to be the Pastor at Vivia, near to the Lake of Leman: and from thence hee was called to Roan, His conversionwhere was a populous Church, which he instructed and taught so holily,He is called to Roan. and with such prudence, that his honesty protected him against the rage, and malice of his adversaries.
Anno Christi 1561 he was present at the conferenc at Possy between the Cardinal of Lorrain, and The…dore Beza, where he acquitted himself with much courage,His zeal and courage. appearing on the Protestants side against the Papists. The year following, when the Civil Wars brake forth in France, the City of Roan was besieged, and after a hard siege was taken by storm, at which time this August. Marlorat, the chief Minister of the City was taken also, and carried before Monmorency the Constable of France, who grievously chid him, and cast him into a streight prison; and the next morning the Constable and the Duke of Guise went to the prison, and calling for Marlorat, the Constable said to him, You are he who hath seduced the people.
Marl.
If I have seduced them,His conference with Monmorency. it's God that hath done it rather then I: for I have preached nothing to them but Divine Truths.
Const.
You are a seditious person, and the cause of the ruin of this great City.
Marl.
As for that imputation, I referre my self to all that have heard me preach, be they Papists or Protestants, whether I ever medled with matters of the Politick State or no; but contrariwise I have according to my ability laboured to instruct them out of the holy Scriptures. To this the Constable with an oath replyed, that he, and his abettors plotted together to make the Prince of Condie King, the Admirall Coligni, Duke of Normandy, and Andelot, Duke of Britaine. To this Marlorat answered, professing his own innocency, and the innocency of those noble personages. But the Constable swearing a great oath, said, We shall see within a few daies whether thy God can deliver thee out of my hand, Blasp…emy.or no, and so departed in a great rage.
Not long after at the instance of Bigot, Advocate for the King, an Indictment was drawn up against him, and some others,He is condemned of Treason whereupon they were condemned for high Treason, for that he had been (as they said) the author of the great assemblies, which were the cause of Rebellion, and Civill Warres, and therefore as a punishment to satisfie the Law for these things, the Court adjudged and condemned the said Marlorat to be drawn upon a sled, and to be hanged upon a gibbe… before our Ladies Church in Roan. This done, his head to bee stricken off from his body, and set upon a pole upon the bridge of the same City, his goods and inheritance to be confiscated to the Kings use; and shortly after this sentence was executed, viz. Anno Christi 1562, and of his age 56.
Hee was excellently learned, and of a most unblameable life, and had the testimony even of the Papists themselves that heard him, that in his Sermons he never uttered ought that tended to Sedition or Rebellion. Yet his malitious adversaries were not content onelyonly to see him drawn upon an hurdle,Popish rage and malice. but the Constable also loaded him with a thousand disgraces and outrages, as also a sonne of his called Monbrun, Gods judgements on persecutors.who shortly after was slaine in the battel of Dreux. One Villebon also gave him a switch with a wand, adding many reproachfull speeches thereto: But this meek …amb bare all those indignities with admirable patience and meekness.
When he was come to the place where he should suffer,His martyrdome. he made an excellent speech, as the time then permitted him; exhorting two that were to suffer with him to stand stedfast to the end, which they also did. When he was now dead, yet the rage of his adversaries ceased not there, but one of the souldiers with his sword struck at his legges. Yet Gods judgments found out his adversaries very speedily:Gods judgements on his enemie…. For the Captain that apprehended Marlorat was slaine within three weeks, by one of the basest souldiers in all his company. Two of his Judges also died very strangely soon after; viz. the President of the Parliament by a flux of blood, which could be by no means stanched: The other being a Counsellor, voyding his Urine by his fundament, with such an intollerable stink that none could come near him. The aforenamed Villebon also, that switcht him, escaped no better: For a while after the Marshall Vielle Ville coming to Roan about publick affairs, invited Villebon to dinner, and after dinner lamenting the miseries of that City, he exhorted Villebon to endeavour the redress of many abuses, being the Kings Leiutenant there; which Villebon took so ill, that hee said, If any man dare to taxe me for not carrying my self as I ought in my place, I would tel him to his face, that hee lyed; which words he repeated so often over, that the Marshall being urged very much therewith, strake with his sword at him with such violence, that had he not received the blow with his hand, his head had been cleft to his teeth; so that for the present he escaped with the losse of his hand wherewith hee had so dishonourably smitten Aug. Marlorat at the place of execution.
Marlorat collected out of the best Writers of his time,His Works. adding the names of the Authors, and sometimes inserting his own opinions; Commentaries upon all the New Testament: As also upon Genesis, Psalmes, Canticles, Isaiah. He left also a Thesaurus of the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles; i. e. Totius Canonicae Scripturae, in locos communes, dogmatum, & phrasium ordine alphabetico digestum.