Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 12 · Account 22 – Account 23
¶The declaration of Steuen Gratwicke concerning his owne story and condemnation.
VPonUpon the xxv. day of May, in ye yeare of our Lord, 1557. I. Stephen Gratwick came before ye Bishop of Winchester, D. White,The story and examination of Stephen Gratwicke Martyr, vnderunder the B. of Winchester & Rochester. &c. into S. Georges Churche in Southwarke at eight of the clocke in the morning and then hee called me before him, and sayd vntounto me.
B. Winchester.
Stephen Gradwick, how standeth the matter with thee now? Art thou contented to reuoke thy heresies, the which thou hast mayntayned and defended here within my Dioces, oftentimes before me and also vppon Sonday last, ye stoode vp in the face of the whole Churche mayntayning your heresies, so that you hauehave offended wt in the libertie of my Dioces, and now I being your Ordinary you must aunswere to me directly, whether you will reuoke them or not: the which I hauehave here in writing, and if so be, that you wil not reuoke them, then I will excommunicate you: and therefore note well what you doe, for now I read here the Articles agaynst you.
And so whē he had ended, he bad me answer vntounto them.
Grat.
My Lord, these articles whiche you hauehave here obiected agaynst me, are not mine but of youe owne making. For I neuer had any of mine examinations written at any time, and therefore these be the obiections that you laye agaynst me as a snare to get my bloud.
Wherefore I desyer your lawfull fauour, to allow my lawfull appeale vntounto myne Ordinary,Stephen Gratwicke appealeth from the B. of Winchester to his owne Ordinary. for I hauehave nothing to do with you. And whereas you do burden me, that I hauehave offended within your Dioces, it is nothing so, for I hauehave not interprised neyther to preache nor teache within your Dioces, but was apprehended by mine own Bishop & sent prisoner into your Dioces, by the consent of ye Coū sell & mine own Ordinary, & therefore I so being in your Dioces, you hauehave no cause to let my lawfull appeale.
And with that there came the Bishop of Rochester, & was receaued at the B. of Winchesters hands with much gladnes, according to their determinate purpose,The Byshop of Rochester commeth in. before inuented. And so followed the Archdeacon of Canterbury And then the Bishop agayne start vp as a man halfe rauished of his wittes for ioye, embracing him with many gē tle wordes, and sayd, yt he was very glad of his comming,Catholicke conueyance among these Bishops. Stephen Gratwicke not of Rochester Dioces. making himselfe ignorant thereof, as he thought it should appeare to me. Then sayd Winchester.
B. Win.
Syr I am very glad of your cōming. For here I hauehave one before me, who hath appealed vntounto you being his Ordinary. Then sayd the Archdeacon of Canterbury.
Arch. Cant.
I know this man very well. He hath bene diuers times before me.Anno 1557. February· And then I aunswered and sayd.
Gratw.
My Lorde, I am not of his Dioces, not by fiue miles: for his Dioces reacheth on that parties but to the Cliffes of Lewes, & I dwelled at Bright Hempson, fiue miles beyond, in the Dioces of the Bishop of Chichester, and therefore I am not of his Dioces.
Then the the Bishop of Winchester, the B. of Rochester,The Byshops counterfayte a false Ordinary against Stephen Gratwicke. and the Archdeacon of Canterbury, cast their heades together, & laughed: and thē they sayd my Ordinary wold be here by and by, & so they sent forth for a counterfayte in steede of mine Ordinary and then I saw them laugh, and I spake vntounto them, and sayd:
Grat.
Why do ye laugh? are ye confederate together for my bloud,See what care these men hauehave of poore mens bloud. and therein triumph? you hauehave more cause to looke waightely vponupon the matter: For I stand here before you vponupon life and death. But you declare youre selues what you are, for you are lapped in Lambes apparell, but I would to God ye had coates according to your assemblye here, which is scarlet gownes, for I do here perceiue you are bent to hauehave my bloud.
And then came rushing in their counterfayted Bishop who was the hyred seruaunt to deliuer me into the hands of ye high Priest:Here commeth in the vice in the play. & the Bishop hearyng him come, wt haste enquired of his man, who was there, and he sayd, my lord of Chichester. Then the Bish. with hast rose vp and sayd.
Wint.
Ye are most hartily welcome, and required him to sit downe: and then sayd the Bishop of Winchester to me: Loe here is your Ordinary. What hauehave you nowe to saye vntounto him?
Grat.
I hauehave nothing to say vntounto him. If he hauehave nothing to say vntounto me. I pray you let me depart. Then aunswered my Counterfeyt Ordinary, and sayd.
Counterf.
Here you stand before my Lords and me in triall of your fayth, and if you bring the trueth, wee shall by compulsion geue place vntounto you, as it is to be proued by ye word, and your doctrine to be heard and placed for a truth.
Grat.
Then I demaunded of him whether hee meant by authoritie, or by the iudgement of the spirite of GOD in his members.
And he aunswered me, by authoritie as well as by the spirite.
Grat.
Then I sayd: Nowe will I turne your own Argument vponupon you:Christ bringing the truth could not be heard of the Scribes and Phariseys. for Christ came before the high priests Scribes and Phariseis, bringing the truth with him, beyng the very truth hymselfe, which truth cannot lye, yet both he and his truth was condemned, and took no place with them. And also the Apostles, and all the Martyrs yt dyed since Christ: therefore I turne your owne argument vponupon you, aunswere it if you can.
Counterf.
Then he with a great hast of coller, sayd vntounto ye Bishop of Winchester: obiect some Articles agaynst hym, for he is obstinate, and would fayne get out of our handes therefore holde him to some particular: so that other aunswere could I not hauehave of his argument.
Wint.
Then the Bishop of Winchester began to reade hys obiections of his owne making agaynst me,Obiections of the Bishops owne making. and bad me aunswere vntounto them. And I sayd:
Grat.
No, except you would set the law apart, because I see you are mindfull of my bloud.
Wint.
Now you may see hee will not aunswere to these, but as he hath aforesayd. Then spake the Counterfeit Ordinary agayne, and sayd:
Counterf.
My Lord, aske him what he sayth to the Sacrament of the aultar. Then the Byshop asked me, as my Counterfeit Ordinary required him.
Grat.
Sacrament of the Lordes Supper.My Lord, I doe beleue that in the sacrament of the Supper of the Lord truely ministred in both kinds according to the institution of Christ, vntounto the worthy receauer, he eateth mistically by fayth the body and bloud of Chryst. Then I asked him if it were not the truth. And hee sayde yes. Then sayd I, beare witnesse of the truth.
Winchester.
Then the Bishop of Winchester, whose head being subtilest to gather vponupon my wordes,The Sacrament of the Aultar no Sacrament. sayd: My Lord see you not how he creepeth away with his heresies, and couereth them priuely? Note how hee here seperateth the Sacrament of the aulter, from the supper of ye Lord meaning it not to be ye true sacrament, & also how he condemneth our ministration in one kinde, and alloweth that the vnworthy receauer doth not eate and drinke the body and bloud of Christ:The wicked eate not the body of the Lord. which be sore matters truely wayed, being couered very craftely with his subtill shiftes of sophistry, but he shall aunswere directly or euer he depart.
Grat.
My Lord, this is but your gathering of my wordes for you before confessed the same sayinges to be the truth, & this you catch at me, and fayne woulde hauehave a vauntage for my bloud: but seeing you iudge me not to meane ye sacramēt, of ye aultar, nowe come to ye probatiō of ye same sacrament, and proue it to be the true sacrament, and I am with you: or els if you can proue your Church to be ye true Church, I am also with you.
But then he called to memory the last probation of the Churche and sacramentes, howe hee before was driuen to forsake the scriptures,The Bishop of Winchesters reason to proue the Sacraments in one kind. and to shew me by good reason how they might minister the sacrament in one kinde: & his reason was this: Like as a man or woman dyeth on a sodayn and so when we hauehave geuen him the body of Christ, in the meane time the partie dyeth, and so he eateth the bodye of Christ, & not drinketh his bloud. And this was his simple shift in the prouing of their Sacramentes: so that he was now halfe abashed to begin that matter agayne.
But yet a little subtile shift he brought in, and sayd.
Winc.
What sayest thou by the administration of ye priests eueryevery day for them selues, and they minister in bothe kindes?
To that I aunswered, you hauehave two administrations for I am sure at Easter you minister but in one kinde, and therfore it is not according to the institution of Christ, but after your owne imaginations.
Winc.
Why, then what sayest thou to these wordes: Take, eate this is my body. These are the wordes of Christe. Wilt thou deny them?
Grat.
My Lord, they are the words of scripture, I affirme them, and not deny them.
Rochest.
Why, then thou doest confesse in the sacrament of the aulter to be a reall presence, the selfe same body yt was borne of the Uirgine Mary, and is ascended vp into heauen.
Grat.
My Lord, what do you now meane? do you not also meane a visible body? for it cannot be, but of necessitie, if it be a reall presence, and a materiall body, it must be a visible body also.
Winc.
Nay, I say vntounto thee, it is a reall presence, and a materiall body, and an inuisible body to.
Grat.
My Lord,The Catholickes make a Phantasticall body in the Sacrament. then it must needes be a phantastical body, for if it shoulde bee materiall and inuisible as you affirme, then it must needes be a phantasticall body, for it is aparaunt that Christes humayne body was visible, and seene.
Winc.
Then the Bishop brake out and said, when diddest thou see him? I pray thee tell me.
Grat.
To that I aunswered and sayd: a simple argument it is. Because our corporall eyes cannot comprehend christ doth that proue or follow, that he is inuisible, because wee cannot see him?
Winc.
And with that the Bishop began to waxe weary of his argument, and remoued his talke to Iudas in eatyng ye sacrament, & said: he eat him wholy, as the Apostles did.
Grat.
And then I asked him, if he meant Christes flesh and bloud the which he speaketh of in the 6. of Iohn, and saith: he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud, hath eternall lyfe in me.
Winc.
To that he aunswered, and sayd, yea.
Grat.
Then sayd I, of necessitie Iudas must needes be saued, because hee eate the fleshe,If the wicked do eate the body of Christ, they must needes be saued: And if Infantes eate him not, they must be condemned by the Popes doctrine. and dranke the bloude of Christ as you hauehave affirmed, and also all the vngodly that dye without repentance, because they hauehave eaten your sacrament, which you say is the flesh & bloud of Christ: therfore of necessitie they shall receiue the benefite thereof, yt is, eternall life. Which is a great absurditie to graunt, & then of necessitie, it must follow, that all that eate not, & drynke not of your sacrament, shall finally pearish and bee damned: for Christ sayth, except you eate my fleshe and drinke my bloud, you can hauehave no life in me. And you hauehave afore sayd, yt your sacrament, which you say is the same flesh & bloud that Christ speaketh of, and here I proue, that all children then, that dye vnderunder age to receaue the sacrament, by your owne argument, they must be damned, whiche is horrible blasphemy to speake. Nowe here I turne your owne argument vponupon you, aunswere it if you can.
Winc.
My Lord, do you not see what deceitful arguments he bringeth in here agaynst vsus, mingled with sophistry, & keepeth himselfe in vauntage, so that we can get no holde vponupon him. But I say vntounto thee, thou peruerse hereticke, I see now, thou art a peruerse fellowe. I had a better opinion of thee, but now I see we lose our time about thee, yet I aunswere thee, S. Paule doth open the sixte of Iohn, playne, if thou wilt see, for he sayth: they eate Christes body and drinke his bloud vnworthely, and that was the cause of their damnation.Falsehoode in alleaging the Scriptures. The Byshops fayled of their purpose, and in a rage.
Grat.
My Lord, take heede ye doe not adde vntounto the texte for he that addeth vntounto the text, is accursed of God, and I am sure here you hauehave brought more then Paule hath spoken, for he sayth not, because they hauehave eaten his body and dronke his bloud vnworthily, but S. Paule sayth: Who so euer shall eate of this bread, and drinke of the Cuppe vnworthely, shall be giltie of the body and bloud of Christ.
Anno 1557. ….Note my lord, he saith not as you hauehave affirmed, but clene contrary. And with that they were all in a great rage.
Winch.
And the bish. of Winchester said, I belied the text.
Grat.
And then I called for the text.
Winch.
And he said, I asked thee euen now if thou vnderstoodest Latine, and thou saidest, whether I can or no, the people shall beare witnesse in English.
Grat.
And so I called againe for the Testament, whether it were Latin or English for the triall of the text.
Winch.
And then when the bish. of Winchester sawe that I cared not, whether of the Translations I had, he stoode vp, thinking to beguile some simple man that had a booke there, & bad him that had an English Testament to bring it in, that he might get some hold at him that should bring a testament,… but God disappointed him therof, & so he flue away from his matter, and began to raile vponupon me, & said my subtill Arguments shuld not serue, for if I would not answer directly, I should neuerthelesse be excommunicated: for (sayd he) I see a madde …oy in thine head: thou gloriest muche in thy talke, and thinkest nowe the people are come about thee, that thou shalt encourage them with thy constant heretical opinion.… For ye last day when thou wast before me vponupon Sonday in s. Mary Oueries church, thou there reprouedst my sermon, & haddest a thousand by thee at the lest, to bid God strengthen thee: but now let me see him here that dare open his mouth to bid God strēgthen thee: he shall die the death that thou shalt die.
Grat.
…To that I answered: my Lord I know your crueltie doth extend more largelier then your pity. Good experience so I hauehave to say, for you kepe men in prison … yeare or two, taking their bookes from them, permitting thē not so muche as a Testament to looke vppon for theyr soules comfort, the which all men oughte to hauehave: and so you entreat them more like brute beastes then Christen men.
Winch.
No, syr we will vse you as we will vse the childe, for if the childe will hurte himselfe with the knife, we will kepe the knife from him.… cruelty … vponupon …. So because you wil damne your soule with the woord, therefore you shall not hauehave it.
Grat.
My lord, a simple argument you bring for to maintaine and couer your fault. Are you not ashamed to make the woord the cause of our damnation? I neuer knew any man but only you that did not affirm our sinnes to be the cause of our damnation,… and not the word, as you say: and therfore if your Argument be good, then this is good also: Because that some men do abuse drinke, therefore the benefite of drinke should be taken from al men, or any other such like good gift.
Winch.
My lordes, here we lose much time, for this felow is peruerse, speaking nothing but sophistrie and peruerse questions: so that we can get no aduantage vponupon him.
Then spake my Counterfait Ordinarie, as one halfe a sleepe al this while: yet somwhat with hast, when he was awaked he began to tell his tale, and sayde.
Counterf.
Read these articles against him once more, and if he wil not answer them, take him vponupon his first words: That which I said, that I hauehave said.
Winch.
Then the Bishop of Winchester began to reade them againe.
Grat.
But I sayd vntounto him, I would not aunswere them, because they were none of mine examinations, but obiections of their owne making, because they would hauehave my bloud. But yet I said, if they would set the lawe a part, I would talke my conscience freely to them.
Counterf.
Then my counterfet Ordinarie began to speake againe, charging mee with the saying of S. Peter, that I should render account of such hope as was in me.
Grat.
…So can I do, and yet shal I not please you, for here I now render my hope as S. Peter willeth me: I beleue only in Iesus Christ, to hauehave my saluatiō in him, by him, and through him: but I perceiue you would hauehave me rē der my faith in such sorte, as you may hauehave my bloud, and therfore you bring good Scriptures and euil apply them.
Win.
Why, this felow is peruerted, & we shal get no more at his hands then we hauehave already: therfore lette vsus pronounce sentence against him, for we do but lose our time.
Grat.
Nay good my lordes, seeing you wil nedes hauehave my bloud, let me say a little more for my selfe.
…Upon sonday last, whē I was before you, you preached this, which was a truth, & agreeable to the doctrine of the apostle s. Iames, and said: If any mā thinke himself a religious man, & in the meane time seduce his toung or hys heart, ye same mans religion is a vain religion: and so my lord you stāding there in ye pulpit,… in ye mean time seduced your tōg to slander vsus pore prisoners being there present in yron bondes, burdening vsus wt the sect of Arrians, and wt the sect of Herodiās, and wt the sect of Anabaptists, and wt the sect of sacramentaries, & with the secte of Pelagiās.
And when we stoode vp to purge our selues therof, you saide you would cut out our tonges, & cause vsus to be pulled out of the church by violēce. But there you gaue your selfe a shrewde blow,True Christiās not suffered to purge themselues. He meaneth agaynst the … presence. for your toungue in the meane time slandered your neighbor. For I my Lord wil geue my life against all these heresies, the which you ther burdened vsus withall, euen as I will geue my life against that wherein I now stand before you. And with that he was raging angry, and caught my condemnation and said.
Win.
Thou wilt graunt here no more, but this word: that I hauehave said, I hauehave said: and here I gather mater enough to condemne thee, for this is a confirmation of all yt thou hast heretofore said.
Grat.
Then I answered: If you can proue that euer any of mine examinatiōs were written, it were inough: but you hauehave nothīg agaīst me, but obiectiōs of your own makīg.
Win.
HaueHave at thee now. If thou wil not yelde,Winchester condemneth Stephen Gratwick, and why? I wil pronounce sentence against thee, and so he proceded forth onward apace, curssing and banning in Latin: so that I told him: If the people might heare it in English, they would thinke you an vncharitable bishop.
Grat.
And then I said, stay my Lorde and note what you doe,Stephen Gratwicke condemned agaynst order, both of temporall and spirituall lawe. for you hauehave neither temporall law nor spiritual here against me in any cause.
Then stepped foorth a gentleman & said vntounto my Lord: take hede what you do, for he doth hear say that you hauehave no title nor cause why you should condemne him.
Then the bish. looked about him againe, and asked me if I would recant.
I asked him whereof I should recant?
Then saide the bish. are you there? nay then I knowe what I hauehave to do, and so he proceded forth in reading my condemnation. And there was an other gentlemā which began to snap and snatch at me: and then said I, I would God I had knowen this or euer I had come from home: I would surely hauehave put on breeche, and not had my skin thus torne. And all this while the Bishop red foorth still.
At last his chaplains cried, stop, stop my Lord, for now he will recant, and then the bishop asked me againe.
And I answered & sayd: my lord, my faith is grounded more stedfastly, then to change in a momēt,Stephen Gratwicke constant in Christ and in his death. it is no proces of time can alter me, vnles my faith were as the waues of the sea: and so the B. made an end, & deliuered me into the hands of the sheriff, to be caried prisoner to the Marshalsey againe. And when I was condemned, I desired God with a loud voice that he would not lay my bloud to their charges, if it were his good will,Gratwicke after his condemnation prayeth for his enemyes. & so then they refused my praier and sent me away. Then I beganne to talke as I went, and they cried, cut out his toung, or stop his mouth, and so I was broughte to the Malshalsey, and lapped in yron bandes. Therefore I pray vntounto God that they vntounto whom this present wryting shal come, may take example by my death and souldiour fare. So be it. By me Steuen Gratwicke, condemned for Gods euerlasting truth.
HEere for want of time I hauehave left out many matters, because the Lord hath hastened the time, Stephen Gratwicke to the Reader.so that I hauehave wrytten but the briefnes of the matter in probation of faith, and the reward of faith, the which the bish of Roch. & I debated vponupon: the whych matter I wold hauehave ben very glad to hauehave set down in wryting.
Also much more talke there was, that the B. of Winch. and I had concerning my worldly frendes & personable estate: for he plaied sathan with me, hee caried me vp to the mountaines, Winchester attempteth Stephen Gratwick with flattering and praysing.and there told me, my learning was good and my eloquēce, and also my knowledge, saue that I did abuse it (saide he): and then he fell to praising of my person, that it was comely & worthy to serue a Prince. Thus Sathan flattered with me to make me aunsweare vntounto such obiections as he woulde lay against me, that I mighte fall into his Diocesse.
Thus Steuen Gratwicke this Christian Martyr, being wrongfully condemned by the bish. of Winchester (as ye hauehave heard) was burned with William Moraunt, and one King, in s. Georges field, about ye latter end of May.
Seuen godlye Martyrs, v. women and ij. men, burned at Maidstone for the word of truth, and professing of sincere religion of Christ.
I Shewed a litle before, how after the vnmerciful proclamation was sent & set forth by the K. and Quene, in the month of Febr. last,Iune. 18. the storme of persecution began in all places to rise (whereof some part also is declared before:) but yet in no place more thē in ye country & dioces of Cāt. by reason of certaine the aforesaid inquisitors, being now armed wt authority, but especially by reasō of Ric. Thornton Suffragan of Douer, and the Archd. of Cant. who of their owne nature were so furious and fierye against the harmles flocke of Christ,Richard Thornton, Nicholas Hartsfield, persecutor…. yt there was no nede of any proclamation to stir vp the coles of their burning crueltie: by reason wherof many a godly Saint lieth slaine vnderunder the altare: as in diuers places of this booke wel may appeare.
And now to returne to the said dioces of Cant. againe, in the next monethmonth following, being ye month of Iune, the 18. day of the same, were 7. Christian & true faithfull martirs of christ burned at Maidst. whose names here folow.
Ioane Bradbridge of Stapleherst. Walter Appelbie of Maidstone.The names of the Martyrs. Petronil his wife. Edmund Alen of Fritenden. Katherine his wife. Ioane Mannings wyfe of Maidstone. Elizabeth a blinde Maiden.
As concerning the generall Articles commonly obiected to them in the publicke Consistory, & the order of theyr cōdemnation, it differeth not much from the vsuall maner expressed before, pag. 1585. neither did their aunsweares in effect much differre from the other that suffered vnderunder the same Ordinarie in the foresaid dioces of Canterburie.
Now as touching their accusers, and maner of apprehension, and their priuate cōflicts with the aduersaries, I finde no great matter comming to my hands, saue only of Edmund Alen some intimation is geuē men, how his trobles came, what was his cause and aunsweres before the Iustices, as here consequently ye shall vnderstand.