Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 12 · Account 81 – Account 84
The cruell handling and burning of Nicholas Burton Englishman and Marchaunt in Spayne.
FOrasmuch as in our former booke of Actes and Monuments mention was made of the Martyrdome of Nicholas Burton,The story of Nicholas Burton Martyr in Spayne. I thought here also not to omit the same the story being suche as is not vnworthy to be knowne, as wel for the profitable example of his singular constancie, as also for the noting of the extreme dealing and cruell reuenging of those Catholicke Inquisitours of Spayne, who vnderunder the pretensed visour of Religion, do nothyng but seeke theyr owne priuate gaine and commoditie, with crafty defending and spoyling of other mens goodes, as by the noting of this story may appeare.
The fift day of the monethmonth of Nouember, about the yeare of our Lord God .1560. this Nicholas Burton Citizen sometyme of London and Marchaunt,Nicholas Burtō Londoner. dwellyng in the Parishe of little Saint Barthelmew, peaceably and quietly followyng his traffike in the trade of Marchaundise, and beyng in the Citie of Cadix in the parties of Andolazia in Spayne, there came into his lodgyng a Iudas (or as they terme them) a Familiar of the Fathers of the Inquisition. Whom asking for the sayde Nicholas Burton, fayned that hee had a Letter to deliuer to his owne handes: by which meanes he spake with him immediatly And hauing no Letter to deliuer to him then the said Promoter or Familiar, at the motiō of the Deuill his maister, whose messenger he was, inuented an other lye, and sayde that he would take ladyng for London in such shippes as the said Nicholas Burton had fraited to lade, if he would let any: which was partly to know where he laded hys goods, that they might attache them, and chiefly to detract the tyme vntill the Alguisiel, or Sergeant of the sayd Inquisition might come and apprehende the body of the sayd Nicholas Burton: which they dyd incontinently.
Who then wel perceauyng yt they were not able to burden nor charge him yt he had written, spoken, or done any thyng there in that countrey against the Ecclesiasticall or Temporall lawes of the same Realme, boldly asked them what they had to lay to his charge that they did so Arrest hym and bad them to declare the cause and he would aunswere them. Notwithstanding, they aunswered nothing, but commaunded him with cruell threatnyng woordes to hold his peace, and not to speake one word to them.
And so they caryed hym to the cruell and filthy common prison of the same Town of Cadix,Nich. Burton layd in prison, they hauing no cause to charge him with. where he remayned in yrons 14. dayes amongst theeues.
All which time he so instructed the poore prisoners in the word of God, according to the good talent which God had geuen hym in that behalfe and also in the Spanyshe tongue to vtter the same, that in short space he hadde wel reclaymed sundrye of these superstitious and ignoraunt Spanyardes to embrace the word of God, and to reiecte theyr popish traditions.
Which being knowne vntounto the officers of the Inquisition,Nich. Burton caryed to Ciuil… ▪ they conueyed hym laden with yrons from thence to a citty called Siuill, into a more cruell and straighter prison called Triana, where the sayd fathers of the Inquisition proceeded agaynst him secretly according to theyr accustomable cruell tyranny, that neuer after he could be suffered to write or to speake to anye of his nation: so that to this day it is vnknowne who was hys accuser.
Afterward the the xx. day of December, in the foresayd yeare,Nich. Burton brought to iudgement after a disguised maner. they brought the sayde Nicholas Burton with a great number of other prisoners, for professing the true Christian Religion, into the Cittye of Siuill, to a place where the sayde Inquisitours sate in iudgement, whiche they called the Awto, with a Canuas coate, wherupon diuers partes was paynted the figure of on huge Deuill, tormenting a soule in a flame of fire, & on his head a coppyng tanke of the same worke.
His tongue was forced out of hys mouthe with a clouen sticke fastened vponupon it,Nich. Burton with an other Englishman of Southampton condemned. that hee shoulde not vtter hys conscience and fayth to the people, and so he was set with an other englishmā of Southampton, and diuers others condemned menne for Religion, as wel Frenche menne,
❧The maner of the Popish Spaniardes, in carying Nicholas Burton a blessed Martyr of Christ, after most spitefull sort, to the burning.
as Spanyardes, vponupon a Scaffold ouer agaynst the sayde Inquisition, where their sentences and iudgementes wer read and pronounced agaynst them.Anno 1558. Nouember.
And immediately after the sayd sentences geuen, they were all caryed from thence to the place of execution wyth out ye citty, where they most cruelly burned him, for whose constant fayth God be praysed.
This Nicholas Burton by the way, and in ye flames of fire made so chearfull a countenaunce, embracing death with all pacience and gladnesse, that the tormentors and enemies which stoode by, sayd that the Deuill hadde hys soule before he came to the fire, and therefore they sayd his senses of feeling were past him.
It happened that after the Arrest of thys Nicholas Burton aforesayd, immediately all the goodes and Marchaundise whiche he brought with him into Spayne by ye way of trafficke, were according to their common vsage, seised, and taken into the Sequester: amonge the whiche they also rolled vp much that appertayned to an other English Marchaunt, wherwith he was credited as Factour. Wherof so soone as newes was brought to the Marchant aswell of the imprisonment of hys Factoure,The trouble of Iohn Frontō Citizen of Bristow, in Spaine. as of the Arrest made vppon his goodes, hee sent his Atturney into Spayne with authoritie from hym, to make clayme to his goods, and to demaund them: whose name was I. Fronton Citizen of Bristow.
When his Atturney was landed at Siuill, and hadde shewed all hys Letters and writinges to the holye house, requiring them that such goodes might be deliuered into his possession, aunswere was made him that hee must sue by Bill, and retayne an Aduocate (but all was doubtlesse to delay him) and they forsoothe, of curtesie assigned hym one to frame his supplication for him, and other such bils of petition, as he had to exhibite into theyr holye Courte, demaunding for eche Bill viii. Rials, albeit they stoode him in no more stead, then if he had put vp none at al. And for the space of three or foure monthes this fellow missed not twise a day, attending eueryevery morning and afternoone at the Inquisitours Palace, suing vntounto them vppon hys knees for hys dispatche, but specially to the Byshoppe of Tarra…on, who was at that very time chiefe in the Inquis…tion at Siuill, that he of hys absolute authoritie woulde commaund restitution to be made thereof: but the bootie was so good and so great, that it was very hard to come by it agayne.
At the length, after hee had spent whole 4. monthes in sutes and requestes, and also to no purpose, hee receaued this aunswere from them, that he must shewe better euidence and bring more sufficient certificates out of Englād for proofe of his matter, then those whiche he had already presented to the Courte.Note the rauening extortion of these Inquisitours. Whereupon the party forthwith posted to London, and with all speede returned to Ciuill agayne with more ample and large letters testimonialles and certificates, according to theyr request, and exhibited them to the Court.
Notwithstanding, the Inquisitours still shifted hym off, excusing themselues by lacke of leysure, and for y• they were occupyed in greater and more weighty affayres, and with suche aunsweres delayed hym other foure monthes after.
At the last, when the party had wellnigh spent all hys money,The vyle proceding… of the Inquisitors of Spayne. and therefore sued the more earnestly for hys dyspatch, they referred the matter wholy to the Byshop. Of whom, when he repayred vntounto him, he had this aunswere that for himselfe he knew what he had to do: howbeit hee was but one man, and the determination of the matter appertayned vntounto the other Commissioners as well as vntounto him: and thus by posting & passing it from one to an other, the party could obtayn no end of his sute. Yet for his importunitie sake, they were resolued to dispatche hym, it was on this sort: One of the Inquisitours called Gasco a man very well experienced in these practises, willed the party to resort vntounto hym after dinner.
The fellow being glad to heare these newes, and supposing that his goodes should be restored vntounto hym, and that he was called in for that purpose to talk with ye other that was in prison, to conferre with him about theyr accomptes, the rather through a little misunderstanding, hearing the Inquisitour cast out a word, that it shoulde be needeful for him to talk with the prisoner, and being therupon more then halfe perswaded, that at the lengthe they ment good fayth, did so, and repayred thether about the euening. Immediately vppon his comming, the Iayler was forthwith charged with him, to shut hym vp close in such a certayne prison, where they appoynted hym.
The party hoping at the first that he hadde bene called for about some other matter,Iohn Fronton imprisoned by the Spanish Inquisitors for asking his owne goodes. and seeing himselfe contrary to his expectation, cast into a darcke dungeon, perceyued at the length that the worlde went with hym farre otherwise then he supposed if would hauehave done.
But within two or three dayes after, he was brought forth into the Court, where he beganne to demaunde hys goodes:Anno 1558. and because it was a deuise that well serued their turne without any more circumstance they bad him saye his Aue Maria. I…hn Fronton iudged … an heretike for not reding to Aue Maria, … then … Scrip…re hath. … the … Ma…chaunt … of his goodes.The party began & said it after this maner Aue Maria gratia plena Dominus te cum, benedicta tu in mulieribus & benedictus fructus ventris tui Iesus. Amen.
The same was written word by word as hee spake it: and without anye more talke of clayming his goodes because it was booteles, they commaunde him to prison agayne, and enter an action agaynst him as an hereticke, for asmuch as he did not say his Aue Maria after the romish fashion, but ended it very suspiciously, for he should hauehave added moreouer: Sancta Maria mater Dei ora pro nobis pecca toribus, by abbreuiating whereof, it was euident enough (sayd they) that he did not allow the mediation of saintes.
Thus they picked a quarrell to deteine him in prison a longer season, and afterwardes brought him forth into their stage disguised after theyr manner: where sentence was geuen that he should loose all the goodes whiche he sued for, though they were not his own, and besides this suffer a yeares imprisonment.
¶The Martyrdome of an other Englishman in Spayne.
An other …lishe … burnt … Spayne. … afore … 907.AT what tyme this blessed Martyr of Christe suffered, which was the yeare of our Lord .1560. December. 22. there suffered also an other Englishman, with other xiii. one of them being a Nunne, an other a Fryer, both constant in the Lord. Of which xiii. read before, pag. 934.
*Iohn Baker and Willam Burgate Martyrs.
… Baker … …urgate … in ….IOhn Baker and William Burgate, bothe Englishmen in Cales, in the countrey of Spayne, were apprehended and in the Citty of Siuill burned the second day of Nouember.
¶Marke Burges and William Hoker Martyrs.
Marke Burges burnt in Lushborne.MArke Burges an Englishman, Mayster of an English ship called the Minion, was burned in Lushborn a citty in Portingale. an. 1560.
William Hoker a young manne, about the age of xvi. yeares,… being an Englishman, was stoned to death of certayne young men there in the Citty of Siuill, for the confession of his fayth. an. 1560.
But of these and such other actes and matters paste in Spayne, because they fell not within the compasse of Q. Maryes raygne, but since her tyme, an other place shall serue hereafter (the Lord willing) to entreat more at large of the same, when we come to the yeares and raygne of the Queene that now is, where we hauehave more conueniently to inferre not onelyonly of these matters of the Martyrs (wherof somewhat also hath bene touched before, pag. 907. but also of the whole Inquisition of Spayne, and Plackarde of Flanders, wt the tragical tumults & troubles happening wtin ye last memory of these our latter dayes, according as it shall please the mercy of the Lord to enable our endeuor with grace and space to the accomplishment therof.