Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Appendix · Account 37 – Account 38
*The cursed lyfe, and bloudy end of Doctor Story a cruell persecuter of Christ in hys members.
I had thought christian reader here to hauehave made an end, and to hauehave concluded the volume of this booke, had not the remembraunce of Doctour Story an Archenemy to Christes gospell, and a bloudy persecutor of Gods people come into my minde. The discourse of whose lyfe, and doinges, I thought good here briefly to lay open to the view of the world as followeth. This Doctor Story beeing an Englishe man by byrth,Stories education, and birthe. and from his infancie not onelyonly missed in papistry, but also euen as it were by nature earnestly affected to the same, and growing somewhat to riper yeares, in the dayes of Queene Mary became a most bloudy tyrant, and cruel persecutor of Christ in his members (as all the stories in this booke almost doe declare) Thus hee raging all the raygne of the foresayde Queene Mary agaynst the infallible truth of Christes Gospel,Story a bloudy persecutour. and the true professors thereof, neuer ceased till hee had consumed to ashes: two or three hundred blessed martyrs who willingly gaue their liues for the testimony of his truthe, and thinking theyr punishment in the fire not cruell enough,Story inuenting new tormentes for the Martyrs. went about to inuent new tormentes for the holy martyrs of Christe, suche was his hatred to the trueth of Christes Gospell: but in the ende the Lorde God looking vponupon the affliction, and cruell bloudshedding of his seruauntes, tooke away Queene Mary the great pillar of papistry: After whome succeeded Ladye Elizabeth nowe Queene of Englande, who staying the bloudy sworde of persecution from ragyng any further, caused the same Doctor Story to be apprehended, and committed to ward with many other his complices,Story apprehended. sworne enemies to Christes glorious gospell. The sayd story hauing bene a while deteined in prison, at the last by what meanes I knowe not,Story conueyed himselfe ouer the Seas, where he continued a bloudy persecutour. Story obtayned a commission to search for Enlishe bookes. brake forth of hold, and conueyed himselfe ouer ye seas where he continued a most bloudy persecutor, still raging against Gods saynctes with fire and sworde. In somuche as hee growing to be familiar and right deare to Duke Dalua in Antwerpe, receiued a speciall commission from him to search the Shippes for goodes forfayted and for english bookes, and such like.
And in this fauour and authoritie hee continued there for a spare, by the which meanes he did muche hurte, and brought many a good man and woman to trouble, and extreme perill of life thorough his bloud thyrstye cruelty: but at the last the Lord (when the measure of his iniquitie was full) proceeded in iudgement agaynst him, and cut him off from the face of the earth, according to the prayers of many a good man, whiche came to passe in order as followeth.Story intendeth the ouerthrow of England. It being certainly knowne (for the bruite thereof was gone forth into al landes) that he not onelyonly intended the subuersion, and ouerthrowe of his natiue countrey of England by bringing in forreigne hostilitie, if by anye meanes he might compasse it, but also dayly and hourely murthered gods people, there was this platform layd (by Gods prouidence no doubt) that one M. Parker a marchaunt should sayle vntounto Antwerpe,A platforme layde to apprehend Story. and by some meanes to conuey Story into England.
This Parker arriuing at Antwerpe, suborned certain to repayre to Doctor Story and to signifie vntounto him, that there was an english ship come, fraught wt marchandize, & that if he would make search thereof himselfe, he should find store of english books, & other things for his purpose. Story hearing this and suspecting nothing, made haste towardes the ship thinking to make the same his praye, and comming a boord searched for english heretical books (as hee called them) and going downe vnderunder the hatches because he would be sure to hauehave theyr bloud if hee coulde,Story searched the Englishe shippes for bookes, and is apprehended and brought into England. they clapped downe the hatches, hoysed vp their sayles, hauing (as God would) a good gale, & sayled away into England where they arriuing, presented this bloudy butcher, and trayterous rebell Story, to the no litle reioysing of many and Englishe hart. He being now committed to prison, cōtinued there a good space: during all which time, he was labored and solicited daily by wise, and learned fathers, to recant his deuillishe and erroneous opinions to conforme himselfe to the trueth, and to acknowledge the Queenes Maiesties supremacy. All which he vtterly denyed to the death, saying that he was sworne subiecte to the King of Spayne, and was no subiecte to the Queene of England, nor she his souereigne Queene, and therfore (as he well deserued) he was condemned (as a traytor to God, the Queenes Maiesty, & the Realme) to be drawne,Story a traytor, hanged, drawne, & quartered. hanged, and quartered, which was performed accordingly, he being layde vponupon an hurdle, and drawne from the tower along the streetes to Tiborn, where he being hanged till he was halfe dead, was cut downe and stripped, & (which is not to be forgot) when the executioner had cut off his priuy mēbers, he rushing vp vponupon a sodeine gaue him a blow vponupon the eare, to the great wonder of all that stood by, and thus ended this bloudy Nemrode his wretched life, whose iudgemēt I leaue to the Lord.
*A not… of Raphe Lurdane persecuter of George Eagles.
IN the history of George Eagles, alias Trudgeouer the world, pag. 2009. mention is made of his apprehension jn a corne field, where by the benefite of the heighth of the corne, and breadth of the field he had escaped, had not one of his persecuters with more malicious crafte climed a high tree to view ouer the place, & so descried him. This persecutor named Raph Lurdane (as we hauehave since learned) a lewd felow of life for theft and whoredome, was within few yeares after he had apprehended the foresayd George Eagles for gayne of money, attached of felony for stealing horse, condemned, and hanged in the same place, & Towne of Chelmesford, where George Eagles before suffered Martyrdome.