Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 14 · Letter 1 – Account 1
¶M. Ridley to the Queenes Maiestie.
IT may please your Maiestie for Christ our Sauiours sake,A supplication of B. Ridley to Queene Mary, in the behalfe of certayne poore mens leases. in a matter of conscience (and now not for my selfe but for other poore men) to vouchsafe to heare and vnderstande this mine humble supplication. It is so (honourable princesse) that in the tyme whyles I was in the Ministerie of the Sea of London diuers poore men Tenants thereof, hauehave taken new Leases of their Tenantries and holdyngs, and some hauehave renewed and chaunged their old, and therefore hauehave payed fines and summes of money, both to me, and also to the Chapter of Paules, for the confirmation of the same.
Now I heare say that the Bishop which occupieth the same roume now, will not allow the foresayd Leases, which must redound to many poore mens vtter ruine and decay.This Bishop was D. Boner. Wherefore this is myne humble supplication vntounto your honourable grace, that it may please the same for Christes sake to be vntounto the foresayd poore men their gratious patronesse and defender, eyther that they may enioy their foresayd Leases and yeares renewed, as (I suppose) when their matter shall be heard with consciēce, both iustice, conscience, and equitie shall require, for that theyr Leases shall be found (I trust) made without fraude or couen, eyther of theyr part, or of myne, and alwayes also the olde …ents reserued to the Sea without any kynd of damage thereof: or if this will not be graunted, then that it may please your gracious highnesse to commaund that the poore men may be restored to their former Leases and yeares and to hauehave rendered to them agayne such sūmes of mony as they payd to me, & to that chapterhouse for their Leases & yeares, so now taken from them. Which thing concerning the fines payed to me, may bee easily done, if it shall please your Maiestie to commaund some portion of those goods which I left in my house when I fledde in hope of pardon for my trespasse towards your grace, which goodes (as I hauehave heard) be yet reserued in the same house. I suppose that halfe of the value of my plate which I left in myne offices, and specially in an iron chest in my bed chamber,If to succour the widow and fatherles is pure & vndefiled religion, as Saint Iames sayth: Then is Boner and his religion filthy and abominable which doth such wr…g to the widow and fatherles. will goe nigh to restore all suche fines receyued, the true summes and parcels whereof, are not set in their Leases: and therefore if that way shall please your highnesse, they must be knowen by such wayes and meanes, as your Maiestie by the aduise of men of wisedome and conscience shall appoynt: but yet for Christes sake I craue and most humbly beseech your Maiestie of your most gracious pity and mercy, that the former way may take place.
I hauehave also a poore Sister that came to me out of the North, with three fatherlesse children, for her reliefe, whome I maried after to a seruaunt of myne owne house: she is put out of that I did prouide for them. I beseech your honourable grace that her case may be mercifully considered, and that the rather, in contemplation that I neuer had of hym, which suffered indurance at my entrance to the Sea of London, not one peny of his moueable goodes, for it was almost halfe a yeare after hys deposition, afore I did enter into that place: yea, and also if any were lefte, knowen to be hys, hee had lycence to cary it away, or there for his vse it did lye safe, as hys officers do know. I payd for the lead which I found there,Notwithstanding these godly and iust …eque…tes, no Iustice could be had vntill that now of late some of these shamefull iniuries, by order of law hauehave be…ne redressed. when I occupied any of it to the behoofe of the Church or of the house. And moreouer, I had not onelye no part of hys moueable goods, but also (as hys olde receyuer and then myne, called M. Stanton, can testifie) I paid for him towards hys seruaunts common liueries and wages, after hys deposition, 53 or 55. poundes, I cannot tell whether. In all these matters I beseech your honourable Maiestie to heare the aduise of men of conscience, and in especially the Archbishop of Yorke, which for that hee was continually in my house a yeare and more, before myne imprisonment, I suppose he is not altogether ignorant of some part of these thyngs, and also hys grace doth knowe my Sister, for whose succour and some reliefe, now vntounto your highnes I make most humble sute.
The 16. day of Octob. An. 1555. N. R.
This degradation beyng past, and all thynges finished, D. Brookes called the Bailiffes, deliueryng to them M. Ridley with this charge, to keepe him safely from any man speaking with hym,The life of M. Ridley such as coul… not with any notorious crime be charged. and that he should be brought to the place of execution when they were commanded. Then M. Ridley in praysing God, brast out with these words & sayd: God I thanke thee, and to thy prayse be it spoken, there is none of you all able to lay to my charge any open or notorious crime: for if you could, it should surely bee layd in my lappe, I see very well. Whereunto Brookes sayd, he played the part of a proud Pharisey, exalting and praysing hymselfe.
But M. Ridley sayd: No, no, no, as I hauehave sayd before, to Gods glory be it spoken. I confesse my selfe to bee a miserable wretched sinner, and hauehave great need of Gods helpe and mercy, and doe daily call and cry for the same: therefore I pray you hauehave no such opinion in me. Then they departed, and in goyng away, a certaine Warden of a Colledge, of whose name I am not very sure, bad Doct. Ridley repent hym, and forsake that erroneous opinion. Whereunto M. R…dley sayd: Sir, repent you, for you are out of the truth: and I pray God (if it be his blessed will) hauehave mercy vponupon you, and graunt you the vnderstanding of his worde.The wordes of a certayne warden or head of a Colledge. Then the Warden beyng in a chafe thereat, sayd: I trust that I shall neuer be of your erroneous and diuelish opinion, neyther yet to bee in that place whether you shal go. He is (saith he) the most obstinatest and wilfullest man that euer I heard talke since I was borne.
¶The behauiour of D. Ridley at his supper, the night before his suffering.
D. Ridley biddeth gestes to his mariage.THe night before he suffred, his beard was washed, and his legs, and as he sate at supper the same night at M. Irishes (who was his keeper) he had his hostesse, and the rest at the boord, to his mariage: for (saith he) to morrowe I must be maried, and so shewed hymselfe to bee as mery as euer he was at any time before. And wishing his sister at his mariage, he asked hys brother sittyng at the Table, whether she could find in her heart to be there or no, and he answered,Mistres Irish a great Papist before, weepeth for D. Ridley. yea, I dare say, with all her heart: at which word he sayd, he was glad to heare of her so much therein. So at this talke maistres Irish wept.
But M. Ridley comforted her, and sayd: Oh maistres Irishe, you louelove me not now, I see well enough. For in that you weepe, it doth appeare you will not be at my mariage, neither are content therewith. In deede you be not so much my friend, as I thought you had bene. But quiet your selfe: though my breakefast shall be somwhat sharpe and paynfull, yet I am sure, my supper shalbe more pleasant and sweete, &c.
When they arose from the Table, hys brother offered hym to watch all night with hym.B. Ridley careles of his death. But he said, no, no, that you shall not. For I mynd (God willyng) to goe to bed, and to sleepe as quietly to night, as euer I did in my lyfe. So hys brother departed, exhortyng hym to bee of good cheere, and to take hys Crosse quietly, for the reward was great, &c.