Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 25 · Account 8 – Letter 5
An other examination of Tyms and Drakes, and the rest, before the Bishop of London.
THe xxiij. day of the same monethmonth next after, the Bishop sent agayne for Tyms and Drakes, and Ex officio did obiect vntounto them certayne Articles,March. 2…. the summe and maner wherof were the same which before obiected to Whittell, Greene, Tudson, Went, Burn, Eliza…. Foster, Lashford, looke pag. 1589. And the 26. day of the same month, he sent for the other foure ministring vntounto thē also the same generall articles.Drakes and W. Tyms with the rest agayne exmined. Unto the which they all in effect answered in matters touching theyr fayth, as did ye sayd Bartl. Grene and the rest. Other appearinges they had, as the Bishops common maner of proceding was, more (as I hauehave often sayd) for order and forme of law, thē for any zeale of iustice.
But in conclusion,March. 2…. the xxviij. day of this MonethMonth of March, William Tyms and Robert Drakes with the other 4. aboue named, were brought to the open Consistory in Paules before the sayd Bishop of London to be condē ned for heresy.
The bishop first began in this or like sort: Tyms, quoth he, I will begin with thee firste,B. Boners wordes to W. Tyms. for thou art and hast bene the ringleader of these thy companions, thou hast taughte them heresies, & confirmed them in their erroneous opinions, and hast indeuored as much as in thee lyeth, to make them like vntounto thy selfe. If thy faulte had not tended to the hurt of other, I would thē hauehave vsed thee more charitably, and not hauehave brought thee to this open rebuke, I woulde according to the rule of Christ in the 18. of Mathew, hauehave told thee thy fault betwene me & thee:Math. 18. if thou wouldest not hauehave heard me, I would not so hauehave lefte thee, but I wyth two or thre other, would hauehave exhorted thee: if that would not hauehave serued, then woulde I hauehave told the Church. &c. But for that thy fault is open & manifest to the world, and thou thy selfe remainest stout in thine error, this charitable dealing is not to be extended towardes thee, I hauehave therfore thought good to proceed by an other rule, whereof S. Paule speaketh. 1. Tim. 5. Such as sinne, rebuke thē openly, that other may feare. 1. Tym. 5.For this cause art thou brought before me in the face of this people, to receiue iudgemēt according to thy deserts. Let me see what thou canst say, why I should not proceed agaynst thee as thine Ordinary.
My Lord (quoth Tyms) will you now geue me leaue to speake? yea quoth the Bishop. Then sayde Tyms:The aunswere of W. Tyms to B. Boner. My Lord, I maruell that you will begin with a lye. You call me the ringleader & teacher of this cōpany, but how vntruly you hauehave sayd, shall shortly appeare: for there is none of all these my brethren, whiche are brought hither as prisoners, but when they were at liberty and out of prison, they dissented from you and your doinges, as much as they do at this present: and for that cause they are now prisoners.
So it is euident that they learned not their Religiō in prison. And as for me, I neuer knew them, vntil such time as I by your commaundement was prisoner with them: how could I then be their ringleader and teacher? So that al the world may see how vntruly you hauehave spokē. And as for my fault which you make so greuous, whatsoeuer you iudge of me. I am wel assured that I hold none other religiō, thē Christ preached, the Apostles witnessed, the primatiue church receiued, & now of late the Apostolicall and Euangelical preachers of this realm hauehave faithfully taught: for the which you hauehave cruelly burned them, and now you seeke our bloud also. Proceed on hardly by what rule you will: I force not, I do not refuse you for my Ordinary.
B. Boners wordes.Then sayd the Bishoppe, I perceyue thou wilt not be coūted their ringleader. How sayst thou, wilt thou submit thy selfe to the catholicke Church as an obedient childe: in so doing thou shalt be receiued and do wel enough, otherwise thou shalt hauehave iudgement as an hereticke.
One of the prisoners aunswereth to B. Boner.Then one of the prisoners (whose name is not certainly knowne) sayd: my Lord, you are no vpright Iudge, for you iudge after your owne lust. But if you will iudge vsus according to the holy Testament of Christe, whiche is the word of truth, we will accord to your iudgement: for vntounto that word we wholy submit our selues. But as for your iudgement without that truth, God shall condemne. And this prisoner was very earnestly in hand with the bishop, that they might be iudged by the word of God.
With this the Bishop was offended, calling him busye knaue, and commaunded him to holde his toung, or els he should be had away to a place of smaller ease.
Then Tyms aunswered and sayd: My Lord, I doubt not but I am of the Catholicke Church,W. Tyms agayne aunswereth. whatsoeuer you iudge of me. But as for your Church, you hauehave before this day renounced it, and by corporall oth promised neuer to consēt to the same. Contrary to the which you hauehave receyued into this realme the Popes authority, & therefore you are falsly periured & forsworne all the sort of you.B. Boner charged with periury, and inconstancye. Besides this, you hauehave both spoken and written very earnestly agaynst that vsurped power, & now you do burne men that will not acknowledge the Pope to be supreme head.
HaueHave I, quoth the bishop? Where hauehave I written any thing agaynst the church of Rome?
My Lord, quoth Tyms, the Bishoppe of Winchester wrote a very learned Oration intituled De vera obedientia, Boners preface to Winchesters booke De obedientia.which conteineth worthy matter agaynst the Romish authority. Unto the which booke you made a Preface, inueying largely agaynst the Bishop of Rome, reprouing hys tyranny and falshood, calling his power false and pretēced. The booke is extant, and you cannot deny it.
Then was the Bishoppe somewhat abashed, and looking vpō such as were presēt,B. Boner excuseth himselfe by feare. spake very gētly saying: Lo, here is a goodly matter in deed. My Lord of Winchester being a great learned man, did write a booke agaynst the supremacy of the Popes holynes, and I also did write a preface before the same booke, tending to the same effect. And thus did we because of the perilous world that then was. For then was it made treason by the Lawes of this realme to mainteine the Popes authority, and great daunger it was to be suspected a fauourer of the See of Rome, and therefore feare compelled vsus to beare with the time for otherwise there had bene no way but one. You know when any vttered his conscience in mainteining the Popes authority, he suffered death for it.
And then turning his tale vntounto Tyms, he sayd: But since that time, euen sithence the cōming in of the queenes maiesty, when we might be bold to speake our conscience, we hauehave acknowledged our faults, and my Lord of Winchester himselfe shamed not to recant the same at Paules Crosse. And also thou thy selfe seest that I stande not in it, but willingly hauehave submitted my selfe. Do thou also as we hauehave done.
My Lord, quoth Tyms, that which you hauehave written agaynst the supremacy of ye pope,Tyms agayne replyeth to the Bishop. may be wel approued by the scriptures. But that which you now do, is against the word of God, as I can well proue.
Then an other, I suppose it was Doctor Cooke, sayd: Tyms, I pray thee let me talke with thee a little, for I thinke we two are learned alike. Thou speakest much of the scripture,An hunters parable against W. Tyms wisely applyed. and yet vnderstandest it not. I will tell thee to whom thou mayest be compared. Thou art like to one which intending to goe on hunting, riseth vp earely in the morning, taketh his houndes, and forth he goeth vp to the hils, and downe into the vallyes: he passeth ouer ye fieldes ouer hedge and ditch, he searcheth the woods and thickets: thus laboureth he all the whole day without finding any game. At night home he cōmeth weery of his trauell, not hauing caught any thing at all: and thus fareth it by thee. Thou labourest in reading of the Scriptures, thou takest the letter, but the meaning thou knowest not, and thus thy reading is as vnprofitable vntounto thee, as hūting was vntounto the man I spake of euen now.
Syr quoth Tyms, you hauehave not well applyed your similitude: for I prayse God,The answere … Tym… …. B. Boners reason. I hauehave not read the scriptures vnprofitably: but God, I thanke hym hath reuealed vntounto me so much as I doubt not is sufficient for my saluation.
Then said the Bishop: You brag much of knowledge, & yet you know nothing: you speake much of scripture, & you know not what scripture is. I pray thee tel me: How knowest thou that thing to be the worde of God, whiche thou callest Scripture.
To this aunswered Rob. Drakes,Robert Drakes answereth. that he did know it to be the word of God, for that it doth shew vntounto thē theyr saluation in Christ, and doth reuoke & call backe all mē frō wicked life, vntounto a pure and vndefiled conuersation.
The bishop replied, that ye heathē writers hauehave taught precepts of good liuing, as wel as the scripture,Boner replyeth. & yet theyr writings are not estemed to be Gods word.
To this answered Tyms, saying: the olde Testament beareth witnes of those things which are writtē in ye new,Tyms … swere… to Boner. for (quoth he) there is nothing taught in the new Testament, but it was foreshewed in the law and Prophets.
I will denye all, quoth the Bishop, I wyll denye all:Boner denying the principle… of diuinitye. Esay. 59. what sayest thou then? Then Robert Drakes alledged a sentence in Latin out of the Prophet Esay in the 59. chap. of his prophecy: Spiritus meus qui est in te. &c My spirit whiche is in thee, and my words which I hauehave put in thy mouth, shall not departe out of the mouth of thy seede, nor out of the mouth of the seede of thy seede, from hence forth euen for euer: meaning therby to proue, that he which had the spirit of God, could thereby discerne and iudge truely which was Gods word: but before he could explicate his minde, he was interrupted by the bishop, who spake vntounto Doctor Pendleton, saying:
Mayster Doctor,B. Boner calleth for more help…. D. Pendleton studieth for talke. I pray you say somewhat vntounto these folkes that may do them some good. Then D. Pendleton, as hee leaned nere vntounto the Bishop, couered his face with both his handes, to the end he might the more quietly deuise what to say, but other talke was presently ministred, so that for that time he sayd nothing.
And thus much William Alesbury witnesse hereof being present thereat, so farre as he heard, hath faythfully recorded and reported. What more was spokē and there said (for they made not yet an end a good while after) because he departed then out of the house, he doth not know, nor dyd not heare.
Then the bishop after this and such like communicatiō thus passed betwene them, proceding at length in forme of law, caused both his articles and aunsweres to the same, there and then to be openly read: the summe of which hys confession recorded and left by his owne hand writing, tē ded to this effect as foloweth.
*The Articles for the which William Tyms of Hockley in Essex, was condemned in the Consistory in Paules, the xxviij. day of March, with his aunsweres and confession vponupon the same.
FFrst I did truely confesse and beleeue, that I was baptised in the true Catholicke Church of Christ:Articles aunswered by William Tyms. His baptisme by his godfathers. for when I was baptised, there was the Element and the word of God, according to Christes institution. And my Godfathers and Godmother did promise for me, and that I shoulde forsake the Deuill and all his workes, and that I shoulde keepe Gods commaundements, and beleue al the articles of the Christian fayth: the which I doe beleue at this day, and with Gods help I trust to do, while I liue: for it was not the wickednes of the Minister that made the Sacrament of none effect. &c.
Item, I confessed two Sacramentes,OnelyOnly …. Sacraments. and but two in Christes true Churche: that is, the Sacrament of Baptisme, and the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ, and that Christ is present with his sacraments, as it pleaseth him.
Item, I confessed that Christe hath a visible Churche,The true visible Church. wherin the word of God is truely preached, and the sacramentes truely ministred.
Item, I confessed the See of Rome to be as the late bishop of Winchester hath written in his bookes De vera obediencia, to the which I sayde vntounto the Bishop of London,Winchesters booke De obedientia. that he had made a godly Preface: & also Iohn Bale hath plainly declared in his book called the Image of both churches, euen so much as I beleue therof.
Item, I confessed the Masse to be blasphemye to Christes death and passion.The Masse blasphemous. Sacrament of the Altar an Idoll.
Item, I confessed that in the Sacrament of the aultar Christ is not present neither spiritually nor corporally, but as they vse it, it is an abhominable Idoll.
Last of all, I confessed the bishop of Londō to be mine Ordinary.
After this, the Bishop falling to entreating and perswasions, earnestly exhorted him to reuoke his heresyes, (as he termed them) and to refourme hymselfe vntounto the Church of Rome, and not to sticke so much to the literall sense of the Scriptures, but to vse the interpretation of the olde Fathers.
To whiche Tyms aunswered: I will not reforme my selfe therunto. And I thank God of this day: for I trust he will turne your cursinges into blessinges.
And furthermore asking this question, he sayde: And what hauehave you to mainteine the reall presence of Christ in the sacrament, but onelyonly the bare letter.
We hauehave (quoth the bishop) the catholicke church.
No, sayd Tyms, you hauehave the popish church of Rome for you,The Popes Church. The Sea of …, the Sea of …. for which you he periured and forsworne. And the See of Rome is the See of Antichrist: and therfore to that church I will not conforme my selfe, nor once consent vntounto it.
Then the bishop seing his constant boldnesse to be vnmoueable, proceeding to his condēnation, pronounced the sentence definitiue vponupon him,Sentence … against W. Tyms. and gaue him ouer to the secular power.
*The condemnation of Robert Drakes.
After, calling for Robert Drakes, he vsed towardes him the like maner of exhortation that he dyd before.The aun…were of R. Dra…. To whom Drakes sayd: As for your church of Rome, I vtterly defy and deny it, with all the workes thereof, euen as I deny the deuill and all his workes.
The bishop then vsing his accustomed order of law, wt his like exhortations, at last gaue him the like blessing that Tyms had,Sentence geuen against …. and so charged the Shiriffe with him.
The condemnation of Thomas Spurge, and of the other three martyrs.
Thomas Spurge being next demaunded if he would returne to the catholicke Church, sayd as foloweth: As for your church of Rome,The aunsw…re of T. Spurge. I doe vtterly deny it: but to the true catholick church I am content to returne, and continue in the same, whereof I beleue the Church of Rome to be no part or member. Thē in fine, calling the rest in theyr courses, and vponupon the like demaundes receiuing the like aunsweres, the sayd bishop gaue vntounto ech of them their seueral iudgements,Sentence … agayn…t Tho. Spurge▪ R. Spurge, …, Ambrose. & so ridding his bloudy handes, cōmitted thē vntounto the custody of the Shiriffes of London, who sent thē vntounto Newgate, whither they went all most ioyfully, abiding there the Lordes good time, wherin they should seale this theyr fayth with the shedding of theyr bloud: which they most stoutly and willingly performed, the 14. daye of April, as before is mentioned.
❧Letters of William Tyms.
¶To his faythfull sister in the Lord, parishioner in the towne of Hockley, named Agnes Glascocke.
THe grace, mercy, and peace of God our Father thorow Iesus Christ our Lord and Sauiour,A letter of W. Tyms to Agnes G…ascocke. with the sweet comfort of hys holy and mighty spirit, to the performance of his will, to your euerlasting comfort be with you my deare sister Glascocke, both now and euermore. Amen.
My most deare and entirely beloued sister, yea mother I may right well call you for the motherly care which you hauehave alwaies had for me, I hauehave me most hartely commended vntounto you, giuing God most harty thanks for you, that he hath geuen you so louing a hart to Christes poore Gospell, & his poore afflicted flocke for the same: and as you hauehave full godly begonne, so I beseech God to geue you power, to goe forward in the same, and neuer more to looke backe fearing neither fier, neyther sworde: and then I warrant you, you hauehave not farre to runne.
And now my deare hart, remember well what I hauehave taught you when I was present with you, and also written being absent, and no doubte we shall shortly meete agayne with a most ioyfull meeting. I go vponupon Friday next to the Bishop of Londons Colehouse, which is the .20. daye of March, where I thinke it will be harde for any of my friendes to speake with me. Howbeit I trust I shall not long tary there, but shortly after be caryed vp after my deare brethren and sisterne which are gone before me into heauen in a fiery chariot: therefore now I take my leaue of you tyll we meete in heauen: & hye you after. I hauehave tarryed a great while for you: and seeing you be so long a making ready, I will tarry no longer for you. You shall find me merely singing, Holy, Holy Holy, Lord God of Sabboth, at my iourneyes ende. Therefore nowe my deare hart, make good hast and loyter not by the way, …easte nighte take you, and so ye be shutte out of the gate with the foolishe virgines. And now my sister, in witnes that I hauehave taught you nothing but the truth, here I write my name with my bloud, for a testimoniall vntounto you, that I will seale the simple doctrine which I hauehave taught you, with the rest. And thus fare you well: and God defend you from Antichrist and all his Ministers the false Priestes. Amen.
These words following were written wt his owne bloud.
Continue in prayer.
Aske in fayth.
And obteyne your desyer.
By me William Tyms in the Kynges Bench for the Gospell of Christ.
¶An other letter of the sayd W. Tyms, wherein he doth comforte his sister Glascocke, being in greate sorrowe and repentance, for going to the Masse.
God be mercifull vntounto you, pardon & forgeue all your sinnes, & send you fayth to beleeue the same, that you may be partaker of his heauenly Kingdome, Amen.An other letter of Will. Tyms to Mistres Glascocke.
My deare sister, I hauehave me most hartely commended vntounto you & as I hauehave lamented your falling from God, by being partaker with that Idolatrous Priest, so hauehave I since I heard of your earnest repentance, very much reioysed, and also praysed almighty God for his mercy shewed vntounto you, in that he hath not left you to your selfe, but since your denyall he hath shewed his mercy on you by looking backe on you as he did on Peter, and so caused you to repent as Peter did, & bitterly to weepe for your sinnes: where as if God had lefte you to your selfe, you had runne forward from one euill vntounto an other, till at the length your harte shoulde eyther hauehave bene hardened, or els you shoulde hauehave dispayred of the mercy of God. And seeing that God hath bene so mercyfull vntounto you as he hath bene, bee you not vnthankefull vntounto him for the same. For I certyfie you that your sorrowfull hart that you hauehave had, doth declare vntounto me that God hath pardoned and forgeuē all your sinnes for the bloudshedding of that immaculate lambe Iesus Christ our Lord and Sauiour.
Therefore as Peter after the tyme that Christe had forgiuen him his sinne, did boldly confesse Christ before all his enemies: euen so my deare hart in the Lord, seing that God hath so mercyfully pardoned and forgiuen your sinnes, nowe cleaue vntounto him and be at defiance with his enemyes the Papistes: & as they doe beare witnesse with their Father the Deuill by goinge to the Church and shedding of the innocent bloud of all those that will not goe with them, euen so do you beare witnes with Christ, by not comming there, for all those that do go thither shalbe partakers of their brethrens bloud that is shed for the testimonye of Christ except they repent & amend: which grace that they may so doe, I beseech the eternall God for his Christes sake if it be his good will, to geue them in his good tyme. And the same good God that hath bene so mercifull vntounto you to call you to repentance, him I beseech to keepe you in his feare & louelove, that you may hauehave alwayes affiance in him, and euermore seeke his honour & glory to your euerlasting comfort in Christ, Amen. Thus fare you well from the kinges bench this. 28. of August.
By me William Tyms.
¶An other letter of W. Tyms to certayne godly women of his parish, folowers of the Gospell.
GRace, mercy and peace from GOD the Father, through our Lord Iesus Christ be with you both now and euermore. Amen.An other letter of W. Tyms to certayne godly women of his Parish.
Deare sisters, I hauehave me most hartely commended vntounto you, thanking you for the great kindnes shewed vntounto me in this tyme of my imprisonment, and not onelyonly vntounto me, but also vntounto my poore wife and children: and also for the great kindnesse that you shew vntounto all the liuing saints that be dispersed abroad, and are fayne to hide their heades for feare of this cruell persecution.
Deare sisters, when I do remember your constancy in christ, I call to remembraunce the constancy of diuers godly women, as Susanna, Iudith, Hester, and the good wife of Nabal, that thorow her godly conditions saued both her husbandes life, and all her housholde, when Dauid had thoughte to hauehave slayne him for his churlish aunswere that he sent him. Also I do remember Rahab that lodged the Lordes Spyes, howe God preserued her and her whole housholde for her faythfulnesse that she bare to Gods people. So I doe beleue, that when the Lord shall send his Aungell to destroy these Idolatrous Egyptians here in England, and shall finde the bloud of the Lambe sprinkled on the dore postes of your harts, he wil go by & not hurt you, but spare your whole housholdes for your sakes. Also I do remember Mary Magdalen, how faythfull she was: for she was the first that preached the resurrection of Christ. Remember the blessed Martir Anne Askew in our time, & folow her example of constancy. And for the louelove of God take heede that in no case you doe consent to Idolatrye, but stande fast to the Lorde, as the good woman did that had her seuen sonnes put to death before her face, and she alwayes comforting them,Anno 1556. March. yea and last of all suffered death her selfe for the testimony of her God, which is the liuing God. Thus I beseech God to send you grace and strength to stand fast to the Lorde, as shee did, and then you shall be sure of the same kingdome that she is sure of: to the which kingdome I pray God bring both you and me. Amen.
By me William Tyms prisoner in the Kinges Bench.
¶An other Letter of William Tyms to his frend in Hockley.
An other letter of Will. Tyms to his friendes in Hocley.THe grace of God the Father, through the merites of his deare sonne Iesus our Lord and onelyonly Sauiour, with the continuall ayde of his holy and mighty spirit, to the performance of his wil, to our euerlasting comfort, be with you my deare brethren, both now and euermore. Amen.
My dearely beloued, I beseeche God to rewarde the greate goodnesse that you hauehave shewed vntounto me, seuen folde into your bosomes: and as you hauehave alwayes had a moste godly louelove vntounto his word, euen so I beseech him to geue you grace to louelove your owne soule, and then I trust that you will flee from al those thinges that shoulde displease our good and mercifull God, and hate and abhorre all the companye of those that woulde hauehave you to worship God any otherwise then is conteined in his holy worde. And beware of those maysters of Idolatrye, that is, these papisticall Priestes. My deare brethren, for the tender mercy of God, remember well what I hauehave sayd vntounto you and also written, the which I am now ready to seale with my bloud. I prayse God that euer I liue to see the daye, and blessed bee my good and mercifull God, that euer he gaue me a body to glorify his name. And deare hartes, I do now write vntounto you for none other cause, but to put you in remembraunce, that I hauehave not forgotten you, to the end, that I woulde not hauehave you forgette me, but to remember well what I hauehave simply by worde of mouth and writing taught you. The which although it were moste simplye done, yet truely, as your owne conscience beareth me record: and therefore in any case take good heed that you do not that thing which your own conscience doth condemne. Therefore come out of Sodome and goe to heauen ward with the seruauntes and martyrs of God, least you be pertakers of the vengeance of God that is comming vpō this wicked natiō, from the which the Lord our God defend you, and send vsus a ioyfull meeting in the kingdome of heauen: vntounto the which God bring you all. Amen. Thus now I take my leaue of you for euer in this world, except I be burned amongst, you whiche thing is vncertayne vntounto me, as yet.
By me your poorest and most vnworthy brother in Christ, W. Tyms, in Newgate, the 12. day of April, condemned to dye for Christes verity.