Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 12 · Examination 4 – Account 46
Iames Austoo and Margerie his wife
TOuching the first apprehension of these ij. persones, I finde neither occasion whye, neither time,Examination of Iames Austoo & Margery his wyfe. nor manner howe. Howbeit as the daies then serued, it was no harde or strange matter to fall into the hāds of such as with cruelty persecuted the true professors of Gods gospell, especially hauing so many promoters, and vnneighborly neighbors to help them forwards. By which kinde of people, it is not vnlike these two godly yokefellowes were accused and taken: and being once deliuered into the pitiles hādling of Boner: their examinations (ye may be sure) were not long deferred. For the 16. day of Iuly 1557. they were brought before him into hys palace at London. Wher first he demāded of the said Iames Austoo (amongst other questions) where he had bene confessed in Lent, and whether he receiued the sacrament of the altare at Easter or not.
To whom he answered that in dede he had ben confessed of the curate of A…halowes Barking, …e to the tower of London, but yt he had not receiued the sacrament of the altar, for he defied it from the bottome of his heart.
Why, quoth the Bishop, doest thou not beleeue that in the sacrament of the altare there is the true body & bloude of Christ.
No sayd Austoo, not in the Sacrament of the altar, but in the Supper of the Lorde, to the faithfull receiuer is the very body and bloud of Christ by faith.
Boner not well pleased with this talke, asked then the wife, how she did like the religion then vsed in this cour…h of England.
Anno 1556. September.Shee answered that shee beleeued, that the same was not according to Gods word, but false and corrupted, and that they which did goe thereunto, did it more for feare of the law, then otherwise.
Then hee againe asked her if shee woulde goe to the Churche and heare Masse, and pray for the prosperous estate of the king, being then abroad in his affaires.
Whereunto she said that she defied the Masse with all her heart, and that she would not come into any Churche wherein were Idols.
After this the Bish. obiected vntounto them certaine articles, to the number of 18. The tenor whereof (because they touch only such common & trifling matters as are already mentioned in diuers & sondry places before) I do here for breuitie sake omit and passe ouer: geuing you yet this much to vnderstand, that in the maters of faith, they were as soūd, and answered as truly (God be therfore praised) as euer any did, especially the woman, to whom the Lord had geuen the greater knowledge and more feruentnes of spirit. Notwithstanding, according to ye measure of grace that God gaue them, they both stood most firmly vntounto the truthe. And therefore to conclude, the 10. day of Sept. they were (with Rafe Allerton, of whō ye hauehave heard) brought againe before the bishop within his chappell at Fulham, where he speaking vntounto them, said first on this wise: Austoo, doest thou knowe where thou art nowe, and in what place, and before whom, and what thou hast to doe?
Yea (quoth Austoo) I knowe where I am: For I am in an idols temple.
After which wordes their articles being againe red, & their constancie in faith perceiued, Boner pronounced against either of them seuerally the sentence of cōdemnation, and deliuering them vntounto the sheriff there present, did rid his hands (as he thought) of them: but the Lorde in the ende will iudge that: to whome I referre his cause.
It so happened vponupon a night, that as this Margerie Austoo was in ye bishops prisone (which prison I suppose was his dogge kennel,Margery Austoo terrified in prison. for it was, as is reported, vnderunder a paire of staires) by ye bishops procurement there was sent a stoute champion (as appeared) about 12. of the clocke at nighte, who suddenly opened the doore, and with a knife drawen or ready prepared, fell vppon her, to the intent to hauehave cut her throte. Which she by reason of the clearnes of the Moone perceiuing, and calling vntounto God for helpe, he (but who it was she knewe not) geuing a grunt, and fearing (belike) to commit so cruel a dede, departed his waies without any more hurt doing.
The next night following, they caused a great rumbeling to be made ouer her head, which semed to her to hauehave bene some great thūder, which they did for to hauehave feared her out of her wittes, but yet thanks be to God, they missed of their purpose.
Richard Roth.
IN the godly felowship of the forenamed three Martyrs, was also this Rich. Roth,Examination of Richard Roth. as is alreadye specified. Who being apprehended and brought vp vntounto the bish. of London, was by him examined ye 4. day of Iuly: at what time the bish. did earnestly trauel to induce him to beleeue that there were 7. sacraments in Christes churche, and that in the sacrament of the altar (after the words of consecration duely spoken) there remained ye very substance of Christes body and bloud and none other. Wherunto, (at ye present) he made only this aunsweare: that if the scriptures did so teach him, and that he might be by the same so perswaded, he would so beleue, otherwise not. But at another examination (which was the 9. day of Sept.) he declared plainly, that in the said sacramēt of the altar (as it was then vsed) there was not the very body and bloud of Christ, but that it was a dead God, and that the Masse was detestable and contrary to Gods holy woorde and will, from the which faith and opinion he would not goe or decline.
The next daye being the 10. day of the same monethmonth of September, the Bishop at his house at Fulham (by waye of an article) laid and obiected against him: that he was a comforter and boldener of hereticks, and therefore hadde wrytten a letter to that effect vntounto certaine that were burned at Colchester: the copie whereof ensueth.