Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 12 · Account 67
The scourging of Iohn Milles by B. Boner.
The story o… Iohn …lles Capper.BEsides the aboue named, was scourged also by ye hāds of the sayd B. one Iohn Milles a Capper, a right faith full and true honest man in all his dealyngs and conditions. Who was brother to the foresayd R. Milles burned before at Brainford, as is aboue signified▪ pag. 1967. Who also was apprehended in the same number with them at Islington, as is mentioned also before, pag. 1969. and beyng brought before Boner and there examined, was commaunded to the Colehouse, with the foresayde Tho. Hinshaw, where they remained one night in the stocks. From thence he was sent to Fulham,Iohn Milles with Thomas Hinshaw layd in the stockes at Fulham. where hee with the sayde Hinshaw, remayned 8. or 10. dayes in the stockes: during which tyme hee susteined diuers conflictes with the sayde Boner, who had hym oft tymes in Examination, vrgyng hym, and with a sticke which he had in his hand, oft times rappyng him on the head, and flirting him vnderunder the chin & on the eares, saying he looked downe like a thiefe. Moreouer, after he had assaied all maner of wayes to cause him to recant and could not, at length hauyng him to his Orchard, there within a little arbor, with his owne handes beat hym first with a willowe rod, and that beyng worne well nigh to the stumps, he called for a birchin rod, which a lad brought out of his chamber. The cause why hee so beat him, was this: Boner asked hym when he had crept to the crosse. He answered, not since he came to the yeares of discretion, neither would to be torne with wyld horses. Then Boner bade him make a crosse in his forehed, which he refused to do. Whereupon he had him incontinently to his Orchard, and there callyng for rods,Hinshaw and Milles beaten of Boner. sheweth his crueltie vponupon hym, as he did vppon Tho. Hinshaw, as is aboue declared.
This done, he had hym immediately to the Parishe Church of Fulham with the sayd Tho. Hinshaw, & wyth Rob. Willis, to whom there beyng seuerally called before hym, he ministred certaine Articles,Iohn Milles denyeth to subscribe to B. Boners articles. asking if they would subscribe to the same. To the which the sayd Iohn Milles made his answer according to his conscience, denying thē all, except one article which was cōcernyng K. Edwards seruice in English. Shortly after this beating,An old coniuring Priest. Boner sent to him in prison a certain old priest lately come frō Rome to coniure out the euill spirite from hym, who laying hys hand vponupon his hed, began with certaine words pronounced ouer hym, to coniure as hee had bene woont before to do. Milles meruailing what the Priest was about to doe, sayd he trusted no euill spirit to be within hym, & laughed hym to scorne, &c.
As this Iohn Milles was diuers tymes and oft called before Boner, so much communication and talke passed betwene them, which to recite all, it were too long. And yet it were not vnpleasaunt for the Reader that lusteth to laugh, to see the blynd and vnsauorie reasones of that B. which he vsed to perswade the ignorant withall. As in the processe of his other talke with this Milles, Boner going about to perswade hym not to meddle with matters of the scripture, but rather to beleeue other mens teachyng,The vnsau…ry reasons or talke of Bishop Boner going about to perswade Iohn Milles. Boners iudgement, that we should trust more to men, then to the Scriptures of God. which had more skill in the same: first asked if he dyd beleue the scripture? Yea, sayd he, that I do. Then the Bish. Why (quoth he) S. Paul saith: if the man sleepe, the woman is at libertye to goe to another man. If thou were a sleepe hauing a wyfe, wouldst thou be content thy wyfe to take another man? And yet this is the scripture.
Item, if thou wilt beleue Luther, Zuinglius, and such, then thou canst not go right. But if thou wilt beleue me. &c thou canst not erre. And if thou shouldst erre, yet thou art in no peril, thy bloud should be required at our hands. As if thou shouldst go to a far country, & meete with a fatherly man as I am (for these were his termes) and aske the way to the head citie, and he should say, go this way,This similitude holdeth foreign. and thou wilt not beleeue hym, but follow Luther and other heretikes of late dayes, and go a contrary way, how wi…te thou come to the place thou askest for? so if thou wilt not beleeue mee, but followe the leadyng of other heretickes, so shalt thou bee brought to destruction, and burne both body and soule.
As truly as thou seest the bodies of them in Smithfield burnt, so truly their soules doe burne in hell,Ras… and presumptuous iudgement of Boner. because they erre from the church.
Oft tymes speaking to the sayde Iohn Milles, hee would say: they call me bloudy Boner. A vengeaunce on you all. I would faine …e rid of you, but you hauehave a de…ire in burnyng. But if I might hauehave my will,B Boners wishe in … God Sainctes. The occasion & maner of deliuering Iohn Milles. I would sowe your mouthes▪ and put you in sacks, and drowne you.
Now somewhat to say concerning the deliueraunce of the said Iohn Milles, the same day that he was deliuered, Boner came vntounto the stocks where he lay, and asked him how he liked his lodging, and his fare.
Wel said Milles, if it would please God I might hauehave a little strawe to lye or sit vponupon.
Then said Boner: thou wilt shew no token of a christian man. And vponupon this his wife came in vnknowyng vntounto him, beyng very great with child, and lookyng eueryevery hower for her lying downe,Milles wyfe intre…teth for her husband. entreating the Bishop for her husband, & saying, that she would not go out of the house, but there would lay her belly in the bishops house, vnlesse she had her husband with her. How saist yu (quoth Boner) thou heretike? If thy wife miscarie, or thy child, or children if she be with one,Anno 1557. Iuly. or two, should perish, the bloud of them would be required at thy hands. Then to this agreement he came, that he should hue a bed in the towne of Fulham and her husband should go home with her the morow after,Robert Rousse kins…man to Iohn Milles. vppon this condition, that his kinsman there present (one Rob. Rousie) should bring the sayd Milles vntounto his house at Paules the next day.
Whereunto the sayd Milles sayd, he would not agree, except he might go home by and by. At length his wife beyng importunate for her husband, & seyng that she would go no further, but there remaine vnlesse she had her husband with her,The condition putte to Iohn Milles to laye. In nomine Pa…ri… &c. the bishop fearing belike the rumor which might come vponupon his house thereby, bade the sayd Milles make a crosse and say: In nomine Patris & Filij, & Spiritus sancti. Amen.
Then the sayd Milles began to say: In the name of the Father, and of the Sonne, and of the holy ghost, Amē. No, no, sayth Boner, say it me in Latine, In nomine Patris, & Filij, & Spiritus sancti, Amen. Milles vnderstanding the matter of that Latine to be but good, said the same, and so went home with his wyfe, his foresayde kinsman beyng charged to bring hym the next day vntounto Paules, either els sayd Boner if thou doest not bring hym,Iohn Milles sent home with his wyfe. thou art an heretike as wel as he. Notwithstandyng, the charge beyng no greater, this kinsman didde not bring hym, but hee of his owne voluntarie accord came to the said B. within a fewe days after, where the B. put vntounto him a certaine writing in Latin to subscribe vntounto, conteyning as it semed to him no great matter, that he needed greatly to sticke at: albeit, what the bill was, he could not certainly tell. So subscribed he to the bill, and returned home. And thus much cō cernyng the 22. taken at Islington.