Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Appendix · Account 1 – Account 3
*Concerning Iohn Frith, of his life and story this foloweth more to be added, and to be referred to the page. 103….
FIrst this Iohn Frith was borne in the Towne of Westrame in Kent,Referre this to the pag. 1032. who after by diligent especialles was takē in Essex flying beyond the seas & brought before the Counsaile, Syr Thomas More thē being Chauncellor, and so from them committed vntounto the Tower, where he remayned prisoner the space of a quarter of a yeare or there about. It chaunced that Doctour Curreyne ordinary Chapleyne vntounto King Henry the eighte, preached a Sermō in Lent before his Maiesty. And there verye sore enueying agaynste the Sacramentaryes (as they thē termed and named) which fauored not the grosse opinion that Christes body was carnally reall in the Sacrament, he so farre discoursed in that matter that at the length he brake out thus far and sayd. It is no maruayle though this abhominable heresye doe muche preuayle among vsus, for there is one nowe in the Tower of London so bolde as to write in the defence of that heresye, and yet no man goeth about his reformation, meaning Iohn Fryth, who then had aunsweared Syr Thomas More in writing agaynste a confutation of that erroneous opinion which of late before the sayd Maister More had writen agaynst Iohn Frythes assertion in that behalfe. This Sermon of purpose was deuised and appoynted by the Byshop of Winchester and other to seeke the destruction of Fryth by putting the king in remembraunce that the sayd Fryth was in the Tower there stayd rather for hys sauegarde then for his punishment by suche as fauoured hym as the Lorde Cromwell who being Uicegerent in causes Ecclesiasticall came then into suspition therefore. For in suche sorte was the matter handeled before the Kyng that all men mighte well vnderstande what they meant. The Kynge then being in no poynte resolued of the true and sincere vnderstanding of the doctrine of that Article, but rather a peruerse stout Aduersary to the contrary, called to hym my Lorde of Caunterburye and my Lord Cromwell, and willed them forthwith to call Fryth vntounto examination, so that he might eyther be compelled to recant or elles by the Lawe to suffer condigne punishment.
Frythes long protract in the Tower withouten examination was so heynously taken of the King, that nowe my Lorde of Caunterburye with other Byshoppes, as Stokesly thē bishop of London & other learned mē were vndelayedly appoynted to examine Fryth. And for that there shuld be no concourse of Citizens at the sayd examination: my L. of Canterbury remoued to Croydon vntounto whome resorted the rest of the Commissioners. Nowe before the day of execution appointed, my Lord of Cant. sent one of his gentlemen and one of his porters: whose name was Perlebene a Welchman borne, to fetche Iohn Frith from the Tower vntounto Croydon. This gentleman hadde both my Lords letters and the kings ring vntounto my Lord Fitzwilliams Constable of the Tower then lying in Canon row at Westminster in extreme anguish and payne of the strangulion for the deliuery of the prisoner: Mayster Fytzwilliams more passionate then patient, vnderstanding for what purpose my Lordes gentleman was come, banned and cursed Frith and all other heretickes, saying take this my King vntounto the Lieuetenaunt of the Tower and receiue your man your hereticke with you, and I am glad that I am ridde of him. When Frith was deliuered vntounto my Lord of Canterburyes Gentleman, they twaine with Parlebeane sitting in a Wherry and rowing towardes Lambeth. The sayd Gentleman much lamenting in his mind, the infelicitie of the sayd Frith, began in this wise to exhort him to consider in what estate hee was, a man altogether cast away in this worlde, if hee did not looke wisely to himselfe. And yet though his cause were neuer so daungerous, he might somewhat in relenting to aucthoritie, and so to geue place for a time: helpe both hym selfe out of trouble, and when oportunitie and occasion should serue, preferre his cause which he then went about to defend, declaring farther that he had many welwillers and friendes, whiche woulde stande on his side so farre forth as possible then were able and durst do: adding hereunto that it were great pitty that he being of such singuler knowledge both in the Latine, Greeke, both ready and rype in all kind of learning, and that namely aswell in the Scriptures as in the auncient Doctours, should now sodeinly suffer all those singuler giftes to perishe with him without little commoditie or profite to the world, and lesse comfort to his wife and children, and other his kinsfolkes friendes. And as for the veritie of your opinion in the sacrament of the body and bloud of our sauiour Christ: It is so vntimely opened here among vsus in England, that you shall rather do harme then good, wherefore be wyse and be ruled by good counsell vntill a better oportunitie may serue.
This I am sure of (quoth the gentleman) that my Lord Cromwell and my Lorde of Caunterbury much fauouring you and knowyng you to bee an eloquent learned young man, and nowe towardes the felicitie of your lyfe, young in yeares, olde in knowledge, and of great forwardnes and likelihoode, to be a most profitable member for this Realme, will neuer permitte you to susteyne any open shame, if you will somewhat bee aduised by theyr Counsayle: on the other side, if you stand stiffe to your opinion, it is not possible to saue your lyfe. For like as you hauehave good friendes, so hauehave you mortall foes and enemies.
I most hartily thanke you, quoth Mayster Frith vntounto the generall, both for your good will and for your counsayle: by the which I well perceaue that you minde well vntounto me, howbeit my cause and conscience is suche, that in no wise I may not nor cannot for no worldly respect without daunger of damnation starte aside and flye from the true knowledge and doctrine whiche I hauehave conceyued of the supper of the Lorde or the Communion, otherwise called ye sacrament of the aultar: for if it be my chance to be demaunded what I thinke in that behalfe, I must needes saue my knowledge and my conscience, as partly I hauehave written therein already, though I should presently lose xx. lyues if I had so many. And this you shall well vnderstand that I am not so furnished, eyther of Scriptures or auncient Doctors, Scholemen, or other for my defence, so that if I may be indifferently heard, I am sure that mine aduersaryes cannot iustly cōdemne me or mine assertion, but that they shall condemne with me both S. Augustine and the most parte of the olde writers, yea the very Byshoppes of Rome of the oldest sorte shall also say for me & defend my cause. Yea mary quoth the gentleman you say well: if you might be indifferently heard. But I muche doubt thereof, for that our Mayster Christ was not indifferently hearde, nor shoulde bee as I thinke if he were nowe present agayne in the worlde specially in this your opinion, the same beeing so odious vntounto the worlde, and wee so farre off from the true knowledge thereof.
Well, well (quoth Fryth, then vntounto the Gentleman) I know very wel, that this doctrine of the Sacrament of the Aultar which I holde and hauehave opened contrarye to the opinion of this Realme, is very hard meate to be digested both of the Cleargye and Layety thereof. But this I will say to you, taking the gentleman by the hand, that if you liue but twenty yeares more, whatsoeuer become of me, you shall see this whole Realme of mine opinion concerning this Sacrament of the Aulter, namely, the whole estate of the same though some sort of men perticularly shall not be fully perswaded therein. And if it come not so to passe then account me the vaynest man that euer you heard speake with tongue: Besides this, you saye that my death woulde bee sorrowfull and vncomfortable vntounto my frendes.
I graunt (quoth he) that for a small tyme it would so be. But if I should so mollify, qualifye, and temper my cause in such sort as to deserue onelyonly to be kept in prison, that would not onelyonly be a much long griefe vntounto me, but also to my friendes woulde breede no small disquietnesse both of body and of minde. And therfore all thinges well and rightly pondered, my deathe in this cause shall bee better vntounto me and all mine then life in continuall bondage and penuryes. And almightye GOD knoweth what he hath to doe with his poore seruaunt, whose cause I now defend and not mine owne: from the which I assuredly doe entend (GOD willing) neuer to start or otherwise to geue place, so long as God will geue me life.
This communication or like in effecte, my Lorde of Caunterburyes Gentleman and Fryth had comming in a Whery vponupon the Thames frō the Tower to Lambeth.
Now, when they were landed, after some repast by them taken at Lambeth, the Gentleman, the Porter, and Fryth, went forward towardes Croydon on foote. This Gentleman still lamenting with himselfe the harde and cruell destiny towardes the sayde Fryth, namely, if hee once came amongst the bishops: & nowe also perceiuing the exciding constancye of Fryth, deuised with himselfe some waye or meanes to conuey him cleane out of theyr handes, and thereupon considering that there was no mo persons there to conuey the Prisoner, but the Porter and himselfe, he tooke in hand to winne the Porter to his purpose. Quoth the Gentleman vntounto Perlebeane the Porter (they twayne priuately walking by themseues wythout the hearing of Fryth) you hauehave heard this man I am sure, and noted hys talke since he came from the Tower. Yea that I hauehave righte well marked him (quoth the Porter) and I neuer hard so constant a man nor so eloquent a person. You hauehave heard nothing quoth the gentleman in respecte of his both knowledge and eloquence, if he might liberally either in Uniuersity or pulpit declare his learning you woulde then much more maruell at his knowledge. I take him to be suche a one of his age in all kind of learning and knowledge of tonges, as this Realme neuer yet in mine opinion brought forth, & yet those singuler giftes in him are no more considered of our Byshops then if he were a very Dolte or an Idiot, yea they abhorre him as a deuill therfore, & couet vtterly to extinguish him as a member of the Deuill, without any consideration of gods speciall gifts. Mary quoth the Porter if there were nothing els in him but the consideratiō of his personage both comly and amiable, & of naturall disposition, gentle, meek and humble: it were pity that he should be cast away. Cast away (quoth the Gentleman? He shall be sure cast away if we once bring him to Croydō, & surely (quoth the Gentleman) before God I speake it, if thou Perlebeane were of my mind we would neuer bring him thither. Say you so quoth the Porter, I knowe that you be of a great deale more credit then I am, in this matter, and therfore if you can deuise honestly or finde some reasonable excuse, wherby we may let him goe & prouide for himselfe, I will with all my hart condescend to your deuise. As for that quoth the gentleman it is already inuēted how & which waies he shall conuey himselfe without any great daunger or displeasure taken towardes vsus, as the matter shalbe handled. You see quoth the gentlemā yonder hill before vsus, named bristow cawsy, 2. miles frō Lō don, there are great woodes on both sides, when we come there we will permit Frith to go into ye woodes on the left hand of ye way wherby he may cōuey himselfe into kent amōg his frends for he is a kentish man borne, & whē he is gone we will linger an houre or twayn about ye high way vntill that it somewhat draw towardes the night: Then in great hast we will approch vntounto Streatham which is a myle and a halfe of, and an outcry in the Towne that our prisoner is broken from vsus into the woodes on the right hand towardes Waynisworth, so that we will drawe as manye as wee may of the Towne to search the country that way for our prisoner, declaring that wee followed aboue a myle and more, and at length loste him in the woodes because wee hadde no more companye, and so wee wyll rather then fayle lye out one night in searching for him and sende worde from Stretham to my Lorde of Canterbury at Croyden in the euening of the prisoners escape and to what Coast hee is fledde. So that by the morning if hee hauehave any good lucke at all, hee will so prouide for himselfe, that the Byshoppes shall fayle of their purpose. I assure you quoth Perlebeane I like very well the deuise herein, and therefore goe ye to Frith, and declare what wee hauehave deuised for hys deliuery: for nowe we are almost at the place.
When my Lorde of Caunterburyes gentleman came nyghe to the hill, he ioyned himselfe in companye wyth the sayd Frith, and calling him by hys name, sayd: Now Mayster Frithe, let vsus twayne commune together an other whiles: you must consider that the iourney whiche I hauehave nowe taken in hande thus in bringing you to Croyden, as a sheepe to the slaughter, so it greeueth me, and as it were ouerwhelmeth me in cares and sorrowes, that I little passe what daunger I fall in, so that I could finde the meanes to deliuer you oute of the Lyons mouthe. And yet yonder good fellowe and I h…ue so deuised a meanes, whereby you maye bothe easily escape from this great and Imminent daunger at hande and wee also bee rydde from any vehement suspicion. And thereupon declared vntounto Fryth the full processe discoursed before, how eueryevery thing in order should be handled.
When Frith had dilligently heard all the matter concerning hys deliuery, he sayd to the gentleman: Oh good Lorde wyth a smiling countenaunce, is this the effecte of youre secret consultation, thus longe betweene you twayne? Surely surely you hauehave loste a great deale more labour in tymes past, and so are you lyke to doe this, for if you should both leaue me here and goe to Croyden declaring to the Byshoppes that you had lost Fryth, I would surely follow as fast after as I might, and bring them newes that I hadde founde and brought Fryth agayne. Do you thinke, quoth he, that I am afrayde to declare my opinion vntounto the Byshoppes of Englande in a manifest trueth.
You are a fonde manne quoth the Gentleman, thus to talke: As thoughe youre reasoning with them might do some good. But I doe much maruell, that you were so willing to flye the Realme before you were taken, and nowe so vnwilling to saue youre selfe. Mary there was and is a great diuersitie of escaping betweene thone and thother, quoth Frith.
Before I was in deede desirous to escape because I was not attached but at libertie, which liberty I woulde fayne hauehave enioyed for the maynteynance of my study beyond the See where I was a reader in the Greeke tong according to S. Paules Counsaile. Howbeit now being taken by the higher power, and as it were by almightye gods permission and prouidence deliuered into the hands of the Bishops only for religion & doctrines sake, namely such, as in conscience and vnderunder paine of damnation I am bound to maynteyne and defend, if I should now start aside and runne away: I should runne from my God and from the testimony of his holy worde, worthy then of an 1000. hels. And therfore I most hartily thanke you both, for your good willes towards me beseching you, to bring me where I was appointed to bee brought for els I will go thether all alone. And so with a chearfull & mery countinance he went with them, spending the time with pleasant & godly communication vntil they came to Croyden, where for that night he was wel entertained in ye Porters lodge. On the morow he was called before certayn Bish. and other learned men sitting in commission wt my Lorde of Cant, to be examined, where he shewed himself passing ready & ripe in answering to all obiections as some then reported incredible and contrary to al mens expectatiōs, And his allegations both of S. Augustine & other ancient fathers of the Church was such, that some of them muche doubted of S. Augustines authoritie in that behalf. Insomuch that it was reported of suche as were nigh and about the Archbishop of Caunterbury (who then was not fully resolued of the sincere truth of that article) that when they had finished their examination with Frith, the Archbyshoppe conferring wyth Doctour Heathe priuately betwene themselues sayd. This man hath wonderfullye trauayled in this matter, and yet in mine opinion hee taketh the Doctours amisse. Well my Lord should D. Heth say, there was no man that coulde auoyd his authorityes of S. Augustine. Wherein sayd my Lord. Then Doctour Heth began to repeate the sayd authorities of Saynt Augustine againe, inferring and applying them so strayghtly agaynst my Lord of Caunterbury, that my Lord was driuen to this shotte anker, and sayd. I see by it quoth he to Heth, that you with a little more studye will bee easely brought to Frythes opinion: or such like wordes in effect, And some Chapleines there were of my Lorde of Caunterburyes which openly reported that Doctor Heth was as able to defend Frythes assertion in the Sacrament as Fryth was himselfe.
This learned young man being thus throughly sifted at Croydon to vnderstand what he could say or do in his cause, there was no man willing to preferre hym to aunswere in open disputation as poore Lambart was. But nowe without regarde of learning, or good knowledge hee was sent and deteyned vntounto the Botchers stall: I meane Byshop Stokeleyes Consistory, there to heare not the opinion of Saynt Augustine and other auncient Fathers of Christes primatiue Churche of the sayde Sacramēt, but either to be instruct and to heare the maymed and halfe cutaway Sacrament of Antichrist the Bishop of Rome with the grosse and fleshly imagination thereof or els to perish in the fire as he most constantly did, after hee had before the Byshop of London, Winchester and Chichester in the Consistory in Paules Church most plainely and sincerely confessed his doctrine and fayth in thys weighty matter. &c. pag. 1032.
¶A note of William Plane.
IN the latter dayes of king Henry the eight, aboute that time Anne Askew was in trouble, one Doctour Crome was trauayled withall to recant, for that he had preached somewhat agaynst thinges maynteined of the papistes in the Church. And one M. Tracy hearing therof, brought a letter secretly to one Plane dwelling in Bouge row, and desired him to cary it to Doctor Crome, which letter tended to the end to perswade him not to recant, but to stand to the trueth. When this good man, William Plane had it (as he was euer willing to further the truth) so he gladly deliuered the same to Doctor Crome. Which when he had receiued and read it, he layd it downe vponupon the table, and after the sayd William Plane was gone, an Arche Papist came thither to perswade him to recant, and in trauelling with him he found the sayd letter on the boord, which whē he had read it, he examined him from whence it came: so what thorow flattery, and threatning, he declared who was the messenger that brought it. Then was William Plan… sent for, cast in the Tower, where he lay miserably xiij. weekes, none admitted to come to him, in which time he was extremely racked, within halfe a finger breadth as farre as Anne Askew: but they could neuer get of hym of whome he had the letter, nor neuer for all theyr extremity would accuse any man, so in the end he was deliuered out of the Tower and liued aboute three yeares after, and so godly ended his life. But vntounto this day would that Tracy neuer enquire in what condition his wife and children were left, although he was his Messenger in carying the letter, but good Lord, the straunge disease that grew vponupon him by that extreme racking as it is odious to rehearse, so I will wish thē to repentance that were the instruments of his tormentes if they be aliue, & warne other papists to the same, in whom any cruelty hath bene in the like cause.
A note of Lady Iane.
THe Lady Iane, she whom the Lorde Gilford maryed, being on a time when she was very yong at Newhall in Essex at ye Lady Maries,Referre this to the page 1407. was by one lady Anne Wharton desired to walke, and they passing by the chappell, the Lady Wharton made lowe curtesie to the popish Sacrament hangyng on the aulter, which when the Lady Iane saw, meruailed why she did so, and asked her whether the Lady Mary were there or not. Unto whome the Lady Wharton answered no, but she said that she made her curtesie to hym that made vsus all. Why, quoth the lady Iane, how can hee be there that made vsus all, and the Baker made him? This her aunswere commyng to the Lady Maries eare, she did neuer louelove her after, as is credibly reported, but esteemed her as the rest of that christian profession.