Whole Works, Biography 2
The ſtorie, life, and Martirdome of Iohn Frith with the Godly and learned workes and writings of the ſayde Author, here after enſueing.
THe ſayd Iohn Frith was borne in Kent and was the ſonne of Richard Frith Inholder in Senenock in the Countye of Kent. This yong man ſo greatly profited in lerning, that ſcarcely in his time there might bée anye found equall vntounto him. And vntounto his great knowledge and learning, was adioyned ſuch an honeſt conuerſation and godlynes of life, that it was harde to iudge, in whether of them he was more commendable. Of the great godlines that was in him, this may ſerue for experiment ſufficient, that not withſtanding his other manifold and ſingular giftes and ornaments of the mynde in him moſt pregnant, wherwith all hée might hauehave opened an eaſye way vntounto honour, and dignitie, yet he choſe rather wholye to conſecrate him ſelfe vntounto the Church of Chriſt, excellently ſhewing forth and practiſing in him ſelfe the Precept ſo highly commended of the Philoſophers touching the lyfe of man, which life (they ſay) is geuen vntounto vsus in ſuch ſort, that how much better the man is, ſo much the leſſe hée ſhould liue vntounto hym ſelfe, but vntounto other, ſeruing for the common vtilitie: And that we ſhoulde thinke a great part of our birth to bée due vntounto our parentes, A greater part vntounto our countrey, And the greateſt parte of all, to bée béeſtowed vponupon the Church, if we wil bee counted good men.
Fyrſt of all he began his ſtudie at Cambridge where he had to his tutor Stephen Gardiner, who afterward was Byſhop of Wincheſter. And in the nature of this yong man being but a child, God had planted meruelous inſtinctions, and louelove vntounto learning, where vntounto he was addict. He had alſo a wonderfull promptnes of wit, and a redye capacitie to receaue and vnderſtand any thing, in ſo much that he ſemed not to bee ſent vntounto learning, but alſo borne for the ſame purpoſe. Neither was there any diligence wanting in him equall to that towardnes or worthy of his diſpoſition. Whereby it came to paſſe, that he was not onelyonly a louer of learning, but alſo became an exquiſite learned man.
And at that tyme it happened that Thomas Wolſey Cardinall of Yorke prepared to buyld a College in Oxforde, whiche had the name and title of Frideſwyd, but now named Chriſtes Church. And vntounto this College the ſayd Cardinall gathered togither ſuch men as were founde to excell in any kinde of Learning, and knowledge. Amonge whom this Iohn Frith, the Author of theſe notable workes was one, who then being a ſtudient in Cambridge, and Bacheler of arte was called from thence, and placed in ye ſaid College. And when he had diligently Labored in moſt godly ſtudy certaine yeares, not without great profite both of Latyn and Greeke. Then being ſuſpected to be a fauorer of Martyn Luthers doctrine. He was aprehended and committed to priſon, from whence afterward being deliuered he reſorted to the Citie of London, and there came in acquayntaunce with William Tyndall. And not long after the ſayd William & Iohn Frith had many metinges and great conferences, and by the ſayd William he fyrſt receaued into his hart the ſeede of the Goſpell and ſencere godlines, & after with great perill and Daunger they both being inquired & ſought for, fled. William Tyndall firſt placed him ſelfe in Germany, and there did firſt tranſlate the Goſpell of S. Mathewe into Engliſhe, and after the whole new teſtament &c. And not long after the departure of Tyndall, Iohn Frith eſcaped and fled into Flaūders where he remayned almoſt the ſpace of iij. yeares, and there he made his booke againſt purgatory, and dyuerſe other Godly and learned workes, as in the perface of the ſayd booke doth appeare. But at the laſt he being driuē to neceſſitie and lacke of money, was forced ſecretly to returne ouer into this Realme to be releued of his frendes: namely of the Prior of Reading. And (as it was thought he purpoſed to hauehave had the Prior ouer with him. And he being at Reading, it happened that he was there taken for a vagabond, and brought to examination. Where the ſimple man loth to vtter him ſelfe what he was, and vnacquainted with their maner of examinations, and they greatly offended with him, committed him to ye ſtockes, where when he had ſitten a long tyme, and was almoſt pined with hunger, & would not for all that declare what he was: At the laſt he deſired that ye Schoolemaſter of the towne might be brought vntounto him, which at that tyme was one Leonard Coxe, a man very well learned. Aſſone as he came vntounto him, Frith by and by in the Latyn tongue began to bewaile his Captiuitie. The ſchoole maſter being ouercome with his eloquence, did not onelyonly take pitie and compaſſion vponupon him, but alſo began to louelove and embrace ſuch an excellent witt, and diſpoſition vnlooked for, eſpecially in ſuche ſtate of myſery. Afterward they conferring more togither vponupon many thinges as touching the Ʋniuerſities, Schooles, and tonges, fell frō the Latyn tongue, to the Greeke, wherein Frith did ſo inflame the louelove of the ſayd ſchoole maſter towardes him, that he brought him into a merueilous admiration, eſpecially when as the ſchoolemaſter hard him ſo promptly by hart reheareſe Homers verſes out of his firſt booke of Iliades. Wher vponupon the ſchoolemaſter, went with all ſpeede vntounto ye Magiſtrates, greuouſly cōplayning of the iniury which they did ſhewe vntounto ſo excellent and innocent a yong man. And ſo through the helpe of the ſayde ſchoolemaſter, the ſaid Frith was freely ſet at libertie. All be it, his ſauetie cātynued not long, through the great hatred and deadly perſute of Sir Thomas More who at that tyme being Chauncelor of England, perſecuted him both by land and Sea: beſettyng all the wayes, hauens, and portes, yea and promyſing great rewardes if any man could bring hym any newes or tydinges of hym. Thus Frith being on eueryevery part beſet with troubles, not knowing which way to turne hym, ſought for ſome place to hide him in. And ſo flyeng from one place to another, & often chaunging both his garmentes and place, yet could he be in ſafetie in no place, no not long amongeſt his very frendes, ſo that at the laſt he comming to a Porte towne in Eſſex called Milton ſhore, and there purpoſing to hauehave taken ſhipping to hauehave paſſed ouer into Flaunders, was betrayed and brought bounde backe agayne, and layed in the Tower of London. And diuerſe tymes after was called before Sir Thomas More, & alſo before the Byſhops with whom he had many conflictes. And he continuing long priſoner in the Tower, at the laſt a falſe brother reſorted vntounto him whoſe name was William Holt a Taylour, who (feyning that he bare great frendſhip vntounto him) ſo ſlattered him (and he himſelfe being vtterly voyde of all ſuſpicious nature) that he began to communicate vntounto him his very Secretes, and among other entred into a longe diſcourſe of the ſacrament, which Frith had penned in a booke in the tyme that he was Priſoner in the Tower. And when the ſayd Holt had ſeene the ſayd booke, he required him moſt inſtantly to lend him the ſame onelyonly to reade ouer, the which the ſayd Iohn Frith did vnaduiſedly graunte, which after was the occaſion of his greate trouble and finally of his death. So ſone as this falſe brother had the booke, he departed, for now he had the praye that he had long watched for, And forth with he caried the ſayde book… vntounto Sir Thomas More, who reioyced not a litle at the hauing thereof, and forthwith whetted his wittes, and cauled his ſpirites togither, meaning to refute his opinion by a contrary booke, but that was more then he could doe. Yet he attempted to doe aſmuch as he might, and at the laſt wrote a booke agaynſt him, the Copie whereof when it came to Frithes handes, although he were then priſoner in the Tower and deſtitute both of bookes and conference, yet he aunſwered it, omitting nothing that any man coulde deſire to the perfect and abſolute handeling of the matter. Beſide all theſe cōmendations of the afore ſayde Learned yong man, there was alſo in him a frendly and prudent moderation in vttering of the trueth, ioyned with learned godlines, which vertue hath alwayes ſo much preuayled in the Church of Chriſt, that without it all other good giftes of knowledge be they neuer ſo great can not greatly profite, but oftentimes doe very much hurt. And in all matters, where neceſſitie did not moue him to contend, he was ready to graunt all thinges for quietnes ſake.
After he had ſufficiently contended in his writynges with More, Rocheſter, and Raſtall Mores ſonne in lawe, whom he did ſo valiauntly fight withall and confounde, that he connerted Raſtall to his part. Then he was …ryed to Lambith before the Biſhop of Caunterburie, and afterward to Croydon where was preſent Stephē Gardiner Biſhop of Wincheſter who had béene his tutor in Cambridge as aforeſayd, and ſéemed to owe vntounto him greate louelove and fauour, but in the ſtéede thereof he found in the ende his great malice and tyrannye, and laſt of all he was called before the Biſhoppes in a Common aſſemblye at London, where he ſo coſtantly defended him ſelfe that he had preuailed, if he might hauehave bene heard, as indéed he was not. The order of his iudgment with the maner of his examinatiō and Articles which were obiected agaynſt him, are compriſed and ſet forth by himſelfe in a letter written to his frendes, which letter alſo is imprinted and ſet forth in this booke. After ſentence geuen againſt him by the Byſhop of London, he was delyuered to the Maior & Shirifes of the ſayd Citie (Syr Stephen pecocke, a ſimple man being then Maior) and forth with he was committed to new gate, where he was put into ye Dungeon vnderunder the ſayd Gate, and laden with Boltes, and Irons as many as he could beare, and his necke with a Coler of Iron made faſt to a poſt, ſo that he could neyther ſtand vpright nor ſtoupe downe, yet was he there continually occupied in writing of diuerſe thinges, namely with a candell both day, and night, for there came none other light into that place. And in this caſe he remayned iij. or iiij. dayes, and then was from thence caried into Smithféelde ye iiij. day of Iuly. 1533. where with great pacience, and conſtancy he ſuffered that moſt h…lly, and cruell death of burning.
And when the fyer was ſet on the faggottes he embraced the ſame in his Armes, & and with all pacience commytted his ſpirite vntounto almighty God. But this one thing is yet to bee remembred, that he being bounde to the ſtake with an other good Martyr, which was a very ſimple young man named Andrew Hewet, there was preſent one Doctour Cooke that was perſon of the Church called Allhalowes in hony lane ſcituate in the myddes of Chepeſyde. And the ſayd Cooke made an open exclamation and admoniſhed the people that they ſhould in no wiſe pray for them no more then they would doe for a dogg. At which wordes Frith ſmyling, deſired the Lord to forgeue him. But the vngodly and vncharitable wordes of the ſayd Doctour did not a litle offende the people. And thus for the teſtimony of the true doctrine of Chriſt, which the ſayd Frith ſealed with his bloud the day, and yeare afore ſayd, he dyed in the xxiiij. yeare of his age (as ſome ſaye) but his parentes reported in the xxx. yeare of his age.