and asked of them, if they would do so in like case for their doc- Mary. trine which if they would not, she desired them for God's sake not A.D. to trouble her, being a blind, poor, and unlearned woman, with any 1556. further talk, saying, that (by God's assistance) she was ready to yield up her life in that faith, in such sort as they should appoint.

And yet notwithstanding, being pressed by the said bishop and Dr. Draicot, with many arguments of Christ's omnipotency, as, why was not Christ able as well to make the bread his body,' as to turn water into wine, raise Lazarus from the dead, and such other like arguments; and many times being threatened with grievous imprisonments, torments, and death: the poor woman thus being, as it were, half astonied through their terrors and threats, and desirous (as it seemed) to prolong her life, offered unto the bishop then present, that if he would before that company, take it upon his conscience, that that doctrine which he would have her to believe concerning the sacrament was true, and that he would at the dreadful day of judgment answer for her therein (as the said Dr. Taylor in divers of his sermons did offer), she would then further answer them.

durst not

before

Whereunto the bishop answered, he would. But Dr. Draicot his They chancellor, hearing that, said, "My lord, you know not what you do; answer you may in no case answer for a heretic." And immediately he asked God for the poor woman whether she would recant or no, and said she should their docanswer for herself: unto whose sayings the bishop also reformed himself.

trine.

Joan

brought

The poor woman perceiving this, answered again, that if they sentence refused to take of their conscience that it was true they would have nounced her to believe, she would answer no further, but desired them to do against their pleasure; and so after certain circumstances, they pronounced Waste. sentence against her, and delivered her unto the bailiffs of the said The writ town of Derby aforenamed; who after they had kept her about a down for month or five weeks, at length there came unto them a writ De hære- ing tico comburendo; by virtue whereof they were appointed by the said bishop to bring her to the parish church of All Saints at a day appointed, where Dr. Draicot should make a sermon.

her burn

railing

sermon

her.

When the day and time were come that this innocent martyr should Draicot's suffer, first cometh to the church Dr. Draicot, accompanied with divers gentlemen, as master Thomas Powthread, master Henry against Vernon, master Dethick of Newhall, and divers other. This done, and all things now in a readiness, at last the poor blind creature and servant of God was brought and set before the pulpit, where the said doctor, being entered into his sermon, and there inveighing against divers matters, which he called heresies, declared unto the people that that woman was condemned for denying the blessed sacrament of the altar to be the very body and blood of Christ really and substantially, and was thereby cut off from the body of the catholic church; and said, that she was not only blind of her bodily eyes, but also blind in the eyes of her soul." And he said, that as her body should be presently consumed with material fire, so her soul should be burned in hell with everlasting fire, as soon as it shall be separated from the body, and there to remain world without end; and said, it was not lawful for (1) Well argued. Because Christ is omnipotent, ergo, there is no bread in the sacrament! (2) "Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and say all evil against you for my name's sake." Matt. v.

A.D.

Joan Waste brought to the place of

Mary. the people to pray for her. And so with many terrible threats he made an end of his sermon, and commanded the bailiffs and those 1556. gentlemen to see her executed. And the sermon thus ended, eftsoons the blessed servant of God was carried away from the said church, to a place called the Windmill-pit, near unto the said town, and holding the foresaid Roger Waste her brother by the hand she prepared herself, and desired the people to pray with her, and said such prayers as she before had learned, and cried upon Christ to have mercy upon her, as long as life served. In this mean season, the said Dr. Draicot went to his inn, for great sorrow of her death, and there laid him down, and slept, during all the time of her execution! And thus much of Joan Waste.

execution.

The mar

tyrdom

of Joan Waste.

Now, forasmuch as I am not ignorant, faithful reader! that this, and other stories more, set forth of the martyrs, shall not lack carpers and markers enow, ready to seek all holes and corners how to defame the memory of God's good saints, and to condemn these histories, of lies and untruths, especially histories wherein they see their shameful acts and unchristian cruelty detected and brought to light, therefore, for better confirmation of this history above written, and to stop the mouths of such momes, this shall be to admonish all and singular readers hereof, that the discourse of this poor blind woman's life and death, in such sort as is above prefixed, hath been confessed to be very true, by divers persons of worthy credit, and yet living; and also hath been specially perused and examined by William Bainbridge, before mentioned, bailiff then of Derby; who as well of his own knowledge, as by special inquiry and conference by him made, with divers others, hath certified us the same to be undoubted; beside the testimonial of John Cadman, curate of the said town, and of others also, upon whose honesty well known, and their report herein nothing differing from such as were best acquainted with that matter, I have been here the more bold to commit this story to posterity, for all good men to consider, and judge upon.

The Martyrdom of Edward Sharp at Bristol.

About the beginning of the next month following, which was September, a certain godly, aged, devout person, and zealous of the Lord's glory, born in Wiltshire, named Edward Sharp, of the age of forty years or thereabout, was condemned at Bristol to the like martyrdom, where he, constantly and manfully persisting in the just quarrel of Christ's gospel, for misliking and renouncing the ordinances of the Romish church, was tried as pure gold, and made a lively sacrifice in the fire in whose death, as in the death of all his other saints, the Lord be glorified and thanked for his great grace of constancy; to whom be praise for ever, Amen.

Four who suffered at Mayfield, in Dusser.

Next after the martyrdom of Edward Sharp, above said, followed four, which suffered at Mayfield, in Sussex, the 24th day of September, anno 1556; of whose names, two we find recorded, and the other two we yet know not, and therefore according to our register,

A. D.

1556.

hereunder they be specified, as we find them: John Hart, Thomas Mary. Ravensdale, a shoemaker, and a currier; which said four, being at the place where they should suffer, after they had made their prayer, and were at the stake ready to abide the force of the fire, they constantly and joyfully yielded their lives for the testimony of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, unto whom be praise for ever and ever. Amen. The day after the martyrdom of these foresaid at Mayfield, which The marwas the 25th of September, anno 1556, was a young man (which by tyrdom of science was a carpenter, whose name we have not) put to death, for ter at the like testimony of Jesus Christ, at Bristol, where he, yielding himself to the torments of the fire, gave up his life into the hands of the Lord, with such joyful constancy and triumph, as all the Church of Christ have just cause to praise God for him.

The Martyrdom of John Horn and a Woman, at Wootton-under-
Edge, in Gloucestershire.

a carpen

Bristol.

Now not long after the death of the said young man at Bristol, in Sept. 27. the same month were two more godly martyrs consumed by fire at Wootton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire, whose names are above specified, which died very gloriously in a constant faith, to the terror of the wicked, and comfort of the godly. So gloriously did the Lord work in them, that death unto them was life, and life with a blotted conscience was death.

A PITIFUL STORY CONCERNING THE UNMERCIFUL HANDLING OF
WILLIAM DANGERFIELD, AND JOAN HIS WIFE, BEING IN
CHILD-BED; TAKEN OUT OF HER HOUSE, WITH HER
SUCKING INFANT OF FOURTEEN DAYS OLD, AND
LAID IN THE COMMON JAIL AMONGST

THIEVES AND MURDERERS.

When I had written and finished the story of the Guernsey women, with the young infant there with them burned, and also had passed the burning of the poor blind woman Joan Waste at Derby, I well hoped I should have found no more such stories of unmerciful cruelty showed upon silly women with their children and young infants: but now, coming to the persecution of Gloucestershire, about the parts of Bristol, I find another story of such unmercifulness showed against a woman in child-bed, as far from all charity and humanity as hath been any other story yet hitherto rehearsed, as by the sequel hereof may appear.

In the parish of Wootton-under-Edge, not far from Bristol, was dwelling one William Dangerfield, a right honest and godly poor man, who by Joan Dangerfield his wife had nine children, and she now lying in child-bed of the tenth. This William, after he had been abroad from his house a certain space for fear of persecution, hearing that his wife was brought to bed, repaired home to visit her, as natural duty required, and to see his children, she being now delivered four days before.

The return of this man was not so soon known to some of his unkind and uncharitable neighbours, but they, incensed with the spirit of papistry, eftsoons beset the house about, and there took the same

A. D.

Mary. William Dangerfield, and carried him to prison; and so at length he was brought to the bishop, being then Brooks, in whose cruel 1556. handling he remained a certain space, so long, till his legs almost Danger- were fretted off with irons.

field apprehend

own

house.

After the apprehension of the husband, the wife likewise was taken, ed in his with her young-born child,' being but fourteen days old (as is said) out of her child-bed, and carried into the common jail, and there Joan his placed amongst thieves and murderers, where both she and her poor taken innocent found so small charity amongst the catholic men, that she young in- never could come to any fire, but was driven to warm the clothes that fant out she should put about the child in her bosom.

wife

with her

of childbed, to prison.

field made

falsely

In the mean season while they lay thus enclosed in several prisons, the husband and the wife, the bishop beginneth to practise not with Danger- the woman first, as the serpent did with Eve, but with the man, to believe craftily deceiving his simplicity with fair glozing words, falsely perthat his suading him that his wife had recanted, and asking him, wherefore wife had he should more stand in his own conceit than she, being as well upon be learned as he, and so subtilely drew out a form of recantation, wherewith he deceived the simple soul: whereunto after that he had once consent granted that he would consent, although he had not yet recanted they suffered him to go to his wife, where she lay in the common jail.

recanted;

lief of

which, he

bishop.

66

Then they, with melting hearts opening their minds one to another, when he saw his wife not released, and perceiving that he had not done well, he declared unto her the whole matter, how falsely he was circumvented by the subtle flatterings of the bishop, bearing him in hand that certainly she had recanted: "and thus deceiving me," said he, brought this unto me;" and so plucked out of his bosom the copy of the recantation, whereunto he had granted his promise. At the sight whereof the wife, hearing what her husband had done, her heart clave asunder, saying, "Alack! thus long have we continued one, and hath Satan so prevailed, to cause you to break your first yow made to Christ in baptism ?" And so parted the said William and Joan his wife, with what hearts the Lord knoweth. Then began he not a little to bewail his promise made to the bishop, and to make his prayer to Almighty God, desiring him that he might not live so Danger long as to call evil good, and good evil; or light darkness, or darkGod. ness light; and so departed he home toward his house, where, by the The death way homeward (as it is affirmed) he took his death, and shortly after husband. departed, according to his prayer, after he had endured in prison twelve weeks.

The

prayer of

field to

of the

The

fant fa

prison.

After this, Joan his wife continued still in prison with her tender young in infant, till at last she was brought before the bishop to be examined; mished in whereunto what her answers were, it is not certainly known. Howbeit most like it is, whatsoever they were, they pleased not the bishop, as appeared by his ire increased against the poor woman, and her long continuance in the prison, together with her tender babe, which also remained with her in the jail, partaker of her martyrdom, so long as her milk would serve to give it suck, till at length the child, being starved for cold and famine, was sent away when it was past all tyrdom of remedy, and so shortly after died; and not long after the mother Besides, the old woman, which was mother of the

The mar

the mo

ther.

also followed.

(1) No charity in popery to be noted.

husband, of the age of eighty years and upward, who, being left in Mary. the house after their apprehension, for lack of comfort, there perished A.D. also.

1556.

old

And thus have ye in one story the death of four together; first of The death the old woman, then of the husband, after that of the innocent child, of the ol and lastly of the mother. What became of the other nine children, I am not perfectly sure, but that I partly understand, that they were all undone by the same.

This story is reported and testified as well by others, as namely by Mrs. Bridges, dwelling in the same town, and partaker then of the like afflictions, and who hardly escaped with her life.

A Shoemaker burnt in Northampton, etc.

In the month of October following, was burned at the town of Northampton, a shoemaker, a true witness and disciple of the Lord, who according to the grace of God given unto him, cleaving fast to the sound doctrine and preaching of God's word, renounced the untrue and false coloured religion of the Romish sea, wherein many a good man hath been drowned.

After whom not long after, in the same month of October, died also in the castle of Chichester three godly confessors, being there in bonds for the like cause of Christ's gospel, who also should have suffered the like martyrdom, had not their natural death, or rather (as it is to be suspected) the cruel handling of the papists, made them away before, and afterward buried them in the field.

I read moreover that in this present year, to wit, anno 1556, was burnt one called Hooke, a true witness of the Lord's truth at Chester.

FIVE PRISONERS FAMISHED IN CANTERBURY CASTLE, BY THE
UNMERCIFUL TYRANNY OF THE PAPISTS.

Harps

Dunning,

cutors.

As among all the bishops, Bonner bishop of London, principally Bonner, excelled in persecuting the poor members and saints of Christ; so field, and of all archdeacons, Nicholas Harpsfield archdeacon of Canterbury (as three sore may by man's sight appear) was the sorest, and of least compassion perse(only Dunning of Norwich excepted), by whose unmerciful nature and agrest1 disposition, very many were put to death in that diocese of Canterbury, not only in the bloody time of that queen, but some also in the blessed beginning of this our most renowned queen that now is, as by the grace of Christ hereafter shall appear.

tion in

Of those that suffered in queen Mary's time within the aforesaid Persecu diocese of Canterbury, some be recited already, with the order and Kent. form set down of such articles as then were most commonly ministered to the examinates by Thornton, suffragan of Dover, and the said Nicholas Harpsfield, and others, as before in the volume of this history may appear.

Now to proceed in the order and course of time where we left, next followeth the month of November.

In the beginning of November were together in the castle of Canterbury fifteen godly and innocent martyrs, of which number none escaped with their lives, but they were either burned, or else famished in (1) Either "sour," from agresta, the juice of unripe grapes; or "rustical," from agreste.-ED.