Appendix. olim videbitis venientem in nubibus cœli cum potestate magnâ et gloriâ, sempiternisque pœnis vos plangetis, nisi hìc pœnitentiam falsæ et impiæ vestræ doctrinæ egeritis. Si Deus autem, pro sua inexhaustâ bonitate et clementiâ, per verbum suum lites istas inter nos componi dignetur, non dubito quin oculos vestros ita sit aperturus, ut quàm horribilitèr et impiè Dei ac hominum testimonio et scriptis vos abutimini videatis. Sed si furioso et excandescenti spiritu vestras partes, citra authoritatem verbi Dei, defendere velitis, actum est omnino de vestrâ æternâ salute: quod Dominus propter Filium suum unicum avertat! Cogitate etiam apud vos ipsos an hoc sit piorum ministrorum ecclesiæ officium, vi, metu, et pavore, corda hominum in vestras partes compellere? Profectò Christus non ignem, non gladium, non carceres, non vincula, non violentiam, non confiscationem bonorum, non regineæ majestatis terrorem, media organa constituit, quibus veritas sui verbi mundo promulgaretur: sed miti ac diligenti prædicatione evangelii sui mundum ab errore et idololatriâ converti præcepit. Vos non Christi sed antichristi armis utimini, quibus populum invitum ad vestra sacra compellitis; et non volentem et instructum verbo Dei trahitis. Sed quàm malus custos perpetuitatis sit timor, non ignoratis. Certè qui timet, nisi Dei Spiritu semper revocetur, odit. Tradite igitur saluberrima præcepta legis et evangelii populo Dei, ut pro Christi ministris per verbum Christi ab omnibus agnoscamini. Ideò enim ministri ecclesiæ Christi estis constituti, ut tantùm Christi doctrinam populum Dei doceretis, et non ut novam et à Christo alienam obtruderetis. Quæ jam vos in Ecclesiá agitis (si coram æquo judice amicam ac christianam disputationem non recusaveritis) ex verbo Dei ostendemus vel à lege Mosaicâ mutuata, vel per antichristum et pseudo-ministros in ecclesiam fuisse introducta, ut hoc brevi tractatu excelsæ parliamenti curiæ facilè constabit. Scio inter vos esse tam turgido et iniquo spiritu prædicatores, qui putant nos tantùm inanis gloriæ, superbiæ, arrogantiæ, et famæ nostræ, fumo duci; et ideo velle potius semper malè currere, quàm admonitos de errore bene recurrere. Sed hoc Deus novit, quòd tantùm illius gloriam nostramque salutem in Christo quærimus, dicant adversarii quid velint. Meminerint autem nostri adversarii et cogitent, quanquam apud illos nec pro doctis nec piis hominibus habeamur (et haud dubie nos ipsos omnis impietatis et peccati apud Deum quotidiè accusamus), tamen homines sumus ratione præditi. Et quis (nisi insanus) jacturâ et amissione omnium bonorum suorum, uxoris, liberorum, libertatis et vitæ redimeret famæ aut inanis gloriæ titulum? Profecto tanti pœnitere (ut dicitur) non emerimus. Igitur illius verbi veritatem nostris bonis omnibus ac vitæ ipsi præferimus: et si centies moriendum nobis fuerit, (Deo nos adjuvante) ad idololatriam et impium cultum Dei, quæ Dei misericordiâ hactenus reliquimus, non revertemur. Domini sumus, sive vivimus, sive morimur; ejus igitur voluntas in vobis et in nobis cum misericordiâ fiat, Amen. Vestræ salutis in Christo studiosissimus, Johannes Hooperus. A NOTE OF BISHOP FERRAR. Dr. Leyson, doctor of law, a civilian, a justice of peace, the same who is mentioned before, would not suffer bishop Ferrar, when he was at the stake to be burnt, to speak his mind; and about half a year after the said Dr. Leyson died; and when he would have spoke himself, he could not. The Trouble of Thomas Hitton, Martyr, WITH HIS EXAMINATIONS, ANSWERS, CONDEMNATION, AND MAR- Thomas Hitton of Martham in the diocese of Norwich, an honest poor man and religious, ever fearing God from his youth, and loving his word; when persecution for the same word in the days of king appear Warham bishop of Henry the eighth grew to be somewhat hot, took his journey toward Appendix. Rochester in Kent, intending to have gone to Dover, and so to have crossed the seas into France and other countries for a time, where reposing himself a while, he might be free from the heat of persecution. As he was going on his intended journey, one Thomas Swainesland, bailiff to William Warham archbishop of Canterbury, His first meeting him by the way, and suspecting him to be (as they called ance bethem) a heretic, caused him to be staid and brought before the said fore William archbishop of Canterbury, his master; who demanded of archhim from whence he came, and whither he intended to have gone, if Canterhe had not been intercepted? The same Thomas answered, that he bury. came out of the diocese of Norwich, and purposed to have gone beyond the seas, if God had so permitted. Then the bishop asked him, if Examihe had ever been beyond the seas before, and what books he had brought over. He answered, that he had been once beyond the seas before, and had brought certain books with him from thence, namely, two New Testaments, and one primer in English. The bishop asked him to whom he gave the said books. He answered, he would not declare: "for," saith he, "such is your bloody cruelty, that you would never sleep quietly till you have sucked their blood, as you mean to do mine." The bishop, seeing he could extort no more out of him, and perceiving his constant spirit and fervent zeal to the truth, commanded him to prison till further opportunity might serve for the shedding of his blood. THE SECOND APPEARANCE OF THOMAS HITTON, BEFORE WAR- Within a while after, the bishop commanded the said Thomas to be brought before him again, who demanded of him how he judged and believed of the religion then in force, and of the authority of the bishop of Rome. The said Thomas answered, that the religion then used, was most abominable idolatry, and contrary to the holy word of God: "And as for the pope," quoth he, "he is Antichrist, the firstborn of Satan, and hath no more power or authority than any other bishop hath in his own diocese, nor so much neither." The bishop hearing this, was in such a pelting chafe, that at that time he would talk no more with him, but returned him from whence he came, namely to Bocardo, with commandment to appear before him again upon the 13th day of the same month following, at his manor of Knoll, to answer to such articles and interrogatories as should be objected ex officio against him. HIS THIRD APPEARANCE, ETC. nation of Hitton. appearance before the Canter The said Thomas Hitton, at the day prefixed, made his personal His third appearance before the bishop at the place appointed; to whom the bishop ministered certain articles and interrogatories for him to answer archunto, commanding him to swear to answer truly and unfeignedly unto bishop of them, and every part of them. The said Thomas Hitton refused to bury. swear, saying, "It is against God's laws and good conscience, for any refuseth man to swear to shed his own blood, for so he should be a murderer to swear against of himself, and become guilty of his own death." But notwithstand- himself. Hitton Appendix. ing that he refused to swear to answer, yet he answered truly and directly to every particular article and interrogatory propounded unto him; but so as was smally to their contentation, yet no doubt to the great glory of God, and comfort of the godly. His pearance same. This done, the bishop brake off his session for that time, and commanded him to prison again, and to appear before him in the place aforesaid upon the Friday next following, to answer further as should be demanded of him, granting him liberty withal to add to, or subtract from his former answers, or else utterly to deny and revoke the same. HIS FOURTH APPEARANCE, ETC. The day and time approaching, the said Thomas Hitton appeared fourth ap- again accordingly, and having heard his former answers and confessions before the distinctly by the notary read unto him, he reformed them in certain points; to some he added, from other some he subtracted, but none he denied. Then the bishop, perceiving his unmovable constancy in the truth, setting learning and reason apart, being not able to convince him by arguments and truth, nor yet to reprove the spirit which spake in him, fell to exhorting of him to have respect to his soul's health, and not so wilfully (as he termed it) to cast away himself for ever, but to repent, and abjure his errors, and in so doing, he would be good unto him, he said. Constan ton in his confession. When the bishop with all his persuasions could do no good with him to withdraw him from the truth of God's word, then the doctors and other the assistants attempted the like: all which notwithstanding, the said Thomas Hitton would not desist nor shrink one jot from cy of Hit- the truth, but both affirmed and confirmed his former articles and confessions to the end; inferring withal, that they sinned against the Holy Ghost, inasmuch as they knew that God's word was the truth, and that the mass and all popish religion is nothing but idolatry, lies, and open blasphemy against the majesty of God and his word, and contrary to God's word in every respect, and yet they would allow and maintain the same, contrary to their own consciences: whereat all the bench was greatly offended, and commanded him to prison again, assigning him a day to come before them again. His fifth appear ance be same. HIS FIFTH APPEARANCE, ETC. At the day appointed, the said Thomas Hitton appeared, to whom the bishop said, "Thomas, dost thou believe that any man either fore the spiritual or temporal, is of sufficient authority to set forth any law or sanction of himself, the breach whereof is mortal or venial sin? To whom Thomas Hitton answered, that no man either spiritual or temporal might make any law or sanction, the breach whereof is mortal or venial sin, except the same law or sanction be drawn out of the word of God, or else grounded upon the same with a good conscience; and therefore the church cannot set forth any law, the breach whereof is mortal or venial sin, unless it be grounded upon the word of God also. But if any man, or the church of God itself, do set forth any law grounded upon the word of God and good conscience, the breach thereof to the violater is mortal and deadly sin. After all manner of ways and means attempted to draw this poor man from Christ and his truth, the bishop, seeing that he could not prevail, determined to send Appendix. him to the bishop of Rochester, and so did; who assayed by all means possible to remove him from his former professed truth. But seeing all his endeavours frustrate, and that he profited nothing, he signified the same to the archbishop, and withal both went himself unto him, and carried the poor prisoner with him thither also. condem against In the afternoon of the same day, the said archbishop of Canter- The senbury, the bishop of Rochester, and divers other assistants, called the tence of said poor man before them again, and caused all the former articles, nation interrogatories, and demands to be read unto him in English, to the Hitton. end he should either have revoked the same, or else, recanted them altogether, using both threats and fair promises, to the performance thereof, but all in vain: for his faith was built upon the rock Christ Jesus, and therefore unable to be removed with any storms of persecution whatsoever. ing. In fine, the archbishop (with mature judgment you must believe) His burnconsulting with the bishop of Rochester, and others, proceeded to his condemnation, reading the bloody sentence of death against him; and so was he, being condemned, delivered to the secular power, who carried him to the prison; and soon after he was burnt for the testimony of Jesus Christ, as you may see more at large in his story, for whose constancy in the truth, the everlasting God be praised, Amen. A Note of a certain good man troubled in Boulogne the first year of King Edward the Sixth, for the Gospel. The examination of me, William Hastlen, gunner, in the castle of High Boulogne, in the year of our Lord 1547, and the first year of the reign of king Edward the sixth. As I was in the church of Boulogne, called the Stals, upon the 12th of April, being Easter Tuesday, reading of a godly book, called The Lamentation of a Christian against the Citizens of London,' between the hours of three and four at afternoon, there came certain men to me as I stood at an altar in the church reading to myself, and asked me what good book I had; and I said, they should hear if they pleased. Then they desired me to read out that they might hear, and so did I very gladly; but I had not read long (the priests and clerks were at their Latin evensong, I reading mine English book) but there came a tipstaff for me, taking my two books from me, and commanded me to go with him; for he said I must go before the council of the town. Then went I forthwith with him; and a little without the church-door, sir John Bridges met us, and bade the tipstaff carry me to sir Leonard Beckwith, knight, to be examined; and coming before his presence, he asked me what books they were that I had at the church; and was reading of one of them openly in the church to the people. And I said, so far as I had read them they were good godly books. And he said, they were heresy. And with that he asked me how I did believe of the sacrament of the altar, whether I did not believe that to be the very body of Christ, flesh, blood, and bones: and I asked him whether he meant that that was in the pix or no? and he said, Yea, even that in the pix. And I said, that since I had sure knowledge of Scriptures, I did not believe it to be the body of Christ, but a bare piece of bread; nor by God's help will I ever believe it otherwise to be. Then he said, I was a heretic, and asked me what I made of the sacrament: and I said, if it were duly ministered according to Christ's institution, that then I did believe that the faithful communicants, in receiving that blessed sacrament, did receive into their inward man or soul, the very body and blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Then said he, " Dost thou not believe it to remain the very body of Christ after the words of consecration pronounced by the priest?" And I said, No. Then said he," What dost thou make of the church?" I said, "As it is now used, it is a den of thieves, and the synagogue of Satan." "Thou heretic," said he, "there remaineth the very body Appendix, of Christ." But I said, that Christ being God and Man, dwelleth not in the temples made with men's hands. Much other communication had we at that time, but this was the effect that day. Then he asked me whether I would be forthcoming till to-morrow. And I said, "Sir, if you think that I will not, you may lay me where I shall be so." Then he let me go for that night, and said, "We shall talk further with thee to-morrow; so I departed home." And about the space of two hours after, master Huntingdon the preacher (which did much good with his preaching in Boulogne at that time) came to me, and said, that he heard me spoken of at my lord Gray's, who was then lord deputy of the town and country of Boulogne; "and I perceive," said he, "that you are in great danger of trouble, if you escape with your life: for there are some of the council marvellously bent against you." I said, "The Lord's will be done." "Well," said he, "without you feel in yourself a full purpose, by God's help, to stand earnestly to the thing that ye have spoken, you shall do more hurt than good. Wherefore," said he, "if you will go to Calais, I will send you where you shall be well used, and be out of this danger." Then I thanked master Huntingdon, saying, "I purpose by God's assistance to abide the uttermost that they can do unto me." "Well then," said he, "I can tell you you will be sent for to-morrow betimes before the whole council." "That is," said I, "the thing that I look for." Then rose I betimes in the morning and went into the market-place, that I might spy which way the officer should come for me. I had not tarried there long, but I spied a tipstaff, and went toward him, and asked him whom he sought; and he said, "A gunner of the great ordnance in the castle of Boulogne:" and I said, "I am he:" then said he, "You must go with me to my lords:" and I said, "There-for I looked." When I came there, I saw my lord and the whole council were assembled together in a close parlour. Doing my duty to them, my lord said to me, " It is informed me that thou hast seditiously congregated a company together in the church, and there in the time of service thou didst read unto them an heretical book, and hast not reverently used silence in the time of the divine service. What sayest thou to this?" I said, "If it please your honour, I was in the church a good while before any service began, and nobody with me, reading to myself alone, upon a book that is agreeable to God's word, and no heresy in it that I read; and when it drew toward service time, there came men to the church, and, some of them coming to me whom I knew not, asking me what good book I had, I said it was a new book that I had not yet read over. Then they prayed me that I should read so that they might hear some part with me; and so I did, not calling, pointing, nor assembling any company to me. And the service being in Latin, that for the strangeness of the tongue, besides much superstition joined with it, was not understood of the most part of them that said or sung it, much less of them that stood by and did hear it; whereas, by the word of God, all things in the church or congregation should be done to the edifying of the people, and seeing I could have no such thing by their service; I did endeavour to edify myself, and others that were desirous of reading godly books. And because the church is so abused contrary to the word of God, being beset round about with a sort of abominable idols, before whom no man ought to kneel, nor do any manner of reverence, because the Scriptures do curse both the idol and the idol-maker, and all that do any worship or reverence unto them, or before them, for that cause I used no reverence there." "Well," said my lord, "I would thou couldst answer to the rest, as well as thou hast done to this; but I fear me thou canst not: for it is told me that thou hast spoken against the blessed sacrament." And I said, "If it please your lordship, that did I never in all my life, nor ever will do, by the grace of God." With that my chief accuser, sir Leonard Beckwith, knight, said to me, "Didst thou not say to me yesterday, that thou didst not believe the sacrament of the altar, after the words of consecration by the priest, to be the very body of Christ, flesh, blood, and bones, as it was born of the Virgin Mary?" "It is true indeed that I said so; for neither do I believe it to remain Christ's body, nor ever will by the grace of God believe it so to be: for I believe that Christ with that body that was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary, did ascend up into heaven; and there (according to our belief) he sitteth on the |