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MAdam, I lament your heauie case, but I doubt not but you beare it constantly.
I litle lament my owne case, but rather account it a token of Gods fauor vnto me, more then euer he shewed to me before, being a thing profitable for my soules health.
I am com from the Quéen and Councel to instruct you in the faith, though
I trust I need not trauell ouer much in the performance thereof.
I heartily thanke the Queene that she is not vnmindfull of her humble subiect, and I hope you will doe your dutie according to the message that you were sent on.
What is then required of a Christian?
That he should beleeue in God the Father, Sonne, and Holy Ghost, three persons, and one God.
What is there nothing else to bee required of a Christian, but to be∣leeue.
Yes, we must also loue him with all our heart, soule, and mined, and our neighbour as our selfe.
Why then Faith instifieth not.
Yes verily, Faith as Saint Paul saith, onely iustifyeth.
Why Saint Paul saith, if I haue all Faith, without loue it is nothing.
True it is, for how can I loue him whom I trust not: or how can I trust him whom I loue not: Faith and Loue goeth both together: yet loue is compre∣hended in Faith.
How shall we loue our neighbour?
To feede the hungry, cloth the naked, and giue drinke to the thirsty, and to doe to him as we would doe to our selues.
Why then it is necessary to saluation to doe good workes, and not suffici∣ent onely to beleeue.
I deny that: and affirme Faith onely saueth, but it is meet for a Christi∣an to follow Christ in good workes: yet we may not say that they profit to saluati∣on: for when we haue done all that we can, we are vnprofitable seruants: and faith onely in Christ•• bloud saueth vs.
How many Sacraments are there?
Two: the one of Baptisme, the other of the Lords Supper.
No, there are seauen, but what are signified by your two Sacraments?
By Baptisme I am washed with Water, and regenerated by the Spi∣••t, and the washing is a token I am Gods Childe. The Lords Supper offered vnto me, is a sure seale, that by the blood of Christ I am made partaker of the euer∣lasting Kingdome.
Do you not receiue the very body and blood of Christ?
I neither receiued flesh nor blood, but Bread and wine; which putteth me in remembrance, that for my sins his body was broken, and his blood shed, and with it I receiue the benefit of his Passion.
Doth not Christ say plainly, This is my body.
So he saith, I am the Vine and the doore; and Saint Paul saith, Hee cal∣leth things that are not, as though they were: God forbid I should say I eate the body and blood of Christ, for then I should pluck away my Redemption, else there were two Christs: for if his Disciples eate his body, it was not broken vpon the Crosse, and if it were broken vpon the Cr••sse, his Disciples did not eate it, except he had two bodies.
Could not Christ as possibley make his body to be eaten and broken, as to bee borne of a Woman without Man, and as to walke on the Sea and doe o∣ther miracles.
If God would haue done a miracle at Supper he could, but he then min∣ded no miracle, but to suffer for sinne. Was not Christ at the Table and aliue when he said so, and suffered not vntill the next day & he took bread, brake bread, gaue bread, and they eate bread, and all this while he was aliue with them, or else they were deceiued.
You ground your Faith on them that say and vnsay, and not vpon the Church.
I ground my Faith on Gods word and not on the Church, for the Faith
of the Church must be tryed by Gods word, and not Gods word by the Church: shall I beléeue the Church that taketh from me the halfe of the Lords supper, and s••e deny the Lay-men part of their saluation, and I say that is not the spouse of Christ, but the spouse of Diuell, hee will adde plagues to that Church, and will take from it their part out of the booke of life: doe they learne that of Paule when bee ministred to the Corinthians in both kinds.
That was done to avoyde an heresie.
Shall the Church alter Gods will for a good intent, how did King Saule.
Then Feckham tooke his leaue, and sayd he was sorry for her, and sayd hee was sure they two should neuer méete.
Iane, that is true, if God turne not your heart you are in an ill case, I pray God send you his spirit, hee bath giuen you a great gift of vtterance if it please him to open your eyes.
She wrote a letter to her father to comfort him, and to shew how ioyfull shee was to die, and she wrote another letter to one Master Harding, who was late Chaplaine to her Father, and fell from the truth of Gods word, and rebuked him, that hee put his hand to the plow•• and looked backe, and lost the comfortable pro∣mises that Christ maketh to them that forsake themsel••es to follow him, thou did••st séeme to bee a liuely member of Christ, but now an impe of the Diuell, once tho beautifull Temple of God, now the filthy kennell of Sathan, once the vnspotten spouse of Christ, now the vnshamefast Param••••••re of Antichrist, once my faithfull brother, now an Apostata, once a floute Christian souldier, now a cowardly run∣away: thou séede of Sathan and not of Iuda, the Diuell, the world, and desire of life, hath made thée of a Christian an Infidell, thou hast taught others to be stro••g, and thy selfe dost shamefully shrinke, thou hast taught others not to t••cale, and thy selfe hast committed most haynous sacriledge, and robbest Christ of his right mem∣bers and of thine own body and soule, thou chosest rather to liue miserably with shame in the world, then to die gloriously to ••aygne with Christ, in wh••m in death is life, how darest thou refuse the true God, and worship the inuention of man, the goulden Calfe, the Whore of Babilon, the Romish Religion, the ab••ominable Idoll, the most wicked Masse, wilt thou teare againe the pretio••s body of our Sa∣uiour with thy fleshly teeth, and she exhorted him that the ••ft falling of th••se Hea∣uenly showers might pearce his stony heart, and the two edged word of Gods word seare asunder the sinnewes of wordly respects that thou mayst once againe forsake thy selfe and imbrace Christ.
The night before she suffered, the sent a new Testament to her sister Katherin, and wrote a letter to her in the end thereof, that though it were not outwardly trimmed with gould, yet inwardly it was more worth then precious stones. It was the last will that Christ bequeathed to vs wretches, it will b••ing you to eter∣nall life▪ teach you to liue, and learne you to die: you shall gaine more by it, then by the possession of your wofull fathers lands: thinke not that your yong year••s will lengthen your life, for soone, if God call, goeth the yong, as the old, deny the world, despise the Diuel and the flesh, reioice in Christ as I do, I exhort you that you ne∣uer swarue from the Christian faith, neither for hope of life nor feare of death, if you deny Christ, hee will deny you and shorten your dayes, put your whole trust in God: she made a prayer full of faith, which thou mayest sée in the booke at large.
When she cam•• vpon the Scaffold, she protested her innocency in the cause shee was to die for, and prayed them to beare her witnesse that she dyed a true Christi∣an woman, and that she looked to bee saued by no meanes, but by the mercy of God in Christ, and my negligence of the word of God, and louing of the world brought this punishment vpon me, and I thanke God that hee hath giuen me a time of repentance, then she prayed them whilest she was aliue to assist her with their prayers: then she sayd the one and fifti••h Psalme in deuout maner, then she made her selfe ready, and gaue her things to her Maides, and caused a handker∣chife
to be tyed about her face: the hang-man asked her forgiuenesse, and shee for∣gaue him most willingly, and prayed him to dispatch her quickly: then she laid her head vpon the blocke, and said, Into thy hands I commend my spirit, and so finished her life. With her also was beheaded the Lord Gilford her husband.
Iudge Morgan, who gaue the sentence of condemnation against her, shortly af∣ter fell madde, and continually cried to haue the Lady Iane taken from him, and so ended his life.
Not long after her death was the Duke of Suffolke, her father, beheaded at the Tower-hill: about which time also were condemned many Gentlemen and Yeo∣men, whereof some were executed at London, and some in the countrey, and Tho∣mas Gray brother to the said Duke was executed.
The foure and twentieth of Februarie Bonner sent a Commission to al Pastors and Curats of his Diocesse, to take the names of all such as would not come the* 1.1 Lent following to auricular confession, and to the receiuing at Easter.
The fourth of March following the Queene sent certaine Articles to Bonner to ••e speedily put in execution: that the Canons in King Henries time should be v∣sed in England, that none exact any oath of any Ecelesiasticall person touching the supremacie, that none, defamed with heresie, he admitted to ecclesiastical benefice or office, that Bishops and other officers diligently trauell about for repressing of he∣resies, vnlawfull books and ballads, and that Schoole-masters and Preachers teach no euil doctrine; that they depriue all married Priests, except they renounce their wiues: but if they returne to their wiues to bee diuorced both from wife and benefice: that for want of Priests the parishi••ners goe to the next parish to seruice or one Curate serue diuers places: That processions in Latine bee vsed after the old order: for the obseruing of Holy daies, and Fasting daies, that the ceremonies of the Church be restored, that Ministers which were ordered in King Edwards time should be new ordered: that the parishioners bee compelled to come to their seuerall Churches: that Schoolmaisters be examined and if they be suspected, to place Catholick men in their roome, and that they instruct the children to answer the Priest at Masse.
Shee sent likewise a commandement to the Lord Mayor of London, with the foresaid Articles to bee carefull with all his power for the performance thereof.
Then the Queene sent forth a Proclamation, that the strangers which in King Edwards time were receiued into England for Religion, should 〈◊〉〈◊〉 driuen out of the Realme. Wherevpon Peter Martyr, Ioannes Alasco, vnckle to the King of Poland, and many others, were banished, and many English men also fled into Germany▪ and were scattered in diuers places, where by Gods pro••idence they were sustained, and entertained with great fauour, to the number of eight hundred persons.
The twenty fiue of March, the Lord Courtney and Lady Elizabeth were sus∣spected to consent to Wiats conspiracy: and therevpon apprehended and commit••∣to the Tower. This was a politicke practice of Steuen Gardiner, which alwaies was an enemy to Lady Elizabeth, Wyat at his deat•• protested to the people, that the Lord Courtney and Lady Elizabeth were cleare from all suspition of Commo∣••ion, but Doctor Weston cryed to the people, beleeue him not, ••or hee confessed o∣therwise before vnto the Co••••cell. The same day it was told in the Parliament house, that Wiat desired the Lord Courtney to confesse the truth, as he had done before.
One Cut a Prentice of London, was sent for by Gardiner vnto the Star-cham∣ber, for that he should say that Wiat was constrained by the Councell to a••cuse the Lady Elizabeth and the Lord Courtney, to be consenters to his ris••ng. When the Mayor brought him thither, Gardiner beganne to declare how miraculously God had brought the Queene to the Crowne: the whole Realme in a manner beeing against her, and it was that shee might reduce this Realme, ouerwhelmed with
heresies to the Catholike faith: and where she l••ued the Lady Elizabeth tenderly, and deliuered the Lord Courtney out of prison, yet they conspired trayterously a∣gainst her with Wyat, as he confessed; yet there are some in London which repor∣ted that Wyat was constrayned by the Councell to accuse them, yet you, my Lord Mayor, haue not seene the same punished. The partie is here, said the Mayor▪ Gard∣ner said, punish him according to his deserts, and take heed to your charge: the Ci∣tie of London is a whirle-poole of euill rumors.
The Londoners not fauouring the Queens proceedings to their displeasure, summoned a Parlament at Oxford, because they would be forward in the Queens businesse, but after it was holden at Westminster, where her marriage with king Philip was agreed vpon.
Bonner being Uicegerent of the Conuocation, in his Oration said that Priests were like the Uirgin Mary; as she by fiue words conceaued Christ, so the Priest by fiue words loth make the very body of Christ: and as immediatly vpon the consent of Mary Christ was all whole in her womb, so immediatly after the consecration the bread is transubstantiated into the very body of Christ; and as the Uirgin layed Christ in the ••anger, so the Priest lifteth vp the body of Christ, and carryeth it; and as Mary was sanctified before she conceiued, so the priest is ordained & anoin∣ted before he doe consecrate; for a lay-man though he be neuer so holy, and do speak the same words, yet he cannot consecrate: Therefore the dignitie of Priests pas∣seth the dignity of Angels, for no Angell can make the body of Christ, whereby the least Priest can doe more then the greatest Angell: therefore Priests are to bee ••onoured before Kings and Princes, and Nobles: for a Priest is higher then a King, happier then an Angell, and maker of his Creator.
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