The lattre examinacyon of Anne Askewe latelye martyred in Smythfelde, by the wycked Synagoge of Antichrist, with the Elucydacyon of Iohan Bale.

Iohan Bale to the Christen Readers.

IN the prymatyne chur∣che, as the horryble pe••¦secucyōs increased, ma¦nye dylygēt wryters col¦lected the godlye ans∣wers and tryumphan̄t sufferynges of the mattyrs, as necessa∣rye examples of Christen constancye to be folowed of other. Of thys nōbre was Lucas, whych wrote the Apostles actes Sowere after hym Linus, Marcellus, Egesippus, Meliton 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Abdias Babylonius, Iosephus Antiochenus, Clemens Alexandrinus, Antherus, Phi¦leas, Eusebius, ••icephorus, & a great sort more, Fabianus, not a chayre Bys∣hopp, but a pulpet Byshopp of Rome, or∣dayned in hys tyme for that onlye offyce vij. deacōs & so manye notayres, aboute the yeare of our lorde. CC.XXXVI. that they shuld faythfullye regestre ther martyrdomes, to holde thē in contynuall remembraunce, as witnesseth Platina Polydorus, Masseus, & soch other chro∣nyclers.

No lesse necessarye is that offyce now, though fewe mē attempt it, nor no lesse profytable to the christē cōmōwelth than it was in those terryble dayes. For now are persecucyōs all Christendome ouer, so wele as were than. Now are the true Christyanes vexed of the syttynge Byshoppes for their Christen beleue, so wele as than. Now are they reuyled, pon¦nyshed, imprysoned, & haue all euyll spo¦ken agaynst them for Christes verytees sa¦ke. Math. 5. so wele as than.

And what can be more confortable to the sufferers, than to knowe the ernest constancye of their troubled company∣ons in that kyngedome of pacyēce? Apo. 1. or to marke in them the stronge wor∣kynge of faythe, & beholde the myghtye mageste of God in their agonyes? what though they were afore, synners of the worlde. Saynt Bernarde sayth in hys ho¦melyes vpon Salomons cantycles, that the godlye sufferaunce of martyrs hath geuen as good erudycyon to the christen churche, as euer ded the doctryne of the sayntes. Than is it mete that some be sterynge, and not that all men in these dayes be ydell / concernynge that godlye

offyce. Manye haue suffered in thys re∣alme of late years, by the bolde callynge on of Antichristes furyouse aduocates, whose lattre confessyons, causes, and ans¦wers, are a great deale more notable & godlye, if they be ryghtlye wayed, than euer were the confessyons, causes and answers of the olde canonysed martyrs, whych in the popes Englysh churche ha¦ue had so manye solempnytees, seruyces, and sensynges. Manye haue also most desperatlye recanted through their most wycked persuasyons and threttenynges, in whose vayne recantacyons are both to be seane, their blasphemyes agaynst God, and manyfest treasons agaynst their kynge.

Now in conferrynge these martyrs, the olde with the newe / and the popes with Christes. I seclude first of all the Brytayne churche, or the prymatyue chur¦che of thys realme, whych neuer had au¦toryte of the Romysh pope. Her martyrs in dede were agreable to that Christ spake afore in the Gospell concernynge hys martyrs, wherby we shuld knowe thē, as we euydentlye fynde in the lyues of Emerita kynge Lucyes syster, Amphi¦balus,

Albanus, Aaron, Iulius, ••i••no∣thus, & soch other. I ••ende yow forth (sayth he) as shepe amonge wol••es. Mē shall delyuer ye vp in their counsels and synagoges. Ye shall be brought before ru¦lers, and kynges, and be hated of all men in a maner for my names sake, Mathei 10. Cast not afore in your myndes what answere to make. For I in that houre shall geue ye both vtteraunce and wysdo¦me, whych all your aduersaryes shall not be hable to withstande, Luce 21. They shall excommunycate yow or condēpne yow for heretykes. Yea, they shall brynge yow in soche hate of the world, that who so euer kylleth yow, wyll thynke he doth God great good seruyce. And thys shall they do bycause they knowe ryghtlye ney¦ther the father nor yet me, Ioan. 16.

Manye other lyke sentēces left the for¦de Ies{us} Christ in hys holye Gospell, that we shuld alwayes by thē dyscerne hys true martyrs, frō the popes & Mahome¦••es con̄terfe••t martyrs. In Englād here sens the first plātacyon of the popes Eng¦lysh churche, by Augustyne & other Ro∣mysh monkes of Benettes superstycyō, ij. kyndes of martyrs hath bene, ••ne of mo¦nasterye

buylders and chaunterye foun∣ders, whom the temporall prynces & se∣cular magistrates haue dyuersiye done to deathe, sumtyme for dysobedyence, & sumtyme for manyfest treason, as we ha¦ue of Wallenus of Crowlande, Thomas of Lācastre, Rycharde Scrope, Becket & soch other. The ymages of these haue bene set•• vp in their tēples, lyke the olde goddes of the paganes, & haue had ther vygyls, holye dayes, ryngynges, sacryfy¦synges, cādels, offerynges, feastynges, & moch a do besydes, as they had. The other sort were preachers of the Gospell, or poore teachers therof ī corners, whā the persecucyō was soche, that it myght not be taught abroade. And these poore sow∣les, or true seruauntes of God, were put to deathe by the holye spirytuall fathers Byshoppes, prestes, monkes, chanons, & fryers, for heresye & Iollerye, they saye. These Christen martyrs were neuer so∣lēpnysed of thē. No, they had not so moch ••s a penye dyrge or a grote masse of Re∣qu••em, nomore than had Iohan Bap∣tyst and Steuen amonge the Iewes. But they haue bene holden for condemp¦ned heretykes euer sens.

Who euer hearde anye goodnesse yet reported of Dionothus with hys M. & CC. companyons, whom Augustyne cau¦sed to be slayne at Westchestre in hys churches begynnynge, bycause they wol∣de not preache as he ded apoynt them. nor baptyse after the Romysh maner, ney∣ther yet hallowe the eastre feast as they ded. Manye a blessed creature, both men & womē, haue bene brēt sens Iohā Wy¦clenes tyme & afore, for onlye dysclosyn∣ge the pharysees yokes & teachynge the Gospels lyberte. And thē haue that baw¦dye bloudye Synagoge of Sathā dyffa∣med, blasphemed, condēpned. execrated & cursed to hell as most detestable here∣tykes and dogges. Where as if they we∣re of Christ, they ought (in case they we¦re their haters or enemyes) to suffre thē, to saye wele of them, to do them good, & to praye for them. Math. 5. Luce 6. and not thus to vse more tyrannye ouer them, than euer ded Saracene, Turke, Tyra••̄t or deuyll. A great dyfference is there of the martyrs whom they make, from the martyrs whom they canonyse. Of them whom they dampne, from them whom they worshypp. Yea, so great a dyfferen∣ce

or dyuersyte betwyn them (if ye marke them wele) as is betwixt golde and dyrt, or lyght and darkenesse.

The martyrs, whose deathes they ha∣ue procured by all ages of their bloud∣thurstye church, harkened vnto Christ, he alde of ryghtousnesse, & sought their lorde God in sprete, Esa. 51. but the mar¦tyrs for the most part, whom they haue with so manye latyne wawlynges, tor∣ches & candell burnynges, magnyfyed in their temples, harkened to the pope, healde of hys vnryghtousnesse, & sought out hys superstycyouse ydolatryes. In the conferrynge of their olde canonysed martyrs, with our newlye condempned martyrs here. Anne Askewe and her other iij. companyons, with soch lyke, their dyfference wyll be moch more ease¦lye perceyued. First lete vs begynne with Thomas Becket, whych was so gloryou¦se a martyr and precyouse aduocate of theirs, that they made hys bloude equall with Christes bloude and desyred to cly¦me to heauen therby. Manye wonderfull myracles coulde that mytred patrone of theirs do in those dayes, whan the mon¦kes had fryre Bakons bokes and knewe

the bestowynge of fryre ••ō••ayes mystes but now he can do non at all. Thys Bec∣ket in all hys floryshynge doynges, har∣kened to the pope, defended hys pompon¦se kyngedome, supported hys churches ex¦cesse, & wretchedlye dyed for the synne∣fullly bertees of the same. Anne Askewe & her sort, gaue dylygēt hede to their lor¦de Iesus Christ, sought the kyngedome of heauen in daylye repentaunce, mygh∣telye detested all ydolatrouse worshyp∣pynges, & in conclusyon suffered most tryumphaunt deathe for the same.

Cōcernynge other martyrs. As Wene fryd, otherwyse called Bonyface an Eng¦lysh mōke & archebyshopp of Magunce was flayne cōfirmynge neophytes, orpro¦fessyng hys newlye baptysed brode to the Romysh popes obedyēce. There was foū¦de aboute hym a casket full of rellyckes or dead mēnys bones, whā he was put to deathe in the yeare of our lorde. 755. Anne Askewe & her felyshypp, had non other rellyckes aboute thē, whā they sto¦de at the stake to be brent in Smyth fel∣de. but a bundell of the sacred scriptures enclosed in ther hartes, and redye to be vttered agaynst Antichristes ydolatryes,

Sayn•• Clar•• of Orchestre contemnynge lawfull marryage, made hym selfe an ydell prest, & was byheaded in hys owne gardene by procuremēt of a woman. S. Elytanke of Southwales, was in lyke ca¦se stabbed in with a dagger, bycause a yonge mayden loued hym. The onlye true honoure of God was it, & no wordlye cause, that Anne Askewe & her compa∣nye dyed for. Saynt Edwyne beynge we∣leanned, was slayne in battayle at ••at felde in the North, and S. Edwardery dynge a Huntynge in the forest of War∣ham in the weast, was kylled vpon hys horse in drynkynge a cuppe of wyne. And all thys was done for the kyngedomes of thys worlde. The martyrdome of An∣ne Askewe and her Bretherne, was neyther in battelynge nor huntynge, ry∣dynge nor drykynge, but in that ryght course whych Christ prescrybed vnto hys dyscyples vndre the cruell Byshoppes, for hys onlye glorye.

Saynce Cadock of Cowbridge a Bys¦hopp, was pearced through with a spea∣re, as he stode at hys Masse at one of the clocke at after none, bycause he wolde be of the order of martyrs. Saynt

Elphege archebyshopp of Caunterburye was stoned to deathe of the Danes, by∣cause he wolde not paye them thre .M. Marke, in the yeare of our lorde .M. and xij. Of soch martyrs, moch doubted Lan¦francus, whych succeded hym in that of¦fyce about a iiij. score years after, and dysputed therof with Anselmus. The cause of Anne Askewe and her compa∣nyons, was neyther madnesse no•• mo∣neye, but the onlye sekynge of their lorde God a ryght. As Saynt Indract with other deuoute pylgrymes of Rome laye in bed in their inne at Shapwyck by Glastenbury, their throtes were cut in the nyght for moneye, whych was recke∣ned to be in their pylgrymes scryppes. Saynt Iuthware a vyrgyne was by hea¦ded also, for layenge fresh chese or crud∣des whether ye wyll, to her brestes. The cause of Anne Askewe and her other fel∣lawes, conferred with Christes sriptu∣res, semeth a farre other matter, Hewal¦de the blacke and Hewalde the whyght ij. Englysh mōkes, goynge frō place to place with cruettes, chalyce, and super∣altare, to do their daylye sacryfyces, we∣re done to deathe in Frislande by the

bowers of the cuntraye for teachynge a stra••nge relygyon, and are worshypped at Coleyne for martyrs. For bearynge about Christes testament, whych is most heauenlye treasure, and for spredynge the wholsom doctryne therof, was An∣ne Askewe and her sort brent by the pre∣stes procurement, yet axe they no honour for it.

Osytha runnynge awaye from her husbande, by the intysement of ij. mon∣kes bycame a professed nonne, and was murthered of the Danes. Wenefryda by counsell of a prest, dysdaynouslye re∣fusynge the marryage of a prynce chri∣stened, lost her head for it. Maxentia al∣so played a part not all vnlyke to thys. Soch pylde popysh martyrdomes, com∣pared to the martyrdome of Anne Aske∣we and her faythfull cumpanye, is as is rustye yron compared to pure syluer. S. Wyllyam of Rochestre a Scotte. leauyn∣ge both wyfe and howsholde, ydellye to trudge on pylgrymage, was strycken in the head with an ax••/of hys owne com∣panyon by the waye. Saynt Thomas of Douer a monke was soch a wone, as was slayne of the frenche men for hy∣dynge

the churc••e 〈◊〉〈◊〉, crosses, ••••••∣lyces & cepes. No soch lyght corruptyble vanyrees were they, that Anne Askewe & her constaunt bretherne dyed for, but for the precyouse veryte of God. Yonge S. Wyllyam of Norwych. yonge S. Ro∣bert of Burye, yonge S. Hugh of Lyncol¦ne, yōge S. Melor of Cornewayle, yōg S. Renelme of Glocestre, yōge S. Eldrede of Rāsaye & hys brother, with soch other lyke, were but verye babes (they saye) & were martyred of the Iewes & of other enemyes. Wherfor their martyrdomes shall be but babysh in comparyson of the¦se. the veryte hauynge by them so small furtheraunce.

Foillanus & hys iij. bretherne, goynge homeward in the nyght, after they had wele bankered with S. Gertrude & her nonnes, were kylled in a wood of one mur¦therer, and their horses solde in the next market rowne. Iustinanus, S. Dauyes ghostlye father in Wales, was slayne in a gardene of hys iij. monkes, bycause he compelled them to do more laboure than he wolde do hys selfe. After Rilia∣nus was come home from Rome, he was murthered in hys selle with other

holye pylgrymes by a woman, as they laye there a sl••p•• in the nyght. Saynt Vrsula also and her she pylgrymes, with their chaplaynes, nurses, and suckynge babes, were but homelye han∣deled at Coleyn•• of the hunnes and pyc∣••••s (if that legende be true) as they were commynge homewardes from Ro¦me. Compare me Anne Askewe and her condempned cumpanye, with the∣se clow••ed, canonysed, solempnysed, sen∣sed, mattensed, and massed martyrs, and tell me by the Gospels tryall, whych of them seme most Christenlyke mar∣tyrs, Yea, brynge saynt Edmonde of Bu¦rye. S. Fremūde of Dunstable, S. Ethel¦bert of Herforde, S. Oswalde of Gloce∣stre, S. Oswyne of Tynmoth, and Saynt Wynstane of Euesham (whych are the best of the Englysh martyrs) to the tou∣che stone of Gods worde, & ye shall fyn∣he their martyrdomes and causes full vnlyke to theirs whom the Byshoppes murther now apace in Englande.

In all these Englysh martyrs reherced here afore, ye shall fynde verye fewe co∣loures or yet tokens, that Christ sayd hys martyrs shuld be knowne by, vnlesse ye

take pylgrymages, pōpes rellyckes, wo∣men, battels, hūtynges, ydelnesse, mōke∣ryes, moneye, treasure, worldlye kyngedo¦mes, contēpt of marryage, superstycyōs & soch other vanytees for thē. And than wyll I saye, & not lye in it / that ye are moch better ouerseane thā lerned in the scriptures of God / as your olde blynde bl••dderynge predecessours hath bene. Ye wyll axe me here, if I reckē Englāde thā all barrē of Christē martyrs? Naye mar¦ry do I not. For I knowe it hath had good store sēs the popes faythe came first into Englande to the Gospels obscura∣cyō / though their names be not knowne to all mē. Great tyrānye was shewed by the heythnysh emprours & kynges / at the first preachynge of thē Gospell in the prymatyue churche of the Brytaynes / by the cruell callynge on of the pagane pre∣stes But nothynge lyke to that hath be∣ne shewed sēs in the Englysh churche by the spirytuall tyran̄t of Rome & hys my¦tred termagaūtes / at the prouocacyō of ther oyled swylbolles & blynd Balaamy¦tes. For they most cruellye brēt those inno¦cētes / whych ded but only reade the testa¦mēt of God in their mother tunge / & do

not yet repent them of that myschefe but contynewe therin.

If ye marke wele these ij. examyna∣cyons of Anne Askewe, ye shall fynde in her and in her other ••ij. companyons, be¦sydes other whō the Byshoppes in our tyme and afore hath brent, the expresse tokens that Christ sealeth hys martyrs with. They apered as shepe amonge wol¦ues They were throwne in stronge pre∣son. They were brought forth into coun∣sels and synagoges. Their answers we∣re out of Gods sprete (as her in apereth) and not out of their owne. They were reuyled, mocked, stocked, racked, execra∣ted, condempned, and murthered, as is sayd afore, By a spirytualte also, as he promysed they shuld be, Math. 23. and 24 Yea, those spirytuall tyrauntes besy∣des their mortall malyce vpon the inno¦cent bodyes, haue most blasphemouslye vttered in their spyghtfull sermons and writynges, that their sowles are damp∣ned, as is to be sea••e in the bokes of wyn¦chestre and Peryn. But lete them be wa∣re least they dampne not their owne wretched sowles. For full sure we are by Christes stronge promes, Luce 12. That

their sowles they can not harme with all their popes blacke c••rses, Full swe∣telye rese they now in the peace of God, where their slaunderouse and malycyon se iudgementes can not ••urte them at all. ••api. 3. Lete those Epycures pyg∣ges dampne them with as manye blas∣phemouse lyes as they can ymagyne, for other armour they haue no••. ••nd we shall on the other syde can••nyse them agayne with the myghtye wordes and promyses of Christ, whych they shall ne∣uer be ••able to resist. The father of our lorde Iesus Christ, graunt the lyght of hys worde so to sprede the worlde ouer that the darke mystes of Sathan maye clerelye be expelled, to the specyall con∣fort of hys redemed churche, and glorye of hys eternall name.

Amen.

Notes

• Writers.
• notairey••
• martyrs
• sufferers.
• Bernar∣dus.
• Barnes. and other
• Recāter••
• Brytayne churche.
• Christ.
• Byshop∣pes▪
• Englysh churche.
• Martyrs
• Other martyrs.
• No dyrge
• Augusty∣ne.
• Wycleue
• Suffre.
• Dyfferen¦ce of mar¦tyrs.
• Martyrs
• Compare
• Becket.
• myracles
• ••yght martyrs.
• Bonifaci¦us Angl{us}
• Clarus,
• Clitācus
• Edwin{us}
• Edwar∣dus.
• Cadocus.
• Lanfran¦cus.
• Indract{us}
• Iuthwa∣ra.
• Hewaldi¦du••.
• Anne As¦kewe.
• Ositha
• Wenefri¦da.
• Maxēti••
• Guilhel∣mus.
• Thomas.
• Yonge Sayntes.
• Foillan{us}
• Iustina∣nus.
• Rilianus
• Vrsula••
• Prouethe spretes.
• Edmūd•• Fremn̄d{us} & other.
• Token••
• the autor
• Good sto∣re.
• Brytan∣nysh.
• Englysh.
• Tokens.
• Answer••
• Tyraūtes
• Wynchest¦re Peryn.
• epycures pygges.
• Lyght.