Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 2, part 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.

¶The behauiour of Iohn Bland Parson of Adesham in the County of Kent, the sonday, the 3. day of December last past, conteyning the wordes which he there spake vnto the people.

* 1.1WHereas vpon certaine cōmunication had betwene y^e sayd parson & Rich. Austen, & Tho. Austē in the pre∣sēce of al y^t parish of Adeshā, the sōday before S. Andrewes day last, the said Austē thē declared, that the said parsō had taught there in times past great heresies, which to cōfoūd they would prepare a preacher agaynst the next sōday folo∣wing, if so be the said parsō would abide, & not run away. Upon which rumor, diuers & sundry persons resorted out of the coūtry vnto the sayd parish church, at the sayd same day appoynted, there to heare the preacher: and at the time in which y^e sermō ought to be made, no mā appereth there to preach. But it was reported vnto y^e parson, that y^e prea∣cher appoynted, had vrgent busines, & could not come. So that the multitude being now come together, the same par¦son perceiuing that y^e peoples expectation was defrauded, said: Forasmuch as you are come willingly to heare some good aduertisement of the preacher, which now can not be present, I thinke it not conuenient to permit you to depart w^tout some exhortatiō for your edifiyng. And so further de∣claring that he had no licence to preach,* 1.2 said, that he would not meddle w^t any matter in cōtrouersy. And thē he began the Epistle of the day, desiring his audience to marke three or foure places in y^e same Epistle, which touched quietnes & loue one to an other: & there briefly reading the Epistle, he noted the same places, & so making an end thereof, desi∣red al mē to depart quietly & in peace, as they did, without any maner of disturbance, or token of euill.

Witnesses they vnder named, with diuers others.

• ...Edmond Mores.
• ...Richard Randall.
• ...Iohn Hils.
• ...William Forstall.
• ...Thomas Gooding.

Notes

• * 1.1

  M. Bland Parson of Ade••ham ••ea••eth ••im••e••fe of the slaun∣••er.
• * 1.2

  M. Bland 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••he pe••ple 〈◊〉〈◊〉 loue and 〈◊〉〈◊〉.