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.

*Certayne other Articles producted agaynst maister Thomas Bilney.

* 1.1FIrst he sayd, pray you only to God, and to no saints re∣hearsing the Letany, and when he came to Sancta Maria ora pro nobis, he sayd, stay there.

He sayd that Christen men ought to worship God on∣ly and no Sayntes.

He sayd that Christian people should set vp no lightes before the Images of saynts, for sayntes in heauen need no light, and the Images haue no eyes to see.

He sayd, as Ezechias destroyd the brasen Serpent that Moses made by the cōmaundemēt of God, euen so should kinges and princes now a dayes destroy and burne the I∣mages of Sayntes set vp in Churches.

These fiue hundred yeares there hath bene no good Pope,* 1.2 nor in all the time past, we can finde but fiftye, for they haue neither preached, ne liued well, or conformablye to theyr dignity: Wherefore till now they haue borne the keyes of Symony. Agaynst whom, good people, we must preache and teache vnto you. For we canne not come to them, it is great pitty, they haue sore sclaundered the bloud of Christ.

The people hath vsed foolishly of late, Pilgrimages, which for them had bene better to haue bene at home.

Many haue made certayne vowes, which be not possi∣ble for them to fulfill, and those nothing meritorious.

The preachers before this haue bene Antichristes and now it hath pleased our Sauiour Christ, to shew their false errours, and to teach an other way and maner of the holy Gospell of Christ, to the comfort of your soules.

I trust that there shall and will come others besides me,* 1.3 which shall shew and preach to you the same fayth and maner of liuing, that I do shew and preach to you, whych is the very true Gospell of our Sauiour Christ, and the mind of the holy fathers, wherby you shalbe brought from theyr errours, wherein you haue bene long seduced: for be∣fore this, there haue bene many that haue sclaundered you, and the Gospell of our Sauior Christ, of whom spake our Sauiour. Math. xviij. Qui scandalizauerit vnum de pusillis i∣stis, qui in me credit. &c.

These & many other such like depositions were depo∣sed agaynste him by the deponentes and witnesses before sworne, which wholy to recite, would be too long and tedi∣ous: wherfore these shall suffice at this time, being the prin¦cipall matters, and in maner the effect of all the rest. But now, before we will returne agayne to the order of hys ex∣amination, we thinke it good here to inferre a certaine Di∣alogue conteyning a communication betweene a Fryer named Iohn Brusierd, and Mayster Thomas Bilney,* 1.4 which we haue thought meet for this place, because it was done in Ipswich, and also about the time of these examina∣tions: the Copy whereof we haue, written with the friers owne hand in Latine, the Copy whereof in English here ensueth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ar••icles.
• * 1.2

  〈…〉〈…〉 popes since Christ
• * 1.3

  The prophesie of Bilney.
• * 1.4

  ADialogue.