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.

¶Iohn Stilman. Martyr.

IT would aske a long tractation & tedious, to recite in or¦der the greate multitude and number of good men & wo∣men,

beside these aboue rehearsed, which in those dayes re∣canted and abiured about the beginning of king Henryes raigne and before: among whō yet notwithstanding, some there were whom the Lord reduced againe, & made strong in the profession of his truth, and constant vnto death: of which number, one was Iohn Stilman by name, who a∣bout the xxiiij. day of Sept, in the yeare of our Lord. 1518. was apprehended and brought before Richard Fitziames then B. of Lond. at his manor of Fulham, and by him was there examined and charged, that notwithstanding his for¦mer recantation, oth, and abiuration made about xi. yeres then past, before Edmund Byshop of Salisbury, as well for speaking against y^e worshipping, praying, and offering vnto Images, as also for denying the carnal and corporal presence in y^e sacrament of Christes memoriall: yet sithens that time he had fallen into the same opinions againe, and so into the daunger of relapse, and further he had highly commended and praysed Iohn Wickliffe, affirming that he was a saint in heauen, and that hys booke called y^e Wic∣ket, was good and holy. Soone after hys examination he was sent from thence vnto the Lollardes tower at Lon∣don, and the xxij. day of October then next ensuing, was brought openly into the consistory at Paules, and was there iudicially examined by Thom. Hed the byshops vi∣care generall, vpon the contentes of these articles follow∣yng.

1. First I obiect vnto you, that you haue confessed before my Lord of London, and me D. Hed his vicar generall, that about xx. yeares past one Steuen Moone of the Dio∣ces of Winchest. (With whom you abode 6. or 7. yeares af∣ter) did teach you to beleeue that the going on pilgrimage and worshipping of images (as the Lady of Walsingham and others) were not to be vsed. And also that afterwards one Richard Smart who was burned at Salisbury about 14. or 15. yeares past, did read vnto you Wickliffes Wicket, and likewise instructed you to beleeue that the sacrament of the altar was not the body of Christ: all whiche thinges you haue erroneously beleued.

2. Item, you haue diuers times read the said book cal∣led Wickleffes Wicket, and one other booke of the x. Com∣maundementes, which the sayd Richard Smart did geue you, and at the tyme of your first apprehensiō, you did hide thē in an old oke, and did not reuele them vnto the bishop of Salisbury, before whom you were abiured of heresie a∣bout xi. yeares since: where you promised by oth vpon the Euangelistes, euer after to beleue and hold as the Christē fayth taught and preached, and neuer to offend agayne in the sayd heresies, or any other, vpon payne of relapse. And further you there promised to performe all such penaunce as the sayd Bishop of Salisbury did enioyne you: who thē enioyned you, vpon the like payne, not to depart his Dio∣ces, without hys speciall licence.

3. Item, it is euident that you be relapsed aswel by your own confession, as also by your deedes in that about two yeares after your abiuration you went into the sayd place where you had hidden your books, and then taking them away with you: you departed the foresayd dioces, without the licence of the Bishop and brought them with you to London, where nowe being tached and taken with them vpon great suspicion of heresie, you are brought vnto the Bishop of London. By reason of whiche your demeanor, you haue shewed by your impenitent and dissembled con∣uersation from your errours, and also your vnfaithful ab∣iuration and disobedience vnto the authoritie of our mo∣ther holy Church, in that you performed not the penance, in whiche behalfe you be voluntarily periured and also relapsed, in that you departed the sayd dioces wythout li∣cence.

4. Item you be not onely (as afore is sayd) impenitent, disobedient, voluntarily periured, & relapsed by this your foresayd hereticall demeanor, but also sithens your last at∣tachment vpon suspicion of heresie, you haue maliciously spoken erroneous and damnable wordes, affirming before my Lord of London your Ordinary and me, iudicially sit∣ting at Fulham, that you were sorye y^t euer you did abiure your said opinions, and had not suffered then manfully for them: for they were and be good and true, and therfore you will now abide by them, to die for it. And furthermore you haue spoken against our holy father the pope and hys au∣thoritie, damnably saying that he is Antichrist, and not the true successor of Peter, or Christes vicar on earth: and that his pardons and indulgences which he graunteth in y^e sa∣crament of penaunce, are nought, and that you will none of thē: And likewise y^t the colledge of Cardinals be limmes of the sayd Antichrist: and that all other inferiour prelates and Priestes are the sinagogue of Sathan. And moreouer you sayd, that the doctors of the Churche haue subuerted the truth of holy Scripture, expounding it after their own mindes, and therfore theyr workes be nought, and they in hell: but that wickleffe is a Sainct in heauen, and that the booke called his Wicket, is good, for therein he sheweth the truth. Also you did wish that there were xx. thousand of your opinion against vs Scribes and Pharisies, to see what you would doe for the defēce of your fayth. Al which heresies you did afterwardes erroneously affirme before y^e Archbishop of Caunterbury, and then said that you would abide by thē to dye for it: notwithstanding his earnest per∣swasions to the contrary: and therefore for these premisses you be euidently relapsed, and ought to be committed vnto the secular power.

All these articles thus propounded, and his constant perseuering in the truth perceiued, Doctour Hed vicar ge∣nerall

[illustration]

¶The burning of Iohn Stilman.

the xxv. day of October by his sentence definitiue, did condemne him as a relapsed hereticke, and so deliuered him the same present day, vnto the Sheriffes of London, to be openly burned in Smithfield.

Notes

• Anno. 1518.
• Iohn Stil∣man▪ Martyr Wickliffes Wicket.
• Ex Regist. Fitziames. Lond.
• Articles laid agaynst Ioh. Stilman.
• Yeares of Antiquitie to be noted. A godly Martyr, Richarde Smart bur∣ned at Salis∣bury ann. 1503. Wickliffes Wicket.
• Wickliffes Wicket.