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 5. examination of Marbecke, before D. Oking and M. Knight Secretary to the Bishop of Winchester, in S. Ma∣ry Ouers Church.

VPon Whitsonday following, at after noone,* 1.1 was Mar∣becke sent for once againe to S. Mary Ouers, where he found D. Oking with an other gentleman in a gowne of Damaske, with a cheyne of gold about his neck (no mo in all the churche but they two) sitting together in one of the stalles, their backes toward the church dore, lookyng vpon an Epistle of M. Iohn Caluins, whiche Marbecke had written out. And when they sawe the prisoner come, they rose and had him vp to a side alter, leauing his keeper in the body of the church alone. Nowe as soone as Mar∣becke saw the face of a gentleman (which before he knewe not by reason of his apparell) he saw it was the same per∣son that first examined him in the Marshalsey, and did al∣so cause him to write in the Bishoppes gallery, but neuer knew his name, till now he heard Doct. Oking call hym M. Knight. This M. Knight helde foorth the paper to Marbecke and sayd, looke vppon this, and tell me whose hand it is. When Marbecke had taken the paper,* 1.2 & seene what it was, he confessed it to be all his hand sauing y^e first leafe, and the notes in the margent Thē I perceiue, quoth Knight, thou wilt not go from thine owne hand. No Sir quoth he, I will deny nothing that I haue done. Thou doest well in that, quoth Knight, for if thou shouldest, we haue testimonies enough besides, to trye out thy hand by: but I pray thee tell me, whose hand is the last leafe? That I cannot tell you, quoth Marbecke. Thē how camest thou by it, quoth Knight? Forsooth I will tell you quoth he. There was a prieste dwelling with vs vppon a v. or .vi. yeares ago, called Marshall: who sent it vnto me with the first leafe written, desiring mee to write it out with speede, because the copy could not be spared past an houre or twain and so I wrote it out, and sent him both the copye and it agayne.

And howe came this hand in the margent, quoth hee, which is a contrary hand to both the other? That I wyll tell you, quoth Marbecke▪ When I wrote it out at the first, I made so much hast of it, that I vnderstoode not the matter: wherefore I was desirous to see it agayne, and to read it with more deliberation, and being sent to me the se∣cond tyme, it was thus coted in the margent as ye see. And shortly after this, it was his chaunce to go beyond the seas (where he liued not long) by reason whereof the Epistle remayneth with me: but whether the first leafe, or y^e notes in the margent were▪ his hand, or whose hand els,* 1.3 that I cannot tell. Tush, quoth D. Oking to M. Knight, he kno∣weth well enough, that the notes be Heynes owne hande, If you know so much, quoth Marb. ye knowe more then I doe, for I tell you truely I knowe it not. By my faithe Marbecke, quoth Knyghte, if thou wylt not tell by fayre meanes: those fingers of thine shall be made to tell.* 1.4 By my trouth Syr, quoth Marbecke, if ye do teare the whole bo∣dy in peeces (I trust in God) yee shall neuer make me ac∣cuse

man wrongfully. If thou be so stubburne, quoth D. O king, thou wilt die for it. Dye M. Okyng, quoth hee? Wherfore should I die. You told me the last day before the Byshops, that assoone as I had made an ende of the peece of Concordance they tooke me, I shoulde be deliuered, and shall I nowe die? This is a sodaine mutation. You seemed then to be my frend: but I know the cause, ye haue red the ballet I made of Moses chayre, and that hath sette you a∣gaynst mee, but when soeuer yee shall putte me to death, I doubt not to dye Gods true man and the kyngs. How so, quoth Knight? howe canst thou die a true manne vnto the kyng, when thou hast offended his lawes? Is not this E∣pistle, and moste of thy notes thou hast wrytten, directly a∣gainst the 6. articles? No syr quoth Marbecke: I haue not offended the kyngs lawes therein: for since the first time I began wyth the Concordance (whych is almoste 6. yeares agoe) I haue bene occupied in nothing els:* 1.5 So that bothe this Epistle, and al the notes I haue gathered, were writ∣ten a great while before the 6. Articles came foorth, and are clearely remitted by the kings generall pardon. Trust not to that, quoth Knight, for it wil not help thee. No I war∣rant hym, quoth Doct. Okyng, and so going downe to the body of the church, they committed him to his keeper, who had him away to prison againe.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The 5. examina∣tion of Mar∣becke.
• * 1.2

  This gentleman of Winchesters was M. Knight▪
• * 1.3

  Surmise agaynst D. Haynes.
• * 1.4

  Inconstancy and little truth in Papistes.
• * 1.5

  The kinges generall pardon claymed.