Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 2, part 2] 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.

¶An other examination of I. Fortune.

ANd when I came to mine examination agayne, the bi∣shoppe asked me if I would stand vnto mine answere that I had made before:* 1.1 and I sayd, yea, for I had spoken nothing but the truth. And after that he made a great cir∣cumstance vpon the Sacrament.

Then I desired him to stand to the text, & he read the Gospell on Corpus Christi day, whiche sayd: I am the breade which came downe from heauen: beleuest thou not this? And I sayd: yea truely.

And he sayd, why doest thou deny the Sacrament?

Because your doctrine is false, sayd I.

Then sayd he: how can that be false which is spoken in the Scripture? And I sayd: Christ sayd: I am the bread, and you say the breade is he. Therefore your doctrine is false, sayd I.

And he sayd: doest thou not beleue that the bread is he? And I sayd no.

Bish.

I will bring thee to it by the Scriptures.

Fort.

Hold that fast my Lord: for that is the best Argumēt that you haue yet.

Bish.

Thou shalt be burned like an hereticke.

Fort.

Who shall geue iudgement vpon me?

Bish.

I will iudge an hundred such as thou art, and neuer be shriuen vpon it.

Fort.

Is there not a lawe for the spiritualty as well as for the temporaltye? and Syr Clement Higham sayde yes, what meanest thou by that?

Fort.

When a man is periured by the law,* 1.2 he is cast ouer y^e barre, and sitteth no more in iudgement. And the Byshop is a periured man and ought to sit in iudgement of no mā.

Bish.

How prouest thou that?

Fort.

Because you tooke an oth by king Henries dayes to resist the Pope. So both spirituall and temporall are per∣iured that here can be no true iudgement.

Bish.

Thinkest thou to escape iudgement, by that? no, for my Chaūcellor shall iudge thee. He took no oth, for he was out then of the Realme.

M. Hygham.

It is time to weede out such felowes as you be, in deed.

Bysh.

Good fellowe, why beleuest not thou in the Sacra∣ment of the aultar?

Fort.

Because I finde it not in Gods booke, nor yet in the Doctors. If it were there, I would beleue it w^t al my hart.

Bysh.

How knowest thou it is not there?

Fort.

Because it is contrary to the second cōmaundement: and seing it is not written in Gods booke, why do you thē robbe me of my life.

Then the Bishop hauing no more to saye, commaun∣ded the Bailiffe to take him away.

And thus much touching y^e examinations of this man. Now whether he died in fire,* 1.3 or otherwise preuented with death: as I sayd before, I am vncertayne.

In the Registers of Norwich this I do finde, that his sentence of condemnation was drawne and Registred, but whether it was pronounced in y^e said Register, it is not ex∣pressed according as the vsuall maner of the Notary is so to declare in the end of the sētēce. Neuertheles this is most certayne, that he neuer abiured nor recanted, howsoeuer it pleased the Lord by death to call him out of this world.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Other talke be∣tweene Iohn Fortune and the B. of Norwich, Iohn. 6.
• * 1.2

  The B. of Norwich charged with peri••∣ry.
• * 1.3

  The death of Iohn Fortune.