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*A Letter sent to Boner Byshop of London, from Syr Thomas Tye Priest.
* 1.1RIght honourable Lord, after my bounden duety done in most humble wise, these shall be to signify vnto your Lordship the state of our parties concerning religion. And first since the com∣ming downe, of the 24. rancke hereticks dismissed from you, the detestable sort of Schismaticks were neuer so bold since the king and Queenes Maiesties reignes as they are nowe at this present. In Muc••bently where your Lordship is Patrone of the Churche, since Williā Mount, & Alice his wife, with Rose Allin her daugh∣ter came home, they doe not onely absent themselues from the church, and seruice of God but do dayly allure many other away from the same, which before did outwardly shew signes & tokens of obedience.
They assemble together vpon the Sabbaoth day in the time of diuine seruice, sometimes in one house, sometime in an other, and there ke••pe theyr priuy conuenticles and scholes of heresy. The Iurates sayth, the Lordes Commission is out, & they are dis∣charged of theyr othe. The Quest men in your Archdeacons visi∣tation alleadged that forasmuch as they were once presented & now sent home they haue no more to do with them nor none o∣ther Your Officers sayth, namely Mayster Boswell, that the Coū∣sell sent them not home without a great consideration. I praye God some of your Officers proue not fauorers of hereticks. The rebels are stout in the Towne of Colchester.
The ministers of the Church are hemd at in the open streets, and called knaues. The blessed Sacrament of the aultar is blas∣phemed and rayled vpon in euery Alehouse and Tauerne. Prayer and fasting is not regarded. Seditious talkes and newes are rife, both in towne and countrey, in as ample and large manner, as though there had no honorable Lords and Commissioners bene sent for reformation thereof. The occasion riseth partly by reason of Iohn Lone of Colchester H••e••h (a peruerse place) which Iohn Lone was twise indicted of heresye, and thereupon fled with his wife and householde, and h••s goodes seased within the Towne of Colchester, to the King and Queenes Maiesties vse. Neuerthe∣lesse the sayd Iohn is come home agayne, and nothing sayde or done to him. Whereupon the heretickes are wonderfully encou∣raged, to the no litle discomfort of good and Catholicke people, which dayly prayeth to God for the profite, vnity, and restaurati∣on of his Church agayne, whiche thing shall come the sooner to passe, through the trauell and paynes of su••h honourable Lordes and reuerend fathers, as your good Lordshippe is, vnto whome I wish long life and continuaunce, with encrease of much honour.
From Colchester the xviij. of December.
Your humble Bedes man Thomas Tye Priest.
When Iudasly this wicked Prieste had thus wrought his malice agaynst the people of god, within a while after, the stormes began to arise agaynste those poore persecuted William Mount and his company, wherby they were en∣forced to hide themselues from the heat thereof. And conti∣nuing so a litle space at last, the vij. day of March. an. 1557. being the first Sonday in Lent, and by 2. of the clock in the morning, one Maister Edmund Tyrrell (who came of the house of that Tyrrels which murdered king Edward the v. and his brother) tooke with him the Bailiffe of the hun∣dred called William Simuell, dwelling in Colchester, and the two Cōstables of Muchbently aforesayd named Iohn Baker & William Harries with diuers other,* 1.2 a great nū∣ber: & besetting the house of the said William Mount roūd about, called to them at length to open the doore, which be∣ing done M. Tyrrell with certein of his cōpany, went in∣to the chamber where the sayd father Mount and his wife lay, willing them to rise:* 1.3 for (sayd he) ye must goe wyth vs to Colchester Castle. Mother Mount hearing that, beyng very sicke, desired that her daughter might first fetche her some drinke: for she was (she sayd) very ill at ease.
Then he gaue her leaue & bad her go. So her daughter the forenamed Rose Allin, mayde, tooke a stone pot in one hand, & a candle in the other, & went to draw drink for her mother: & as she came back again through the house, Tyr∣rel met her, & willed to geue her father & mother good coū∣sell, and to aduertise them to be better Catholicke people.
Syr, they haue a better instructour then I. For the holy Ghost doth teach them I hope, which I trust wil not suffer them to erre.
Why, sayd Mayster Tyrrell, art thou still in that minde, thou noughty houswife? Mary it is time to look v∣pon such heretickes in deed.
Syr, with that which you call heresy,* 1.4 do I worshyp my Lord God. I tell you troth.
Then I perceiue you will burne, gossip, with the rest, for companies sake.
No syr, not for companies sake, but for my Christes sake, if so I be compelled, and I hope in his mercies, if he call me to it, he will enable me to beare it.
So he turning to his companye, sayde: Syrs thys gossip wil burne: do ye not thinke it? Mary sir, quoth one, proue her, and you shall see what she will do by and by.