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.

The examinations and condemnation of Roger Holland.

THis Roger Holland a marchant Taylor of London, was first prentise with one maister Kempton at the blacke boy in Watling streete,* 1.1 where hee serued his pren∣tiship w^t much trouble vnto his maister in breaking hym from his licencious libertie whych he had before ben trai∣ned and brought vp in, geuing himselfe to riote, as daun∣cing, fence, gaming, banketting, and wanton companie: and besides all this, being a stubborne & an obstinate pa∣pist, farre vnlike to come to any suche ende as God called him vnto: the which was as followeth.

His maister, notwithstanding this his leudnesse, put∣ting him in trust w^t his accomptes, he had receiued for him certaine money, to the summe of 30. poundes, and falling into ill companie, lost the saide money euery grote at dice, being past all hope which way to answer it, and therefore he purposed to conuey him selfe away beyond the seas, ei∣ther into Fraunce or into Flaunders.

Now hauing determined with himselfe thus to do, he called betimes in the morning to a seruaunt in the house, an auncient and discrete maide, whose name was Eliza∣beth, which professed the Gospel, with a life agreeing vn∣to the same, and at al times much rebuking the wilful and obstinate Papistrie, as also the licencious liuing of thys Roger Holland. To whome he sayd: Elizabeth I would I hadde followed thy gentle perswasions and frendly re∣bukes: which if I hadde done, I hadde neuer come to this shame and miserye which I am nowe fallen into: for this night haue I lost 30, pound of my masters mony, which to pay him and to make vp mine accomptes, I am not able. But thus muche I pray you desire my mistresse, that shee would intreat my master to take this bil of my hand, that I am thus much indebted vnto him, and if I be euer able, I wil see him paied, desiring him that y^e matter may passe with silēce, and that none of my kinred nor frendes neuer vnderstand this my leud part. For if it should come vnto my fathers eares, it woulde bring his graye heares ouer soone vnto his graue: and so was he departing.

The maide considering that it mighte be his vtter vn∣doing: stay said she, and hauing a peece of money lying by her, geuē vnto her by the death of a kinsman of hers, who (as it was thought,* 1.2 was doctour Redman) shee brought vnto him 30. pounde, saying: Roger, heere is thus muche money: I will let thee haue it, and I will keepe this Bill. But since I do thus much for thee, to helpe thee, & to saue thy honestie, thou shalt promise me to refuse all leude and wilde companie, al swearing and ribaldrie talke, and if e∣uer I know thee to play one 12. pēce, at either dice or car∣des, then I will shewe this thy bill vnto my maister. And furthermore thou shalt promise me to resort euery day to the lecture at Alhallowes, and the sermon at Pauls euery Sondaye, and to cast away all thy bookes of papistrie and vaine ballets, and get thee the Testament and the Booke of seruice, and read the scriptures with reuerēce and fear, calling vnto God still for his grace to directe thee in hys truth. And pray vnto God feruētly, desiring hym to par∣don thy former offences, and not to remember the sinnes of thy youth: and euer be afraid to breake his lawes or of∣fend his maiestie. Then shall God keepe thee and sende thee thy hearts desire.

After this time, w^tin one halfe yeare God had wrought such a change in this man,* 1.3 that he was become an earnest professor of the truth, and detested al papistrie & euil com∣pany: so that he was in admiration to all them that hadde knowen him and seene his former life and wickednesse.

Then he repaired into Lankeshiere vnto hys Father, and brought diuers good bookes with him,* 1.4 and bestowed them vppon his frendes, so that his father and others be∣gan to taste of the Gospell, and detest the Masse, idolatrie, and superstition: and in the ende his father gaue hym a stocke of money to begin the world withall, to the summe of fiftie pound.

Then he repaired to London againe, and came to the maide that lent him the money to pay his master withall,* 1.5 and sayd vnto her: Elizabeth, here is thy money I borro∣wed of thee, and for the frendship, good will, and the good counsel I haue receiued at thy hands, to recompence thee I am not able, otherwise then to make thee my wife: and soone after they were maried, which was in the first yeare of Queene Marie. And hauing a childe by her, hee caused maister Rose to baptise his said childe in his owne house. Notwithstanding he was bewrayed vnto the ennemies, and hee being gone into the countrey to conuey the childe away, that the papists shoulde not haue it in their anoyn∣ting handes, Boner caused his goodes to be sea••ed vppon, and most cruelly vsed his wife.

After this he remained closely in the Citie, and in the Countrey in the congregations of the faithfull,* 1.6 vntill the last yeare of Queene Marie. Then hee with the vj. other aforesaid, were taken in or not farre from s. Iohns wood, and so brought to Newgate vppon May day in the mor∣ning. An. 1558.

Then being called before the bishop, D. Chedsey, both the Harpsfieldes, & certaine other, after many other faire and craftie perswasions of doctor Chedsey, to allure hym to theyr Babylonicall churche: thus the Bishop beganne with him.

Holland.

I for my part do wish well vnto thee, & the more for thy frendes sake. And as doctour Standish telleth me, you and he were both borne in one parish, & he knoweth your father to be a verye honest Catholicke Gentleman. And maister Doctour tolde me that he talked wyth you a yeare a goe, and founde you very wilfully addicte to your owne conceit. Diuers of the Citie also haue shewed me of you, that you haue bene a great procurer of mens seruāts to be of your religion, & to come to your congregations:

but since you be now in the daunger of the law, I would wish you to playe a wise mannes parte: So shall you not want any fauoure I can doe or procure for you, bothe for your owne sake, and also for your friendes, which be men of worship and credite, and wish you well, & by my trooth Roger so doe I.

Then sayd M. Egleston, a gentleman of Lankeshire, and nere kinsman to Roger, being there present: I thank your good Lordship: your honour meaneth good vnto my cousin, I beseeche God he haue the grace to followe your counsaile.

Holland.

Syr, you craue of God you knowe not what. I beseech God open your eies to see the light of his worde.

Egleston▪

Roger, holde your peace, least you fare the worse at my Lordes handes.

Holland.

No, I shall fare as pleaseth God: for man can do no more then God doth permit him.

Then the bishop and the Doctors, with Iohnson the Register, casting their heades together, in the ende sayeth Iohnson:* 1.7 Roger, how sayest thou? wilt thou submitte thy selfe vnto my Lorde, before thou be entred into the booke of contempt?

Holland.

I neuer meant but to submit my selfe vnto the Magistrate, as I learne of S. Paul to the Romaines, the 13. chap. and so he recited the text.

Chedsey

Then I see you are no Anabaptist.

Holland.

I meane not yet to be no Papist: for they and the Anabaptists agree in this poynt, not to submit thēselues to any other prince or magistrate, then those that must first ••e sworne to maintaine them and their doings.

Chedsey.

Roger, remember what I haue said, & also what my Lorde hath promised, he will perfourme wyth further frendship. Take heede Roger, for your ripenesse of witte hath brought you into these errours.

Holland.

M. Doctor, I haue yet your words in memorie, though they are of no such force to preuail with me. Then they whispered together againe, and at the last saide Bo∣ner: Roger I perceiue y^u wilt be ruled by no good counsell for any thing y^t either I or your friēds or any other cā say.

Holland.

I may say to you my lorde, as Paul said to Felix & vnto the Iewes, as doth appeare in the 22. of the Actes, and in the 15. of the 1. Epistle to the Corinth.* 1.8 It is not vn∣knowen vnto my master whom I was prentise withall, y^t I was of this your blind religion that nowe is taught, and therein did obstinately & wilfully remaine, vntill the later end of K. Edward in maner, hauing y^e liberty vnder your auriculare Confession, that I made no conscience of sinne, but trusted in the Priests absolution, hee for money doing some penance also for me: which after I had geuen, I cared no further what offences I did, no more then hee passed after he had my mony, whether he fasted bread and water for me or no: so y^t lecherie, swearing & all other vi∣ces I accompted no offence of danger, so long as I could for money haue them absolued. So straitly did I obserue your rules of religion, that I woulde haue ashes vppon Ashwensday,* 1.9 though I had vsed neuer so muche wicked∣nes at night. And albeit I could not of conscience eat flesh vpon the friday, yet in swearing, drinking, or dising al the night long, I made no conscience at all. And thus was I brought vp, and herein haue I continued til now of late, that God hath opened the light of his word, and called me by his grace to repentaunce of my former idolatrie & wic∣ked life: for in Lankeshire their blindnes and whoredom is ouermuch more, then may with chaste eares be hearde. Yet these my friends which are not cleare in these notable crimes,* 1.10 thinke the Priest with his Masse can saue them, though they blaspheme God, & keepe concubines besides their wiues, as long as they liue. Yea I know some prie∣stes, very deuout, my Lorde, yet suche as haue 6. or 7. chil∣dren by 4. or 5. sundry women.

M. Doctor, now to your antiquitie, vnitie, & vniuer∣salitie (for these D. Chedsey alledged as notes and tokēs of theyr religion) I am vnlearned. I haue no sophistrie to shifte my reasons withall: but the truthe I trust I haue, which nedeth no painted colours to set her forth. The an∣tiquitie of our church is not from pope Nicolas or Pope Ioane, but our church is from the beginning, euen from the time that God saide vnto Adam y^t the seede of the wo∣man should breake the Serpents head: and so to faithfull Noe: to Abraham, Isaac and Iacob, to whō it was pro∣mised that their seede should multiply as the starres in the skie: and so to Moses, Dauid & all the holy fathers y^t were frō the beginning, vnto the birth of our sauior Christ. All they y^t beleeued these promises, were of the church, though y^e number were oftentimes but few & small, as in Helias daies whē he thought there was none but he that had not bowed their knees to Baal, whē God had reserued 7000. that neuer had bowed their knees to that idoll: as I trust ther be vij.C.M. more then I know of, that haue not bo∣wed their knees to y^• idol your masse, and your god Ma••∣zim: the vpholding wherof is your blody cruelty, whiles you daily persecute Helias & the seruants of God, forcing them (as Daniell was in his chamber) closely to serue the Lord their God: and euen as we by this your cruelty are forced in the fields to pray vnto God that his holy worde may be once againe truely preached amongst vs, and that he would mitigate and shorten these idolatrous & bloudy daies, wherin all cruelty raigneth. Moreouer, our church haue ben the Apostles and Euangelists, the Martyrs and Confessors of Christ that haue at all times and in all ages bene persecuted for the testimonye of the woorde of God.* 1.11 But for the vpholding of your church and religion, what antiquitie can you shew? Yea the Masse, that idol & chiefe piller of your religion, is not yet iiij.C. yeres olde, & some of your masses are younger, as that masse of S. Thomas Becket the traitor,* 1.12 wherein you pray that you may be sa∣ued by the bloude of S. Thomas. And as for your Latine seruice, what are we of the laitie the better for it? I thinke he that should hear your priests mumble vp their seruice, although he did well vnderstand latine, yet should he vn∣derstand few words therof: the priests do so champ them and chaw them, & posteth so fast, that neither they vnder∣stande what they say, nor they that heare them: and in the meane time the people when they should praye wyth the priest, are set to their beads to pray our ladies Psalter. So craf••ie is Sathan to deuise these his dreames (which you defend with fagot and fire) to quench the light of the word of God: which (as Dauid saieth) shoulde be a lanterne to our seete. And againe, wherin shall a yong man direct his waies, but by the woorde of God? and yet you will hide it from vs in a toung vnknowen. S. Paul had rather in the church to haue 5. wordes spoken with vnderstāding, then x.M. in an vnknowen toung: and yet wil you haue your Latin seruice and praying in a strange toung, wherof the people are vtterly ignorant, to be of such antiquitie? The Greke church & a good part of Christendom besides, neuer receiued your seruice in an vnknowen tounge,* 1.13 but in theyr owne natural language which al the people vn∣derstand, neither yet your transubstantiation, your recei∣uing all alone, your purgatorie, your images. &c.

As for the vnitie which is in your churche, what is it els but treason, murther, poysoning one an other, idola∣trie, superstition, wickednesse? What vnitie was in youre church, when there was iij. Popes at once? Where was your head of vnitie when you had a woman Pope? Here he was interrupted and could not be suffered to proceede, but sayth the Bishop: Roger, these thy woordes are very blasphemie, and by the meanes of thy friendes thou haste bene suffered to speake, and art ouer malepert to reache a∣ny heere: Therefore keeper take him away.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The first exami∣nation of Roger Holland.
• * 1.2

  A godly example of a mayde, setting more by the soule of a Chri∣sten brother then by her money.
• * 1.3

  Roger Holland brought to the loue of the Gospell
• * 1.4

  Roger Holland conuerteth his Parents to the Gos∣pell.
• * 1.5

  Roger Hol∣land repay∣eth the mayde her money a∣gayne, and maryeth her.

  Hollandes childe Christened in his house▪
• * 1.6

  Roger Holland brought to Newgate.
• * 1.7

  Roger Holland w••lled to s••••mit him∣••••••••e to the Bi••hop.
• * 1.8

  Roger Hol∣land first a great Pa∣pist.
• * 1.9

  The wic∣kednes of Roger Hol∣land before he was cal∣led to the Gospell.
• * 1.10

  At these examinati∣ons diuers 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Roger Hollandes frendes & ••insfolke being men of worship, were pre∣sent both of Lankeshire a••d Che∣s••ire.
• * 1.11

  The Masse how olde it is.
• * 1.12

  Latine Seruice.
• * 1.13

  The Greeke Church diffe∣ring from the latine.