*The seuere punishment of God vpon the perse∣cutours of his people and enemyes to his word, with such also as haue bene blasphemers, con∣temners, and mockers of his Religion.
LEauing now Queene Mary, being dead and gone, I come to them whiche vnder her were the chiefe Ministers and doers in this persecution,* 1.1 the By∣shops (I meane) and Priestes of the Clergy, to whō Queene Mary gaue all the execution of her power, as did Queene Alexandra to the Phariseis after the tyme of the Machabees. Of whom Iosephus thus writeth: Ip∣sa solum nomen regium ferebat, caeterum omnem regni pote∣statem Pharisaei possidebant. That is: She onely reteyned to her selfe the name and title of the kingdome, but all her power, she gaue to the phariseis to possesse. &c. Touching which Prelates and Priestes, here is to be noted in lyke sorte the wonderfull and miraculous prouidence of al∣mighty GOD, which as he abridged the reigne of theyr Queene, so he suffered them not to escape vnuisited: first beginning with Stephen Gardiner the Archpersecutour of Christes Church, whom he tooke away about the mid∣dest of the Queenes reigne. Of whose poysoned lyfe and stincking end,* 1.2 forsomuche as sufficient hath bene touched before. pag. 1786. I shall not need here to make any newe rehearsall therof.
After him dropped other awaye also, some before the death of Queene Mary, and some after,* 1.3 as Morgan By∣shop of S. Dauids, who sitting vppon the condemnation of the blessed Martyr bysh. Farrar, and vniustly vsurping his rowm, not long after was stricken by Gods haue af∣ter such a strange sort, that his meate would not go down but rise & pycke vp agayne, somtyme at his mouth, some∣tyme blowne out of his nose most horrible to beholde, & so he continued till his death. Where note moreouer yt when Mayster Leyson being then Sheriffe at Byshop Farrars burning, had fet away the cattell of the sayde Byshoppe,* 1.4 from his seruauntes house called Matthewe Harbottell, into his owne custody, the cattell comming into the She∣riffes ground, diuers of them would neuer eate meate but lay bellowing and roaring, and so dyed.
This foresayd Byshoppe Morgan aboue mentioned, bringeth me also in remembraunce of Iustice Morgan,* 1.5 who sate vpon the death of the Lady Iane, & not long af∣ter the same, fell mad and was bereft of his wittes, & so di∣ed, hauing euer in his mouth, Lady Iane, Lady Iane. &c.
Before the death of Queene Mary, dyed Doct. Dun∣ning the bloudy and wretched Chauncellour of Norwich who, after he had most rigorously condēned and murthe∣red so many simple and faythfull Sayntes of the Lord, cō∣tinued not longe himselfe, but in the middest of his rage in Queene Maryes dayes dyed in Lincolnshyre being so∣daynly taken (as some say) sitting in his chayre.
The like sodayne death fel also vpon Berry Commis∣sary in Northfolke,* 1.6 who (as is before shewed in the story of Thomas Hudson) foure dayes after Queene Maryes death, when he had made a great feast, and had one of hys concubines there, comming home from the Church after Euensong, where he hadde ministred Baptisme the same tyme, betweene the Churchyard and his house, sodeinly fell downe to the ground with a heauy grone, and neuer styrred after, neither shewed any one token of repentance.
What a stroke of Gods hand was brought vppon the cruell persecutour of the holy and harmeles sayntes of the Lord, Byshop Thornton, Suffragan of Douer,* 1.7 who after he had exercised hys cruell tyranny vpon so many Godly men at Canterbury, at length comming vppon a Sater∣day from the Chapter house at Caunterbury to Borne, & there vpon sonday following, looking vpon his mē pray∣ing at the bowles, ••ell sodēly in a Palsey, and so had to bed was willed to remember God, Yea, so I doe (sayd he) and my Lord Cardinall to. &c.
After hym succeeded an othher Byshop or Suffragan ordayned by the foresayd Cardinall. It is reported that he had bene Suffragan before to Boner,* 1.8 who not 〈◊〉〈◊〉 after was made Bysh. or Suffragan of Douer, brake his necke fallyng downe a payre of stayres in the Cardinals chāber at Grenewich, as he had receiued the Cardinals blessing.
Among other plentifull and sondrye examples of the Lordes iudgement and seueritie practised vpon the cruell persecutors of hys people, that is not the least that follow∣eth, concerning the story of one William Fenning, ye effect and circumstance of which matter is this.
Iohn Cooper, of the age of 44. yeares, dwelling at Watsam in the County of Suffolke, beyng by science a Carpenter, a man of a very honest report & a good house∣keeper, a harbourer of straungers, that trauayled for con∣science, and one that fauoured Religion, and those that were religious, he was of honest conuersation and good lyfe hating all popish and papisticall trash.
This man being at home in his house, there came vn∣to hym one William Fenning, a seruing man dwellyng in the sayd Town of Watsam, and vnderstanding that the sayd Cooper had a couple of fayre Bullockes, did desire to buy them of hym, whiche Cooper told hym that hee was loth to sell them, for that hee had brought them vp for hys owne vse, and if he shoulde sell them, he then must be com∣pelled to buy other and that he would not do.
When Fenning saw he could not get them (for he had often assayed the matter) he sayd he woulde sit as much in his light, and so departed, and wēt and accused him of high treason. The words he was charged with wer these: how he should pray that if God would not take away Queene Mary, that then he should wishe the Deuill to take her a∣way. Of these wordes did this Fenning charge him be∣fore sir Henry Do••ell knight (vnto whome he was caryed by M. Timperley of Hinchlesā in Suffolke, & one Grim∣wood of Lowshaw Cōstable) which words Cooper sta••∣ly denyed: & sayd he neuer spake them, but that coulde not helpe.
Notwithstanding he was arrayned therfore at Berry before sir Clement Higham, at a Lent assise, and there this Fenning brought two noughty menne that witnessed the speaking of the foresayd wordes, whose names were Ri∣chard White of Watsam, and Grimwood of Higham,