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 Martyrdome of William Wolsey, and Robert Pygot Paynter.

* 1.1AFter the sufferyng of Mayster Robert Glouer & Cor∣nelius Bongey at Couentrye, followeth next the con∣demnation of other two blessed Martyrs which were iud∣ged and condemned at Eley by Iohn Fuller the Bishops Chauncellour of Eley, Doctor Shax••on his Sus••ragane, Robert Steward Deane of Eley, Iohn Christopherson Deane of Norwich. &c. an. 1555. October 9. the names of which martyrs were William Wolsey and Robert Pygot, dwelling both in the Towne of Wisbich, whiche William Wolsey being a constable, dwelling and inhabiting in the Towne of Well, was there brought to death by the mea∣nes and procurement of one Richard Euerard Gentlemā a Iustice appoynted for those dayes,* 1.2 who extremely hand∣led the same William Wolsey, and bounde him to the good abearing, causing him to put in sureties vpon his good be∣hauior vntill the next general Sessions holden within the Ile of Eley: and so the sayd Wolsey being dispatched of his office, and brought in trouble, remoued his house & dwel∣ling place, comming to dwell in the Towne of Wisbiche. Then being called agayne at the nexte Sessions, hee was still constrayned to put in new sureties, which at the lēgth he refused to do, & so was commaunded to the Iayle,* 1.3 at the Syse holden at Eley in lent.

In the Easter weeke folowing, there repayred to con∣ferre with him, D. Fuller the Chauncellor, with Christo∣pherson, and one D. Young: who layde earnestlye to hys charge that he was out of the catholicke fayth, willing him to meddle no further with the scriptures, thē it did become such a lay man as he was, to do. The said William Wolsey stāding still a great while, suffering them to say their plea∣sures, at the last answered in this wise: Good M. Doctor, what did our Sauiour Christ meane, when he spake these wordes written in the 23. Chapter of S. Mathewes Gos∣pell: Wo be vnto you Scribes and Phariseis, ye hipocrites for ye shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men: ye your selues goe not in, neither suffer ye them that come to enter in.

Yea sayeth Doctour Fuller, you must vnderstand, that Christ spake to the Scribes and Phariseys.

Nay Mayster Doctour (sayth Wolsey) Christ spake e∣uē to you, and your felowes here present, & to al other such like as you be.

Away Mayster Doctor (saith Christopherson) for you can do no good with this man, Yet sayth D. Fuller, I will leane thee a booke to read. I promise thee, of a learned mās doing, that is to say of Doctor Watsons doing, (who was then Bishop of Lincolne.)

Wolsey receiuing the same booke,* 1.4 did diligently reade it ouer, which in many places did manifestly appeare con∣trary to the knowne trueth of Gods word. At the length a fourtnight or three weekes folowing, the sayde Doctour Fuller resorting agayne to the prison house to confer with the sayd Wolsey, did aske him how he liked the sayd booke (thinking that he had won him by y^e reading of the same:) who aunswered him and sayd: Syr, I like the booke no o∣therwise then I thought before I should find it. Wherup∣on the Chauncellor taking his booke departed home.

At night when D. Fuller came to his chamber to looke on it, he did finde in many places cōtrary to his minde, the booke raced with a pen by the sayd Wolsey. The which hee seing, and being vexed therwith, sayd: Oh this is an obsti∣nate hereticke and hath quite marred my booke.

Then the Syse holden at Wisbich drawing nye, Doc∣tor Fuller commeth agayne to the sayd Wolsey, and spea∣keth vnto him on this maner:* 1.5 Thou doest much trouble my cōscience, wherfore I pray thee depart, & rule thy 〈◊〉〈◊〉, so that I heare no more complaint of thee, and come to the Church when thou wilt, and if thou be complayned vpon, so farre as I may, I promise thee I will not heare of it.

Mayster Doctour (quoth Wolsey) I was brought hy∣ther by a law, and by a law I will be deliuered.

Then being broughte to the Sessions before named, Wolsey was layd in the Castle at Wisbich,* 1.6 thinking to him and al his frēdes, that he should haue suffered there at that present time, but it proued nothing so.

Then Robert Pygot the painter being at liberty, was there presented by some euill disposed persons (sworne mē as they called them) for not comming to the Church.* 1.7

The sayd Pygot being called in the Sessions, woulde not absent himselfe, but there did playnely appeare before Syr Clement Hygham being Iudge, who sayd vnto him: Ah, are you the holy father the Paynter? How chaunce ye came not to the Churche? Syr (quoth the Paynter) I am not out of the Church, I trust in God.

No Syr, sayd the Iudge, this is no Churche, this is a Haule. Ye sir sayd Pygot, I know very wel it is a Haule: but he that is in the true faith of Iesus Christ, is neuer ab∣sent, but present in the Church of God.

Ah Syrha, sayd the Iudge,* 1.8 you are to high learned for me to talke withall: wherfore I will send you to them that be better learned then I, strayght wayes commaundynge him to the Iayle where Wolsey lay. So the Sessiōs being

broken vp and ended,* 1.9 the sayd Wolsey and Pigot were ca∣ryed agayne to Eley into yrison, where they both did re∣mayne till the day of theyr death.

In the meane time certaine of theyr neighbors of Wis∣bych aforesayd being at Eley,* 1.10 came to see how they did.

There came thither also a Chapleine of Bishop Goo∣derikes a Frenchman borne, one Peter Ualentius, who said vnto the said Wolsey and Pygot: My brethren, accor∣ding to mine office I am come to talk with you, for I haue bene Amner here this xx. yeares and aboue.

Wheerfore I must desire you my brethren to take it in good parte that I am come▪ to talke with you, I promise you, not to pull you from your fayth. But I both requyre and desire in the name of Iesus Christ that you stande to the truth of the Gospell and worde, and I beseech the al∣mighty God for his sonne Iesus Christes sake to preserue both you & me in the same vnto the end. For I knowe not myselfe (my brethrē) how soone I shal be at the same point that you now are. Thus with many other like wordes he made an end, causing all that were there present to water theyr cheekes, contrary to al the hope they had in him, god be praysed therfore.

Then within short time after, Pygot and Wolsey wer called to iudgement about the ix. daye of October,* 1.11 before Doctor Fuller then Chauncellor, with old Doctor Shax∣ton, Christopherson, and others in Commission, who layd earnestly to theyr charge for theyr belief in diuers articles, but especially of the Sacrament of the aultar. Whereunto theyr aūswere was: that the Sacrament of the aultar was an Idoll, and that the naturall body and bloud of Christe was not present really in the sayd Sacrament, and to this opinion they sayd they would sticke, beleuing perfectly the same to be no heresye that they had affirmed, but the verye truth wherupō they would stand. Then said the Doctors, that they were out of the Catholicke fayth.

* 1.12Then Doctor Shaxton sayd vnto them: good brethren remember your selues and become new men, for I my self was in this ••ond opinion that you are nowe in, but I am now become a new man.

Ah sayd Wolsey, are you become a new man? Wo be to thee thou wicked new man,* 1.13 for God shal iustly iudge thee.

Doctour Fuller then spake saying, this Wolsey is an obstinate felow, and one that I could neuer do good vpon. But as for the Paynter hee is a man quiet and indifferent (as farre as I perceiue) and is soone reformed, and maye very well be deliuered for any euill opinion I find in him.

Then Christopherson called for penne and yncke and wrote these wordes folowing:* 1.14 I Robert Pygot do beleue that after ••he wordes of consecration spoken by the Priest, th••re remaineth no more bread and wine, but the very bo∣dy and bloud of Christ really, substauntially, the selfe same that was borne of the virgine Mary: and reading it to the Paynter, he sayd thus: doest thou beleue all this according as it is written?

Pygot.

No Syr, sayd the Paynter: that is your fayth and not mine.

Christopher.

Loe Mayster Doctor Fuller you would haue lettē this felow go: he is as much an heretick as the other.

And so immediately iudgemēt was geuen vpon thē to dye. Which done, after the sētēce read, they were sent again to the prison, where they did lye till the day of theyr death.

At which day one Peacocke Bachelor of diuinity being appoynted to preach, took his text out of the first Epistle of S. Paul to the Corin. 5. chap. of one that had liued vnordi∣nately by abusing his fathers wife:* 1.15 likening the sayd Py∣got and Wolsey to the same man, often times saying, that such members must be cut of from the congregation, most maliciously reporting the sayd Wolsey to be cleane out of y^e fayth, and in many places quite denying the Scripture.

So his Sermon being ended, the forenamed, Pygot & Wolsey being brought to the place of executiō and so boūd to the stake with a chain, thither commeth one sir Richard Collinson a priest, at that time desolate of any biding place or stay of benefice, who sayd vnto Wolsey: brother Wolsey the preacher hath openly reported in his Sermon this day that you are quite out of the Catholicke fayth, & deny bap∣tisme, and that you do erre in the holy Scripture: Where∣fore I beseech you for the certifying of my conscience wyth others here present: that you declare in what place of the Scripture you do erre or finde fault.

Wolsey.

* 1.16I take the eternall and euerlasting God to wit∣nesse that I do erre in no part or poynt of Gods booke the holy Bible, but hold & beleue in the same to be most firme and sound doctrine in all poyntes most worthy for my sal∣uation and for al other Christians to the end of the world. Whatsoeuer mine aduersaries report by me, God forgeue thē therfore. With that cōmeth one to the fire with a great sheet knit ful of books to burne, like as they had bene new

[illustration]

¶The burning of William Wolsey, and Robert Pygot, Martyrs.

* 1.17 Testamentes. O sayd Wolsey, geue me one of thē, & Pigot desired an other,* 1.18 both of them clapping them close to theyr brestes saying the 106. Psalme, desiring all the people to say Amen, and so receiued the fire most thankefully.

Witnesses and informers hereof.

• ...Robert Scortred.
• ...Robert Crane,
• ...Edward Story.
• ...Robert Kendall,
• ...Richard Best. &c.

Concerning the storye of William Wolsey I receiued moreouer from the vniuersity of Cambridge by a credible person and my faythfull frend William Fulke, this relatiō which I thought in this place not vnmeete to be notified vnto the Reader in order and forme as foloweth.

There were burned at Ely two Godly Martyrs,* 2.1 the one called Wolsey, the other Pygot. In these two appered diuers opinions of one spirit. Pygot was mylde, humble, and modest, promising that he would be cōformable to his persecutors, if they could perswade him by the Scripture. The other Wolsey, was stout, strong and vehemēt, as one hauing 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 of the spirite,* 2.2 and detested all theyr do∣inges, as of whom he was sure to receiue nothing but cru∣elty and tyranny. He was wonderfull ielous ouer his cō∣panion,* 2.3 fearing lest his gentle nature would haue bene o∣uercome by the flattering inticementes of the worlde, and therefore the same day that they were burned, when they would haue talked w^t him alone, he pulled him away front them almost by force.* 2.4 He was so desirous to glorify God with his suffering, that being wonderfull sore tormented in the prison with the toothe ake, hee feared nothing more, thē that he should depart before the day of executiō (which he called his glad day) were come.

This Wolsey being in prison at Elye, was visited by Thomas Hodilo Berebruer in Ely. To him he deliuered certayne mony to be distributed (as he appoynted) part to his wife, and part to his kinsfolkes and frends,* 2.5 and espe∣cially 6. shillinges. 8. pence to be deliuered to one Richard Denton Smith dwelling at Welle in Cambridgeshyre w^t∣in the iurisdiction of the Ile of Ely, with this commenda∣tion, that he maruelled that he taryed so long behinde him, seing he was the first that did deliuer him the book of scrip∣ture into his hand, and told him that it was the truth, desi∣ring him to make hast after as fast as he could.

This Thomas Hodilo, both to auoyde daunger of the time,* 2.6 and to haue a witnes of his doings herein deliuered the sayd summe of money, to one M. Laurence preacher in Essex (which then resorted often to his house) to be distri∣buted as Wolsey had appoynted: which thing they perfor∣med, riding from place to place. And when this 6. shilling 8. pence was deliuered to Richard Denton with the com∣mendation aforesayd, his aunswere was this: I confesse it is true, but alas I can not burne. This was almoste one whole yeare after Wolsey was burned.* 2.7 But he that coulde not burne in the cause of Christ, was afterward burned a∣gaynst his will whē Christ had geuen peace to his church.

For in the yeare of our Lord. 1564. On Tuesday beyng the 18. day of Aprill, his house was set on fire, & while he went in, to saue his goodes he loste his life, with two other that were in the same house.

* 2.8Witnessed by Thomas Hodilo, and William Fulke.

Not much vnlike to this, was also the example of M. West Chapleine to Bishop Ridley, who refusing to die in Christes cause with his Mayster, sayd Masse agaynst hys conscience, and soone after dyed.

Notes

• * 1.1

  William Wol∣sey, Robert Pi∣got, Martyrs.
• * 1.2

  Richard E∣uerard ex∣treame a∣gaynst Wil∣liā Wolsey.
• * 1.3

  W. Wolsey commaun∣ded to the Iayle. D. Fuller, Christo∣pherson, D. Yong, come to conferre with Wol∣sey. Wolsey putteth a question to the 〈…〉〈…〉.
• * 1.4

  D. Watsons booke of Sermons or Homelyes. D. Fuller agayne re∣sorteth to W. Wolsey.
• * 1.5

  The Chaun∣cellour ge∣••eth leaue to Wolsey to depart.
• * 1.6

  W. Wolsey layd in the Castle of Wisbich.
• * 1.7

  Rob. Pigot Painter presented for not cō∣ming to the Chu••ch. Talke be∣tweene Syr Clement Higham Iudge, and Rob. Pigot.
• * 1.8

  Rob. Pigot brought to the Iayle where W. Wolsey 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.9

  Anno 1555. October.
• * 1.10

  Wolsey and P••got retur∣ned to Eley to prison. Tho. Good∣••••••e Bi••••hop of E∣ley. The Bi∣shops C••••playne a Frenchmā 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the priso∣ners in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.11

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 and Wo••sey cal∣led to iudg∣ment in the B••shops 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.12

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.13

  Wolseys aunswere to S••••xton.
• * 1.14

  M. Christo∣pherson writeth what he would haue P••got con∣•••••• of the ••acr••ment. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 refu∣seth to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to Christo∣phersons 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.15

  M. Peacoke appoynted to preach at t••e burning of Wolsey and Pigot.
• * 1.16

  ••. Wolsey 〈◊〉〈◊〉 himselfe to be ••ound in all pointes of the scrip∣ture belon∣ging to his 〈…〉〈…〉.
• * 1.17

  The Martyrdōe of W. Wolsey and Rob. Pigot at Eley. Anno 1555. Octob. 16.
• * 1.18

  Bookes burned with Wolsey & Pigot.
• * 2.1

  The natures of Wolsey, and Pi∣got described.
• * 2.2

  The zelous spi∣rite of William Wolsey.
• * 2.3

  W. Wolsey de∣sirous of Mar∣tirdome.
• * 2.4

  Wolsey calleth the day of his Martirdome, his glad day.
• * 2.5

  Thomas Hodilo Berebruer of Cambridge witnes of this story.

  Richard Denton first conuerter of Wolsey.
• * 2.6

  Money sent by Wolsey to Den∣ton.

  Wolsey exhor∣ting Richard Denton to persist in the truth.
• * 2.7

  Denton afrayd•• of burning.
• * 2.8

  Richard Dentō burned in his owne house, which before would not burne for Christ. Anno. 1564. Aprill. 18