Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

should doe best, keeping yourselfe against another time, when the church shall have great neede of such diligent teachers, and godlie Pastors."

"Oh" (quoth Doctour Taylour) "what will yee have mee to do? I am now olde, and have alreadie lived too long to see these terrible and most wicked daies. Flie you, and doe as your conscience leadeth you. I am fullie determined (with God's grace) to goe to the Bishop, and to his beard to tel him that he doth naught. God shall wel hereafter raise up teachers of his people, which shall with much more diligence and fruite teach them, than I have doneFor God will not forsake his church, though now for a time hee trieth and correcteth us, and not without a just cause.

"As for me, I beleeve before God, I shall never be able to do God so good service, as I may doc now: nor I shall never have so glorious a calling, as I now have, nor so great mercie of God profered mee, as is now at this present. For what Christian man would not gladlie die against the pope and his adherents? I knowe that the Papacie is the kingdome of Antichrist, altogether full of lies, altogether full of falsehood, so that all their doctrine, even from Christs Crosse be my speed and Saint Nicholas 3. unto the end of their Apoca

3 And Saint Nicholas.] See Myles Hoggard's "Newe A B C paraphrastically applied. 1557. 4to.

"When children first begin to learne
Their letters for to knowe,

Right their difference to discerne
Theilerne their Christ Crosse row:

Christ his crosse be my speede, saye they,

And good Sainct Nycholas:

In our child hode this did we pray,
For so the custome was."

lips, is nothing but Idolatry, superstition, errours, hypocrisie and lies.

"Wherefore I beseech you and all other my friends, to pray for me, and I doubt not but God will give me strength and his holie spirit, that all mine adversaries shall have shame of their doings."

When his friends sawe him so constant, and fully determined to go, they with weeping eyes commended him unto God: and he within a day or two prepared himself to his journey, leaving his cure with a godlie olde Priest, named Sir Richard Yeoman, who afterwards for Gods trueth was burnt at Norwich,

A little below he proceeds,

"The holy man sainct Nycholas

Our children call for ayde:

I thinke most men knoweth not the case

And why it was so sayde.

Sainct Nicholas a childe beinge

His crosse right soone he bore;
For his body with muche fastinge
He punished full sore:

To teach both children and old men

Their crosse to take lykewise,

And after Christ to beare it then

With often exercise.

And after this child hode past,

A bishop made was he ;

All worldlynes from him he cast,

And walkte in charitie.".

4 Sir Richard Yeoman.] Yeoman's story is told at some length by Fox, p. 1855, and contains several exceedingly cu. rious and affecting particulars. After his dismission from his cure at Hadley by Newall, Dr. Taylor's successor, he wandered a long time from place to place in that neighbourhood, moving and exhorting all men to stand faithfully to God's word, to give themselves to prayer, and to bear the cross now laid upon them with patience and Christian hope. "But when hee perceived his adversaries to lie in wait for him, he

There was also in Hadley one Alcocke, a verie godly man, well learned in the holy Scriptures, who (after sir Richard Yeoman was driven away) used dailie to reade a chapter, and to say the English Letanie in Hadley Church, But him they fetched up to London, and cast him in prison in Newgate: where after a yeares imprisonment he died.

But let us returne to doctor Taylor againe, who beeing accompanied with a servant of his owne, named John Hull, tooke his journey towardes London. By the way, this John Hull laboured to counsell and perswade him very earnestlie to flie, and not to come to the Bishop, and profered himselfe to go with him to serve him; and in all perils to venture his life for him and with him.

But in no wise would Doctour Tailour consent or agree thereunto, but said: "Oh John, shall I give place to this thy counsell and worldlie perswasion, and leave my flocke in this danger? Remember the good Shepheard Christ, which not alonely fed his flocke, but also died for his flocke. Him must I follow, and with Gods grace will doe.

went into Kent, and with a little packet of laces, pinnes, and points, and such-like things, he travelled from village to village, selling such things, and by that poore shift gat himself somewhat to the sustaining of himselfe, his poore wife and children." After some time had elapsed "he came againe secretly to Hadley, and tarried with his poore wife, who kept him secretly in a chamber of the Town-House, commonly called the Guild-hall, more than a yeare. All the whiche time the good old father abode in a chamber locked up all the day, and spent his time in devout praier, and reading the Scriptures, and in carding of wool which his wife did spin. His wife also did goe and beg bread and meate for her selfe and her children, and by such poore meanes sustained they themselves." In this hiding place he was discovered at length by Newall, hurried to prison to Bury, and burnt at Norwich. "The chief articles objected to him were his marriage, and the masse sacrifice."

S

Therefore good John pray for me; and if thou seest me weak at any time, comfort mee, and discourage mee not in this my Godlie enterprise, and

purpose.

Thus they came up to London, and shortlie after doctour Tailour presented himselfe to the bishop of Winchester; Steven Gardiner, then Lord Chauncellor of England.

For this hath bin one great abuse in England these many yeares, that such offices as have been of most importance and waight, have commonly been committed to Bishops and other spirituall men, whereby three divelish mischiefes and inconveniences have happened in this realm, to the great dishonour of God, and utter neglecting of the flock of Christ: the which three be these.

First, they have had small leasure to attend to their pastorall cures, which thereby have beene utterly neglected and left undone.

Secondly, it hath also puft up many Bishops and other spirituall persons into such haughtinesse and pride, that they have thought no noble man in the realme worthy to be their equall and fellow.

Thirdly, where they by this meanes knew the verie secrets of Princes, they being in such high offices, have caused the same to be knowne in Rome, afore the Kings could accomplish and bring their intents to passe in England. By this meanes hath the Papacie been so maintained, and things ordered after their willes and pleasures, that much mischiefe hath happened in this realm and others, sometime to the destruction of Princes, and sometime to the utter undoing of manie Common wealthes.

Now when Gardiner sawe doctor Taylour, hee according to his common custome, all to reviled him, calling him knave, traytour, hereticke, with

many other villainous reproches: which all doctor Taylor heard patiently, and at the last said unto

bin:

"My Lord," quoth hee, "I am neither Traytour nor heretick, but a true subject, and a faithful christian man; and am come according to your commandement, to know what is the cause that your Lordship hath sent for me."

Then said the bishop, "art thou come, thou villaine? How darest thou look me in the face for shame? Knowest thou not who I am?"

"Yes," quoth D. Taylor, "I know who you are. Ye are doctor Steven Gardiner Bishop of Winchester, and Lord Chancellor, and yet but a mortal man I trowe. But if I should be afraid of your lordly lookes, why feare you not God, the Lord of us all? How dare ye for shame looke any christian man in the face, seeing ye have forsaken the trueth, denied our Saviour Christ and his word, and done contrary to your owne othe and writing? With what countenance will ye appeare before the judgement seate of Christ, and answer to your othe made first unto that blessed K. Henry the eight, of famous memory, and afterward unto blessed king Edward the 6. his son ?"

The bishop answered: "Tush, tush, that was Herodes othe, unlawfull, and therefore worthy to

That was Herodes othe.] In a conference between Dr. Martin and Archbishop Cranmer, when Cranmer was in prison at Oxford, Martin alleges to the Archbishop, "You say that you have sworne once to King Henry the eighth against the Popes jurisdiction, and therefore you may never forsweare the same, and so ye make a great matter of conscience in the breach of the said othe. Heere will I aske you a question or two. Herod did sweare, whatsoever his harlot asked of him he would give her, and he gave her John Baptists head. Did he well in keeping his othe?

« ForrigeFortsæt »