THE BOOKE OF MARTYRS
VVherein are set downe the names of such Martyrs as suffered persecution, and laid downe theire lives for witnesse-bearing unto the Gospell of CHRIST JESUS; drawne downe from the Primitive Church, to these later times, especially respecting such as have suffered in this Land under the tyranny of Antichrist, in opposition to Popish Errours.
LONDON, Printed by I. B. 1639.
A Briefe CATALOGVE of such Martyrs as suffered persecution, and laid downe their lives for witnesse-bearing unto the Gospel of Christ Iesus; drawne downe from the Primitive Church, to these later times, especially respecting such as have suffered in this Land under the tyranny of Antichrist in opposition to Popish Errors.
I Sing their deaths who dying made death yeeld,
By Scriptures sword, & faiths vnbatterd shield,
Whom Satan, men, or monsters could not tame,
Nor force them to deny their Saviours Name.
Evangelists, that did the Gospel write,
Apostles and brave Martyrs, that did fight
Gainst death and hell, and all the power of sin,
And boldly di'd eternall life to win.
Iohn Baptist by King
Herod lost his head,
Who to the world repentance published,
Our blest Redeemer in his love did follow,
And conquered death mans sinful soule to hallow,
He was the death of death, and he did quell
The sting and power of Satan, sin, and hell,
And vnder his great standard, valiantly,
A number numberlesse have dar'd to dye.
[Page]Through bondage, famine, slavery, sword and fire
Through all divised torments they aspire
Victoriously to gaine th'imortall Crowne,
Of never ending honour and renowne.
Saint
Steven was the third that lost his breath,
And (for his Masters sake) was ston'd to death:
And after him in Scripture may be read,
Th'Apostle
Iames was brain'd and butchered.
Saint
Marke th'Evangelist in fire did burne,
And
Bartholmew was flead, yet would not turnes
Saint
Andrew like a valiant champion di'd,
And (willing) on a crosse was crucifi'd
Mathias, Philip, Peter, and Saint
Paul,
Ston'd, crucifi'd, beheaded, Martyrs all.
Th' Apostles of their lives, no reckoning make,
And think them wel spent for their Saviors sake
The Tyrant Emperours, in number ten,
(Most cruell, barbarous, and inhumane men)
More Christians by their bloody meanes did slay
Then for a yeere five thousand to each day.
And many Romish Bishops in those daies,
Were Martyr'd to their high Creators prayse;
And though each day so many thousands bleed,
Yet doubly more and more they daily breed.
As Camomile growes better being trod,
So death and tortures drawes more unto God.
Or as the Vine that's cut and prun'd beares more
In one yeere, than it did in three before:
[Page]This bloody persecution did out-weare
After Christs death the first 300. yeares:
Thus did the Primitive Church first indure,
Being Catholike, Apostolike, and pure:
Then over all the world was truely knowne,
That Romish Bishops claimed but their owne
In their owne Dioces to be chiefe Pastor.
And not to be the worlds great Lord and Master.
And now our
Britains glory will I sing,
From
Lucius raigne, the worlds first Christian King
Vnto these daies of happy peacefull state,
A Catalogue of Martyrs I'll relate:
First Vrsulae, and eleven thousand with her,
All Virgins, for Christs faith did die together.
Then
Hengist with the
Saxons hither came,
Who many kill'd with sword and furious flame.
Besides eleven hundred Monkes were kill'd.
At
Bangor Abby all their bloods were spill'd.
And when the
Saxons race to end was run,
The
Danes came in; and all the Kingdome won.
Before whose swords did many thousands fall,
Which on the name of Iesus Christ did call.
Then
William Conqueror with a multitude.
Vnto the
Normans yoake this Land subdu'd,
The Pope then caus'd all Priests to leave their wives,
To lead foule Sodomitick single lives.
Then afterward in second
Henries raigne,
Was sawcie Saint
Thomas Becket slaine;
[Page]A Popish Saint and Martyr made, because
He di'd a traytor to his Soveraignes Lawes.
King
Henry and King
Richard dead and gone,
Their brother
Iohn (by right) ascends the throne,
Whom all his life the Pope of
Rome did vex,
And with oppressions all the Realme perplex;
With candle, booke, and bell, he curst and blest,
And Bulls and Legates did the King molest;
Vntill such time he on his knees fell downe,
And to the Pope surrendred up his Crowne.
At last, because he durst the Pope withstand,
He di'd impoysoned by a Friers hand.
When thus by treason they had kil'd King
Iohn,
Then the third
Henry Englands Crowne put on:
Then England bought the Romish doctrine deare,
It cost her threescore thousand marks a yeare.
For
Agnus Dei, pardons,
Peter pence,
For which the Pope had all this coine from hence:
King
Henry died, then
Edward tooke the sway,
His sonne and grandchilde, England did obey,
The first of them call'd
Long shankes, conquests won,
Lost by
Carnarvan his unhappy son,
Who by his Queene was in a dungeon cast,
Till (being murder'd) sadly breath'd his last.
Edward the third, a brave victorious King,
Did Frenchmens pride into subjection bring.
Richard the second next to Raigne began,
Who lost more then his royall Grandsire wan.
[Page]Then 'gan
Iohn Wiekliffe boldly to begin
To preach 'gainst Antichrist, that man of sin;
Who many troubles stoutly did abide,
Yet (spight the Pope) he naturally di'd;
And being dead, from out his grave was turn'd,
And had his martyr'd bones to ashes burn'd;
Which ashes they did cast into a brooke,
Because he had the Romish faith forsooke.
Yet whilst the second
Richard here surviv'd,
No Martyrs were by fire of life depriv'd.
Henry the fourth was in the Throne invested,
In whose raigne many were too much molested.
And
William Sautre first his life did give
Through flames of fire, who now in heav'n doth live.
The next
Iohn Badby in the furious flame,
And
William Thorp, but wan immortall fame.
Then the fifth
Henry, a victorious Prince,
The Realme of
France did conquer and convince.
The good Lord
Cobham then (
Oldcastle nam'd)
By Popish Priests an Hereticke was proclaim'd,
Was hang'd and burn'd by the unlawfull doome,
Of Satans servants, slaves to hell and
Rome.
And leaving some unnam'd,
Iohn Browne Esquire,
Iohn Beverly a Preacher di'd in fire.
Besides a number from the Lollards tower,
Racks, tortures, halters, and the flame devoure.
Iohn Hus a glorious Martyr of the Lord,
Was in
Bohemia burned for Gods Word.
From
Prage, and stoutly sufferd martyrdome.
In
Smithfield one
Iohn Claidon sufferd death,
And with him
Richard Turming lost his breath,
At this time sixteene godly folkes in
Kent,
The Antichristian vassalls did torment.
Then death cut off the fifth King
Henries raigne,
The Crowne the sixth King
Henry did obtaine.
And
William Taylor a true zealous Priest,
Did passe through fire unto his Saviour Christ.
Good
Richard Hoveden, with him
William White,
Each unto God (through fire) did yeeld his sprite,
Duke
Humphrey (though no Martyr) kild in's bed,
And
Richard Wych a Priest was burned dead.
Then Saint-like good King
Henry was depos'd,
By the fourth
Edward in the Tower inclos'd:
Then
Edward fled, and
Henry once againe,
By
Warwicks power the Kingdome did obtaine.
Thus did the various state of humane things,
Make Kings of Captive, and of Captives Kings:
Vntill at last King
Edward turned backe,
Brought
Henries royalty to finall wracke:
In whose raigne
Iohn Goose (as the story saith)
Was the first Martyr, burned for Christs Faith.
King
Henry in the Tower was stab'd to death,
And
Edward yeeldeth up his life and breath,
His sonne young
Edward, of that name the fift,
Whom the third
Richard from his life did lift.
[Page]Who by foule murders, blood, and tyranny,
Vsurp'd the throne of
Englands Monarchy;
Till valiant
Henry of that name the seven,
Kill'd him, and made uneven
England even:
Then first
Ioan Broughton, & a man call'd
Babrane
By Faith (thorow fire) went to old father
Abram.
An old man was in
Swithfield burn'd, because
Hee did resist against the
Roman Lawes.
One
Ierom hang'd and burned on the Gallowes,
In
Florence, with two other of his fellowes:
And
William Tilsworth, Thomas Bernard, and
Iames Morton, cause they did the Pope withstand
Burned all, and Father
Rogers, and old
Reine,
Did die by fire, a better life to gaine.
One
Thomas Novice, and one
Thomas Chase,
Di'd constant Martyrs by the heavenly grace.
A woman and a man call'd
Laurence Guest,
By death gain'd everlasting life and rest:
Besides a number past mens reckoning up,
For Iesus sake dranke of afflictions cup.
Some carried faggots through a world of mocke
Some rackt, some pin'd, some fetred in the stocks:
Some naked strip'd and scourged with a lash,
For their rejecting of the Romish trash.
Some branded in the cheeke did alwaies beare
The badge and marke of their Redeemer deare.
Thus the insulting tyrannizing Pope,
With cursings, fagot, fire, and sword and rope.
[Page]Did force the soules, and consciences of men,
To run despairing to damnations den.
And they that valiantly his power withstood,
Did seale their resolution with their blood.
Before his triple, treble, trouble Crowne,
(In adoration) Emperours must fall downe,
Were they as high as any
Caesar borne,
To kisse his feet they must not hold it scorne.
Henry the sixth the Emperour did fall downe,
Whom with his feet Pope
Celestine did crowne.
Henry the fourth his Empresse and young son,
All three to
Rome did barefoote goe and run:
And three daies so, these three did all attend
His holinesse, a godlesse eare to lend,
Which afterward was granted on condition,
That he should give his crowne up in submission,
Pandulphus the Popes Legat, with a frowne,
Did make King
Iohn of
England yeeld his crown.
King
Henry of that name the second, hee
Kneeld downe, and kist the
Romish Legats knee.
The Emperour when Pope
Adrian was to ride,
Did hold his stirrop on the meere wrong side,
For which his Holinesse in angry sort,
Disdainfully did checke the Emp'rour for't.
When as the Pope doth ride in Cope of gold,
Kings (like to foot-men) must his bridle hold:
In pomp he must be borne upon mens shoulders,
With glorious shew, amazing the beholders.
[Page]Whilst Kings and Princes must before him goe,
To usher him in his vaine-glorious showe:
This being true, as no man can deny,
Those that will not be blind may plainly spy,
That their insulting proud commanding Priest,
Is absolute and onely Anti-Christ;
H'exalts himselfe 'bove all that's called God,
Vpon the Emperours necke he proudly trod:
He is th'abomination (void of grace)
That mounts himselfe into the holy place:
He makes the Princes of the earth drinke up,
And quaffe the poyson of the cursed cup,
Who being drunken with the dregs of sin,
They have his sworne and forsworne vassals bin,
Bewitched with his soule inchanting charmes,
Gainst one another they have rose in Armes;
By forraigne and domesticke bloody broiles,
Whilst he hath fild his coffers with their spoiles:
His double dealing too too plaine appeares,
In setting Christian Princes by the eares,
Whilst he into his avaritious hands,
Hath seiz'd their persons, moveables, and lands:
And as the Christian kings thēselves made weak,
The
Turke into their Kingdomes 'gan to break;
And thus the
Turk and
Pope ioin'd with the devil,
Have beene the authors of all Christian evil.
The second BOOKE.
VVHen the 7
th
Henry in his grave was laid,
And the 8
th
Henry Englands Scepter swaid,
Romes bloody persecution raged more
In
England, than in ten Kings raignes before:
And therefore Reader, in this little Booke,
For every Martyrs name thou must not looke:
But men of chiefest note, respect and fame,
That died in
England, onely those I name.
And first the Papists tyranny began,
In murthering
Richard Hun, a zealous man,
For being kept in prison by their power,
They closely hang'd him in the
Lollards Tower.
And then they all in generall decreed,
Reporting
Hun himselfe had done the deed.
And sixteene daies just after this was done,
They burn'd the foresaid corps of
Richard Hun.
Then to the number of full thirty five,
The furious flames did all of life deprive;
In severall places of this wofull Land,
Because they did the Pope of
Rome withstand.
At which time
Thomas Bilney did beginne,
To preach and teach 'gainst Antichristian sinne;
Where in Saint
Georges Church in
Ipswich town
[Page]The Papists from the Pulpit pluckt him downe
And as in dolefull prison he did lie,
He put his finger into the flames to trie;
He prov'd, & God did give him strength to beare
His death, to live with his Redeemer deare.
The next of note was one
Iohn Frub, a man
Of learning great, a Martyrs fame he wan.
Then learned
Luther, and grave
Zwinglius,
With
Calvin, Beza, Oecolampadius,
All glorious, gracious reverend lamps of light,
Were instruments to clear bleard
Englands sight.
In
Flanders William Tindall for Gods Word,
Was sacrific'd to glorifie the Lord.
Iohn Lambert valiantly his death did take,
And burn'd in
Smithfield for his Saviours sake.
About this time, that honourable man,
Lord
Cromwell, life, and timelesse death began;
He like an earth-quake made the Abbies fall.
The Fryeries and the Nunneries all.
This famous noble, worthy
Essex Earle,
This Iem, this Iewell, this most Orient Pearle,
Was for his truth from all he had discarded.
And with his heads losse, all his Faith rewarded,
The next of worthy note by fire that dide,
Was good
Daughter of Sir
[...] Ayscough, Knight
Anne Ayscough, who did strong abide,Racks, torturs, & the cruel raging flame,
To magnifie her high Creators name.
Then'gan the kings eies to be opened quite
[Page]Inlightned by the everlasting light.
He banisht superstitious idle fables,
And packt the Papists hence with all their bables.
Then
Bonner, Gardner, brethren both in evill,
Factors and actors, blood-hounds for the Devill,
Their burning fame to infamy soone faded,
They godlesse, gracelesse, were disgrac'd, degraded.
The King then having this good worke begun,
He died, and left the Kingdome to his son.
Then raign'd young
Edward, that sweete princely child.
By whom all Popery was cleane exil'd.
But he too good to live 'mongst wicked men,
Th'Almighty tooke him hence to heaven agen:
No sooner
Edward was laid in his Tombe,
But
England was the slaughter-house of
Rome.
Gardner and
Bonner were from prison turn'd,
Aud whom they pleas'd were either sav'd or burn'd,
Queene
Mary imitating
lezabel,
Advanc'd againe the Ministers of hell:
Then tyranny began to tyrannize,
Tortures and torments then they did devise;
Then Master
Rogers with a faith most fervent,
Was burn'd, and di'd (in
Smithfield) Gods true servant.
Next unto him did
Laeurence Sanders die,
By fire (for Iesus sake) at
Covenerie;
He did imbrace, and kindly kisse the stake,
To gaine heav'ns glory, did the world forsake.
Good Bishop
Hooper was at
Gloster burn'd,
[Page]Cause he against the Romish doctrine spurn'd;
And Doctor
Tayler a true zealous man,
At
Hadley burned, eternall glory wan.
Then Bishop
Farrer next his life did spend
In fire, to gaine the life shall never end.
Next
William Flower, first did lose his hand,
Then burn'd, because he did the Pope withstand
In
Essex, Thomas Hawkes, with faith victorious
Did die with fire to gaine a life most glorious.
Master
John Bradford (for his Saviours sake)
In
Smithfield burn'd, a godly end did make.
Two reverend Bishops, Father
Latimer,
And
Ridley, each of them a heavenly star,
Liv'd in Gods feare, and in his favour di'd;
At
Oxford burn'd, and now are glorifi'd.
John Philpot gladly did the fire imbrace,
And died, and lives in his Redeemers grace.
Then that grave Father, and religious man,
Arch-bishop
Cranmers troubles hot began,
His pomp, his state, his glory, and his pride,
Was to know Iesus, and him crucifide:
He liv'd a godly Preacher of Gods Word,
And dy'd a glorious Martyr of the Lord.
Iohn Careles in close prison carefully,
Did change his cares for joyes eternally.
But this small volume cannot well containe,
One quarter of the Saints in
England slane.
In
Henries raigne and
Maries, (cruell Queene)
[Page]Eight thousand people there hath slaughterd bin
Some by the sword, some hang'd, some burnt in fire
Some starv'd to death in prison all expire:
Twelve thousand and seven hundred more beside
Much persecution trouble did abide,
Some rackt, some whipt, some tortur'd, some in stocks,
Some doing pennance with a world of mocks;
Some with an Iron in the faces burn'd,
Some out of all their goods to beggry turn'd.
Some bar-foot, baring faggots on their shoulders
Were made a wondring stocke to the beholders:
All this and more, much more they did endure,
Because they would not yeeld to live impure:
But now to speake the law lesse cause wherefore,
And why these people troubled were so sore,
Because they would not make their plaints and mones
To senslesse images, dead stocks & stones,
Because they said the sacramentall bread,
Is not the Lord which shall judge quick & dead.
Because they not beleev'd a Purgatory,
And held the Popes decrees an Idle story.
Because they would not creepe unto the crosse,
And change Gods sacred Word for human drosse
Because they held the Masse an Idoll soule.
At once which pickt the purse and damn'd the soule
Because they knew the Pope and all his crue,
Hell-hounds whom heaven (in rage) on earth did spue.
And in a word, they thus were over-trod,
[Page]Because they truly serv'd the living God.
This was the maine and onely cause of all,
Because they would not offer unto
Baal.
The Popes outragious aud contagious actor,
Was Bishop
Benner, hells most truly factor:
Romes hang-man, & the firebrand of this Realme,
That with a flood of blood did overwhelme,
The true beleevers of Gods holy truth,
He butchered, not regarding age or youth.
With him was joyn'd a man almost as il,
Who tooke delight Gods servants blood to spil;
Call'd
Steven Gardner, Englands Chanceller,
And Bishop of the See of
Winchester:
These two did strive each other to excell,
Who should doe greatest service unto hell;
Vntill at last God heard his servants cry,
And each of them did die immediatly.
Thus when
Iehovah heard the just complaints,
Of his beloved, poore, afflicted Saints;
Then this too cruell Pope defending Queen,
(The bloodiest Princesse that this land hath seen)
She did decease, and persecution ceast,
And tired wofull
England purchast rest.
Queene
Mary being dead, her welcome death
Reviv'd our joyes in blest
Elizabeth,
Innumerable were her woes and cares,
Abundant were the subtill wyles and snares,
Which Satan and his Ministers oft laid,
[Page]To rave the life of that most harmelesse maid.
She was accus'd, abus'd, revil'd, miscal'd;
She was from prison unto prison hal'd:
Long in the Tower she was close prisoner shut,
Her loving servants all away were put:
From thence to
Windsor, thence to
Woodstock sent,
Closely mewd up from all the worlds content:
But God whose mercies ever did defend her,
Did in her greatest sorrowes comfort send her.
He did behold her from his Throne most high,
And kept her as the apple of his eye,
Let Hell and Hell-hounds still attempt to spill,
Yet the Almighty guards his servants still.
And he at last did ease her sorrowes mone,
And rais'd her to her lawfull awfull throne;
This royall
Debora, this princely Dame,
VVhole life made all the world admire the same.
As
Iudith in
Bethulia's same was spread,
For cutting off great
Holophernes head:
So our
Eliza stoutly did beginne,
Vntopping and beheading Romish sinne,
Shee purg'd the Land of Papistry agen,
She liv'd belov'd of God, admir'd of men:
She made the Antichristian Kingdome quake,
She made the mighty power of
Spaine to shake:
As farre as Sunne or Moone disperst their raies,
So far and further went her matchlesse praise.
She was at home, abroad, in every part,
[Page]Load-starre and Load-stone to each eye and heart
Supported onely by Gods powerfull hand,
She foure and forty yeeres did rule this Land,
And when she left this royall princely seat,
She chang'd earths greatnes to be heavenly great.
Thus did this westerne worlds great wonder die,
She fell from height to be advanc'd more hie.
Terrestriall Kings and Kingdomes all must fade.
Then blest is she that is immortall made.
Her death fill'd wofull
England full of feares,
The Papists long'd for change with itching eares.
For her decease was all their onely hope,
To raise againe the doctrine of the Pope.
But he whose power is all omnipotent,
Did their unhappy hopelesse hopes prevent.
Succession lawfully did leave the Crowne,
Vnto a prince whose vertue and renowne,
And learning doth out-strip all Kings as far,
As doth the Sunne obscure a little star.
VVhat man (that is but man) could baffle more
Romes seven headen purple whore,
How wisely hath he
Bellarmine confuted,
And how divinely hath he oft disputed.
How zealously he doth Gods faith defend,
How often on Gods word he doth attend.
How clement, pious, and how gracious good,
Is he, as fits the greatnesse of his blood.
VVert not for him, how would the Muses doe?
[Page]He is their patterne, and their patron too.
He is th'Appollo, from whose radiant beames,
The Quintessence of Poetry out-streames.
And from the splendor of his piercing raies,
A world of worthy Writers wins the baies.
Yet all the worthy vertues so transparent,
And so well knowne in him, to be inherent,
Cannot perswade Papists leave their strife,
With cursed treasons to attempt his life:
For when their disputations help'd them not,
They would dispute in a damn'd powder-plot.
In which the Romish went beyond the Divell,
For hell could not invent a plot so evill.
But he that plac'd him on his royall throne,
(The God of
Iacobs, Iudahs holy one)
That God (for Iesus sake) I doe beseech,
(With humble heart, and with unfaigned speech)
That he and his, may
Britaines Scepter sway;
Till time, the world, and all things passe away.
FINIS
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