penance

otherwise, nor shall they suffer their beards to grow past fourteen days, nor ever haunt again together with any suspect person or persons, unless it be in the open market, fair, church, or common inn, or alehouse, where other people may see their conversation. And all these injunctions they and every of them, to fulfil with their penance, and every part of the same, under pain of relapse.' And thus have you the names, with the causes and the of them which were at this present time abjured. By which word " abjured," is meant that they were constrained by their oath, swearing upon the evangelists, and subscribing with their hand, and a cross to the same, that they did utterly and voluntarily renounce, detest, and forsake, and never should hold hereafter these, or any other like opinions, contrary to the determination of the holy mother church of Rome; and farther, that they should detect unto their ordinary whomsoever they should see, or suspect hereafter to teach, hold, or maintain the same. Then follows the names of them, which were condemned for relapse, and committed unto the secular power.

Among these aforenamed persons, which thus submitted themselves, and were put to penance, certain there were who because they had abjured before, as is under bishop Smith, were now condemned for relapse, and had sentence read against them, and so were committed to the secular arm, to be burned. Whose names here follow, Thomas Bernard, James Morden, Robert Rave, and John Scrivener. To these may be joined also Joan Norman and Thomas Holmes.

This Thomas Holmes, although he had disclosed and detected many of his brethren, thinking thereby to please the bishop, and to save himself, and was thought to be a feed man of the bishop for the same; yet notwithstanding, in the same bishop's register appears the sentence of relapse, and condemnation written against him; and most likely he was also adjudged and executed with the other.

As touching the burning of John Scrivener, here is to be noted, that his children were compelled to set fire unto their father, in like manner as Joan Clark, the daughter of William Tylsworth, was constrained to give fire to the burning of her own father. The example of which cruelty, as it is contrary both to God and nature, so it hath not been seen nor heard of in the memory of the heathen.

* Being burned as relapsed heretics.

The extracts from the bishops' registers, printed by Fox, contain many other names and further particulars respecting the persecuted Lollards from A. D. 1508 to 1528. Enough, however, has been given to show how widely the doctrines of truth were diffused in Buckinghamshire, and there is sufficient evidence that other parts of the kingdom had been blessed with the like influences. The reader will bear in mind that these records prove that the light of divine truth was not extinguished in our land from the time of Wickliff to that of Luther. In reference to this important fact, Fox has observed as follows:

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This was before the name of Luther was heard of among the people in these countries. Wherefore, they are much beguiled and misinformed which condemn this kind of doctrine, now received, of novelty, asking, Where was this church and religion before Luther's time? To whom it may be answered, that this religion and form of doctrine, first planted by the apostles, and taught by true bishops, afterwards decayed, and now reformed again, although it was not received or admitted of the pope's clergy before Luther's time, neither yet is received, yet it was received of others, in whose hearts it pleased the Lord secretly to work, and that of a great number who both professed and suffered for the same.'

*

Fox adds, "The church of England hath not lacked great multitudes, which tasted and followed the sweetness of God's holy word, almost in as ample manner, for the number of well-disposed hearts, as now. Although public authority to maintain the open preaching of the gospel then was wanting, yet the secret multitude of true professors was not much unequal. Certainly, the fervent zeal of those christian days seemed much superior to these our days and times, as manifestly may appear by their sitting up all night in reading and hearing. Also by their expenses and charges in buying books in English; some gave five marks, some more, some less, for a book; some gave a load of hay for a few chapters of St. James or of St. Paul in English. In which rarity of books and want of teachers, I greatly marvel and muse to note in the registers, and to consider how the word of truth notwithstanding did multiply so exceedingly as it did among them. Wherein is to be seen, no doubt, the marvellous working of God's mighty power. For so I find and observe in considering the registers, how The early part of the reign of queen Elizabeth. WICK. DISC.

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one neighbour resorting and conferring with another, eftsoons* with a few words of their first or second talk, did win and persuade their minds to that wherein they desired to persuade them, touching the truth of God's word and his sacraments. To see their travails, their earnest seeking, their burning zeal, their readings, their watchings, their sweet assemblies, their love and concord, their godly living, their marrying with the faithful, MAY MAKE US NOW IN

THESE OUR DAYS OF FREE PROFESSION TO BLUSH FOR SHAME."

To these simple but impressive remarks of the martyrologist, it may be well to add, that if the reader has not found in the preceding examinations the full declarations of justification by faith in Christ alone, which he may have expected, he should remember that the bishops' registers only record the points upon which the followers of the truth were chiefly called to give an account. They of course were those wherein the conduct of the Lollards differed from the practices of the Romish church. The procedure of that church ever has been, not directly to deny the efficacy of the blood of Christ, but to endeavour to render it of none effect by human additions. These additions, we have seen, the Lollards opposed, and earnestly studied the scriptures; there could be no other reason WHY they should have done so in the manner, and to the extent to which they proceeded, but that the knowledge of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, was revealed among them by the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Doubtless they were persecuted, because the ROOT of the matter was found in them.

• Speedily.

AND OF HIS TROUBLE IN OXFORD, a. d. 1526, TESTIFIED AND RECORDED BY ANTHONY DALABER, WHO WAS THERE

ABOUT the year of our Lord, 1526, Master Garret, or Garrard, curate of Honey Lane, in London, came unto Oxford, and brought with him sundry books in Latin, treating of the scripture, and Tindal's first translation of the new testament in English, which books he sold to divers scholars in Oxford.

After he had been there a while, and had disposed of those books, news came from London that he was searched for through all London, to be apprehended and taken as a heretic, and to be imprisoned for selling of those heretical books, as they termed them, because they spake against the usurped authority, and erroneous doctrine of the bishop of Rome, and his no less impure and filthy synagogue. For it was not unknown to cardinal Wolsey, and to the bishop of London, and to others of that ungodly generation, that master Garret had a great number of those books, and that he was gone to Oxford to make sale of them there to such as he knew to be lovers of the gospel. Wherefore they determined forthwith to make a private search through all Oxford to apprehend and imprison him, and to burn all his aforesaid books, and him too, if they could, so burning hot was their charity. But at that time one of the aforesaid proctors, called master Cole, of Magdalen college, who after was cross-bearer unto cardinal Wolsey, was well acquainted with master

When cardinal Wolsey founded Frideswide college, (now Christ Church,) at Oxford, he appointed several able scholars of Cambridge to his new foundation, some of whom were inclined to the protestant doctrines. This being discovered, they were accused of heresy, and so severely treated, that three died in consequence of their imprisonment. Frith and others escaped for a time. The narrative of Dalaber refers to that period, and shows the progress which the doctrines of truth had begun to make in Oxford so early as A. D. 1526.

Garret, and therefore he gave secret warning unto a friend or two of master Garret's, of this private search, and willed that he should forthwith, as secretly as he could, depart out of Oxford. For if he were taken in the same search, no remedy but he should be forthwith sent up unto the cardinal, and so he should be committed unto the tower.

The Christmas before that time, I, Anthony Dalaber, then scholar of Alborne Hall, who had books of master Garret's, had been in my country in Dorsetshire at Stalbridge, where I had a brother, the parson of that parish, who was very desirous to have a curate out of Oxford, and willed me to get him one there if I could. This just occasion being offered, it was thought good among the brethren, for so did we not only call one another, but were indeed so one to another, that master Garret, changing his name, should be sent with my letters into Dorsetshire unto my brother, to serve him there for a time, until he might secretly from thence convey himself somewhere over the sea. According hereunto I wrote in all haste possible unto my brother, for master Garret to be his curate, but not declaring what he was, for my brother was a rank papist, and afterwards was the most mortal enemy that ever I had for the gospel's sake.

But

So the Wednesday in the morning before Shrovetide, master Garret departed out of Oxford, towards Dorsetshire, with my letters for his new service. How far he went, and by what occasion he so soon returned, I know not. the Friday next, in the night time, he came again to Radley's house, where he lay before, and so after midnight, in the private search which was then made for him, he was apprehended and taken there in his bed by the two proctors, and on the Saturday in the morning was delivered unto one Dr. Cotisford, master of Lincoln college, then being commissary of the university, who kept him as prisoner in his own chamber. There was great joy and rejoicing among all the papists for his apprehension, and especially with Dr. London, warden of the New college, and Dr. Higdon, dean of Frideswides, two archpapists. Who immediately sent their letters in post haste unto the cardinal, to inform him of the apprehension of this notable heretic; for which their doing, they were well assured to have great thanks. But of all this sudden hurly burly I was utterly ignorant, so that I knew neither of master Garret's sudden return, neither that he was so taken, until