very short w t me mi mind was to haue don you good yet you caught in that litle time a losse But I trust it shalbe recompēced as it shal plese almighti god Farewel al my whole kindred countrymen Farewel in Christ altogether the Lord which is y e searcher of secreates knoweth that according to my harts desire mi hope was of late y t I shuld haue come among you and to haue brought w t me aboundaunce of Christes blessed Gospel accordinge to the duty of that office and ministery where vnto amōg you I was chosen named and appoynted by the mouthe of that oure late piereles Prince and king Edward And so also denounced openly in his court by his preuy counsaile I warne you al my welbeloued kinsfolkes and contreimen that ye be not amased or astonied at the kind of my departure or dissolutiō For I ensure you I thincke it the most honor that euer I was called vnto in all my life And therfore I thancke my Lord God hartely for it that it hathe pleased him to call me of his greate mercye vnto this highe honor to suffer deathe willinglye for hys sake and in hys cause vnto the which honor he called the holye Prophets and his dearely beloued Apostels and his blessed chosen martirs For knowe ye that I doubt no more but that the causes wherefore I am put to death are Gods causes and of truthe then I doubte that the Gospel which Ihon wrote is the Gospell of Christ or that Paules Epistles are the verye word of God And to haue a harte willinge to abide and stand in Gods cause and in Christes quarrell euen vnto deathe I ensure the O man it is an in estimable and a honorable gift of God geuen only to the true electes and dearly beloued childrē of God and inheritoures of the kingdome of heauen For the holye Apostle and also martyr in Christes cause Saint Peter saith If ye suffer rebuke in the name of Christ that is in Christes cause and for his truthes sake then ye are happye and blessed for the glory of the spirit of God resteth vppon you If for rebuke sake suffred in christes name a mā is pronoūced by the mouth of y e holy Apostle blessed and happye how much more happy and blessed is he that hathe the grace to suffer death also Wherfore al you that be my true louers and frēdes reioyse and reioyse with me againe And render with me harty thanckes to God oure heauenly father that for his Sonnes sake my Sauioure redeamer Christ he hath vouchsaued to call me beinge els without his gratious goodnesse in my selfe but a sinfull and a vile wretche to cal me I say vnto this high dignitie of his true Prophets and of his faithfull Apostles and of his holye elected and chosen Martyrs that is to die and to spende this Temporall life in the defence and maintenaunce of his eternall and euerlastinge truthe Ye knowe that be my Countrye men dwellinge vppon the Borders where alas the true man suffereth oft-times muche wronge at the theues hande if it chaunce a manne to be slaine of the theefe as it oft chaunceth there whiche wente oute with his neighboure to healpe hym to rescue his goodes againe that the more cruellye he be slaine and the more stedfaste hee stooke by hys neighboure in fighte agaynste the face of the theefe the more fauour and frendship shall all his posteritie haue for the slaine mans sake of all them that bee true as longe as the memorye of hys facte and hys Posteritye dothe endure Euen so ye that be my Kinsfolke and Countrye men knowe ye howe so euer the blinde ignoraunte and wicked worlde hereafter shall raile vppon my Deathe which thing they can not do worse then their fathers did of the death of Christ our sauioure of his holye Prophets Apostles and martirs Know ye I say that bothe before God and al them that be godlye and that truelye knoweth and followeth the lawes of God ye haue and shall haue by Gods grace euer cause to reioyse and to thanck God highly and to thinke good of it and in god to reioyse of me your fleshe and blud whome God of his gracious goodnes hath voutchsafed to associate vnto the blessed cōpany of his holy martirs in heauē I doubt not in the infinite goodnesse of my Lorde God nor in the faithfull fellowship of his electe chosen people but at bothe thier handes in my cause ye shall rather finde the more fauor grace For the Lord saith that he will be both to them and theirs that loueth him the more louinge againe in a thousand generacions The Lord is so full of mercy to them I saye theirs which do loue him in dede And Christe saithe againe that no man can shewe more loue then to geue his life for his frende Nowe also know ye all my true louers in God my kinsefolke and Countrymē that the cause wherfore I am put to death is euen after the same sorte and condicion but touchinge more nie Gods cause and in more weighty matters but in the generall kinde al one for both is Gods cause bothe is in the maintenance of righte bothe is for the commen wealth and both for the weale also of the Christian brother although yet there is in these two no small difference both concerning the ennemies the goodes stollen and the maner of the fight For know ye al as there when the pore true mā is robbed by y e thefe of his own goods truely gotten wherupon he hys houshold shuld liue is greatli wrōged and the thefe in stealing robbing with violence the pore mans goodes doth offend God doth trāsgresse his law is iniurious both to the pore man and to the commen welth so I say know ye al that euē here in the cause of my deathe the Church of England I meane the congregation of the true chosē children of God in this realm of England which I knowledge not only to be my neighbors but rather the congregation of my true spirituall brethren and sisters in Christ yea members of one body wherein by Goddes grace I am and haue ben grafte in Christe Thys Churche of Englande had of late of the infinite goodnesse and aboundaunte grace of almightye God greate substaunce greate ryches of heauenlye treasure greate plentye of Goddes true and sincere woorde the true and wholesome administracion of Christes holye Sacramenes the hole profession of Christes religion truelye and plainlye sette forth in Baptisme the plaine declaration and vnderstandynge of the same taught in the holy Cathechisme to haue ben learned of al true Christians This church had also a true and sincere forme and manner of the Lordes Supper wherin according to Christes own ordinaunce and holy institucion Christes commaundements were executed done For vpō the bread and wine set vpō the Lordes table thākes wer geuē the cōmemoration of the Lordes deathe was had the bread
day But this can I praye for thee O thou nowe wicked and bloudye sea why doste thou nowe set vp againe many alters of Idolatry which by y e word of God were iustlye taken awaye whye haste thou ouerthrowne the Lordes Table why dost thou daily delude the people Maskinge in thy Masses in the steade of the Lordes holye Supper whiche ought to be commen aswell saithe Chrisostom yea the Lord him self to the people as to the Priest why darest y u deny to the people of christ contrary to his exprest cōmaundement in the gospel his holy cuppe whye bablest thou to the people the commen praier in a straunge tōge wherin S. Paule commaundeth in the Lordes name no man shuld speake before the congregaciō except it shuld be by and by declared in their commen tounge that all might be edefied Nai harken thou whorishe bande of Babilone thou wicked limme of Antichriste thou bloudye Wolffe whye slaiest thou downe and makest hauoke of the Prophets of god why murtherest thou so cruelly Christes pore selye sheepe whiche will not heare thy voyce because thou arte a straunger and they will followe none other but theyr Pastoure Christe hys voyce Thinckest to escape or that the LORDE will not require the bloude of hys Sainctes at thy handes Thy GOD whyche is the woorke of thy handes and whome thou sayest thou hast power to make That thy Deafe and dum God will not in dede nor can not althoughe thou arte not ashamed to call him thy Maker make the to escape the reuenginge hande of the highe and almightye God But be thou assured oure liuinge Lord our sauiour and redemer which setteth on the righthād of his father in glorye he seeth all thy wicked wais and cruelty done to his deare members and he will not forget his holye ones And his handes O thou whorish drabbe shalt thou neuer escape In steade of my farewell to the nowe I say Fie vpon the. Fie vpon the filthye drabbe and all thy false prophets Yet O thou London I may not leaue thee thus althoughe thy Episcopall sea nowe being ioyned in league with the seate of Sathan thus hath now both handled me the Saintes of God yet I do not doubt but in that great Citye there be many preuy mourners whyche daily mourneth for that mischiefe which neuer did nor shall consente to that wickednes but do detest abhorre it as the waies of Satan But these preuy mourners here I wil passe by and bid them farewel with their fellowes hereafter whē the place and occasion shall more conueniently require Among the worshipfull of the City and specially which were in office of the meralty ye and in other Citezens also whome to name now it shal not be necessary In the time of my ministerye whiche was from the latter part of sir Rowland Hilles yeare vnto sir George Barnes yere and a great part therof I do acknowledge that I found no smal humanitie and gētlenes as me thought But to say the truth that I esteme before all other for true Christian kindnesse that is shewed in Gods cause and done for his sake wherfore O Dobbes Dobbes Alderman and Knighte thou in thy yere diddest win my hart for euermore for that honorable acte that moste blessed woorke of God of the erection and setting vp of Christes holy Hospitalles and truelye religious houses which bithe through the was begonne For thou lyke a manne of God when the matter was moued for the relief of Christes pore selye members to be holpen from extreame miserye hunger and famine thy harte was moued with Pity And as Christ high honourable officer in that cause thou calledst together thy Brethrē and Aldermen of the Citie before whome thou brake the matter for the poore thou pleadest theyr cause yea and not only in thy own Persone thou diddest sette forthe Christes cause but to further the matter thou broughtest me into the Counsell Chamber of the Citie before the Aldermenne alone whyche thou haddest assēbled ther together to heare me speake what I coulde saye as an aduocate by office and duetye in the pore mens cause The Lorde wroughte with thee and gaue thee the consente of thy brethren Whereby the matter was broughte to the Commen Counsel and so to the whole bodye of the Citye by whome with an vniforme consent the matter was committed to be drawne ordered and deuised by a certaine noumber of the mooste wittye Citizeins and Politike endued also w t godlines with ready hartes to set forward such a noble acte as coulde be chosen in all the hole Citie And they like true and faithfull Ministers both to theyr Citie and to their Master Christe so ordred deuised brought forthe the matter that thousandes of sely pore members of Christ which els for extreame hunger and miserye shoulde haue famished and pearished shall be relieued and holpen vp and shall haue cause to blisse the Aldermen the commen counsel and the hole body of the Citye but specially thee o Dobbes and those chosen men by whome this honorable worke of God was begōne wrought and that so long through out all ages as that godlye worke shall endure whiche I praye almighty God may be euer vnto the worldes end And thou o sir George Barnes the truth is to be confessed to Gods glorye and to the good example of other thou waste in thy yeare not onlye a furtherer and continuer of that which before the by thy predecessor Dobbes was well begon but also diddest laboure so to haue profited the worke that it shoulde baue bene an absolute thing a perfect spectacle of true charitie godlinesse vnto all Christendome Thine endeuor was to haue set vp an house of occupations bothe that all kinde of pouertie being able to worke shoulde not haue lacked wherevppon profitablye they might haue bene occupied to theyr owne reliefe and to the profit and commoditie of the commen wealth of the Citie and also to haue retyred thither y e pore babes broughte vp in the Hospitals when they had come to a certain age and strēgth And also all those whyche in the Hospitalles aforesaide haue bene cured of their diseases and to haue broughte this to passe not wythout diligence and labor both of the and thy brethren thou obtained at that godly king Edward that christian and pierles Princes hande his Princelye place of Bridewell with what other things to the performaunce of the same and vnder what cōdition it is not vnknowen That this thine endeuoure hathe not had like successe the faulte is not in thee but in the conditiō and state of the time whiche the Lorde of his infinite mercy voutchsafe to amend whē it shalbe his gratious wil and pleasure Farewell nowe all ye Citezens that be of God of what state and condition so euer ye be vndoubtedlye in London ye haue hard Gods word truely preached My hartes desire and daily praier shall be for you as for whom for my time I know to my Lord
A Frendly Farewel which Master Doctor Ridley late Bishop of London did write beinge prisoner in Oxeforde vnto all his true Louers and frendes in God a litle before that he suffred for the testimony of the truthe of Christ his Gospell Newly set forth and allowed according to the order apoynted in the Quenes Maiesties Iniunctions Ecclesiasticus 4. For the truthe striue thou vnto death ¶ Imprinted at London by Ihon Day dwelling ouer Aldersgate beneath S. Martius 1559. The .10 of Nouembre Cum gratia priuilegio Regia Maiestatis per Septēnium IOHN FOXE to the gentle Reader AMongest manye other worthy sundrie Histories and notable acts which we haue in hande and entēde by the grace of Christe oure Lorde shortly to set abrode of such as of late daies haue ben persecuted murthered martyred for the trewe Gospell of Christ in Quene Maries raigne Firste to begin with this litell treatis of Doct. Nicholas Ridley late Byshoppe of London this shalbe to desyre thee gentle Reader to accept it and studiouslye to peruse it in the meane tyme whyle the other Uolumes be addressing which we ar about touching the full Historie processe and examinations of all our blessed brethren lately persecuted for rightuosnes sake Whiche Histories whā they shal come to light I suppose thou shalt see as horrible a slaughter of the Sainctes ioyned with as much crueltie of some English hertes as euer in anye one realme before Christe or after was sene In the meane time because all thynge can not be done at once the Uolumes be long accept well in worth this litle but pithie worke of this forsaid Bishoppe in expectation of greater thynges which shall perchaunce more largely satisfie thy desyre Cōcerning the contentes of this Booke the Argument doeth easely import For the worthines therof the name onely of the Author is a sufficient commendation though I bestow no prayse therof Firste whan thou readist it by the name of a Fare well thou maiest vnderstande a faithfull Declaration as of one beynge in that case nothing dissembling his consciēce in suche matters and cōtrouersies of religion wherfore he suffered Againe whan thou readist wrytten by Doctor Ridley Bishoppe of London by that onely name thou maiest vnderstande of what excellencie and learning the worke is to be thought procedynge from suche a man whose profounde learning is vnknowē to few Thus doble waies are we bounde to the Lorde who not onely by the bloud and death of his Sainctes confirmeth the testimonie of his trueth but also besydes theyr death leaueth such monumentes behinde them which no lesse cōfounde the aduersary as confirme the godly Briefly as there is nothing in this Boke that greatly neadeth any mans commendation beyng able ynough of his owne praise so neyther do I so mistrust thy vertuous towardnes good and Christian Reader in godly studie reading that thou shouldst greatly nead my exhortation thereunto or any Epistle before the worke saue only that I wold desyre the aide of thy Christiā prayer whereby the thinges maye the more luckely come forward whiche for thy sake at this present we do acheue to the fortheryng of God hys glory the testimony of true religion and establishing of thy conscience Thus desyring the brotherly helpe of thy prayer I wishe thee to fare wel with well fare in the Lorde The grace of Christe confyrme vs and stablyshe vs in all wel doing to the glorie of his name Amen ¶ A FRENDLIE farewell AS a man minding to take a farre iorney and to departe from his familiar frendes commenly and naturally hath a desyre to bid his frendes farewell before his departure So likewise nowe I lokyng when that I should be called for to depart hence frō you O all ye my deare beloued brethren and sisters in our Sauior Christ that dwell here in this worlde hauyng nowe a like minde towardes you all And also blessed be God of this such time and leasure wherof I right hartely thanke his heauēly goodnes I byd you all my deare brethren and sisters in Christ that dwell vppon the earth after suche maner as I can Farewell Farewell my deare Brother George Shypside whom I haue euer founde faithfull trustye and louing in all state and conditions And now in y e tyme of my crosse ouer all other to me most frēdly and stedfast And that whiche liked me best ouer al other thinges in Goddes cause euer herty Farewell my deare syster Alice his wife I am glad to hear of that that thou doest take Christs crosse which is laied now blessed be god both on thy back and mine in good part Thanke thou God that hath gyuen thee a godly and a louynge husbande Se thou honor him and obey him according to Gods lawe Honor thy mother inlawe his mother and loue all that perteyneth vnto him beyng readie to do them good as it shal lie in thy power As for thy children I doubt not of thy husbande but that he which hathe gyuen him a hert to loue and feare God and in God thē that perteine vnto him he shall also make hym frendely and benefyciall vnto thy children euen as if they had bene gotten of his owne body Farewell my welbeloued brother Iohn Rydley of the Waltown and you my gentle and louyng syster Elizabeth whome besydes the natural leauge of amitie your tender loue which you were sayd euer to beare towardes me aboue the rest of your brethren doeth bind me to loue My mind was to haue acknowledged this your louing affectiō to haue acquited it w t dedes not with words alone your daughter Elizabeth I bid farewell whō I loue for the meke gentle spirite that God hath geuē her which is a precious thing in the sight of God Farewell my beloued Sister of Unthancke with all your children my Nephewes and Nices since y e departure of my Brother Hughe my minde was to haue bene vnto thē in the stead of their father But the Lord God must will be their father if they wil loue him feare him and liue in y e trade of his law Farewell my welbeloued worshipfull Cozein Nicholas Ridley of Willymountswicke your wife And I thank you for al your kindnes shewed both to me and also to all your owne kinsfolke and mine Good Cozein as God hath set you in that our stocke and kindred not for any respect of your person but of his aboundant grace and goodnes to be as it were the Belwether to ordre and conduct the reast and hath also endued you with his manifolde giftes of grace bothe heauenly worldly aboue others So I pray you good Cosē as my trust hope is in you continue increse in maintenance of truthe honesty righteousnes all true godlines to the vttermost of your power to withstād falshed vntruth vnrighteousnes and all vngodlines whiche is forbid and condempned by the word and lawes of God Farewel my Cozē Raffe Whitfield oh your time was
compared vnto Gods word truly iudged by the same it shal plainly appere y t they be then my Lords neuer thinck other but the day shal come when ye shalbe charged with this your vndoing of that that once ye had well done with this your periury breach of your oth which oth was done in iudgement iustice and truth agreable to Gods lawe The hore of Babilon maywel for a time dally with you and make you so dronke with the wine of her filthy stewes and horedome as wyth her dispensacions and promises of pardon A pena culpa that for drōkennes and blindnes ye may think your selues safe But be ye assured when the lyuing Lord shal trye the matter by the fire and iudge it according to his worde when all her abominations shall appeare what they be Thē ye my Lords I geue your Lordships warning in time repent if ye be happi and loue your owne soules helth repent I say or els without all dout ye shall neuer escape the hāds of the liuing Lord for the gilt of your Prince and the breach of your oth And as ye haue banketed line with the whore in the fornication of her whorishe dispensacions Pardons Idolatry such like abhomioacions so shal ye drink with her except ye repent be time of the cup of the Lords indignacion euerlasting wrath which is prepared for the beaste his false Prophets and al their partakers For he that is Partner with them in their whoredome and abhominacions must also be partner with them of their plages And on the latter day shalbe throwne in wyth them in the lake burninge wyth brimstone and vnquenchable fyre Thus fare you wel my Lordes al. I pray God geue you vnderstanding of his blessed will and plesure and make you to beleue and embrace the truthe Amen ¶ To the Prisoners in Christes Gospels cause and to al them whiche for the same cause are exiled and banished oute from theyr owne countrye chosynge rather to lose all worldly commodity then their master Christ. FArewell my deare beloued brethren in Christe both you my fellow prisonners and you also that bee exiled and banished oute of youre Countries because ye wyll rather forsake all worldlye commoditye then the Gospell of Christe Farewel al ye together in Christ farewell and be mearye For you knowe that the triall of your faith bringeth forth paciēce and paciēce shall make vs perfecte whole and sound on euery side And such after triall ye know shal receiue y e crown af life let vs therefore be paciente vnto the comming of the Lord. As the husbandman abideth paciently the former and latter rain For the encrese of his crop let vs likewise be pacient and plucke vp our harts for the cōming of the Lorde approcheth apase Let vs my deare brethren take example of patience in tribulation of the Prophets which spake likewise Gods word truelye in his name Let Iob be to vs an example of pacience And the ende which the Lord suffered whiche is ful of mercy and pity we know my brethren by gods word y t our faith is muche more precious then anye corruptible gold and yet y t is tried by the fire Euen so therefore oure faith is tried likewise in tribulations that it may be found when the Lord shall appere laudable gloryous and Honorable For if we for Christes cause do suffer that that is grateful before God for therunto are we called That is our state and our vocation wherwith let vs be content Christ we know suffred for vs afflictions leuing vs an example that we shuld folow his fotesteppes For he committed no sinne nor was there any guile founde in hys mouthe when he was railed vppon and all to reuiled he did not threaten but cōmitted y e punishmēt therof to hym that iudgeth a right Let vs euer haue in freshe remēbrance those wonderful cōfortable sentences spoken by y e mouth of our sauioure Christe Blessed are they which suffer persecution for ryghteousnes sake for theirs is y e kyngdom of heauē Blessed are you whē men reuile you persecute you and speake all euil againste you for my sake Reioyse be glad for greate is your reward in heauē For so did they persecute the prophets which were before you Therefore beare this alway in your mind y t if anye incōmodity doth chāce vnto vs for righteousnes sake y t happy are we whatsoeuer the world doth thincke of vs. Christ our master hath told vs before hande y t the brother shall put y e brother to death the father the sonne the children should rise against their parēts kil thē And y t Christes true apostles should be hated of all mē for his names sake But he that shal abide patiētly vnto thend he shalbe saued Let vs thē endure in al troubles paciently after thexāple of our master Christ be contented therw t. For he suffred being our master Lord how doth it not then become vs to suffer For the disciple is not aboue his master nor the seruaūt aboue his Lord. It may suffice the disciple to be as his master and the seruaunte to be as Lord. If they haue called the master of the family the master of the housholde Belzebub howe muche more shall they call so them of his houshold Feare them not thē saith our sauior for all preuities shalbe made plain Ther is now nothing secreate but it shall be shewed in lighte Of Christes wordes let vs neyther be ashamed nor afrayde to speake it For so oure master commaundeth vs saying That I tell preuely speke openli abrode and y t I tel you in your eare preach it vp on the house top And be not afraid of your selfe of them whyche kyll the bodye for the soule they canne not kyll But feare hym whyche canne caste boothe Bodye and soul into hel fire Know ye that the heauenly father hathe euer a gratious eie and respect toward you a fatherly prouidence for you so y t withoute his knowledge and permission nothing cā do you harme Let vs therfore cast al care vppon him and he shal prouide y t whyche shalbe best for vs. For if of .ii. small sparrowes which both are sold for a mite one of them lighteth not on the ground without the father And all the heeres of oure head are nombred feare not then saith oure Maister Christe for you are more worth then many small sparowes And let vs not stick to confesse our master Christ for feare of daunger whatsoeuer it shalbe remembryng the promisse that Christ maketh saieth euery one that shall confesse me before men him shal I confesse before my father which is in heauē But whosoeuer shal deny me hym shal I likewise deny before my father whyche is in heauen Christe came not to geue vnto vs heare a carnal amitie and a worldly peace or to knit his vnto y e worlde in ease and peace but rather to seperate deuide them from