Fox's Book of Martyrs: Or A History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Triumphant; Deaths of the Primitive Protestant MartyrsFoxe, John
HistoryHistory
Fox's Book of Martyrs: Or A History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Triumphant; Deaths of the Primitive Protestant Martyrs
Foxe, John
Church history; Martyrs; Persecution
This poor honest woman, blind from her birth, and unmarried, aged 22,
was of the parish of Allhallows, Derby. Her father was a barber, and
also made ropes for a living: in which she assisted him, and also
learned to knit several articles of apparel. Refusing to communicate
with those who maintained doctrines contrary to those she had learned in
the days of the pious Edward, she was called before Dr. Draicot, the
chancellor of bishop Blaine, and Peter Finch, official of Derby.
With sophistical arguments and threats they endeavoured to confound the
poor girl; but she proffered to yield to the bishop's doctrine, if he
would answer for her at the day of judgment, (as pious Dr. Taylor had
done in his sermons) that his belief of the real presence of the
sacrament was true. The bishop at first answered that he would; but Dr.
Draicot reminding him that he might not in any way answer for a heretic,
he withdrew his confirmation of his own tenets; and she replied, that if
their consciences would not permit them to answer at God's bar for that
truth they wished her to subscribe to, she would answer no more
questions. Sentence was then adjudged, and Dr. Draicot appointed to
preach her condemned sermon, which took place August 1, 1556, the day of
her martyrdom. His fulminating discourse being finished, the poor
sightless object was taken to a place called Windmill Pit, near the
town, where she for a time held her brother by the hand, and then
prepared herself for the fire, calling upon the pitying multitude to
pray with her, and upon Christ to have mercy upon her, till the glorious
light of the everlasting sun of righteousness beamed upon her departed
spirit.
September 8, 1556, Edward Sharp, aged 40, was condemned at Bristol.
September 24, Thomas Ravendale, a currier, and John Hart, suffered at
Mayfield, in Essex; and on the day following, a young man, a carpenter,
died at Bristol with joyous constancy. September 27, John Horn, and a
female martyr suffered at Wooten-under-edge, Gloucestershire, professing
abjurgation of popery.
In November, fifteen martyrs were imprisoned in Canterbury castle, of
whom all were either burnt or famished. Among the latter were J. Clark,
D. Chittenden, W. Foster of Stone, Alice Potkins, and J. Archer, of
Cranbrooke, weaver. The two first of these had not received
condemnation, but the others were sentenced to the fire. Foster, at his
examination, observed upon the utility of carrying lighted candles about
on Candlemas-day, that he might as well carry a pitch fork; and that a
gibbet would have as good an effect as the cross.
We have now brought to a close the sanguinary proscriptions of the
merciless Mary, in the year 1556, the number of which amounted to above
EIGHTY-FOUR!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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