Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

Of the justice of the proceedings against him, it is not necessary here to dispute It is certain, that he had given great provocation in the reigns of Edward and Mary, first, by his opposition, and afterwards by his cruelty; in the reign of Queen Elisabeth, he renewed his struggles against the establishment of the reformation. When a parliament met, Jan. 25, 1558-9, (says Heylin) Many of the members eagerly opposed all oppositions, which seemed to tend unto the prejudice of the Church of Rome; of which number none so violent as Dr. Story, Doctor of Laws, and a great instrument of Bonner's butcheries in the former reign, who, being questioned for the cruelty of his executions, appeared so far from being sensible of any error which he then committed, as to declare himself to be sorry for nothing more than, that instead of lopping off some few boughs and branches, he did not lay his ax to the root of the tree; yet passed unpunished for the present, though divine vengeance brought him in conclusion to his just reward.

The Author, who has recounted Story's cruelties with so much acrimony, has forgotten to inform his reader, that part of his severity was repaid; for he was cut down so soon from the gallows, that, when the executioner hegan to quarter him, he rose up and gave him a blow on the ear; but, notwithstanding his sensibility, they proceeded to dismember him. J.

.0.

The speciall Contents of this Declaration.

First, wherfore Iohn Story was imprisoned in the Queenes Benche. His breaking of that prison, and flyeng into Flaunders.

His trayterous and naughtie delyng there.

The cause and maner of his conueyance from thence into England.
The maner of his arainement and iudgement.

The maner of his death and execution.
An epilogue or short conclusion of his lyfe,

GE

ENTLE reader, in this short declaration, I purpose briefely to note vnto thee part of the lyfe, and the maner of death of John Story, late a Romish and canonicall doctor by professyon. If I should discourse the common places of discription of persones, hys parentes, hys educatyon and bringyng vp, hys sundrie outragious doinges executed by him, in the persecutynge of the membres of Christ, and the maner of hys lyfe, from tyme to tyme, namely in the tyme of King Henry the Eight, when the statute of sixe articles was first set foorth, and all hys cruelty used sithens, to the daye of hys death, it would ask a volume as greate as the Booke of Martyrs; a great part of which booke is stuffed with hys tyrannous and cruell tragedies, executed against God and hys poor membres.

As for the wilfull and wicked course of hys yonger yeres, a great parte wherof he spent in the Uniuersitie of Oxforde, to reporte all the partes, it would require a longer story.

One pranke may stand instead of many. And although Christian

charitie requyre vs alwaye, and of all men, to reporte the best, speciallye of them that be departed: yet no charytie forbyddeth a man with sobryetie and modestye to reporte the truthe, for the benefite of good example to other: or els all writyng of histories after the parties death (when they be most truely written) should bee condemned, and the bridle of iust infamy perilously taken away from wicked men.

About the yere of our Lord, 1529, Story, being a student of the ciuill law in Hinksete-hall, in Oxforde, and on a tyme, lodging abroade alone, as often tymes his maner was to do, in the company of a woman, whome hee had at his commaundement, was set home from thence late in the night, and caried alofte through the open streetes with a solemne procession of the whole companie of his house, euery man caryenge a candell burninge before hym, as a token of hys virginytye, and syngyng merelye together,

Qui pius, prudens, humilis, pudicus,
Sobrius, castus fuit, & quietus,
Vita dum presens, &c.

as if they had been S. Nicholas clerkes.

After that, about the yere of our Lord, 1538, the sayde Story, beyng then Doctour and Pryncypall of Broadgates in the sayde Universitie of Oxforde, and mistrustinge a yonge gentleman for over familiar resorting to hys acquaintaunce in the towne, gaue him earnest charge, with terrible threates, as he loued his life, to come there no more, for loue and lordship can brooke no fellowshipp,

Therfore on a certayne tyme for hys good chaste purpose, takynge occasion to walke abroade, and hauing his man with his sworde wayt ing vpon him, and passing through the church-yarde of St, Olaues, he met the sayde yonge gentleman retorning home from the towne, beeyng vtterly without weapon, and hauing onlie his study gowne cast vpon him. And he imagining that he cam from such places, as he had so often forbidden him, in great furie and heate of minde, beeyng also fired with ielosie towards his louc, he raught backe sodenlye vnto hys man, and drewe hys sworde, and, hauing the gentleman at advantage in the corner of two walles, ran him thorowe both sydes, and lefte him for dead.

Imediatly a cry was raysed, the people assembled, Doctor Story was apprehended by the officers, and layd in Bocardo, wher he con tinued vntill it was perfectly knowen, that the yonge gentleman so wounded was past all danger. For God, by hys gracyous provydence, so dyrected the sworde, that, notwithstanding it pearced through both sides, yet it perished not one parte of all the entrailes.

[ocr errors]

He that writeth these wordes is a witnes hereof, and sawe the partye dressed, and the towells drawen through his bodie.

The partie so wounded is named N. Brierton, and is yet aliue.

These are the fyrst fruites of Doctour Stories good doctorly doinges, agreable with his lyfe that folowed afterwarde,

A kyndly beare wyll bite by tyme,

Now I wyll begyn the rest of this declaration at the begynning of the reigne of the most vertuous, godly, learned, and hopeful prince, King Edward the Sixt, who, after the death of the most noble and famous prince, Kinge Henry the Eight, his father, tooke vpon him, as of right appertayned vnto him, the regall state and Gouernment of this realme. And first, and before all other things, he, seekynge the high aduauncement of Goddes honour, restored vnto vs the sincere doctrine of the gospel of our Sauiour Iesus Christ, and made most godly lawes, for the abbolysshynge of all superstycion and idolatry. At whiche tyme, John Storye being then of the parliament house, and a great enemye to the glorious light of Christes gospel, did vehemently inueigh against the godly doynges of that vertuous prince, namely, for settynge foorth the book of common-prayer and administracion of the sacraments in Englysh, where he did not only slaunderouslye speake of the doctrine, but also malyciouslye and sediciouslye spake of that godly prince, alleging the sentence of Ecclesiastes: "That wo is to that realme, whose kynge is but a childe," wrestynge the same text against that noble prince, euen to the same sence that gave cheefe occasion to the rebellion in the same Kinges tyme, and meaning that both the Prince, and the realme, did they wyst not what.

And shortly after, that he had thus declared hys rebellious hart, and canckred iudgement, he then fedde this realme into the partes beyond the seas, and there abode all the lyfe of that vertuous Prince.

After his death, as sone as the late Queen Mary possessed the ' crowne, the aforsayd Story retorned again from beyond the seas, and obtayned of Queene Mary by the help of Bishop Boner, that he became a commissioner, and a cruel persecutor of Christes members, wherin he trauelled with such vehemency and in such a tyrannous maner, as neuer was there any before him did, and in that state he contynued al the dayes of Queene Maryes lyfe.

After the death of Queene Mary, so sone as our most dere soueraigne lady came to the possession of the crowne, and that she had called a parliamenr, chieflye for the restitucyon of Gods blessed worde, and the true administracion of the sacramentes to Goddes high honor, and also for the amendment of the decayed state of this realme: the said Story, being of the parliament-house who was an cnemy to al godly reformations, did wyth great vehemency speake against the bill that was ther exhibited for the restytucyon of the Book of Common-Prayer, and sayd these wordes: 'I did aften tymes, in Queene Marics tyme, saye to the bishops that they were to busie with Pecora campi (for so it pleased him to terme the poor commons of England) chopping at twiges; but I wished to haue chopped at the roote, which if they had done, this gere had not cum now in question, and here in most traiterously he ment the distruccion of our dere and Soucraigne Lady Queene Elizabeth.' For the which wordes, spoken in such an audience and in such vehement maner, there was no honest nor true hart, that hard him, but did utterly abhorre him.

And sone after, that he had declared his trayterous hart to the Queenes Highnes, and hys conscience accusing him, he fled and lurked about in sondry corners, as did Cain, when he had murdered his bro

ther Abell. But, at the last, he was taken in the West Countrye, ryding before a male, in a frise coate lyke a seruing man, and was apprehended in the highwaie, by one Master Ayleworth a gentleman, one of the Queenes seruauntes, and brought before the counsaill, and after sent to prison to the Queenes-Bench (for more than suspicion of treason) in the fyrst yere of her Highnes reigne,

And after the sayd Story had remained there a whyle, he espyenge hys tyme, and by the helpe of hys frendes (as commonly such lewde Papistes lacke none) he brake the sayd prison and fled againe beyond the seas, namely, into Flaundyrs, and there not only practised diuerse wicked and treyterous enterprices towards our Soueraigne Lady, the Quenes Majestie, and the state of this realme, by sondry conferences that he had, with such as haue of late rebelled and conspired the destruccion of the same: but also he became an open and comon enemi to euery good subiect of this realme of England, and obteyned in Flaundyrs, of the Duke of Alua, a commission and aucthoritie to practise his old crueltie, and to arest and aprehend al such Englishmens goods, as shold arriue in those countries, or that did traffique out of England, into those partes, or from thence into England, and to confiscat the same; by reason of which aucthoritie, he vsed there such extremytie, that he was the spoiler and vndoer of dyuerse merchauntes, and of more would haue bene, if he had longer continued; wherfore the sayd merchauntes were inforced to study and deuyse some remeady, and to practise some waye or meane howe to remoue this combersome man from them.

And among other deuises they, hauing experience of hym to be a gredy and rauenous wolfe, put into hys head (by such as he suspected not) that ther was a praye for hym of English goodes, in a ship that lay in a certein place, which was named vnto him, where he should fynd such a treasure of goods to be confiscate, as would be sufficient for him, during his lyfe. The wolfe, beynge hongry and desyrous of this great praye, set forward, and came into a shyp that promysed to brynge hym to the place, where the praye was. But, to be shorte, assone, as he was entered the shyp, the same brought hym cleane awaye out of Flaundyrs into England, and landed him at Harwyche, in the moneth of Auguste last paste.

And sone after, knowlege being geven to the queenes honorable counsaill of his landynge, he was brought to London, and there he was committed to prison to the Lollardes Tower in Powles, where he continued a whyle that he myght well peruse that place, wherin he had most cruelly tormented many a good Christyan. But he lacked there one thing, which was the monstrous and houge stockes, that hee and Boner, his old faithfull frend, had vsed to turmoyle and persecute the poore and innocent Christians in, hanging sum therin by the heles so high, that only theyr heades laye on the ground. Some wer stocked in both feet and armes, some also wer stocked by both thir feet and by both thir thombes, and so did hang in the stockes. And some also were stocked by both theyr fete, and cheyned by the necke wyth collars of iron made fast behynde theim to a post in the wall, and suche other deuelishe and tyrannus engynes and deuyses by hym practised; these at his being in

the Lollardes Tower he myssed, and great pitie it was, that he had not tasted of theim: But alack, the good Bisshop Gryndall, late Bishop of London, had brent and consumed theim with fire.

But to returne where I left, after that Story had contynued a certaine of tyme, in the Lollardes Tower, and had ben diuers tymes examined, he was from thence remoued to the Tower of London, wher he remayned vntill the xxvi. day of Maye, 1571. And then was hee brought from thence into Westminster-hall, before the Judges of the Queenes-Benche, and there arayned. And after the indictment had ben read vnto hym, the effect wherof was, that wher as Rychard Norton, Thomas Markenfelde, Christopher Neuyll, Frances Norton, and Thomas Jenny, alias Jennings, with other traytors, after their offences committed in the north, and being thereof indicted in the xii. yere of the Queenes Highnes raigne before the right honorable Thomas Erle of Sussex, Lorde President of the Queenes Counsaill in the North Partes, John Lorde Darcye, &c. they, after their indictment, did the xxiii. of June, in the yere aforsayd, embarke theimselves in sundry shyppes, and fled this realme unto Antwarpe in Brabant, whych is vnder the gouernment of King Phylip, and ther contrarye to theyr allegiaunce did lead their liues, and the aforsayd John Story. D. W. P. and J. P, being borne in Englande, and the Queenes subiectes, did with theim conspire, compasse, and imagin the Queenes death, and her Highnes to depose and depryue.

And by diuers perswasions and letters, did also procure straungiers to inuade this realme of England, and to leuy warre against the Queene, and her Hyghnes to depose. And, that the aforsayd John Story, &c. knowing the abouesaid Norton, and others, to haue committed theyr treasons here in England, did receaue, comfort, and helpe theim at Antwarp aforsaid, agaynst theyr allegeaunce, &c.

And after the indictment read, he being called vpon by the courte to answere to the same, pleaded, that he was not the Queenes subiect nor had not bene these vii. yeres, but was the subject of the most Catholicke and mighty Prince, Kyng Philip, Kyng of Spaine, to whome he was sworne, and had in fee of him one-hundred pound by the yere; therfore said he I am not bound to answere vnto that indictment, neyther will I answere unto it.

And here he vsed many pretie tauntes as well to the judges, as also pleasyng himselfe with giuinge of pretie nippes and girdes.

And verye stowtlye he maintayned his former plea, affirming also, that they were not his lawfull judges, neither that they had law to procede against him, being none of the Queenes subiectes.

And then, beyng demaunded where he was borne; he answered in England.

Then sayd they it followeth that you are subiect to the lawes of thys realme, and should be so to our Queene.

[ocr errors]

Whereunto he replyed and sayd, That God commaunded Abraham to go foorth from the lande and countrey where he was borne, from his friendes and kynsfolke, into an other countrey.' And so he followynge his example, for conscience sake in religion, did forsake his countrye, and the lawes of this realme, and the prince also, and had wholy geuen hymselfe to the seruice of a foreyne gouernour Kyng Philip, Kyng of Spayne.

« ZurückWeiter »