THE first daye of June, the saide Story was drawn npon an herdell from the Tower of London vuto Tiborn, wher was prepared for him a newe payre of gallowes made in triangular maner. And, by the way as he went, many people spake vnto hym, and called vpon hym to repent his tirrannie and wickednes, and wylled him to call vpon God for mercy: But he lay as though he had ben asleepe, and would not speake to any person.

And, when he was taken from the herdell and set in a carte, he made there a solempne protestation, and said:

"I am come hither to die; and truely, if this death were ten times more fierce and sharp then it is, I haue deserued it.

I haue lyved the space of threescore and vij. yeres, and now my body must abyde this temporall payne and punishment prouyded for mee here in this lyfe, by meane whereof, my daies shall be cut off. But, where at the first I stoode in feare of death, I thanke God, this night passed I haue ben comforted with good and godly men, that the feare of death is taken from my sight. And now I appeale to God the Father, trustyng in the passion of his Sonne Christ Jesus, and hopynge, by the shedding of his blood only, to be saued. And althoughe of a long tyme I could not applie the vertue of his passion and death to the vse and benefite of my soule, because of my longe houerynge in feare; yet nowe, I thanke God, I know how to applye this medicyne, as for example:

A pothecarye maye haue a medicine liyng in his shop vij. yeres, that maye helpe a sicke or diseased man by the counsayle of a physicion but, if this medicyne be not applyed to the pacient, but styl remaineth in the pothecaries shop, it profiteth nothyng; no more, said he, coulde the benefite of Christes death healpe mee; because, though I knew the medicyne good, I did not applie it vnto my soules helth; but now that it hath pleaseth Almightye God to call mee to accompt of my lxvij. yeres, which now must haue an end, and this corrupt body must feele a temporal punishement, for my sinnes haue deserued it (as I sayd be fore) I am now come to the proofe of this medicine.

Dauid, when he had committed adulterie with Barsabe, the wife of Urias (whose husband also he caused to be put in the front of the battell, and so was he murthered) he for that trespasse felt a temporall punishment by the losse of the lyfe of his son, which he loued tenderly.

Also, when he nombred his people, he greatly displeased God; and, for his offence and transgression, he felt a temporall payne; and choyce was geuen vnto him from aboue, to choose one of these iij temporall and bodily punishments: That is to saye, three daies pestilence; the sworde, that is to say, bloodie battel vij yeres; or famyne vij yeres.

And he thought to choose the least; and he chose three daies pestilence. But this scourge tooke away an infinite nombre of his subiectes. So nowe as my sinnes deserue a temporall payne, whiche here haue an ende, euen in this flesh; I am of the same minde that the prophet Dauid was; and with him I agree saying: Inuoco te Domine, &c. Lord, I call vpon thee in this day of my trouble, heare mee, O Lorde, out of hy dwelling place,' &c.

But nowe to speake a little of my arraignment; when I was at Westminster, I alleaged in my plea that I was no subject of this realme, as I

did likewise before the Queenes commissioners, Sir Thomas Wrath, Maister Thomas Wilbraham, late Recorder of the citie of London, Maister Peter Osborne, Maister Marshe, and Maister Doctor Wattes; where the Recorder of London made lyke demaunde as was demaunded of me at Westminster; and that was, Whether I was borne in Englande, or no? Whervnto I aunswered, I was.

Then sayde he, it followeth that you are and ought to continue the Queenes faithfull subicc. Wherúnto I replied then as I do nowe, saying, I am sworne to the noble kyng, defendour of the auneient catholique faith, Kyng Philip, Kyng of Spaine; and he is sworne again by a solempne and corporall othe, to maintayne and defende the Universitie of Louaine, whereof I am a member, and therefore no subiect of this realme, ne yet subiect to any lawes therof.

For it is well known, that I departed this realme beynge freelye licensed therunto by the Queene, who accompted me an abiect and castawaye, and I came not hether agayne of myne owne accorde; but I was betrayed.

And although I had an inckelyng given mee before of such a thing pretended towardes mee, yet I coulde not shun nor escape it. For fure it was God that made dym myne vnderstandyng, and blynded myne eyes, so that I could not perceyve it. But holye writ commandeth mee to loue my enemies, and here I forgeue them freely with all my hart, beseechyng God that they take no harme for me in another countrey; I would be right sorye they should, although they betrayed me.

I trauayled with them from shyp to shyp, by the space of eight yeres, and mistrusted no perill to be at hand, vntyll I was clapt fast under the hatches.

But sure, sure, it was God that wrought it; yea, and although I was accompted a poller of the Englyshmen of yourcountrey; I stand nowe here before God, and by the death I shall die, I had neuer out of any shyp more then two pecces of golde, and forty dallers that was laid in my hand.

But once agayne, to my arraignment, where there were certain letters laid to my charge, wherin I should go about to prouoke the Nortons, the Neuilles, and others to rebell, I neuer meant it; yet will I discharge my conscience freely and frankly and tell you trueth. There was a commission for a lyke matter sent into Scotland, which I wrote with myne owne hande; but it conteyned a prouiso, wherin the Queene of England and her dominions were excepted.

There are yet two thinges that I purpose to talke of; namely, for that ther are here present a great nombre of youth; and I would to God I might saye or speke that which might bring all men to the vnitie of the church; for there is but one church, one flocke, and one shepherde; if I could this do, I would think myselfe to haue wrought a good worke.

The first poynct toucheth my crueltie, wherwith I am sore burden. ed; and the second concerneth my religion.

As touchyng the first, there were three in commission, of the whiche I was one that might do least, for I was the last of the three. And

thoughe I might by perswasion assaye to cause them to reuoke the` articles that they had maintayned, and to confesse the presence, wherin I stande; ye knowe that he, that chydeth, is not worthy to be condemned for fighting; no more am I worthy to be condemned for fighting; no more am I worthy to be counted cruell for chydynge; it was the Bishop that pronounced the sentence excommunicamus, and against that I could not do, for I was one of the layetie.

Yet oftentimes the Bishop, to whom I was servant, was bold with mee when he had so many prisoners that he could not well bestow them. For at one tyme the Lorde Riche sent him out of Essex xxviij, and at another tyme, xxiiij, also at another tyme xvi, and xiiij. and some of them were sent to mee, whiche I kept in my house with suche fare as I had prouided for myselfe and my famylie, at myne owne cost and charge.

And, to proue that I was not so cruell as I am reported to bee, let this one tale suffice; there were at one tyme xxviij condempned to the fire, and I moued the deane of Paules to tender and pitie their estate, whiche after was abbot of Westminster, a very pitiful minded man; Í thincke the moste parte of you know him, it is Mr. Fecknam, and we went up and perswaded with them, and we found them very tractable. And Mr. Fecknam and I laboured to the Lorde Cardinal Poole, shewynge that they were

Nescientes quid fecerunt,

The Cardinall and we did sue together to the Queene, and layd both the swordes together, and so we obteyned pardon for them al, sauynge an olde woman that dwelt aboute Paules Churchyard; shee would not conuert, and therfore she was burned. The rest of them receyved absolution, and that with al reverence; serch the Register, and you shall finde it.

Yea, and it was my procurement that there should be no more burnt in London, for I saw well that it woulde not preuaile, and therfore we sent them into odde corners into the countrey.

Wherfore I pray you, name me not cruell, I would be loth to haue any suche slaunder to ron on mee. But, sith I dye in charitie, I pray you al of charitie to pray for mee, that God may strengthen mee with patience to suffer my death; to the whiche I yelde most wyllyngly.

And here I make a peticion to you my frendes that woulde haue bestowed any thyng on mee, I beseeche you, for charitie sake, bestow it yerely on my wife, who hath foure small children, and God hath nowe taken mee away, that was her staffe and stay; and nowe my doughter Weston and her three chyldren are gone ouer vnto her, and I know not how they shal do for foode, vnlesse they go a beggynge from door to door for it; although indede no English persons do begge but of English, beyng helped by the lady Dorm. and Sir Francisco; I haue good hope that you wyll be good vnto her, for she is the faythfullest wife, the louyngest and constantest that euer man had. And twise we haue lost all that euer we had, and nowe she hath lost mee to her great griefe I knowe,

The second poynct, that I thought to speke of, is concerning my religion, for that I know manie are desirous to know what faith I will dye in, the whiche I will briefely touch; I saye with Sainct Iherome, that auncient father and piller of the old auncient, catholique, and apostolicke churche, grounded vpon the patriarkes, prophetes, and apostles, that, in the same faith that I was borne in, I purpose to dye. And as the arcke, that Noe and his family did possesse, figured the ship of Christes Church, out of which ship whosoeuer is cannot be saued. In that ship am I; example: A ship, that is tossed on the floods, is often in daunger of losse on the sandes, and sometimes on the rocke. But, when the men that are in the ship espye present peryll at hande, there is a cockboat, at the tayle of the ship, wherunto they flye for succcur: so likewise, I, beynge in the ship of Christ, once fell out of the same ship, and was in present peryl and great danger. But then I, followynge the example of a good maryner, tooke the cockboat, thinkynge to driue to lande, and at the last, beynge in the boat, Í espied three oares, that is to wit, contricion, confession, and absolution; and I held al these fast, and euer sence I haue continued in the ship of Christ, of whiche, the Apostle Peter is the guide and principall, and in the faith catholike of my kynge I dye.

Then sayde the Earle of Bedford, Are you not the Queenes subiect? No, sayde Story, and yet I do not exclude the Queene, but I pray for her, her counsaile, and the nobilitie of this realme longe to continue.

Then sayde the Lorde Honsdon: Are you not the Queenes subject, you were borne in England? Then sayde Story, euery man is free borne, and he hath the whole face of the earth before him to dwell and abyde in, where he liketh best; and, if he can not lyue here, he may go els where. Then was there (as I thinke one of the ministers) hearyng him to make so light of our noble Queene and countrey, demaunded of him, whether she was not, next and immediatelye vnder God, supreme head of the churches of Englande and Irelande? whereunto he answered: I come not hither to dispute, but, if shee bee, shee is; my nay wyll not preuayle to proue it otherwise.

And then they cryed, Awaye with the carte; and so he was hanged according to his iudgement.

An Epilogue, or a briefe Conclusion, of the Lyfe of the aforesaid John Story.

THE aforesaid John Story, beside that he was an obstinat Papist and a rancke traitour, he was also, in Queene Maryes time, the cruellest tirant and persecutor of the innocent membres and blessed professors of Christ, that euer was to his power, sithen that cruell tirant Nero. For his whole delectacion and pleasure was, in rackyng, stockyng, whip pyng, manaklyng, and burnyng of innocents, without respect either of age, vertue, learnyng, weakenes of wyt, or of a simple boy, or childish wenche; and all was fish that came to the net.

And he often and openlie sayde (in the herynge of manie) in the time of Queene Mary, that the burnynge of heretiques (as he termed them) was to gentle a death, for they had too muche scope to prate and talke what they lust; but, sayde he, if I lyue, I wyll haue a close cage of iron made for them, with a doore in the side, lyke to the brasen bulk of Perillus, where they shall be enclosed, and the doore made fast, and the fire to be made vnder them. And then (sayde he) they shall know what frying is, and their mouthes shall be stopped from blowying out a their pestilent doctrine. So that, by the premisses, it maye manifestly appeere, that there hath not ben a wickeder man towarde God, his prince and countrey, then he hath ben.

God save the Queene, and confound her enemies.

MANTENARIS OF THE KINGIS GRACES AUTHORITIE. M. G. B.
Imprentit at Striviling by Robert Lekprevik, Anno Dom. 1571.
Octavo, containing thirty pages in the Scotish tongue.

This pamphlet came out at a time when Scotland was in the greatest fermentation: religion was then just reforming, and the Queen Regent was not only a pri soner in England, but there was a secret faction ready to join with every designe ing malecontent to destroy the reigning family.

The Author, who, I apprehend, was the learned and truly Protestant Bucha nan, that wrote the detection of Mary Queen of Scots, was very well apprised of the danger of his country, to which it was liable, not only from foreign, but especially from the policy of the domestick foes; and, in a true regard to the real welfare of the same, writes these particulare, addresses them to the governing part of the nation, and by way of caution, as well as proof of what he advanceth, plainly shews the origin of all their present troubles and future dangers, to be owing to the ambition of the Hamilton-family, who, tired of subjection, were not content to share the government, but aspired to the crown of Scotland: and, perhaps, contains a piece of the best and most secret history of those times.

IT may seme to your Lordschippis, that I, mellyng with heigh materis of gouerning of commoun welthis, do pas myne estait, beyng of sa meane qualitie, and forgettis my dewtie, geuyng counsall to the