Anne Askew

Printed Writings 1500–1640: Series 1, Part One, Volume 1

John N. King

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781351958189
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Criticism for Comparative Literature
• Index: Literature

Anne Askew (1521-1546) was accused of heresy because of her denial of the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation and ritual of mass. These two works provide an extremely rare autobiographical account of heresy interrogations, torture, trial and conviction. Her manuscripts were smuggled out of England to John Bale on the Continent who edited and published them in 1545 and 1546 respectively.

The lattre examinary on of Anne Askewe, latelye mar tyred in Smythfelde, by the wycked Synagoge of Annchrist, with the Elucydacyon of Johan Bale.

I wyll poure out my sprete rpõ all flesh (sayth God) your sonnes and your doughters shall prophecye. And who so euer call on the name of the lotde/shall be saued.

Johel. ij.

Johan Bale to the
Christen Readers.

IN the prymatyne churche, as the horryble persecucyõs increased, manyc dylygẽt wryters collected the godlye answers and tryumphaũt sufferynges of the mattyers, as necessarye examples of Christen constancye to be folowed of other. Of thys nõbre was Lucas, whych wrote the Apostles actes So were after hym Linus, Marcellus, Egesippus, Meliton Asianus, Abdias Babylonius, Josephus Antiochenus, Elemens Alexandrinus, Antherus, Phileas, Eusebius, Nicephorus, & great sort more. Fabianus, not a bayre Byshopp, but a pulpet Byshopp of Rome, ordayned in hys tyme for that onlye offyce vij. deacõ so manyc notayres, aboutc the yeare of our lorde. CC. XXXVJ. that they shuld fayth fully cregestre ther martyrdomes, to holde thõ in contynuall remembraunce, as witnesseth Platina Polydorus, Masseus, & job other bronyclers. No lesse necessarye is that offyce now, though fewe mẽ attempt it, nor no lesse profytable to the christẽ cõmõ welth than it was in those terryble dayes. for now are persecucyõs all Christendome over, so wele as were than. Now are the true Christyanes vexed of the syttynge Byshoppes for their Christen beleve, so wele as than. Now are they revyled, pon nyshed, imprysoned, & have all cuyll spoken agaynst them for Christes verytees sake. Math. 5. so wele as than.

And what can be more confortable to the sufferers, than to knowe the ernest constancye of their troubled companyons in that kyngedome of pacyẽce? Apo. 1. 02 to marke in them the stronge workynge of fay the, & be holde the myghtye mageste of God in their agonyes? what though they were afore, synners of the worlde. Saynt Bernarde sayth in hys homelyes upon Salomons cantycles, that the godlye sufferaunce of martyrs hath geven as good erudycyon to the christen churche, as ever ded the doctryne of the sayntes. Than is it mete that some be sterynge, and not that all men in these dayes beydell/concernynge that godlye offyce. Manye have suffered in thys realine of late years, by the bolde callynge on of Antichristes fury ouse advocates, whose lattre confessyons, causes, and answers, are a great deale more notable & godlye, if they be ryghtlye wayed, than ever were the confessyons, causes and answers of the olde canonysed martyrs, whych in the popes Englysh churche have had so manye solempnytees, scruyces, and sensynges. Manye have also most desperarlyere canted brough their most mycked persuasyons and threttenynges, in whose vayne recantacyons are both to be seane, their blasphemyes agaynst God, and manyfest treasons agaynst their kynge.

Now in comferrynge these marryrs, the olde with the newe/ and the popes with Christes. I seclude first of all the Bryayne churche, or the prymatyne churche of thys realme, whych never had antoryte of the Romysh pope. Ber martyrs in dede were agreable to that Christ spake afore in the Gospell concernynge hys martyrs, wherby we shuld knowe thẽ, as we eveydentlye fynde in the lyues of Emerita kynge Lucyes syster, Amphibalus, balus, Albanus, Aaron, Inlius, Sionothus, & soch other. I sende youre forth (sayth he) as shepe amonge wolves Me shall delyver ye up in their counsels and synagoges. Ye shall be brought before rulers and fynges, and be hated of all men in a maner for my names sate, Mathei 10. Cast not afore in your myndes what answere to mate. for I in that houre shall geve ye both utteraunce and wysdo me, whych all your adversaryes shall not be hable to withstande, Luce 21. They shall excommunycate you or condẽpne yow in soche hate of the world, that who so ever kylleth yow, wyll thynke he doth God great good seruyce. And thys shall they do by cause they snowe ryghtlye ney ther the father nor yet me. Joan. 16.

Manye other lyke seniẽcesleftibe loz de Jese Christ in hys holye Gospell, that we shuld alwayes by thẽ dyscerne hys true martyrs, frõ the popes & Ma home res coñterfett martyrs. In Englãd here sene the first plãta cyon of the popes Englysh churche, by Augustyne & other Romysh monfes of Benettes superstycyõ, ij. Fyndes of martyrs hath bene, One of mo nasterye buylders and chaunterye founders, whom the temporall prynzes & secular magistrates have dyverslye done to deathe, sumtyme for dysobedyence, & sumtyme for manyfest treason, as we have of Wallenus of Crowlande, Thomas of Lãcastre, Rycharde Gorope, Beefet & soch other. Teh ymages of these have bene sett up in their tẽples, lyke the olde gooddes of the paganes, & have had ther vygyls, holye dayes, ryngynges, sacryfy synges, cãdels, offerynges, feastynges, & moch a do besydes, as they had. Theo ther fort were preachers of the Gospell, or poore teachers thereof i corners, whã the persecucyõ was soche, that it myght not be taught abroade. And these poore sowles, or true seruauntes of God, were put to deathe by the holye spirytuall fathers Byshoppes, prestes, montes, chanons, & fryers, for heresye & lollerye, they saye. These Christen martyrs were never solẽpnysed of thẽ. No, they had not so moch as a penye dyrge or a grote masse of Requiem, nomore than had Johan Baptyst and Steven amonge the Iewes. But they have bene holden for condempned heretyfes ever sens.

Who ever hearde anye goodnesse yet reported of sionot hus with hys M. & C. C. companyons, whom Augustyne can sed to be slayne at Westchestre in hys churches be gynnynge, by cause they wolde not preche as he ded apoynt them. not haptyse after the Romysh maner. neyther yet hallowe the eastre feast as they ded. Manye a blessed creature, both men & womẽ, have bene brẽt sens Iobã Wy clenes tyme & a fore, for onlye dysclosyngethe pharysees yofes & teachynge the Gospels lyberre. And thẽ have that haw dye bloudye Gynagoge of Garhã dyffamed, blasphemed, condẽpned. execrated & cursed to hell as most detestable heretyfes and dogges. Where as if they were of Christ, they ought (in case they we retheir haters or enemyes) to suffre theẽ, to saye wele of them, to do them good, & to praye for them. Math. 5. Luce. 6. and not thus to use more tyrannye over them, than ever ded Garacene, Turte, Tyrañt or Devyll. A great dyfference is there of the martyrs whom they mate, from the martyrs whom they canonyse. Of them whom they dampne, from the whom they worshypp. Yea, so great a dyfference or dyversyte betwyn them (if ye marie them wese) as is betwixt golde and dyrt, or lyght and darfenesse.

The martyrs, whose deathes they have procured by all ages of their bloud-thurstye church, harfened unto Christ, he alde of ryghtousnesse, & sought their lorde God in sprete, Esa. 51. but the mat tyrs for the most part, whom they have with so manye latyne wawlynges, torches & candell burnynges, magnyfyed in their temples, harfened to the pope, healde of hys unryghteousnesse, & sought out hys superstycyouse ydolarryes. In the conferrynge of their olde canonysed martyrs, with our newlye condempned martyrs here. Anne Astewe and her other iij. companyons, with soch lyke, their dyfference wyll be moch more case lye perceyved, first leteve begynne with Thomas Beefet, whych was so gloryou se a martyr and precyouse aduocate of theire, that they made hys bloude to cly me to heaven therby. Manye wonderfull myracles coulde that mytred patrone of theirs do in those dayes, whan the mon fes had fryre Batons boles and snewe the bestowynge of fryre Boõgayes mystes but now he can do non at all. Thys Becfet in all hys floayshynge doynges, harfened to the pope, defended hys pompon se fyngedome, supported hys churches excesse, & wretchedlye dyed for the synnefully bertees of the same. Anne Astewe & her fort, gave dylygẽ hede to their lor de Iesus Christ, sought the fyngedome of heaven in daylye repentaunce, myghtelye detested all ydolatrouse worshyppynges, & in conclusyon suffered most tryumphaunt deathe for the same.

Cõcernynge other martyrs. As Wene fryd, otherwyse called Bonyfaccan Englysh mõte & archebyshopp of Magunce was flayne cõfirmynge neophytes, orprofeffyng hysnewly haptysed brode to the Romysh popes obedyẽce. There was foũ de aboute hym a castet full of rellyctes or dead mẽnys bones, whã he was put to deathe in the yeare of our lorde. 755. Anne Astewe & her felyshypp, had non other rellyctes aboute thẽ, whã they sto de at the state to be brent in Smythfelde. but a bundell of the sacred scriptures enclosed in ther hartes, and redye to be uttered agaynst Antichristesy dolatryes, Saynt Clare of Orchestre contemnynge lawfull marryage, made hym selfe an ydell prest, & was by headed in hys owne gardene by procuremẽt of a woman. S. Clytante of Southwales, was in lyke ca se stabbed in with a dagger, bycause a yonge mayden loved hym. The obnlye true honoure of God was it, & no wordlye cause, that Anne Astews & her companye dyed for. Saynt Edwyne beynge welearmed, was slayne in battayle at Bat felde in the North, and S. Edwardery dynge a Buntynge in the forest of Warham in the west, was kylled upon hys horse in drynfynge a cuppe of wyne. And all thys was done for the fyngedomes of thys worlde. The martyrdome of Anne Asfewe and her Bretherne, was neyther in battelynge nor huntynge, rydynge nor dryfynge, but in that ryght course whych Christ prescrybed unto hys dyscyples undre the cruell Byshoppes, for hys onlye glorye.

Saynet Cadoct of Kowbridge a Byshopp, was pearced through with a speare, as he stode at hys Masse at one of the clocte at after none, bycause he wolde be of the order of martyrs. Saynt Elphege archeby shopp of Caunterburye was stoned to deathe of the Sanes, bycause he wolde not paye them thre. M. Marfe, in the yeare of our lorde. M. and xij. Of soch martyrs, moch doubted Lan francus, whych succeded hym in that of fyce about a iiij. score years after, and dysputed therof with Inselmus. The cause of Anne Astewe and her companyons, was neyther madnesse no: moneye, but the onlye sefynge of their lorde God a ryght. As Saynt Indract with other deuonte pylgrymes of Rome laye in bed in their inne at Shapwyct by Glastenbury, their throtes were cut in the nyght for moneye, whych was rectened to be in their pylgrymes scryppes. Saynt Iurth ware a vyrgyne was by he a ded also, for layenge fresh chese or cruddes whether ye wyll, to her brestes. The cause of Ane Astewe and her other fellawes, conferred with Christes sriptures, semeth a farre other matter. Bewal de the blacke and Bewalde the whyght ij. Englysh mõkes, goynte froõ place to place with cruettes, chalyce, and superaltare, to do their daylye sacryfyces, were done to deathe in frislande by the bowers of the cuntraye for techynge a straunge relygyon, and are worshypped at Coleyne for martyrs. for bearynge about Christes testament, whych is most heavenlye treasure, and for spredynge the wholsom doctryne therof, was Anne Astewe and her sort brent by the prestes procurement, yet are they no honour for it.

Osytha runnynge awaye from her husbande, by the intysement of ij. montes bycame a professed nonne, and was murthered of the Sanes. Wenefryda by counsell of a prest, dysdaynouslye refusynge the marryage of a prynce christened, lost her head for it. Marentia also played a part not all unlyke to thys. Soch pylde popysh martyrdomes, compared to the martyrdome of Anne Astewe and her faythfull cumpanye, is as is rustye yron compared to pure syluer. S. Wyllyam of Rochestre a Scotte. leauyenge both wyfe and howsholde, ydellye to trudge on pylgrymage, was strycken in the head with an axe of hys owne companyon by the wayne. Saynt Thomas of Souer a monke was soch a wone, as was slayne of the frenche men for hydynge the churches iewels, crosses, chalyces & copes. No soch lyght corruptyble vanytees were they, that Anne Askewe & her constaunt bretherne dyed for, but for the precyouse veryte of God. Younge S. Wyllyam of Norwych, yonge S. Robert of Burye, yonge S. Bugh of Lyncolne, yõge S. Melor of Cornewayle, yõg S. Renelme of Glocestre, yõge S. Eldrede of Rãsaye & hys brother, with soch other lyke, were but verye babes (they saye) & were martyred of the Iewes & of other enemyes. Wherfor their martyrdomes shall be but babysh in comparyson of the se. the veryte hauynge by them so small furtheraunce.

Foillanus & hys iij. bretherne, goynge homeward in the nyght, after they had wele banketed with S. Gertrude & her nonnes, were kylled in a wood of one murthere, and their horses solde in the next market towne. Instinanus, S. Sauyes ghostlye father in Wales, was slayne in a gardene of hys iij. montes, bycause he compelled them to do more laboure than he wolde do hys selfe. After Bilianus was come home from Rome, he was murthered in hys felle with other holye pylgryines by a woman, as they laye there a slepe in the nyght. Saynt Ursula also and her she pylgrymes, with their baplaynes, nurses, and sucfynge babes, were but homelyche handeled at Coleyne of the hunnes and pyctes (if that legende be true) as they were commynge homewardes from Rome. Compare me Anne Asfewe and her condempned cumpanye, with these clowted, canonysed, solempnysed, sen sed, mattensed, and massed martyre, and tell me by the Gospels tryall, why do of them seme most Christenlyle martyrs. Yea, brynge saynt Edmonde of Burye. S. Fremũde of Dunstable, S. Ethel bert of Berforde, S. Oswalde of Slocestre, S. Oswyne of Tynmoth, and Saynt Wynstaue of Euesham (whyd are the best of the Englysh martyrs) to the touche stone of Gods worde, & ye shall fynhe their martyrdomes and causes full unlyfe to theirs whom the Byshoppes murther now apace in Englande.

In all these Englysh martyre reherced here afore, ye...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Original Copyright Page
• Preface by the General Editors
• Introductory Note
• The first examinacyon of Anne Askewe
• The lattre examinaryon of Anne Askewe
• Appendix A: The lattre examinacyon (STC 850): Variant signatures C6v-Dr from the copy at the Folger Shakespeare Library
• Appendix B: The lattre exammacyon (STC 850): Variant signatures C6v-Dr from the copy at The British Library, Shelfmark C.21.a.4(2)