MarginaliaAnno 1557. Septem.Item thou Rafe Allerton canst not deny, but confessest, that the wryting of letters in a little peece of paper on both sides of it, with this sentence on the one side following (looke at the foote of the stockes for a knife) and wyth this sentence following vpō the other side (looke betwene the poste and the wall for two bookes and two Epistles, leaue them here when ye goe) remaining now in the Registrie and Acts of this courte is voluntarily wrytten by thee Rafe Allerton with thine owne hand.

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Item, thou Rafe Allerton canst not denie, but that thou arte priuie to a certaine wryting, remaining nowe in the Registrie & acts of this Court, the beginning wherof is with these woordes (I would haue men wise. &c.) and ending thus (from house to house.)

Item, thou Rafe Allerton, canste not denie, but that thou art priuie and of consent and maintenaunce of a certaine great Woodknife, a long cord, 

a hooke, a stone, and of a trencher wrytten vpon with chalk, hauing this sentence (All is gon and lost, because of your follie:) of two bordes wrytten vppon with chalke, the one hauing this sentence (vnder the stone looke) and the other hauing thys sentēce, (whereas you bid mee take heede, I thanke you, I trust in God that I shall be at peace with him shortly) remaining now registred in the actes of this Court.

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MarginaliaAunsweres to the articles. Ex Regist.For answer vnto al these articles, he graunted that the first ix. were true, as the Register recordeth. Howbeit, I finde noted in the backeside of the information, specified in the 2. article (although crossed out againe) that he denied such things as were there in the same informed against him. Wherefore it is not likely that hee did simply graunt vnto the contents of the 2. article, but rather that he onely affirmed that such an information was geuē against him, and not that the same was true.

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Thus much I thought to warne the reader of, lest that in mistaking his answers, it might seeme, that he graunted himselfe to be a sedicious and a rebellious persone: of which facte he was most cleare & innocent. And being farther demanded vpon the contentes of the 8. article, where he had the bloud he wrote that letter withall: he sayd that Richard Roth, sometime his prison fellow, did make his nose blede, and thereby he got the bloud wherwith he did then wryte. The bish. again asked him, to whom he wold haue sent the same. He answered, vnto one Agnes Smith alias Siluerside of Colchester. Why (quoth the bish.) Agnes Smith was an Hereticke, and is burned for Heresie. Nay, said Allerton, shee is in better case, then either I my selfe, or any of vs all. Then being againe demanded (vpon the 9. obiection) to whom he would haue sent the letter mentioned in the same: he answered, that he ment to haue sent it vnto Richard Roth, at that present separated from him. Wherupon the bish. farther enquired, what he ment by these wordes (brethren and sistern) specified in the sayd letter? he answered that he ment therby, such as wer lately condemned at Colchester, and were like (at þ^e wryting therof) shortly to be burned. Now, as for the contents of the 10. and 11. articles he vtterlye denied them. But to þ^e 12. he confessed, that he wryt vpon the said trencher and other bordes, the woordes mentioned in the sayd Article, & that he did leaue the same in the prison house, to the entent that Richard Rothe shoulde read them. Boner also bringing out the woodden sword, mencioned in the saide article, asked him who made it, and for what purpose. Whereunto he answered, that he was the maker thereof, howebeit for no euil purpose. But being idle in the prison, and finding there an old board, he thought þ^e time better spent in making thereof, then to sit still and do nothing at all.

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The forenoone being now spent, the rest of this tragedie was deferred vntil the afternoone. Wherin was ministred vnto him yet certaine other obiections, the tenoure whereof was.

MarginaliaOther obiections ministred. to Rafe Allerton.FIrst, that hee hadde misliked the Masse, callyng vppon Saincts, and caryinge the crosse in procession, wyth other theyr ceremonies, calling them Idolatrie, & also had disswaded them there from.

1. Item, that he was muche desirous to haue the people beleeue as he did, and therefore being in prisone with hys fellowes, did sing Psalmes and other songes againste the Sacrament of the Aultare, and other ordinaunces of the church, so loud, that the people abroade might heare them and delight in them.

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2. Item, that he had diuers times conspired against hys keeper, and hadde prouided thinges to kill him, and so to breake the prison and escape awaye.

Item, that he had railed against the B. being his ordinarie, calling him a bloudy butcher, tyrant and rauening wolfe, and also against his officers, especially Clunie hys sumner, calling him butchers cur, with other such names.

4. Item, that he had murmured, grudged, disdained, and misliked that the bishop had proceeded against certaine of his Diocesse, and had condemned them as Heretickes: or that he should proceede nowe against him and others yet remaining in errours, notwithstanding that hee and hys chaplaines had charitably admonished and exhorted them from the same.

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5. Item, that he ought faithfully to beleeue, that there is one catholicke churche, without the which there is no saluation: of the which church Iesus Christ is the very priest & sacrifice, whose body and bloud is really and truly contained in the sacrament of the altare vnder the formes of breade and wine: the breade and wine being by the diuine power transubstanciated into his body and bloude.

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6. Item, that he had kept himself, and also distributed to others certaine hereticall and corrupt bookes, condemned and reprooued by the lawes of this realme.

7. Item, that he had contrary to the orders and statutes of this realme, kept company with that seditious heretike and traitor, George Eagles, commonly called Trudgeouer, and had heard him read in woodes and other places, yet not accusing, but allowing and praising him.

8. Vnto which articles, because they were for the moste part, so foolish and full of lies, he would in a maner make no answer, sauing he graunted that he did misselike theyr masse and other ceremonies, because they were wicked & naught. And moreouer he told the bishop, that he and his complices, did nothing but seeke how to kill innocents.

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The bishop then asked him, whether he would beleue in all poyntes touching the Sacrament of the altar, as is contained in the generall councell holden and kept vnder Innocentius 3. and therwithall he did read the decree of the sayd Counsell touching the Sacrament.

Wherunto Allerton againe made answer and sayd: I beleeue nothing contained in the same Councell, neyther haue I any thing to doe therewith: and it were also very necessary that no man els should haue to do therewith.

Then (quoth Boner) thou arte of the opinion that the heretikes lately burned at Colchester were of.

Yea (said he) I am of their opinion, and I beleeue that they be Saincts in heauen.

This done, the Bish. perceiuing that he would not recant, demaunded what he had to say, whye he shoulde not pronounce the sentence of condemnation against him. To whom he answered: yee ought not to condemne me as an heretike, for I am a good christian. But now go to, doe as you haue already determined: For I see right well, that right and truth be suppressed, and cannot appeare vppon the earth.

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These woordes ended, the bish. pronounced the Sentence of condemnation, & so deliuered hym vnto the temporall officers: Who reserued him in their custodye vntill the 17. day of September, at which time, bothe he and the other 3. before mencioned were all burned, as ye haue already heard. Of which other 3. because as yet litle is sayd, I wil therfore now procede to declare suche cause of theyr cruel deathes, as in the Registrie is recorded.

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MarginaliaExamination of Iames Austoo & Margery his wyfe.TOuching the first apprehension of these ij. persones,  

I finde neither occasion whye, neither time, nor manner howe. Howbeit as the daies then serued, it was no harde or strange matter to fall into the hāds of such as with cruelty persecuted the true professors of Gods gospell, especially hauing so many promoters, and vnneighborly neighbors to help them forwards. By which kinde of people, it is not vnlike these two godly yokefellowes were accused and taken: and being once deliuered into the pitiles hādling of Boner: their examinations (ye may be sure) were not long deferred. For the 16. day of Iuly 1557. they were brought before him into hys palace at London. Wher first he demāded of the said Iames Austoo (amongst other questions) where he had bene confessed in Lent, and whether he receiued the sacrament of the altare at Easter or not.

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To whom he answered that in dede he had ben confessed of the curate of Alhalowes Barking, nie to the tower of London, but þ^t he had not receiued the sacrament of the altar, for he defied it from the bottome of his heart.

Why, quoth the Bishop, doest thou not beleeue that in the sacrament of the altare there is the true body & bloude of Christ.

No, sayd Austoo, not in the Sacrament of the altar, but in the Supper of the Lorde, to the faithfull receiuer is the very body and bloud of Christ by faith.

Boner not well pleased with this talke, asked then the wife, how she did like the religion then vsed in this courch of England.