Let Parentes also hereby learne, what is to be done, not onely in theyr Chyldren, but also in them selues, yf neede at anye tyme require, that godlynes shoulde demaunde the dutye of a Christian man, agaynste naturall affection.

 

Nature is a stronge thinge, I must nedes confesse and almost inuincible: And among al the affections of nature, there is none, that is so depely graued in a Fathers mynde, as the loue and tender affection towards hys Children, that is as you would saye, towardes his owne bowelles. By which affection, wee see many, yea rather infinit parentes that are ouercome: but of them that ouer come it, very fewe or rather none: so much the more therfore am I moued, not to passe ouer in thys place, such notable and singular godlynes of these parentes: who whē they saw theyr sonne led toward the fyre, dyd not folow hym with lamentatiō, neyther labored by theyre words to draw hym from his godly purpose, neyther tooke pyty of hys fortune, but (setting a syde al priuate affection of natural loue, forgetting nature, and as it wer, forgetting them selues, neyther yet folowing that common affection of parētes at this day, but the example of that holye mother of the Machabees  ) encouraged theyr sonne as much as they could, and reioysyng with wonderful gladnes, exhorted hym to go through valeauntly: insomuch, that whē he was readye to suffer death, eyther of them drinkyng vnto hym, reioysed ouer hym, and confirmed hym in the Lord. And here truely I cannot tel, whether I should rather praise the vertue of the sonne, or of the Parents. For he in dede dyed wyth great constancy, and after he had recited the. 84. psalme, as he was a dying, doubtles obtayned the crowne of blessed martirdome. But no lesse constancye (as I thinke) appeared in them: and they ar no les to be compted Martirs, in the martirdome of theyr son. For he offring his body to tormēts, with great prayse ouercame the tormentors, the tormentes, and the tyrantes: & they wyth no lesse prayse, ouercame their own natures, offryng to the Lord a mynde no lesse constant and strong, then he dyd, and perchaunce felt no lesse tormentes inwardly, then he dyd outwardlye. He broylyng in the myddest of the flame, suffred hys lyfe to be taken from him, not without cruel tormēt: and they also with no lesse torment, suffred their sonne to be taken from them. On both sydes, the strengthe of the spirite, the feruent heate of godlynes, & the loue of Christ, ouercame al the torments: & therefore I thought the praise of the sonne, could not wel be recorded wythout the cōmendation of the Parentes. For, as he dying for the Gospell, hathe lefte behynde hym in the church a strong and euident testimony, to con

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firme the doctine of the Gospell: so they, to confirme a gospellyke lyfe, haue geuen an example woorthy to be folowed of al men.

And nowe farther, to dyscourse the whole vsage and handelyng of the sayde Wyllyam Hunter, before the Byshoppe of London, and other hys assistauntes, in the Consistorye of Paules, as we fynde registred in record: foras much as the sayd Hunter was at all times brought, to be examined before the sayde Byshop, wyth Thomas Tomkyns, of whom we haue last wrytten: and there had the same articles, reasons, and perswasions obiected, and made against him, as had the sayd Tomkins: I thinke it good to omyt the superfluous repeticion thereof, and to referre the Reader to the same examinations, wher he may at large see the obiections and answers, aswell of the one, as of the other: sauyng that vpon the. ix. day of Februarye, beyng the seconde daye of theyr appearaunce, the Byshop of London vsed these woordes onely vnto Hunger: You know what communication you and I hadde here yesterday, tending onely to thys ende, to bryng you from heresy. Howe saye you? wyll you abiure and go from your errours and heresies, and returne to the Catholicke church? To whom Wylliam Hunter answered, no: For that I haue sayd, I wyl stand vnto. And as for the fayth of your Catholicke Church, I cannot skyl of it: & he said further, that it was a false doctrine and beliefe, to beleue that Christes true body is in the Sacramēt. For Christes true and naturall bodye is in heauen, and no where els, and there sytteth on the ryghte hande of the father: and that hys frendes and kynsfolkes, beyng now deade, were deceaued, if they otherwyse dyd beleue and thynke.

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Agayne, at after noone the same daye, beynge wylled earnestlye to recant (as also the rest were,) he said: I am perswaded that mine opinion is is no heresye, and therefore I wyll neuer go from mine opinions, that I haue confessed, so longe as I lyue. Nor I can not perswade my selfe to go from the truthe that is taught me, and I wyl continue in the same so long as I lyue: for if I doo otherwyse, I shall peryshe both body and soule: and I had rather my body to perysh, then my soule. Whereupon the sayde William Hunter receaued there at the Byshops handes, hys sentence of condemnation, and was also caryed to Newegate, wyth the sayde Thomas Tomkyns, where he remayned vntyll the. 25. daye of the same moneth of Marche, at whyche tyme he was caryed vnto Burndwood, and there suffryng hys bodye to bee consumed wyth fyre, yelded moste ioyfullye hys soule into the handes of almyghty God, as a most constant Martyr of hys.

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