dooe a poore manne good. Whereunto maister Ridley saide: bee it in the name of GOD, and so vnlaced himselfe. Then being in his shirt, he stoode vppon the foresaide stone, and helde vppe his handes, and saide: Oh heauenly Father, I geue vnto thee moste hearty thankes, for that thou haste called me to bee a professor of thee, euen vnto deathe. I beseche thee Lorde GOD,take mercy vpon this Realme of Englande, and delyuer the same from all her enemies.

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Then the Smithe tooke a chaine of Iron, and broughte the same aboute bothe Doctoure Ridley, and maister Latimers middels. And as he was knocking in a staple, Doctour Ridley tooke the chaine in his hande, and shaked the same. for it did girde in his belly, and lookinge a side to the Smith, saide: good fellowe knocke it in harde. for the fleshe will haue his course. 

Then his brother dyd bring him gunpowder in a Bagge, and woulde haue tyed the same aboute his necke. Maister Ridley asked what it was, his brother saide, gunnepowder. then saide hee, I take it to bee sente of GOD. therefore I wyll receuye it, as sent of him. And haue you anye saide he for my brother, meaning maister Latimer? Yea sir, that I haue (quod his brother.) Then geue it vnto hym sayde he betime,   leaste you come to late. So his brother went and caryed the same gun powder vnto maister Latimer. The meane tyme Doctoure Ridley spake vnto my Lorde Williams and saide. My Lorde, I muste bee a suter vnto youre Lordeshippe in the behalfe of dyuerse poore menne, and especiallye in the cause of my poore Sister.   I haue made a supplication to the Queenes maiestie in theyr behalfes. I beseche youre Lordeshyppe for Christes sake, to be a meane to her grace for them. my brother here hath the supplication, and wil resorte to youre Lordeshyppe to certyfye you hereof. There is nothing in all the world that troubleth my conscience (I praise GOD,) this only excepted. Whiles I was in þ^e see of Lōdō, dyuers poore men tooke Leases of me, and agreed with me for the same. Now I heare say, the Bishoppe that nowe occupyeth the same rowme, wyll not allowe my grauntes vnto theim made, but contrarye vnto all lawe and conscience hathe taken from theim theyre lyuinges, and will not suffer them to enioy the same. I beseche you my Lorde be a meane   for theim: you shall dooe a good dede, and GOD will rewarde you. Then brought they a fagot kindled with fier, and laide the same downe at Doctoure Ridleys feete: and when he sawe the fire flaming vppe towarde him, he cryed with a wonderfull loude voice. In manus tuas domine commendo spiritum meum, domine recipe spritium meum. 

Latin/Greek Translations    Close

Ridley quoting St. Luke, 23. 46. etc.

Foxe text Latin

In manus tuas domine commendo spiritum meum, domine recipe spiritum meum

Foxe text translation

[Not translated] ... Lord, Lord, receiue my spirite.

[The first time the citation from St. Luke would seem to have been cried out by Ridley in Latin, followed by another Latin phrasing of the sentiment of Ridley’s own composition (Domine, recipe spiritum meum) which was then repeated often in English (Lord receive my spirit).]

Actual text of St. Luke, 23. 46. (Vulgate)

Pater in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum.

  And after repeated this lat-

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ter parte often in Englishe. Lorde, Lorde, receiue my spirite. Maister Latimer crying as vehementlye on the other side, Oh Father of Heauen receiue my soule, who receuyed the flame as it were embracing it. After, as he had stroked his face with his handes, and as it wer bathed them a little in the fier, soone dyed, as it appeared with verye little payne or none. But maister Ridley by reason of the euill makinge of the fier vnto hym, because the woodden fagottes were layde about the Gorse, 

and ouer highe builte, the fire burned first beneth, beinge kepte downe by the woode. Whyche when he felte, he desired theim for Chrystes sake to lette the fire come vnto hym.   Whyche when his brother in lawe hearde, but not well vnderstoode, entendynge to ridde him of hys payne, (for the whiche cause hee gaue attendaunce,) as one in suche sorrowe, not well aduised what he did, heaped fagottes vppon him, that hee cleane couered him, whiche made the fier more vehement beneathe, that it burned cleane all his neather parts, before it once touched the vpper,   and that made him leape vppe and downe, vnder the fagottes, and often desyre theym to lette the fyre come vnto him, sayinge, I cannot burne, whiche in dede appeared well. for after his legges were consumed by reason of his struggelinge with the payne, (whereof he hadde no release, but onelye his contentation   in GOD,) he shewed that syde towardes vs cleane, shirte and all vntouched with the flame: yet in all this torment he forgatte not to call vnto GOD still, hauing in his mouthe, Lorde haue mercye vppon me, intermedlynge this crye, lette the fier come vnto me, I cannot burne. In whiche pangues hee laboured tyll one of the standers by with hys Bill   pulled of the fagottes aboue, and where he espyed the fyre flame vppe, he wrested hym selfe vnto that side. And when the flame touched the gunnepowder, he was seen styrre no more, but espied burning on the other syde by maister Latimer. Whiche some saide happened, by reason that the chayne loused: other sayde that he fell ouer the chayne, by reason of the poyse of his bodye, and the weakenesse of the neather lymmes.

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Some saye that before hee was lyke to fall from the stake, hee desyred them to holde him to it with theyr Billes. Howesoeuer it was surely it moued hundredes to teares, to behold the horrible syght. For I thynke there was none, that hadde not cleane exiled all humanitie and mercye, whiche woulde not haue lamented to beholde the furye of the fyre so rage vppon theyr bodyes. Signes there were of sorrowe on euery syde. Some tooke it greuously to see theyr deathes, whose lyues they helde ful deare. Som pitied their persons, þ^t thought

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