Bysh. What a stoute boylie heretick is this? how malipertly be aunswereth.

Ro. My Lorde it greueth me not one whyt (I thanke God) to be called Hereticke at youre handes: for so your forefathers called the Prophetes and Confessors of Christe, long before this tyme.

At these wordes the Byshoppe rose vp in a great heate, and bad Bernarde followe him: then the Byshop went and kneled before that they call the Sacrament of the altar, and as he was in his prayer knelyng, he looked back, & asked Bernarde why he came not, and did as he did. vnto whome Bernarde aunswered, I can not tell why I should so doe. Why (quod the Byshop,) thou lewde fellowe, whom seest thou yōder, pointing to the pyx ouer the altar?

Roger. I see no body there: do you my Lord?

Byshop. Why naughty man, doest thou not see thy maker?

Roger. My maker? No, I see nothing but a fewe cloutes hanging together on a heape. With that the Byshop rose vp sore displeased, and commaunded the Gaolour to take hym awaye, and to laye irons enough on hym. For (quod he) I will tame him or he goe from me, I trowe so: and so he was caried away.

THe next daye Bernarde was brought agayne before the Byshop, and the byshop asked hym if he dyd not remember him selfe since the daye before, that he was before hym.

Roger. Yes myLord, I haue remembred my selfe very well. for the same man I was yesterdaye, I am this daye, and I hope shalbe all the dayes of my lyfe, concernyng the matter you talked with me of.

Then one of the Garde standing by, sayde: MarginaliaOne of the Gard doth take Bernarde to schole.my Lorde, I praye you trouble not your selfe any more with him, but let me haue the examining of hym. I shall handle hym after another sorte I trowe, and make hym a fayre chylde or he goe, you shall see. So was he committed to hym, and brought by hym to an Inne, MarginaliaA holsome company of caterpillers.where were a great many of Priestes assembled together: and there they fel all in flatteryng him, & perswading him with gaye intysing woordes what they could: but when therein they might not preuayle, for that the Lorde assisted the good poore man, then began they to threaten hym with whypping, stockynge, burnynge, and suche lyke, that it was wonderfull the do they made with him. Vnto whome Bernarde sayde: frendes, I am not better then my master Christe, and the Prophetes, whiche youre fathers serued after such sorte, & I for his names sake am cōtent to suffer the like at your hands

if God shall so permitte, trusting that he wyll strengthen me in the same, accordinge to his promyse, in spite of the Deuill and all his mynisters. So when they coulde not make him to relent or yelde, they saide: behold a ryght scholler of Fortune. Thē caried they him to the B. who immediatly condemned him as an herereticke, & deliuered him to the secular power.

This Roger Bernard was a single man, and by his vocation a labourer, dwellynge in Fransden in Suffolk. MarginaliaBernard taken by maister Tamages mēWho was taken in the night by maister Tamages men, because hee would not goe to churche to heare their vnsauery seruice,and so by them caried to pryson.

¶ Adam Foster. 

Commentary    Close

This little narrative, significantly, has far less to do with the martyrdom of Foster than with the providential punishment of George Revet for his sins. Like the story of Gregory Crow, this reflects Foxe's deep concern to depict divine justice rewarding the good and punishing the evil.

Foxe got the year of Foster's and Lawson's executions wrong; because they were condemned in 1556, he assumed that they were executed that year. But the writs authorizing their executions were dated 3 December 1556 which means that they were executed on 30 June 1557.

MarginaliaAdam FosterADam Foster of the age of xxvi. yeres, housbandman being maried, dwelling in Mendlesam, in the countie of Suffolke, was taken at home in his house a litle before the Sunne going downe, by the MarginaliaG. Reuet, Th. mouseConstables of the sayde towne, George Reuet and Thomas Mowse, at the commaundement of MarginaliaSir Iohn Tirrell.sir Iohn Tirrell of Gipping hall in Suffolke, knight, because he wold not go to church and heare masse, and receiue at Easter, except he might haue it after Christes holy ordinaunce. When they came for him, they tolde him he must go with thē vnto þ^e Iustice. Vnto whom Adam Foster saide: for Christes cause and to saue his conscience he was well cōtented: and so they ledde him to sir Iohn Tirrell, and he sent him to Aye Dongeon in Suffolke, from whence at lengthe he was sent to Norwiche & there condemned by Bishop Hopton.

MarginaliaBehold the iudgement of God.Nowe after this taking, the sayde Mouse & Reuet were striken with a great feare and sicknesse, whereby Mowse pined and consumed away, euen vnto death, although he was a man of a yonge and lusty age. But George Reuet, who was the sayde Mowses fellowe, and a great reader of the scripture, or as a man may terme it, a talkatiue gospeller, woulde not be premonyshed by the workes of God, but sette his sonne to helpe the priest saye masse, and to be Clarck of the same town of Mendlesam for lucres sake: yet was there a fayre warning geuen him of God, although he had not the grace so to consider it, the whiche thing was this. MarginaliaA yongmā parishe clerck against his conscience.A yong man of the same paryshe newly maried, called Robert Edgore, being of a rype wytte and sounde, was Clerke in the saide churche, before the sayde Ryuet sette his sonne in that roume, and executed the office a litle, yea, halas to long, against his owne conscience, wher by at length the Lorde so toke away his wits, that yet at this daye, his poore and wofull wyfe, good woman, is compelled to keepe hym cheyned and bounde contynuallye, leaste hee shoulde vnwares dooe hym selfe, or some other, myschiefe, as many tymes (the more pitie)