you should not report of me, þ^t I beleue to be saued in that I offer my selfe here vnto the death for the Lordes cause, but I beleue onely to be saued by the death of Christes passion: and this my death is & shalbe a witnes of my faith vnto you al here of the same. Good people: as many of you as beleue as I beleue, pray for me. then she came to the stake & laid her hand on it, & said: welcome the crosse of Christ,which being done, she loking on her hande, & seing it blacked with the stake, wiped it vpon her smock. for she was burnt at þ^e same stake, that Symon Myller & Elisabeth Coper was burned at. Thē after she had touched it with her hand, she cam & kissed it, & said: welcom the swete cross of Christ, & so gaue her selfe to be bound therto. After the tormentors had kindled the fire to her, she said. My soule dothe magnifie the Lord, and my spirite reioyce in God my sauiour, and in so saying she set her hāds together right against her brest, casting her eyes & head upward, and so stode heauing vp her hands by litle and litle, tyll the very synowes of her armes brast in sonder, & then they fel: but she yelded her life vnto the lord as quietly as she had been in a slomber, or as one feling no pain: so wonderfull did the Lord worke w^t her. his name therfore be praysed for euer more, Amen.

The maner of the apprehension and death of maistris Ioyce Lewys, wyfe to Thomas Lewys of Mancetter, most constantly suffering for Gods word, at Lichefield. 

Commentary    Close

Joyce Lewes

The entire account of Lewes' martyrdom appears in the 1563 edition. It is based on the testimony of an informant or informants; perhaps one of the Glovers, perhaps Augustine Bernher or perhaps someone else. It was unchanged in subsequent editions. It is worth noting that although Foxe had copies of some of the official documents of Lewes' case, he made no use of them.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaSeptember 10.MAstres Ioice Lewis a gētle womā born, was delicatly brought vp in the pleasurs of the world, hauing delight in gay apparel, & such like folishnes, With the which follies the most part of the gētle folkes of Englād were then and are yet infect. In the beginning of Quene Maries time, she went to the churche and heard masse as others did: but when she heard of the burning of that most godly & learned maister Laurence Sanders, who suffered in Couētrie, she begonne to take more hede to the matter, and inquired earnestly of such as she knewe feared god, the cause of his death: and when she perceiued it was because he refused to receiue the masse, she began to be troubled in conscience and waxed very vnquiet. And because her house was euen hard by maister MarginaliaM. Iohn Glouer a godly cōfessor of christIohn Glouers house, of whom menciō was made before, pag. 1273 (a man of blessed memory, and of a singular example, for his vnfained godlines and manifold troubles he suffred for the gospel) She did often times resort to him, and desired him to tel her þ^e faults that wer in the masse, and other thnigs that at that time were urged as necessary to saluation. Nowe he perceiuing bothe her vnquiet minde, and also the desire she had to know the truth, did most diligētly instruct her in the wayes of the Lord, approuing vnto her out of gods holy word, that the masse with all other papistical inuentions, was odious in Gods sight, MarginaliaMaistres Lewes conuerted by Iohn Glouer.& besides this, reproued her for that she delited in the vanities of this world so much: by the whiche godly counsell geuen by him, it happened that she begā to wax wery of the world throughly sorowful for her sinnes, being inflamed with the loue of

god, and desirous to serue him accordinge to his word, purposing also to flie from those things the whiche did displease the lord her god. And because she had learned the masse to be euil & abhominable, she began to hate it. And when at a time she was compelled by the furiousnes of her husband, to come to the church, at the same time whē the holy water was cast, MarginaliaMaistres Lewes refused to take holy water.she turned her back towardes it, and shewed her self to be displeased with their blasphemous holy water, iniurious to the bloud of Christe: wherupon she was accused before the bishop for the despising their sacramētals. Immediatly a Citatiō was sent for her to her husbands house to appere before my Lord MarginaliaThis bishop was called Raufe Bane. incontinently. The Sumner that brought the Citation, deliuered it to her husband, who loked vpon it, & perceiuing what it was, was moued with āger willing the Sumner either to take the Citatiō with him again, or els he wold make him to eate the same: the Sūner refused to take it again, for he thought no man durst haue been so bolde to trouble him. but in the ende Lewys compelled the said Sumner to eate the Citation in dede, MarginaliaThe sōner made to eate his citatiō.by setting a dagger to his hart: and whē he had eaten the same, he caused him to drinke, & so sent him his waye. But immediatly after, the said Lewis with his wife, wer cōmaunded to appere before my Lord, when the said Lewys by and by submitted him self, MarginaliaMaster Lewes submitted him selfe. and desired my Lord to be good to him, excusing himself after the best fashion he could. Wherupon my lord was content to receiue his submission with condition that his wife should submit her self also. but she stoutly told the byshop that by refusing of the holy water, she had neither offended god nor any part of his lawes: at the which thing the B. being greuously offended (and because she was a gentle woman, he wold not take her at the worst, as he said) gaue her one moneth respite, binding her husband in a C. li. to bring her again vnto him at the monethes end, & so they wer both let go.

When they came to their owne house, the sayde maystres Lewes gaue her selfe to most diligent prayer and inuocatinge of the name of god, resorting continually to the aboue named man of god maister Iohn Glouer, who did most diligentlye instruct her with gods word, willinge her in any wise not to meddle with that matter in respecte of vayn glory, or to get her selfe a name, shewing her the greate daungers she was like to caste her selfe in, if she should meddle in gods matters, contrary then Christe doth teache. When the moneth was now almost expired, and the time at hād that she should be brought before the bishop, her husband being aduertised by the said maister Glouer and others, not to cary her to the bishoppe, but to seke some wayes to saue her (of if the worst should come) to be contente to forfet so much mony rather then to caste his owne wife into the fire, he aunswered he would not lose or forfet anye thinge for her sake, and so lyke a murtherer of his own wife caried her to the bloudy bishoppe, where she was examined, & found more stout then she was before death was threatned. And to beginne withall, she was sent to such a stincking prison, that a certeine mayd which was appoynted to kepe her company, did swoūd 

Commentary    Close

Faint.