church, she aunswered: because, sayde she, I finde not these things in gods word which you so vrge and magnify as thinges moste nedefull for mens saluation. If these thinges were in the same word of God commended, I would with all my hart receiue, esteme, and beleue them. The bishop answered: if thou wilt beleue no more thē is in the scripture, concerning matters of religion, thou arte in a damnable case: at the which iniurious woordes she was wonderfullye amased, and beinge moued by the sprite of God told my lord that his wordes were vngodly & wicked. After her condemnation 

she continueth a hole twelue moneth in prison, for because that she was cōmitted to the sherife that was of late chosē, who could not be cōpelled to put her to deth in his time (as he affirmed) for þ^e which thing, MarginaliaA good sherife.aftet her death he was sore troubled & in dāger of his life. All that time she was in prisō her behauiour was such, both in words & dedes, that al they that had any spark of godlines or ciuil honesty, dyd greatly lament her case that she should be put to deathe. Nowe when the time did drawe nere the which god had appoynted for her deliuerance, the write of Comburendo:  (as they terme it) being brought down from Londō, she desired certayn of her frendes to come vn her, with whome (when they came) she consulted how she might behaue herself, that her death might be most glorius to the name of god, comfortable to his people, and also moste discōfortable vnto the enemies of god. As for the feare of death, I do not greatly passe whē I behold (sayd she) the amiable coūtenāce of Christ my dere sauiour, MarginaliaMaistres Lewes cōforted in Christe. the vgsome face of death doth not greatly trouble me. In the whiche time also she reasoned most comfortablye out of gods word of gods election and reprobatiō. In the euening, before the day of her sufferinge, two of the priests of the close of Lichefield came to the vnder sherifes house wher she lay, and sent word to her by the shirife that they wer come to heare her confession. for they would be sory she should die with out it. MarginaliaMaystres Lewes refuseth to be confessed to the priests.She sent them worde agayn, she had made her confession to Christe her sauiour, at whose hands she was sure to haue forgeueness of her synnes. As cōcerning the cause for the which she shold die, she had no cause to cōfesse that, but rather geue vnto God moste humble prayse that he did make her worthy to suffer death for his worde. And as concerning that absolution that they were able to geue vnto her, (being authorised by the Pope) she did defye the same, euen from the bottom of her hart. The whiche thing whē the priests heard they sayd to the sherife. wel, sayd they: to morowe her stoutnes will be proued & tried. for although perhaps she hath now some frendes that whisper her in her eares, to morow will we see who dare be so hardy as to come nere her: and so they went their wayes with angre, that their cōfession & absolution was naughte sette by. All that night she was wonderfully cherefull and mery with a certaine grauitie, in so muche that the maiestie of the spirite of God did manifestly appere in her, who did expell the feare of death out of her hart, spending the time in praier, reding, and talkinge with them that were purposly come vnto her for to cōfort her with the word of God. About thre of the clock in the morning, Sathan (who neuer slepeth especially when death is at hand) began to sturre him selfe busely, shoting at her that fyry darte the whiche he is wont to do against al that are at defiance with him, questioning with her howe she could tell that she was chosen to eternall lyfe, and

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that Christ died for her. I graūt that he died: but that he died for thee how canst thou tel? With this suggestion when she was troubled, they that wer about her, did counsell her to followe the example of S. Paul, Gal. 2. where he sayth Qui dilexit me et tradidit semetipsum pro me. 

Also, that her vocation & calling to the knowlege of Gods word, was a manifest token of gods loue towards her, especially that same holy spirit of God working in her hart that loue and desire towards God to please him, and to be iustified by him through Christ. &c. By these and like persuasions, and specially by the cōfortable promises of christ, brought out of the scripture, Sathan was put to flight, and she comforted in Christ. About viii. of the clock, maister sherife came to her into her chamber, sayinge these wordes: maistres Lewys, I am com to bring you tidings of the quenes pleasure, the which is, that you shall liue no longer but one houre in this worlde. Therfore prepare your selfe thereunto, it standeth you in hand: at which wordes beinge so grossely vttered & so sodenly by such an officer as he was, she was somwhat abashed, wherfore one of her frendes & acquaintaunce standing by, sayde these woordes: maistres Lewys, you haue great cause to prayse god, who will vouchsafe so spedely to take you out of this world, & make you worthy to b a witnesse to his truthe, and to beare record vnto Christ that he is the only sauiour. After the whiche wordes spoken thus, she sayd: maister sherife, your message is welcom to me, & I thank my god that he wil make me worthy to aduēture my life in his quarell. And thus maister sherife departed: and within the space of one hour, he came againe, cum gladiis et fustibus.  And whē he came vp into the chamber, one of her frēdes desired him to geue him leaue to go with her to the stake, and to comfort her, the which the sherife graūted at that time, but afterwardes was sore troubled for the same when she was dead. Nowe when she was brought through the towne with a number of byl men, a great multitude of people beinge present, she beyng led by two of her frendes (of the which M. Michael Renigar was one)  she was brought to the place of execution: & because the place was farre of, and the throng of the people great, & she not acquainted with the fresh ayre (being so long in pryson) one of her frendes sent a messenger to the sherifes house for some drinke. And after she had prayed thre seueral times, in the which praier she desired god most instantly to abolish the vyle masse, and to deliuer this Realme from Papistrie, at the end of the whiche prayers, the moste part of the people cried Amen, yea, euen the sherife that stode hard by her, ready to cast her in the fire for not allowing the masse, at this her praiers he said with the rest of the people, Amen. Whē she had thus prayed, she toke the cup into her hands, saying. I drinke to all them that vnfainedly loue the gospell of Iesus Christ, and wysh for the abolyshment of papistrie: when she had dronken, they that were her frendes, dranke also. After that a great nomber, especially the weomē of the town, did drinke with her: whiche afterwarde were put to open penaunce in the churche by the cruell papistes, for drinking of the cuppe of bere with that weoman. When she was tied to the stake with the chayn, she shewed such a cherefulnes that it passed mans reason, being so well colored in her face, & so pacient, that the most part of them that had honest hartes did lament, and euen with teares bewayle the tyranny of the papistes. When the fyre

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