the history is at present confined to John Warne: and Fox lays the blame of his apprehension and punishment on Dr. Story, putting in a marginal note, "Story persecuteth his kinsfolk'," which of course keeps its place in the new edition, though Fox himself in another page of the same volume acknowledges his mistake and says, "I understand since of some, there was no kindred between them, but only that she was his servant?."

But as to John Warne, it seems that he could only be considered by the law as a relapsed heretic, seeing that the article which he subscribed states ;

"That thou, John Warne, wast in time past here, in the city of London, convented in the Guildhall for heresy against the sacrament of the altar, according to the order of the laws of this realm of England in the time of King Henry the Eighth, and when Alderman Barnes was sheriff, and the Thursday after that Anne Askew was burnt in Smithfield; and thereupon thou wast sent a prisoner to Newgate, to whom Edmund Bishop of London did repair with his chaplains, to instruct thee in the true faith of Christ, touching the said sacrament of the altar, and to bring thee from thy error, which was, that in the sacrament of the altar there is not the body of Christ, nor any corporal presence of Christ's body and blood, under the forms of bread and wine; but that in the said sacrament there is only material bread and wine, without any substance of Christ's body and blood at all: and because thou wouldst not leave and forsake thy said heresy therein, but persist and abide obstinately

1 Fox, vii. p. 343.

2 Fox, vii. 749. The passage in which Fox mentions the matter of Dr. Story in the earlier part of the volume, is characteristic of him and of his notion of "recognising" his book for different editions. "The chief

'procurer of this her death was Dr. Story, being (as it is thought) of some 'alliance either to her (the said Elizabeth), or else to her late husband: 'who, though he was, at the first apprehension of his said kinswoman, a very earnest suitor for her deliverance to Dr. Martin, then one of the 'king and queen's commissioners in matters of religion (himself being as 'yet not made commissioner), and had by his suit obtained her deliverance for that present, as Dr. Martin himself (the author hereof) hath reported; yet afterwards, upon what occasion God only knoweth, except upon some burning charity, the said Dr. Story, obtaining now the room of one of the commissioners, caused not only the said John Warne, but also his wife, and afterwards his daughter, to be again apprehended, never leav'ing them until he had brought them all to ashes. Such was the rage of that devout Catholic and white child of the mother church, that neither 'kindred, nor any other consideration, could prevail with him, although 'it did (at his request) with others, who in respect of him were but ⚫ strangers unto them. The Lord, if it be his will, turn his heart, or else rid his poor church from such a hydra, as, thanked be the Lord, now he hath."-Fox, vii. 343.

and wilfully therein, thou wert, according to the said laws, condemned to death and to be burnt; and thereupon labour being made for thee to the king and others in the court, thou hadst a pardon of King Henry the Eighth, and so thereby didst save thy life.”—For, vol. vii. p. 80.

was

As to the proceedings against him when thus again accused, it is not worth while to repeat how the bishop was occupied in "exhorting him with many words to leave his heresies"-how at a subsequent examination "he earnestly exhorted by the said bishop to recant his opinions" -how he was again examined and "the bishop then, seeing 'that notwithstanding all his fair promises, and terrible 'threatenings (whereof he used store), he could not anything 'prevail; finished this examination with the definitive sen'tence." It is, I am aware, tiresome to repeat such matter as this so often; but without such repetition how can we judge of the real case? Could we without it sufficiently feel the palpable absurdity of representing the blood-thirsty bishop as a person foiled, and discomfited, and triumphed over, whenever a martyr resisted unto death? The bloody wolf seems to have saved John Warne's life once, and he wanted to do it again. But it would not do.

§ 6. BISHOP BONNER'S DEALINGS WITH THE COURT.

We are told that Bishop Bonner's proceedings with his prisoners were stimulated and quickened though our account of them must be interrupted-by a letter which he received about this time," directed from the court," and "sent by a post early in the morning." Fox heads it “A Letter from the King and Queen to Bonner," but as he could not himself, perhaps, view it, or wish his reader to consider it, otherwise than as a matter of confidential correspondence, and privy conspiracy, between the Queen and the bishop, he used the collateral security of a marginal note, QUEEN MARY STIRRETH BONNER TO SHED INNOCENT BLOOD.' This is of course enough for those who run over pages, and down margins, without inquiring whether the titles, and notes, agree with the text. But if anybody looks into the matter he will see that this was not a private and confidential note to Bonner from the Queen, but a document of a particularly public nature, under the sign manual. It will

be seen (for the matter is too important to our inquiry to allow of its being omitted) that it was a circular letter from the King and Queen to the bishops, informing them of their concern in another circular letter which had been already sent to all the Justices of the Peace in the kingdom.

"A Letter of the King and Queen to Bonner.

"To the right reverend father in God, our right trusty and wellbeloved, the bishop of London.

"Right reverend father in God, right trusty and well-beloved, we greet you well. And whereas of late we addressed our letters to the justices of peace within every of the counties of this our realm, whereby, amongst other instructions given them for the good order and quiet government of the country round about them, they are willed to have a special regard unto such disordered persons as (forgetting their duties towards God and us) do lean to any erroneous and heretical opinions, refusing to show themselves conformable to the catholic religion of Christ's church; wherein if they cannot by good admonitions and fair means reform them, they are willed to deliver them to the ordinary, to be by him charitably travailed withal, and removed (if it may be) from their naughty opinions; or else, if they continue obstinate, to be ordered according to the laws provided in that behalf: understanding now, to our no little marvel, that divers of the said disordered persons, being by the justices of peace, for their contempt and obstinacy, brought to the ordinaries to be used as is aforesaid, are either refused to be received at their hands, or, if they be received, are neither so travailed with as Christian charity requireth, nor yet proceeded withal according to the order of justice, but are suffered to continue in their errors, to the dishonour of Almighty God, and dangerous example of others; like as we find this matter very strange, so we have thought convenient both to signify this our knowledge, and therewith also to admonish you to have in this behalf such regard henceforth to the office of a good pastor and bishop, as when any such offenders shall be by the said officers or justices of peace brought unto you, you to use your good wisdom and discretion in procuring to remove them from their errors, if it may be; or else in proceeding against them (if they shall continue obstinate) according to the order of the laws; so as through your good furtherance, both God's glory may be better advanced, and the commonwealth more quietly governed. "Given under our signet, at our honour of Hampton-court, the 24th of May, the first and second years of our reigns3."

This document is of great historical importance, as showing the conduct of the court at this time towards the ecclesiastical and civil authorities with reference to the matter of heresy. But it is of much more consequence in our

3 Fox, vol. vii. p. 86.

inquiry; because, though it is absurd to talk of its being sent to Bonner personally, or as if it had any particular application to him, yet it was in fact sent to him as much as to the rest of the bishops; and our business is to inquire what he did with it. The reader may think this hopeless; for he will see that Fox, having given the document, proceeds with his story, dismissing the whole subject of court interference with this one remark ;-"This letter coming 'from the court to the bishop, made him the more earnest 'and hasty to the condemnation, as well of others, as of 'these men of whom now we have presently to entreat, of 'John Simson I mean, and John Ardeley," &c.

We will, however, take leave to understand Fox's "presently" in the modern, rather than in his sense of the word; and first inquire what Bonner did with reference to this Royal Letter. In order to this an inquirer must have either the first edition of the Martyrology, or Mr. Cattley's. Taking for granted that he has not convenient access to the former very rare volume, I assume with equal confidence that he can consult the latter, which, owing to its badness and its being kept imperfect by the publisher, may be had at a very low price. If then he looks out the King and Queen's letter at volume vii. p. 86 of Mr. Cattley's edition, and proceeds to turn over exactly one hundred and ninety-nine pages, he will find a passage restored from the first edition, and stuck in (without a word of explanation or any reference but to that first edition) between "The Godly Letters of John Bradford," and the history of "William Minge," and having no sort of connection with either; but which, on reflection and comparison, he will see to be very important in regard to the subject of our inquiry. It begins thus ;

"In the month of May before, mention was made of certain letters directed from the king and the queen to Bonner, then being bishop of London. Besides which letters, certain others had been directed a little before from the Council to the said bishop; by occasion of which letters, Bonner, not long after, caused a certain declaration to be made at Paul's Cross, by Chedsey, unto the people, to purge and wash himself from the common and general suspicion of cruelty, which was spread abroad of him among the common people: the copy of which his declaration I thought here not to suppress, but, in this place, to set forth."-Fox, vol. vii. p. 285.

If I understand the matter right, Bonner received the

letter on Friday the 24th, or Saturday the 25th of May, and Dr. Chedsey made the following declaration on Sunday the 26th; "such quick speed" did Bonner make in doing what he saw fit to do on the occasion, and what certainly was rather a remarkable act; though I confess myself unable fully to understand tho whole motive and purpose of it. I shall, however, be surprised if I find, that any fair and candid person considers it as the act of a man who thirsted for blood, and desired nothing more than to drive on the persecution, and be the agent and instrument of its cruelties;"A Declaration made at Paules Crosse by Doctour Chedsey, at the commaundement of Boner, then Byshop of London.

"My lorde maior, maister aldermen, maister shiriffes, and all you here now assembled: my lorde byshoppe of London, your ordinarye, hath desired me to declare unto you all, that upon Friday last he dyd receive twoo letters from the court; the one came from the Kyng and Queenes majesties, the other from their majesties' privye Counsayle. The effect of that letter whiche came from the privye Counsell, was concerninge procession and prayer to be made for the obtaynyng and concludynge of peace betwene the Emperour's Majesty and the Frenche Kynge; the effect of that letter that came from the King and Queenes Majesties was for the charitable instruction and reformation for heretickes, if they would amend, and for theyr punishment if they woulde be wylfyll and obstinate; and you shall heare the tenour and woordes of both.

"The superscription of the letter commyng from the privye Counsell was thys: To our very good lorde the Byshop of London, wyth diligence. The subscription was: Your lordshyppes lovyng frendes, Francis Shrewesberye; Penbroke; Thomas Cheyny; Wylliam Peter; Thomas Wharton; Richard Southwel. The woordes of the bodye of the letter were these: After our ryght hartye, etc. "The superscription of the letter comminge from the Kinge and Queenes Majesties was this: To the righte reverende Father in God, our right trustie and well beloved the byshop of London. The signe manuel was Philip and Marye: the tenor was Right reverend, etc.; and Lo, heare is the signet put to the saide letters.

"And where by these letters, comming from the king and Quenes Majesties, it appeareth that their majesties do charge my Lorde byshop of London and the rest of the bishops of remisnes and negligence in instructinge the people, infected with heresye, yf they will be taught, and in punishing them yf they will be obstinate and willfull, ye shall understand that my Lorde Byshop of London, for his part, offereth himselfe redye to do therin hys duty to the uttermost; gevinge you knowledge that he hath sent to all the prisons of the citie to knowe what persons are there for heresye, and by whose commaundement: and that he will travayle and take payne with all that be of his jurisdiction for theire amendement; and sorye he is that anye is in pryson for any such matter. And he