shall therfore most earnestlye and lovinglye desyer all maner of persons, of what estate or degree soever they be, that will gladlye withstande these miserable mischefes and workes, and to maintain the crown from all straungers to the right heyrs of the realme, that they and everye of them, with all expedition, resorte to us, so well appointed with horses, armoure, or otherwayes, as they possyble can appointe themselves, for the preservatyon of the crowne and savegarde of the realme.
THE BEHAVIOUR OF DR. RIDLEY AND MASTER LATIMER AT THE TIME OF THEIR DEATH, WHICH WAS THE 16TH OF OCTOBER, 1555.
Source.—Foxe: Acts and Monuments. Ed. 1843–9. Vol. vii., p. 547.
Upon the north side of the town, in the ditch over against Balliol College, the place of execution was appointed: and for fear of any tumult that might arise, to let the burning of them, the lord Williams was commanded, by the queen’s letters, and the householders of the city, to be there assistant, sufficiently appointed. And when everything was in a readiness, the prisoners were brought forward by the mayor and the bailiffs.
Master Ridley had a fair black gown furred and faced with foins such as he was wont to wear being bishop, and a tippet of velvet furred likewise about his neck, a velvet night-cap upon his head, and a corner cap upon the same, going in a pair of slippers to the stake, and going between the mayor and an alderman, etc.
After him came master Latimer in a poor Bristol frieze[11] frock all worn, with his buttoned cap, and a kerchief on his head, all ready to the fire, a new long shroud hanging over his hose, down to the feet; which at the first sight stirred men’s hearts to rue upon them, beholding, on the one side, the honour they sometime had, and on the other, the calamity whereunto they were fallen.
Master doctor Ridley, as he passed toward Bocardo, looked up where master Cranmer did lie, hoping belike to have seen him at the glass window, and to have spoken unto him. But then master Cranmer was busy with friar Soto and his fellows, disputing together, so that he could not see him, through that occasion. Then master Ridley, looking back, espied master Latimer coming after, unto whom he said, “Oh, be ye there?” “Yea,” said master Latimer, “have after as fast as I can follow.” So, he following a pretty way off, at length they came both to the stake, the one after the other, where first Dr. Ridley entering the place, marvellously earnestly holding up both his hands, looked towards heaven. Then shortly after espying master Latimer, with a wondrous cheerful look he ran to him, embraced, and kissed him; and as they that stood near reported, comforted him, saying, “Be of good heart, brother, for God will either assuage the fury of the flame, or else strengthen us to abide it.”
With that went he to the stake, kneeled down by it, kissed it and most effectuously prayed, and behind him master Latimer kneeled, as earnestly calling upon God as he. After they arose, the one talked with the other a little while, till they which were appointed to see the execution, removed themselves out of the sun. What they said I can learn of no man.
Then Dr. Smith, of whose recantation in King Edward’s time ye heard before, began his sermon to them upon this text of St. Paul, “If I yield my body to the fire to be burnt, and have not charity, I shall gain nothing thereby.” Wherein he alleged that the goodness of the cause and not the order of death, maketh the holiness of the person; which he confirmed by the examples of Judas, and of a woman in Oxford that of late hanged herself, for that they, and such like as he recited, might then be adjudged righteous, which desperately sundered their lives from their bodies, as he feared that those men that stood before him would do. But he cried still to the people to beware of them, for they were heretics, and died out of the Church. And on the other side, he declared their diversity in opinions, as Lutherans, Æcolampadians, Zuinglians, of which sect they were, he said, and that was the worst: but the old church of Christ, and the Catholic faith believed far otherwise. At which place they lifted up both their hands and eyes to heaven, as it were calling God to witness of the truth: the which countenance they made in many other places of his sermon, where as they thought he spake amiss. He ended with a very short exhortation to them to recant, and come home again to the church, and save their lives and souls, which else were condemned. His sermon was scant; in all, a quarter of an hour.
Dr. Ridley said to master Latimer, “Will you begin to answer the sermon, or shall I?” Master Latimer said, “Begin you first, I pray you.” “I will,” said master Ridley.
Then, the wicked sermon being ended, Dr. Ridley and master Latimer kneeled down upon their knees towards my lord Williams of Thame, the vice-chancellor of Oxford, and divers other commissioners appointed for that purpose, who sat upon a form thereby: unto whom master Ridley said, “I beseech you, my lord, even for Christ’s sake, that I may speak but two or three words.” And whilst my lord bent his head to the mayor and vice-chancellor, to know (as it appeared) whether he might give him leave to speak, the bailiffs and Dr. Marshall, vice-chancellor, ran hastily unto him, and with their hands stopped his mouth, and said, “Master Ridley, if you will revoke your erroneous opinions, and recant the same, you shall not only have liberty so to do, but also the benefit of a subject: that is, have your life.” “Not otherwise?” said master Ridley. “No,” quoth Dr. Marshall. “Therefore if you will not so do, then there is no remedy but you must suffer for your deserts.” “Well,” quoth master Ridley, “so long as the breath is in my body, I will never deny my lord Christ, and his known truth: God’s will be done in me!” And with that he rose up, and said with a loud voice, “Well then, I commit our cause to Almighty God, which shall indifferently judge all.” To whose saying master Latimer added his old posy, “Well! there is nothing hid but it shall be opened.” And he said, he could answer Smith well enough, if he might be suffered.
Incontinently they were commanded to make them ready, which they with all meekness obeyed. Master Ridley took his gown and his tippet, and gave it to his brother in law master Shipside, who all his time of imprisonment, although he might not be suffered to come to him, lay there at his own charges to provide him necessaries, which from time to time he sent him by the serjeant that kept him. Some other of his apparel that was little worth, he gave away: other the bailiffs took.
He gave away besides, divers other small things to gentlemen standing by, and divers of them pitifully weeping, as to Sir Henry Lea he gave a new groat: and to divers of my lord Williams’s gentlemen some napkins, some nutmegs, and rases of ginger: his dial, and such other things as he had about him, to every one that stood next him. Some plucked the points off his hose. Happy was he that might get any rag of him.
Master Latimer gave nothing, but very quietly suffered his keeper to pull off his hose, and his other array, which to look unto was very simple: and being stripped into his shroud, he seemed as comely a person to them that were there present, as one should lightly see; and whereas in his clothes he appeared a withered and crooked silly old man, he now stood bolt upright, as comely a father as one might lightly behold.
Then master Ridley standing as yet in his truss, said to his brother, “It were best for me to go in my truss still.” “No,” quoth his brother, “it will put you to more pain; and the truss will do a poor man good.” Whereunto master Ridley said, “Be it, in the name of God”; and so unlaced himself. Then, being in his shirt, he stood upon the foresaid stone, and held up his hand and said, “O heavenly Father, I give unto thee most hearty thanks, for that thou hast called me to be a professor of thee, even unto death: I beseech thee, Lord God, take mercy upon this realm of England, and deliver the same from all her enemies.”
Then the smith took a chain of iron, and brought the same about both Dr. Ridley’s and master Latimer’s middles: and, as he was knocking in a staple, Dr. Ridley took the chain in his hand, and shaked the same for it did gird in his belly, and looking aside to the smith, said, “Good fellow, knock it in hard,
