Iohan Bale to the Christen readers.

AMonge other most syngular
offyces dylygent
reader whych the lorde
hath appoynted to be
done in the ernest sprete
of Helyas, by the forero~ners
of hys lattre aperaunce, thys is one
verye specyall to be noted. They shall
turne the hartes of their auncye~t elders
into the chyldre~. Mala. 4. And the vnbeleuers
of their tyme, to the wysdome of
those ryghtouse fathers, as ded Iohan
Baptyst afore hys first co~mynge, Luce 1.
That is sayth Bedas ca. 68. de temporum
ratione the faythe and feruent zele
of the prophetes and Apostles shall they
plant in their hartes, whych shall in those
dayes lyue and be amonge men conuersaunt.
& than wyll breake fourth sayth
he as a verye true prophete soche horryble
persecucyon, as wyll first of all take
from the worlde, those myghtye heliases
by tryumphaunt martyrdome, to the
terryfyenge of other in the same fayth,

ij

of whom some shall becom through that
occasyon, most gloryouse martyrs vnto
Christ also, & some verye wycked Apostataes
forsakynge hys lyuelye doctryne. For
by the seyd Bedas testymonye in the begynnynge
of the same chaptre, two most
certayne sygnes shall we tha~ haue that
the lattre iudgement daye is at hande.
The returne of Israels remnaunt vnto
their lorde God, and the horryble persecucyon
of Antichrist.
Conferre with thys treated scripture
and former prophecye of that vertuouse
man Bedas, the worldes alteracyon
now, with the terryble turmoylynges of
our tyme. And as in a most clere myrrour,
ye shall wele perceyue them at thys
present, to be in most quyck workynge.
And as concernynge the Israelytes or
Iewes, I haue both seane and knowne
of them in Germanye, most faythfull
Christen beleuers. Neyther is it
in the prophecye Osee 3. that they
shuld at that daye be all conuerted,
no more than they were at Iohan Baptystes
preachynge, Luce 1. For as Esaye
reporteth, though the posteryte of Iacob
be as the see sande innumerable
yet shall but a remnaunt of them conuert
than vnto their lorde God. Esaie
10. And though the lorde hath syfted
that howse of Israel as broused corne
in a syffe amonge all other nacyons,
Amos 9. Yet shall not that remnaunt of
theirs perysh, but at that daye be saued,
through the onlye eleccyon of
grace, Romano. 11. Now concernynge
the afore seyd forero~ners, in thys most
wonderfull change of the worlde before
the lattre ende therof. I thynke within
thys realme of Englande, besydes other
nacyons abroade, the sprete of Helyas
was not all a slepe in good Wyllyam
Tyndale, Robert Barnes, & soche
other more, whome Antichristes vyolence
hath sent hens in fyre to heauen,
as Helyas went afore in the frerye charett,
4. Regum 2.
These turned the hartes of the fathers
into the chyldren, soche tyme as
they toke from a great nombre of our
nacyon, by their godlye preachynges
and writynges, the corrupted beleue of
the pope & hys mastrye workers whych
were no fathers, but cruell robbers & destroyers,
Ioa~.10. reducynge the~ agayn

iij

to the true faythe of Abraham and Peter,
Gene. 15. and Math. 16. The pure
beleue in Christes birthe and passyon,
whych Adam and Noe sucked out of the
first promes of God, Iacob and Moses
out of the seconde, Dauid and the prophetes
out of the thirde, and so fourth
the Apostles and fathers out of the other
scriptures, so firmelye planted they in
the consciences of manye, that no cruell
kynde of deathe coulde auerte the~ from
it. As we haue for example their constaunt
dyscyples, and now stronge witnesses
of Iesus Christ, Iohan Lassels and
Anne Askewe, with their other. ij. companyons,
verye gloryouse martyrs afore
God, what though they be not so afore
the wronge iudgynge eyes of the worlde
whom the bloudye remnaunt of Antichrist
put vnto most cruell deathe in
Smythfelde at London, in the yeare of
our lorde, M. D. XLVI. in Iulye.
If they be onlye as was Iohan Baptyst
great afore the lorde by the holye
scriptures allowaunce, whych are strongelye
adourned with the graces of hys
sprete, as faythe, force, vnderstandynge,
wysdome, pacyence, loue, longe sufferaunce
and soche lyke. I dare boldelye afferme
these 4. myghtye witnesses also to be
the same, so well as the martyrs of the
prymatyue or Apostles churche. For so
strongelye had these those vertues as
they, and so boldelye obiected their bodyes
to the deathe for the vndefyled
Christen beleue, agaynst the malygnau~t
Synagoge of Sathan, as euer ded they,
for no tyrannye admyttynge anye create
or corruptyble substaunce for their eternall
lyuynge god. If their blynde babyes
to proue them vnlyke, do obiect agaynst
me, the myracles shewed at their deathes
more than at these, as that vnfaythfull
generacyon is euer desyerouse
of wonders, Math. 12. I wolde but knowe
of the~, what myracles were shewed
whan Iohan Baptystes head was cut of
in the preson? Marci 6. and whan Iames
the Apostle was byheaded at Hierusalem?
Acto. 12. These 2. were excellent
afore God, what though they were
but myserable wretches, lyght fellawes,
sedycyouse heretykes, busye knaues, and
lowsye beggers in the syght of noble kyng
Herode and hys honorable counsell of
prelates. For had not rochettes and syde

iiij

gownes bene at hande, haplye they had
not so lyghtlye dyed.
If they allege Steuen, to maynteyne
their purpose, that he at hys deathe behelde
heauen open. I aske of the~ agayne
what they were whych se it more than
hys owne persone? Sure I am that their
wycked predecessours there present, se
it not. For they stopped their cares,
whan he tolde them therof, Actorum 7.
If they yet brynge fourth the other hystoryes
of Apostles and martyrs. I answere
them, that all they are of no soche
autoryte, as these here afore. The popes
martyrs in dede, were moche fuller of
myracles than euer were Christes, as
hysselfe tolde vs they shulde be so, Mathei 24.
Yet wrought fryre Forest, Iohan
Fisher, and Thomas More no myracles,
what though manye be now regestred
in their lyues and legendes by the
fryres of Fraunce, Italye, and Spayne.
Besydes that Iohan Cochleus hath
written of them, ad Paulum Po~tificem,
ad regem Henricum, and also in their
defence agaynst doctor Sampson. With
that Erasmus ded also ad Huttenu~. P.
M. ad Gasparem Agrippam, Albertus
Pighius, Riuius, Fichardus, & a great
sort more. And as for the holye mayde of
ke~t with Doctor Bockynge, though they
wrought great wonders by their lyfe,
yet apered non at their deathes. Of hys
owne chosen martyrs, Christ loketh for
non other myracle, but that onlye they
perseuer faythfull to the ende, Math.
10. And neuer denye hys veryte afore
men. Luce 12. For that worthye vyctorye
of the synnefull worlde, standeth in the
inuyncyblenesse of faythe, and not in myracles
and wonders, as those wauerynge
wittes suppose, 1. Ioan. 5.
Ryght wonderfullye wyll thys apere
in the ij. myghtye conflyctes here after
folowynge, whych the faythfull seruaunt
of Iesu Anne Askewe, a gentylwoman
verye yonge, dayntye, and tender,
had with that outragynge Synagoge,
in her ij. examynacyons, about
the xxv. yeare of her age, whom she
sent abroade by her owne hande writynge.
The handelynges of her other
iij. companyons, shall be shewed in
other seuerall treatyses at layser. For
the glorye and great power of the

v

lorde. so manyfestlye aperynge in hys elect
vessels, maye not now perysh at all
handes, & be vnthankefullye neglected
but be spred the worlde ouer, as wele in
Latyne as Englysh, to the perpetuall infamye
of so wyllfullye cruell and spyghtfull
tyrauntes. Nothynge at all shall it
terryfye vs, nor yet in anye poynt lett vs
of our purpose, that our bokes are now in
Englande condempned and brent, by
the Byshoppes and prestes with their
frantyck affynyte, the great Antichristes
vpholders, whych seke by all practyses
possyble to turne ouer the kynges most noble
and godlye enterpryse. But it wyll
from hens forth occasyon vs, to set
fourth in the Latyne also, that afore we
wrote onlye in the Englysh, and so make
their spirytuall wyckednesse and treason
knowne moche farther of. What
auayled it Ioakim to burne Hieremyes
prophecye by the vngracyouse counsell
of hys prelates? Hiere. 36. Eyther yet Antiochus
to set fyre on the other scriptures?
1. Macha. 1.
After the Apostles were brought afore
the counsell and strayghtlye co~maunded
to cease from preachynge, they preached
moche more than afore. Acto. 4. In
most terryble persecucyons of the prymatyue
churche, were the examynacyons &
answers, tormentes and deathes of the
constaunt martyrs written, and sent abroade
all the whole worlde ouer, as
testyfyeth Eusebius Cesariensis in hys
ecclesyastyck hystorye. Their coppyes habounde
yet euerye where. Great slaughter
& burnynge hath bene here in Englande
for Iohan wycleues bokes, euer
sens the yeare of our lorde. M. CCC.
LXXXII. Yet haue not one of them
throughlye peryshed. I haue at thys
houre the tytles of a C. and XLIIII.
of them, whych are manye more in nombre.
For some of them vndre one tytle comprehendeth
ij. bokes, some iij. some iiij.
Yea, one of them contayneth xij. I thynke
not the contrarye, but ere the worlde
be at a full ende, God wyll so gloryfye
that twentye tymes condempned heretyke,
execrated, cursed, spytted, and spatled
at, that all your popysh writers before
hys tyme and after, wyll be reckened
but vyle swyneheardes to hym, for the
good fauer he bare to Christes holye
Gospell. A verye madnesse is it to stryue
agaynst God, whan he wyll haue the longe
hydden inyquytees knowne. As the
godlye wyse man Gamaliel sayd, Acto.
5. If thys enterpryse that is now taken
agaynst yow, be of God, ye shall neuer be
able with all your tyrannouse practyses
to dyssolue it.
Now concernynge that blessed woman
Anne Askewe, whych latelye suffered
the tyrannye of thys worlde for ryghtwisnesse
sake. In Lyncolne shyre was
she borne of a verye auncyent and noble
stocke, Sir Wyllyam Askewe a worthye
knyght beynge her father. But no
worthynesse in the flesh, neyther yet anye
worldlye noblenesse auayleth to god
warde, afore whome is no acceptacyon
of persone. Actorum 10. Onlye is it faythe
with hys true loue and feare, whych
maketh vs the accept, noble and worthye
chyldren vnto God, Ioan 1. Wherof
by hys gyft, she had wonderfull habundaunce.
Soch a won was she, as
was Lydia the purple sellar, whose harte
the lorde opened by the godlye preachynge
of Paule at Thyatira, Acto.16.
For dylygent hede gaue she to hys worde
whan it was ones taught without superstycyon,
& wolde no lo~gar be a false
worshypper or ydolatour after the wycked
scole of Antichrist. But became fro~
thensfourth a true worshypper, worshyppyng
her lorde God whych is a sprete &
not breade in sprete & in veryte, accordynge
to that worde of hys, Ioan. 4. The
Gospell of Christ bare she in her harte,
as ded the holye mayde Cecilia, & neuer
after ceased fro~ the stodye therof, nor fro~
godlye co~munycacyon & prayer, tyll she
was clerlye by most cruell tormentes, taken
from thys wretched worlde.
By her do I here dere fryndes in the
lorde as ded the faythfull Bretherne in
Fraunce, at the cyties of Lyons and Vienna
by a lyke faythfull yonge woman
called Blandina. Whych was
there put to deathe with iij. myghtye
companyons more amonge other as
thys was for her Christe~ beleue, about
the yeare of our lorde, C. and LXX. in
the prymatyue sprynge of their Christyanyte.
They wrote vnto their Bretherne
in the landes of Asia & Phrygia
verye farre of, her myghtye stronge sufferynges
for Christes fayth, whych they knewe
nothynge of afore. I write here vnto yow
in Englande the double processe of thys
noble woman, wherof ye are not ignoraunt,
for so moche as it was there so manyfestlye
done amonge yow. Coupled I
haue these ij. examples togyther, bycause
I fynde them in so manye poyntes agree.
Blandina was yonge and tender,
So was Anne Askewe also. But that
whych was frayle of nature in the~ both,
Christ made most stronge by hys grace.
Blandina had iij. ernest companyons in
Christ, Maturus, Sanctes, and Attalus,
so feruentlye faythfull as her selfe.
So had Anne Askewe iij. fyre fellawes,
a gentylman called Iohan Lassels her
instructour, a preste, and a tayler called
Iohan Adlam, men in Christes veryte
vnto the ende most co~staunt. With Bla~dina
were in preson, to the nombre of x.
whych renyed the truthe and were clerelye
forsaken of God for it. How manye
fell fro~ Christ besydes Crome and Shaxton,
whan Anne Askewe stode fast by
hym, I am vncerteyne. But I counsell
them, as saynt Iohan counselled the
Laodycyanes, in the myserable estate
they are now in, to bye them through
tryed golde of Christ, least they perysh
all togyther. Apoca. 3. If they had not
styll remayned in that chauncell, whome
Christ commaunded Iohan in no
wyse to measure, Apoca. 11. They had
neuer so shamefullye blasphemed, lyke
as Bedas also toucheth in hys former
prophecye.
Prompt was Blandina, and of most
lustye corage, in renderynge her lyfe for
the lyberte of her faythe. No lesse lyuelye
and quyck was Anne Askewe in all
her enprysonynges and torme~tes. Great
was the loue, Blandina had to Christ.
No lesse was the loue of Anne Askewe.
Blandina neuer faynted in torment. No
more ded Anne Askewe in sprete, whan
she was so terrybly racked of Wrysleye
the chaunceller and Ryche, that the strynges
of her armes and eyes were peryshed
Blandina deryded the cruelte of the tyrauntes.
So ded Anne Askewe the madnesse
of the Byshoppes and their speche
men. Reade burnynge plates of yron and
of brasse had Blandina put to her sydes.
So had Anne Askewe the flamynge bra~des
of fyre. Full of God and hys veryte
was Blandina. So was Anne Askewe
to the verye ende. Christ wonderfullye
tryumphed in Blandina. So ded he in
Anne Askewe, whan she made no noyse
on the racke, and so ernestlye afterwarde
reioyced in hym. Blandina was geuen
fourth to wylde beastes to be deuoured.
So was Anne Askewe to cruell Byshoppes
& prestes, whom Christ calleth
rauenynge wolues, deuourers, and theues.
Math. 7. & Ioan. 10. Blandina
vpon the scaffolde boldelye reprehended
the pagane prestes of their errour.
So ded Anne Askewe whan she was
fast tyed to the stake, with stomack rebuke
that blasphemouse apostata Shaxto~
with the Byshoppes and prestes generacyon,
for their manyfest mayntenaunce
of ydolatrye.
Blandina at the stake shewed a vysage
vnterryfyed. So ded Anne Askewe a
countenaunce stowte, myghtye and ernest
Infatygable was the sprete of Bla~dina.
So was the sprete of Anne Askewe.
The loue of Iesus Christ, the gyft
of the holye Ghost, and hope of the crowne
of martyrdome, greatlye mytygated
the payne in Blandina. So ded those iij.
worthye graces, the terrour of all tormentes
in Anne Askewe. The stronge
sprete of Christ gaue stomack to Blandina,
both to laugh and daunce. The same
myghtye sprete & not the popes desperate
sprete made Anne Askewe both to reioyce
and synge in the preson. So bolde
was Blandina sayth Eusebius that
with a presumpcyo~ of stomack she co~moued
with Christ vnseane. I suppose Anne
Askewes lattre examynacyo~, wyll shewe
her, not to do moche lesse. Gentyll was
Bla~dina to the Christe~ beleuers, & terryble
to their aduersaryes. So was Anne
Askewe verye lowlye to true teachers,
but scornefull and hygh stomaked to the
enemyes of truthe. Manye were conuerted
by the sufferaunce of Blandina. A
farre greatter nombre by the burnynge
of Anne Askewe. Though Blandina were
yonge, yet was she called the mother
of martyrs. Manye men haue supposed
Anne Askewe. for her Christen constancye
to be no lesse. Blandina prayed for
her persecuters. So ded Anne Askewe
most feruentlye. The ashes of Blandina
and of other martyrs, were throwne into
the flood of Rhodanus. What was
done with the Ashes of Anne Askewe &
her companyons, I can not yet tell.
All these former reportes of Blandina
and manye more besydes, hath Eusebius
in Ecclesiastica historia, libro 5.
cap. 1. 2. & 3. Hugo Floriacensis, Hermannus
Contractus, Vincentius, Antoninus,
Petrus Equilinus, and other hystoryanes
more. And as touchynge Anne
Askewe. these ij. examynacyons, with
her other knowne handelynges in Englande,
are wytnesses for her suffycyent.
Thus hath not the fyre taken Anne Askewe
all whole from the worlde, but left
her here vnto it more pure, perfyght, &
precyouse than afore, as it wyll also Iohan
Lassels within short space. So that
concernynge her, it maye wele be sayd,
that Paule verefyeth, 2. Cor.12. The
strength of God is here made perfyght
by weakenesse. Whan she semed most feble,
than was she most stro~ge. And gladlye
she reioyced in that weakenesse, that
Christes power myght strongelye dwell
in her. Thus choseth the lorde, the folysh
of thys worlde to confounde the wyse, &
the weake to deface the myghyte. Yea,
thynges despysed & thought verye vyle,
to brynge thynges vnto nought whych
the worlde hath in most hyght reputacyo~.
I thynke yf thys martyr were ryghtlye
conferred, with those canonysed martyrs,
whych haue had, and yet hath styll,
sensynges and syngynges, massynges &
ryngynges i~ the popes Englysh churche,
cause with cause and reason with reason,
as haplye here after they shall she
shuld be a great blemysh vnto them. An
example of stronge sufferaunce myght
thys holye martyr be, vnto all them that
the lorde shall after lyke maner put forewarde
in thys horryble furye of Antichrist,
to the glorye of hys persecuted
churche. Amen.