Bishop Ridley, and other his friends, not only not to enjoy that which they had by their said brother, Bishop Ridley, but also currishly, without all order, flaw, or honesty, by extort power wrested from them all the livings they had.

And yet, being not therewith satisfied, he sought all the means he could to work the death of the foresaid Shipside: saying, That he would make twelve godfathers to go upon him, which had been brought to pass in deed at what time he was prisoner at Oxford, had not God otherwise wrought his deliverance by means of Dr. Heath, Bishop then of Worcester.

Whereby all good indifferent readers notoriously have to understand, what great diversity was in the dispositions of those two natures. Whereof as the one excelled in mercy and pity, so the other again as much or more excelled in churlish ingratitude and despiteful disdain. But of this matter enough.

Now concerning God's vocation, how Dr. Ridley was first called to the savouring and favouring of Christ and his Gospel, partly by his disputation, and other his treatises it may appear, that the first occasion of his conversion was by reading of Bertram's book of the sacrament, whom also his conferences with Bishop Cranmer and with Peter Martyr did not a little confirm in that behalf. Who now by the grace of God, being thoroughly won and brought to the true way, as he was before blind and zealous in his old ignorance: so he was as constant and faithful in the right knowledge, which the Lord had opened. unto him (as well appeared by his preachings and doings during all the time of King Edward), and so long did much good, while authority of exterior power might defend and hold up the peace of the church and proceedings of the Gospel.

But after that it pleased so the heavenly will of the

Lord our God to bereave us of our stay, and to call, from us King Edward, that precious prince, as the whole state of the church of England was left desolate, and open to the enemies' hand; so this Bishop Ridley, after the coming in of Queen Mary, as soon and with the first was laid hands upon and committed to prison, first in the Tower, then after translated from thence, with the Archbishop of Canterbury and Master Latimer, to Oxford, was with them inclosed in the common gaol and prison of Bocardo, while at length, being dissevered from them, he was committed to custody in the house of one Irish, where he remained to the last day of his death and martyrdom, which was from the year of our Lord 1554 till the year 1555, and 16th day of October.

A full account of the disputations and examinations which he underwent is to be seen in Fox's Book of Martyrs. The following observations upon his treatment on these occasions was written by himself.

"I never yet, since I was born, saw or heard any thing done or handled more vainly or tumultuously, than the disputation which was with me in the schools at Oxford; yea, verily, I could never have thought. that it had been possible to have found amongst men, recounted to be of knowledge and learning in this realm, any [so brazen-faced and shameless, so disorderly and vainly to behave themselves, more like to stage players in interludes to set forth a pageant, than to be grave divines in schools to dispute. The Sorbonical clamours (which at Paris I have seen in time past, when Popery most reigned) might be worthily thought (in comparison of this Thrasonical ostentation) to have had much modesty. And no great · marvel, seeing they, which should have been mo

derators and overseers of others, and should have given good example in words and gravity, they themselves above all others gave worst examples, and did (as it were) blow the trump to the rest, to rave, roar, rage, and cry out. By reason whereof (good Christian reader) manifestly it may appear, that they never sought for any truth or verity, but only for the glory of the world, and their own bragging victory.

"But lest by the innumerable railings and reproachful taunts wherewith I was baited on every side, our cause, yea, rather God's cause and his church's, should be evil spoken of, and slandered to the world through false reports and untrue examples given out of our disputation, and so the verity might sustain some damage: I thought it no less than my duty to write mine answers: to the intent that whosoever is desirous to know the truth thereof, may by this perceive, as well those things which were chiefly objected, as summarily, that which was answered of me unto every of them. Howbeit (good reader) I confess this to be most true, that it is impossible to set forth either all that was (God knoweth) tumultuously and confusedly objected of their parts, being so many, speaking many times all together so thick, that one could not well hear another; or all that was answered in my behalf, to them so sundry and divers opponents.

"Moreover, a great part of the time, appointed for the disputations, was vainly consumed in opprobrious checks and reviling taunts, with hissing and clapping of hands, and that in the English tongue to procure the people's favour withal. All which things, when I with great grief of heart did behold, protesting openly, that such excessive and outrageous disorder was unseemly for those schools and men of learning and gravity, and that they which were the doers and stirrers of such things, did nothing else'

but betray the slenderness of their cause, and their own vanities: I was so far off by this my humble complaint from doing any good at all, that I was enforced to hear such rebukes, checks, and taunts for my labour, as no person of any honesty without blushing could abide to hear the like spoken of a most vile varlet, against a most wretched ruffian.

"At the first beginning of the disputation, when I should have confirmed mine answer to the first proposition in few words, and that (after the manner and law of schools) afore I could make an end of my first probation, which was not very long, even the doctors themselves cried out, He speaketh blas

phemies, he speaketh blasphemies.' And when I on my knees besought them, and that heartily, that they would vouchsafe to hear me to the end (whereat the prolocutor being moved, cried out on high,

Let him read it, let him read it'); yet when I began to read again, there followed immediately such shouting, such a noise and tumult, and confusion of voices, crying, Blasphemies, blasphemies,' as I to my remembrance never heard or read the like: except it be that one, which was in the Acts of the Apostles, stirred up of Demetrius, the silversmith, and others of his occupation, crying out against Paul, Great is Diana of the Ephesians, great is 'Diana of the Ephesians;' and except it be a certain disputation which the Arians had against the orthodox, and such as were of godly judgment in Africa, where it is said, That such, as the president and 'rulers of the disputation were, such was the end of 'the disputations. All were in a hurly burly, and so great were the slanders which the Arians cast out, that nothing could quietly be heard.' This writeth Victor in the second book of his history.

"The which cries and tumults of them against me so prevailed, that willed I, nilled I, I was en

forced to leave off the reading of my probations, although they were short. If any man doubt of the truth hereof, let the same ask any one that was there, and not utterly perverted in Popery, and I am assured he will say, I speak the least. But to complain of these things further, I will cease."

And further, speaking of this disputation, he concludeth with these words: "And thus was ended this most glorious disputation of the most holy fathers, sacrifices, doctors, and masters which fought most manfully (as ye may see) for their god and goods, for their faith and felicity, for their country and kitchen, for their beauty and belly, with triumphant applause and favour of the whole university."

After the disputation of Master Latimer was ended, which was the 18th day of April, the Friday following, which was the 20th day of the said month, the commissioners sat in St. Mary's church, as they did the Saturday before, and Dr. Weston used particular dissuasions with every of them, and would not suffer them to answer in any wise, but directly and peremptorily (as his words were) to say whether they would subscribe or no.

And first to the Bishop of Canterbury he said, he was overcome in disputations whom the Bishop answered, that whereas Dr. Weston said, he had answered and opposed, and could neither maintain his own errors, nor impugn the verity, all that he said was false. For he was not suffered to oppose as he would, nor could answer as he was required, unless he would have brangled with them, so thick their reasons came one after another. Ever four or five did interrupt him, that he could not speak.

M. Ridley and M. Latimer were asked, what they would do they said, they would stand to that they had said. Then were they all called together, and sentence read over them, that they were no members of the church. And therefore they, their favourers