uented, & brought before you a recognisaunce, or recognisaunces, obligation, or obligations to our vse of such sūme or sūmes of money, as to you, or thre of you, shal seme conuenient, as well for the personal appearance before you, of euery such suspect persō, or for the performance and accomplishmēt of your orders and decrees in case you shal so think conuenient, as for the true and sure paiment of all and euerye suche fine and fines, as shall hereafter be by you, or. 3. of you taxed or assessed, vppon any offendour that shall be before you, or thre of you duely cōuinced as is aforesaide, to our vse to be payd at such dayes and tymes as by you or thre of you shall be called, limited and appointed, and you to certify euery such recognisaunce or obligation so being takē for any fine or fynes not fully and wholly payde before you, vnder youre handes and seales, or the handes or seales of. iii of you into our Court of Chauncery, to the intēt we may be therof duely answered, as appertaineth. And furthermore we geue to you, and thre of you, full power and authoritie by these presentes, not onely to call before you, all and euery offendour and offendors, and al & euery suspect person and persones, in any of the premisses, but also al such, and so many witnesses as ye shall thinke mete to be called, and them, and euery of them, to examine & compel to answer & swere vpon the holy Euangelistes, to declare the truth in all such thinges, whereof they or any of them shalbe examined, for þ^e better trial, opening and declaration of the premises, or of any part therof. And further our wyl and pleasure is, that you or three of you, shall name and appoynt one sufficient person to gather vp and receiue all such sūmes of money as shall be assessed and taxed by you or any thre of you, for any fine or fines vpō any person or persōs for their offenses, and you or thre of you by bill, or billes assigned with your handes, shal & may assigne and appoint, aswel to the sayd person for his paines in receiuing the said sūmes, as also to your clerkes, messengers and attendaūtes vpon you for their trauaile, pains, and charges to be susteined for vs, about the premisses or any part therof, such sūme and sūmes of money for their rewardes, as by you or thre of you shalbe thought expedient, willing and commaūding you or thre of you, after the tyme of this our commission expired, to certify vnto our escheker, aswell the name of the said receiuer, as also a note of suche fines as shall be set and taxed before you, to the intent that vppon the determination of the accompte of the same receiuer, we may be aūswered of that vnto vs shall iustly apperteine, willing and commaunding also all our auditors and other officers, vpon the sight of the said billes signed with the handes of you or thre of you, to make to þ^e sayd receiuer, due allowance according to the sayde

billes, vpon this accomptes. Wherfore we wil and commaūde you our saide Commissioners with diligence to execute the premisses, any of our lawes, statutes, proclamacions, or other grauntes, priuileges, or ordinaunces, which be or may seme to be cōtrary to the premisses not withstanding. And moreouer, we wil and commaūd all & singuler Iustices of peace, Mayors, Sherifs, Bailifs, Constables, and al other our officers and ministers and faithful subiectes to be aiding, helping, & assisting you at your commaundement, in the due execution hereof, as they may tender our pleasure, and wil answer to the contrary at their vttermost perils. And we will and graunt that these our letters patentes shalbe sufficient warrant and MarginaliaBut howe wil you discharge thē before god, the righteous iudge?discharge for you, and euery of you against vs, our heyrs and successors, and al and euery other person & persons whatsoeuer they be, of, for, & cōcerning the premisses or any parcel therof, or for the execution of this our cōmissiō or any part therof.

In witnes wherof, we haue caused these our letters patentes to be made, & to Marginaliawhen ye ar not sure to continue so long youre selues.continue and endure for one whole yere, next comming after the date hereof. Witnes oure selues at Westminster, the. 8. of February, the. 3. or 4. yeres of our reignes.

A storye of the apprehension of. 22. sent vp together for gods worde, to London, from Colchester.  

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22 Prisoners from Colchester

Much of this account - Kingston's letter to Bonner, the indenture on the delivery of the prisoners and the formal confession of the prisoners - was printed in the 1563 edition. In the 1570 edition, Foxe added Bonner's letter to Pole, an informal confession of some of the prisoners and the petition of the prisoners. Foxe's sources for the 1563 edition are clearly London diocesan records; for the 1570 edition, he has apparently drawn from the Canterbury records.

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Foxe credits Pole with saving the prisoners, but there are other possible readings of these documents. What is clear is that the Colchester magistrates and Bonner's commissioners had arrested these prisoners and sent them to Bonner in London. Their arrival in the capital created a commotion which greatly worried Bonner. His solution was to have the prisoners taken to Fulham and tried there, but he sought to obtain Pole's permission for this. In the event, the prisoners were released upon making a deliberately vague submission of belief in the eucharist.

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AFter this proclamation or commission aboue said was thus commensed, & geuen out at London, these newe inquisitours, especially some of thē, began to ruffle & to take vpon the not a litle, so that al quarters wer full of persecution, namely the dioces of Canterbury, wherof (by þ^e leaue of Christ) we wil say more anone. In the mene time, about the town of Colchester the wind of persecutiō begā fiercly to rise: insomuch þ^t. xxiii together. mē & women wer apprehended at one clap, of the which. xxiii. one escaped. The other xxii. wer driuen vp like a flock of christē lābes, to Londō, w^t. ii. or. iii. leaders with thē at most, redy to geue their skins to be pluckt of for the gospels sake. Notw^tstāding the bishops, afrayd belike of thenumber, to put so many at once to death, sought meanes to deliuer thē, & so they did, drawing out a very easy submissiō for thē or rather suffring thē to draw it out thēselues. Such as met thē by þ^e way cōming vp, saw thē com scattring in þ^e fields, so þ^t they might haue easily escaped away. As thei entred into þ^e townes, their kepers called thē together into aray, to go. 2. &. 2. together, hauing a bād or a line going betwene thē, they holding þ^e same in theyr hands, hauing another corde euery one aboute his arme, as though they wer tied. And so wer these. 14. mē, &. 8. women caried vp to London, the people by the way praying to god for them,