MarginaliaAn. 1555. March.At the burning of which Maister Higbed, Iustice Browne was also present, as is aboue specified, and diuers Gentlemen in the Shiere were commaunded to be present, for feare belike, lest they should bee taken from them. And thus much touching the apprehension, examination, confession, condemnation, and burning of these two godly & cōstant Martyrs of God.

VVilliam Pigot, Steuen Knight, and Iohn Laurence, with their examinations and constant Martyrdome.  

Commentary     Close

The Martyrdoms of Pygot, Knight and Laurence

All the information which Foxe had on these martyrs in the Rerum was acopy of Stephen Knight's prayers and the dates and places of the execution of the three martyrs, together with a brief but vivid account of Laurence being carried to the stake in a chair (Rerum, pp. 427 and 428). In the 1563 edition, Foxe added the articles put to the three and their answers, as well as accounts of the appearance before the Consistory Court of St Paul's. He also added the unforgettable story of children encouraging Laurence to remain constant, as he was burning alive, to his first edition. There were no significant changes made to the account of thesethree martyrs in subsequent editions of the Acts and Monuments.

[Back to Top]

Commentary on the Glosses     Close

Pigot, Knight and Laurence

Narrative dominates the glosses in this section, along with an account of the issues discussed between the martyrs and their persecutors. As is usual, the day of death is given at the start (for two of the martyrs who died on the same day). The gloss 'Beliefe of the pretensed Catholicke church' qualifies the term 'catholic': the term was thus not always to be conceded to the other side without comment. The glosses remind the reader that Laurence was a priest and register the fact of his conversion from monastic life to protestantism ('Talke betweene Boner and Iohn Laurence Priest'; 'Iohn Laurence sometymes a Fryer'; 'The Martyrdome of Iohn Laurence Priest at Colchester. Anno. 1555'), illustrating that even those at the heart of the pope's church could see the truth if they wished.

[Back to Top]

Touchyng þ^e which three Martyrs now somethyng to say of their examinations, it was first demaunded of them what their opinion was of the Sacrament of the aultar. Wherunto they seuerally aunswered, and also subscribed, that in the Sacrament of the aultar, vnder formes of bread and wine there is not the very substaunce of the body and bloud of our Sauiour Iesus Christ, but a spiritual partakyng of the body and bloud of Christ: the very body and bloud of Christ beyng onely in heauen and no where els. This aunswere thus made, the Byshop caused certaine Articles to be read vnto them tēdyng to the same effect, as did the Articles before of Tomkyns and of M. Causton. The tenour wherof here foloweth.

¶ Articles or Interrogatories obiected by the Byshop of London to William Pygot, Steuen Knight, and Iohn Laurence, the eight day of February. 1555.  

Commentary     Close

The accounts of the appearances of Pygot, Knight and Laurence before the Consistory Court of St Paul's as well as the articles put to them, together with their answers, are all taken from Bishop Bonner's records, probably from a court book which is now lost.

MarginaliaArticles obiected to Will. Pigot and his felowes.VVHether do you thinke and stedfastly beleue that it is a catholicke, faythfull, christian, and true doctrine, to teach, preach, and say that in the sacrament of the aultar, vnder the formes of bread and wyne, there is without any substaunce of bread and wyne there remayning, by the omnipotent power of almighty God and his holy word, really, truely, and in very dede the true, and naturall body, and bloud of our sauiour Iesus Christ, the selfe same in substaunce (though not in outward forme and appearaunce) which was borne of the virgin Mary, and suffred vpon the crosse, yea or nay?

MarginaliaBeliefe of their forelders.Whether do you thinke and stedfastly beleue, that your parentes, kinsfolke, friendes and acquaintaunce here in thys Realme of England, before your byrth a great whyle, and also after your byrth, professing and beleuing the sayd doctrine and fayth, concerning the sayd Sacrament of the aultar, had a true christen fayth, and were faithfull and true christen people, or no?

MarginaliaBelief of their Godfathers & Godmothers.Whether do you thinke & stedfastly beleue that your godfathers, and godmother, professing and beleuing the sayd doctrine and fayth, concerning the sayd sacrament of the aultar, had a true christen fayth, and were faithful and true christen people, or no?

MarginaliaBelief of their yong age.Whether do you thinke and stedfastly beleue that your owne selfe in times past, being of the age of. xiiij. yeares and aboue did thynk and beleue concerning the sayd sacrament of the aultar in all poyntes, as your sayd parentes, kinsfolke, frendes, acquaintaunce, godfathers, and godmother did then thynke and beleue therein, or no?

MarginaliaBelief of the King, Queene, and the Nobility.Whether do you thinke, and stedfastly beleue, that our soueraignes the King, & the Quene of this realme of England, and all the Nobility, Clergie, and Laitie of thys Realme professing and beleuing the sayd doctrine and fayth, as other Christian realmes do, concerning the sayd sacrament of the aultar, haue a true Christian faith, and beleue as the catholicke & true church of Christ hath alwayes beleued, preached, and taught, or no?

MarginaliaBeliefe of the pretensed Catholicke church.Whether do you thinke, and stedfastly beleue that our sauiour Christ, and hys holy spirite, hath bene, is, and shall be with his catholicke Church, euē to the worldes end, gouerning & ruling þ^e same in all thinges, especially in the necessary points of christian religion, not suffering the same to erre or to be deceiued therein?

Whether it is true that you, being suspected, or infamed to be culpable, and faulty in speaking agaynst the sacrament of the aultar, and against the very true presence of Christes naturall body, and the substance thereof in the sayd sacrament,MarginaliaThe reall presence and transubstantion. & thereupon called before me vpon complaynt made to mee agaynst you, haue not bene a good space in my house, hauing freely meate and drincke, and also diuers times instructed & informed, as well by one being your Ordinary, as also by my Chaplaines and diuers other learned men, some whereof were Bishops, some Deanes, and some Archdeacones, and euery one of them learned in diuinity, and minding well vnto you, and desiring the safegard of your soule, & that you should follow and beleue the doctrine of the Catholicke church as afore, concerning the sayd sacrament of the aultar, and whether you did not at all times since your sayd cōming to me, vtterly refuse to follow and beleue the sayde doctrine, concerning the sayd sacrament?

Whether can you now finde in your hart and consciēce to conforme your selfe in all pointes to the sayd faith, and catholicke church concerning the sayde sacrament of the aultar, faithfully, truly, and plainly, without any dissimulation, beleuing therin as our sayd soueraignes, with the Nobilitie, Clergie, and Laitie of this realme, and other Christian Realmes, and other persons aforesayd, and also the said catholicke church haue, and do beleue in that behalfe?

In case you so can not, what groūd haue you to maintain your opinion, and who is of the same opinion with you, and what conference haue you had therin with any, what comfort also and what reliefe haue you had therin by any of them, and what are their names and surnames and their dwelling place?

Their aunsweres to these Articles were not much discrepant from Tomkyns and other lyke Martyrs aboue mentioned, as here foloweth to be sene.

¶ The aunswere of Steuen Knight and William Pygot, to the aforesayd Articles.  

Commentary     Close

The accounts of the appearances of Pygot, Knight and Laurence before the Consistory Court of St Paul's as well as the articles put to them, together with their answers, are all taken from Bishop Bonner's records, probably from a court book which is now lost.

MarginaliaAnsweres to the Articles aforesayd.TO the first Article, they beleue that the contentes of this Article is not agreable to Scripture.

To the second, they aunswere and beleue that their parentes and other expressed in the sayd Article, so belueyng as is conteined in the same, were deceiued.

To the thyrd, they aunswere that they so beleued: but they were deceiued therin, as they now beleue.

To the fourth, they say that they haue heretofore beleued as is conteined in the sayd Article, but now they do not so beleue.

To the fift, they say that if they so beleue they are deceaued.

To the sixt, they beleue the same to be true.

To the seuenth they aūswere and beleue the contētes of the same to be true.

To the eight, they aunswere that they can no whitte conforme themselues to the faith and doctrine conteyned and specified in this Article, vntill it be proued by Scripture.

To the ninth, they say that they haue no ground to maintaine their sayd opinions, but the truth, which (as they say) hath bene persuaded by learned men, as D. Taylour of Hadley, and other such.

These aunsweres beyng made and exhibited, they were commaunded to appeare agayne the next day at eight of the clocke in the mornyng, and the meane while to bethinke them selues what they would do.

¶ An other appearaunce of the sayd prisoners before Boner.  

Commentary     Close

The accounts of the appearances of Pygot, Knight and Laurence before the Consistory Court of St Paul's as well as the articles put to them, together with their answers, are all taken from Bishop Bonner's records, probably from a court book which is now lost.

MarginaliaAn other appearaunce.THe next day in the mornyng beyng the ninth day of February, before their open appearaunce, the Byshop sent for William Pigot, and Steuen Knight into his great chamber in his pallace, where he persuaded with them to recant, and deny their former profession.