MarginaliaAn. 1555. October.man called Mistres Boner, mother to Doctor Boner, sometyme Bishop of London: which I thought good to touch, as well for the rare clemency of Doctor Ridley, as the vnworthy immanity and ingratefull disposition againe of D. Boner. MarginaliaThe behauiour of Bishop Ridley to Doctour Boners mother.Bishop Ridley being at hys Manour of Fulham, alwayes sent for the sayd Mistres Boner, dwelling in an house adioyning to his house, to dynner and supper, with one Mistres Mungey Boners syster, saying: Go for my mother Boner: who comming was euer placed in the chayre at the Tables ende, being so gently intreated, welcomed, and taken, as though he had bene borne of her owne body, being neuer displaced of her seate, although the kynges counsayle had bene present, saying, when any of them were there (as dyuers tymes they were) by your Lordships fauour, this place of ryght and custome is for my mother Boner. But how well hee was recompensed for thys hys singular gentlenes, and pitifull pietie after at the handes of the sayd Doctor Boner, almost the least chylde that goeth by the ground can declare.MarginaliaThe courtesy of Ridley & the currishnes of Boner described and compared together. For who afterward was more enemy to Ridley then Boner and hys? Who more went about to seeke his destruction, then he? recōpensing his gentlenes with extreme cruelty.
Note that in the 1563 edition, Foxe accused Bonner of imprisoning Alice Shipside, Nicholas Ridley's sister. Foxe was much less specific about this in the 1570 edition but much more detailed about the ordeals of George Shipside. As the source for the 1570 account was Shipside himself, this version of events is more accurate. Although Foxe does not say so, Shipside was not persecuted out of unmotivated malice, he was arrested when he was caught delivering works which Ridley had written while incarcerated to one of the bishop's former chaplains (see ECL 260, fo. 115r - printed in Letters of the Martyrs, p. 54 - also see Letters of the Martyrs, pp. 56-57).
[Back to Top]In the 1570 edition, Foxe states that George Shipside was the source for this material. The reference to Bonner 'extorting' possesions is to Bonner's refusal to accept the validity of leases which Ridley had made, as bishop of London, granting episcopal property to Alice Ridley and her husband. These leases were a subject of vital importance to Ridley; almost his last act on earth was to petition Mary toconfirm them.
[Back to Top]And yet beyng not therewyth satisfied, he sought all the meanes he could, to worke the death of the foresaid Shipside saying that he would make. xij. Godfathers to go vpon him. Which had bene brought to passe in deede at what time he was prisoner at Oxford, had not God otherwise wrought his deliueraunce by meanes of Doctour Heath bishop then of Worcester.
Nicholas Heath had been deprived of the bishopric of Worcester in 1551 and placed in Ridley's custody. In Mary's reign he was restored to his bishopric and then promoted to the archbishopric of York. Foxe refers to him as the late archbishop because he was deprived of the office in 1559.
Impartial, unbiased.
Now cōcerning Gods vocatiō, how D. Ridley was first called to the sauouring & fauouryng of CHRIST & hys Gospell, partly by hys disputation before, & other hys treatises it may appeare, that MarginaliaB. Ridley first conuerted by reading Bertrams booke.the first occasion of hys conuersion was by reading of Bertrams booke of the Sacrament,
This is the De corpore et sanguine Domini of the medieval theologian Ratramnus of Corbie. This work was translated, probably by William Hugh, in 1546, as The booke of Barthram priest intreating of the bodye and bloude ofChrist (STC 20748.5).
Foxe's wording is unclear as to what 'the conference' with Cranmer and Martyr was, but he is probably referring to the disputations on the eucharist held at Oxford in May 1549, in which Cranmer and Martyr played leading roles.
bene expressed: fyrst in the Tower,MarginaliaB. Ridley in the Tower. then after translated from thence with the Archb. of Canterbury, & Master Latimer to Oxford, was wyth thē enclosed in the common Iayle and pryson of Bocardo,
A Bocardo is a type of syllogism whose logic was supposed to be impossible to escape. The Oxford gaol, on the north gate of the city, was nicknamed the Bocardoin consequence.
Furthermore, as touching his disputations and cōflictes had at Oxford,MarginaliaRead before pag. 1607. and also of his determination had at Cambrige, also hys trauailes in perswading and instructing the Lady Mary before she was Queene,MarginaliaBefore pag. 1566. hys reasons and conference lykewyse had in the Tower at the Lieftenaunts boord, enough hath bene said already. Besides thys, other conferences he had in pryson wyth Doct. Cranmer and Master Latimer, which because they be somewhat long here to be inserted, and because I see thys volume swelleth already with aboundance of other matter, and partly also for that the same be expressed before in our former edition, page. 1285.MarginaliaRead in our former edition. pag. 1285. I thought good eyther to referre the Reader to the same: or els to differre him tyll the latter end of this volume, where in the Appendix God wylling, both this and other diuers omissions and treatises shall be supplyed.
[Back to Top]In the meane tyme it shall content the Reader for thys present to haue certayne of his letters, with a few other writinges of hys, which wee thought here to adioyne vnto the story of hys lyfe aboue described, before we come to the death and burning of hym and Master Latimer together: the order and prosecuting of which his letters here vnder begynneth.
[Back to Top]None of these letters appeared in the Rerum, but this may have been due to the pressure on Foxe to finish the Rerum in time for the Frankfurt book fair in September 1559. (It is worth noting that Foxe printed one of Ridley's 'farewell' letters in November 1559, but he did not print it in the Rerum). In any case, out of the ten letters of Ridley's which Foxe printed - this does not count the two 'farewell' letters - six first appeared in the 1563 edition. The remaining four letters were first printed in the Letters of the Martyrs and added to the 1570 edition. These letters were reprinted in the 1576 and 1583 editions without change.
[Back to Top]Ridley was moved from the Tower to Oxford in March 1554; this letter was written after 8 May of that year. This letter was first printed in the 1563 edition, then in Letters of the Martyrs (pp. 58-60).
MarginaliaA letter of B. Ridley to Master Bradford, & others.WEll beloued in CHRIST our Sauiour, wee all wyth one hart wish to you, with al those that loue God in deede and truth, grace and health, and specially to our dearely beloued companions which are in CHRISTES cause, and the cause both of their brethren and of their own saluation, to put their necke wyllingly vnder the yoke of CHRISTES crosse. How ioyfull it was to vs to heare the report of D. Tailour and of his godly confession. &c.
This is a reference to the letter of 8 May 1554 sent by Rowland Taylor and other imprisoned protestants to Cranmer, Ridley and Latimer (see 1563, pp. 1001-03;1570, pp. 1640-41; 1576, pp. 1399-1400 and 1583, pp. 1469-71).
It should do vs much cōfort, if we might haue knowledge of the state of the rest of our most dearely beloued, which in this troublesome time do stand in CHRISTES cause, and in the defence of the truth thereof. Somewhat we haue heard of Master Hopers matter:
I.e., situation.
Edward Crome had been imprisoned in the Fleet since January 1554; he would recant and be released around February 1555. Edwin Sandys had been imprisoned since January 1553, but was released in the spring of 1554 and arrived in Antwerp in May. Laurence Saunders had been imprisoned since October 1553. Jean Veron had been imprisoned since August 1553; he would remain in prison throughout Mary's reign. Thomas Becon had been imprisoned in the Tower since August 1553, buthe was released on 24 March 1554 and fled to Stasbourg. John Rogers was placed under house arrest in July 1553 and committed to Newgate in January 1554.
[Back to Top]Treatment.
Oxford University paid for the maintenance of Ridley, Cranmer and Latimer. Ridley is saying that it was expensive for Oxford to pay for the upkeep of the three prisoners.