Marginalia1558.London comming down a payre of stayres on the backeside vntrust, in his hose and doublet, looked in at the grate, MarginaliaTalke betwene Thomas Greene and B. Boner.and asked wherfore I was put in, and who put me in. I made him aunswere, that I was put in for a booke called Antichrist, by Doct. Story. And he sayd: you are not ashamed to declare wherfore you were put in, and sayd it was a very wicked booke, and bad me confesse the truth to Story. I said, I had told the truth to him already, and desired him to be good vnto me, and helpe me out of prison, for they had kept me there long. And he said, he could not medle with it: Story hath begon it, & he must end it. Marginaliaij. prisoners brought to B. Boners Salthouse.Then I was remoued out of the Salthouse to geue place to two women, and caried to the Lollardes Tower, and put in the stockes: & there I found. 2. prisoners, one called Lyon, a Frēchman,  

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Lion a Coise (or Lyon Cawch): see 1563, pp. 1523-25; 1570, pp. 2095-97; 1576, pp. 1807-09 and 1583, pp. 1914-16. As Coise was burned at Stratford-le-Bow on 27 June 1556, this helps date Greene's imprisonment.

Thus we three being together, Lion the frenchman song a Psalme in the French toung, and we sang with hym, so that we were heard downe into þ^e streete, and the keeper comming vp in a great rage, sware that he would put vs all in the stockes,MarginaliaCrueltie shewed vpon prisoners for singing Psalmes. and so tooke the Frenchman and commaunded him to knele down vpon his knees, and put both hys handes in the stockes, where he remayned all that night till the next day.

After this I being in þ^e Lollardes tower vij. dayes, at my last beyng with Story he sware a great oth that he would racke me, and make me tell the truth. MarginaliaThomas Greene brought before D. Story and the Commissioners.Then Story sending for me, commaunded me to be brought to Walbroke, where he and the commissioners dined: and by the way my keeper tolde me that I should go to the Tower and be racked. So when they had dined, Story called for me in, and so there I stoode before thē, and some sayd I was worthy to be hanged for hauing such hereticall bookes. After I had stayde a litle while before them, Story called for the keeper, and commaūded hym to cary me to the Lollardes Tower agayne, and sayd: I haue other matters of the Queenes to do with she Commissioners: but I will finde an other time for him. Whilest I yet lay in the Lollardes Tower, MarginaliaThis woman was one Younges wife.the woman which brought the bookes ouer,  

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See 1570, p. 2268; 1576, p. 1958 and 1583, p. 2065.

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This is probably the reason for Greene's giving Foxe this account: Greene wanted to deny that he had informed on the people who had supplied the books to him.

MarginaliaThomas Greene examined before M. Hußy.Then I lying in the Lollardes tower, being sent for before M. Hussy, he required of me, wherefore I was put into þ^e Lollardes Tower, and by whom. To whō I made aunswere, that I was put there by D. Story for a booke called Antichrist. Then he made as though he would bee my frend, and sayd he knew my frendes, and my father & mother, and bad me tell him of whom I had the booke, and sayd: come on, tell me the truth. I tolde him as I had tolde D. Story before. Then he was very angry and sayd: I loue thee well, and therefore I sent for thee, and looked for a further truth: but I would tell him no other: wherupon he sent me againe to the Lollardes tower. At my going away he called me backe agayne, and sayd that Dixon gaue me the bookes being an old mā, dwelling in Birchin lane: and I said he knew the matter better then I. So he sent me away to the Lollardes Tower, where I remained vij. dayes and more.

Then M. Hussy sent for me agayne and required of me to tell him the truth. I tolde hym I could tell him no other truth then I had tolde D. Story before. Then he began to tell me of DixonMarginaliaDixon in Birchin Lane. of whō I had the bookes, the which had made the matter manifest afore: and he tolde me of all thinges touching Dixon and the bookes, more then I could my selfe, in so much that he tolde me how many I had, & that he had a sake full of the bookes in his house, & knew where the woman lay,

better then I my self. Then I saw the matter to so open and manifest before my face, that it profited not me to stand in the matter. Hee asked me where I had done the bookes: and I tolde hym I had but one, and that D. Story had. He sayd I lyed, for I had iij. at one time, and he required me to tell him of one. Then I tolde hym of one that Iohn BeaneMarginaliaIohn Beane Prentise with M. Tottle. had of me, being prentise with Master Tottle. So he promised me before and after, and as he should be saued before God, that he should haue no harme. And I kneeling downe vppon my knees, desired him to take my bloude, and not to hurt the younge man. Then sayd he: because you haue bene so stubburne, the matter being made manifest by other and not by you, being so long in prison, tell me if you will stand to my iudgement. I sayd: yea, take my bloud, and hurt not the young man.

Then he made me aunswere,MarginaliaTho. Greene adiudged to be whipped. I should be whipped like a theefe and a vacabond: and so I thanked him, and went my way with my keeper to the Lollardes Tower: where I remayned two or three dayes, and so was brought by the keeper Cluny, by the commaundement of the commissioners, to Christes hospitall, sometime the Gray Fryers,MarginaliaTho. Greene brought to the Gray Fryers. and accordingly had there for the time the correction of theeues and vacabondes, and so was deliuered to Trinian the porter, and put into a stinking dungeon. Then after a few dayes I finding frenship, was let out of the dungeon, and lay in a bed in the night, and walked in a yarde by the dungeon in the day time, and so remayned prisoner a moneth and more.

MarginaliaTho. Greene againe appereth before D. Story and two gentlemen.Where at length Doct. Story came and two gentlemen with him, and called for me, and so I was brought into a counting house before thē. Then he sayd to the Gentlemen: here commeth this hereticke, of whom I had the booke called Antichrist, and began to tell them how many times I had bene before him, and sayd: I haue entreated him very gently, and he would neuer tell me the truth till that it was found out by other. Then sayd he: it were a good deede to cut out thy toung & thy eares of thy head, to make thee an example to all other hereticke knaues. And the Gentlemen sayd: nay that were pitie. Then he asked if that I would not become an honest man: and I sayd yes, for I haue offended God many waies. Wherupō he burdened me with my faith. I tolde him I had made him aunswere of my faith before my Lorde Windsores Chaplaine, as much as I could.

So in the end he commaunded me to be stripped, he standing by me, and called for two of the Beadels, and the whippes to whip me: and the two Beadels came with a corde, and bound my handes together, and the one end of the cord to a stone piller. Then one of my frendes, called Nich. Priestman, hearyng them call for whips, hurled in a būdell of rods, which semed something to pacifie þ^e mind of his cruelty: MarginaliaThe scourging of Tho. Greene before Doct. Story.and so they scourged me with rods. But as they were whipping of me, Story asked me if I would go vnto my master againe: and I sayd nay. And he sayd: I perceiue now he wil be worse then euer he was before: but let me alone (quoth he): I will find him out if he be in Englād. And so with many other things which I cannot rehearse, whē they had done whipping of me, they bad me pay my fees and go my wayes.

¶ Doct. Story commaunded that he should haue an hundred stripes, but the Gentlemen so entreated, that he had not so many, Story saying: if I might haue my will, I would surely cut out his toung.

Of the scourging of M. Bartlet Grene, also of Iohn Milles, and of Thomas Hinshaw, ye heard before. In like maner was ordered Ste. Cotton, burned before at Braynford pag. 2240. who testifieth himselfe to be twise beaten by Boner, in a letter of his written to his