1563 Edition | Book 5 | Page 1106 
CloseAmonges others being then in pryson, this he spake to the Printer of this booke, who thē also was laid vp for lyke cause of religiō: MarginaliaRogers prophecieth of the return of the Gospel.thou sayde he, shalt lyue to see the alteration of this religion, and the Gospell frely to be preached agayne. And therfore haue me commended to my brethren, as wel in exile, as others, and bid them be circumspect in displacing the Papists, and putting good ministers into churches, or els their ende wyll bee worse then ours: MarginaliaRogers counsel in placing good ministers.and for lack of good ministers to furnysh churches, his deuise was, Hoper also agreing to þe same, that for euery x. churches some one good and learned superintendent, should be appointed, whiche should haue vnder him faithful Readers, suche as might wel be got: so that popish priestes should be put out, and the bishop once a yeare to ouersee the profiting of the parishes. This was his counsell & request. At the stake his pardon was brought, if he would haue returned, but he vtterly refused. And so cōstantly gaue the first conflict with the fyre for the loue and testimony of Christe and his worde.
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CloseMuch of the material for the life and martyrdom of Saunders had already appeared in the Rerum, including the narratives of Saunders' early life and background (although the details of Saunders' apprenticeship to Sir William Chester were only added in the second edition of the Acts and Monuments), Saunders' preaching in Northampton, his journey to London, his encounter with Sir John Mordaunt, Saunders' arrest, interrogations by Bishop Bonner and then Bishop Gardiner and his imprisonment in Newgate (Rerum, pp. 404-08). Unusually, most of the letters which Foxe mingles in with his narrative of the martyr's life also first appeared in the Rerum. The account of Saunders' visit from his wife in Newgate and his impassioned defence of the validity of his marriage and the legitimacy of his son are also in the Rerum (pp. 412-13). Saunders' examination, the anecdotes of his journey to Coventry to be executed and the details of his execution are also related in the Rerum, pp. 413-18). Most, if not all, of this material was probably gathered by Edmund Grindal's team and was almost certainly drawn, in whole or in part, from Laurence's widow Joan and the martyr's friend Lucy Harrington, who were both in living in Frankfurt (Garrett, Marian Exiles, pp. 144-7).
[Back to Top]In 1563, Foxe added details to the Rerum narrative: his description of themartyrs's diligent study and prayer, the names of Sanders' benefices, his friends and family trying to protect him in Mary's reign and his refusal to flee the country. He also added more letters of Saunders and the comparison of Saunders to Henry Pendleton. All of this indicates that on his return to England, Foxe did some further research on Saunders.
[Back to Top]In the 1570 edition, Foxe added the details of Saunders' apprenticeship to Sir William Chester (this story, which was very favourable to Chester, was probably supplied to Foxe by Chester) and the letters of Edward Saunders to his brother. Some verses and letters of Saunders were also deleted from the account of Saunders in this edition. The account of Saunders remained unaltered in the third and fourth editions of the Acts and Monuments.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaFebruary. 8.AFter that quene Mary had published that proclamation in the first yeare of her ra-
igne, by whyche she dyd inhybite the syncere preaching of Goddes holy worde, diuerse godly ministers of the worde, which had þe cure and charge of soules committed to them, did notwithstanding accordyng to their bounden dutie, feade their flocke faithftully, not as preachers autorized by publique autoritie (as the godly order of the Realme was in the happy dayes of blessed kyng Edward) but as the priuate pastors of particular flockes: Amōg whō Laurēce Saūders was one, a mā of worshipful parentage, his bringing vp was in learninge frō his youth in places mete for that purpose, as namely in that notable schole in the college of Eton: from whence, according to the maner there vsed,
CloseSome of the glosses in this section lead the reader towards an appreciation of the other-worldliness and strength of faith inherent in the act of martyrdom ('M. Saunders in prison, till he was in prison'; 'Saunders godly bequest to his wife'; 'Experience of the comfortes of Christ in prison'). The effect of this can be paradoxical, with prison being a genuine comfort to the spiritually minded. This pious, Christ-like turning the world upside-down finds its parodic twin in the characterisation of the papists and popery. Thus Bonner, in line with previous conduct, is so perverse as to see preaching the truth as treason ('Preaching of Gods word, made treason with Bishop Boner'). A nearby gloss reinforces Foxe's characterisation of him as intemperate by describing him as seeking Saunders' blood. Elsewhere, and again building on an established typology, a gloss ('He meaneth peraduenture when the Sanctus is singing for then the Organs pipe merely and that may giue some Comfort') bemoans the sensuality of the mass.
[Back to Top]The attacks on Gardiner focus on the contrast between his conduct under Mary and under her father ('A priuy nippe to Winchester'; 'Winchesters booke de vera obedientia'). This is behaviour implicitly contrasted with Saunders' constancy, which the marginal glosses emphasise ('The constant minde of a christian souldiour'; 'M, Saunders would haue no suite made for him'). There are examples of the cruelty and use of force by the catholic authorities ('Note how Winchester confuteth M. Saunders'; 'M. Saunders wife not suffered to speake with him in prison'). Saunders' constancy and his indifference to worldly pain or pleasure are ascribed to his humility and thus to his reliance on divine grace ('A notable example of the Lord comforting his seruauntes in their troubles'; 'Strength to stād in Christ, commeth not of our selues, but it is the gift of God'). The gloss 'M. Saunders put in the common gayle in Couentrye' gives a hint of a Christ-like or apostolic bearing on Saunders' part. There are also references emphasising conscience as a source of resolution and (religious) resistance ('Argument. Conscience ought neuer to stand vpon things vncertaine. Tyme and authoritye be thinges of themselues alwayes vncertayne: Ergo, conscience ought neuer to stand vpon tyme and authoritye'; 'To liue as the Scripture leadeth vs, is not to liue as we list').
[Back to Top]The shift from the previous book towards narrative and the reproduction of epistles led Foxe to increase the number of glosses referring to scriptural passages; many of these are erroneous either in terms of their variation across editions or their accuracy as scriptural references. Errors of positioning of notes also occur in this section, with the 1570 edition as usual being the most accurate.
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