Executions At Islington
About the 17th of Sept. suffered at Islington the following four
professors of Christ: Ralph Allerton, James Austoo, Margery Austoo, and
Richard Roth.
James Austoo and his wife, of St. Allhallows, Barking, London, were
sentenced for not believing in the presence. Richard Roth rejected the
seven sacraments, and was accused of comforting the heretics by the
following letter written in his own blood, and int
nded to have been
sent to his friends at Colchester:--
"O dear Brethren and Sisters,
"How much reason have you to rejoice in God, that
he hath given you such faith to overcome this
blood-thirsty tyrant thus far! And no doubt he that
hath begun that good work in you, will fulfil it
unto the end. O dear hearts in Christ, what a crown
of glory shall ye receive with Christ in the
kingdom of God! O that it had been the good will of
God that I had been ready to have gone with you;
for I lie in my lord's Little-ease by day, and in
the night I lie in the Coal-house, apart from Ralph
Allerton, or any other; and we look every day when
we shall be condemned; for he said that I should be
burned within ten days before Easter; but I lie
still at the pool's brink, and every man goeth in
before me; but we abide patiently the Lord's
leisure, with many bonds, in fetters and stocks, by
which we have received great joy of God. And now
fare you well, dear brethren and sisters, in this
world, but I trust to see you in the heavens face
to face.
"O brother Munt, with your wife and my sister Rose,
how blessed are you in the Lord, that God hath
found you worthy to suffer for his sake! with all
the rest of my dear brethren and sisters known and
unknown. O be joyful even unto death. Fear it not,
saith Christ, for I have overcome death. O dear
hearts, seeing that Jesus Christ will be our help,
O tarry you the Lord's leisure. Be strong, let your
hearts be of good comfort, and wait you still for
the Lord. He is at hand. Yea, the angel of the Lord
pitcheth his tent round about them that fear him,
and delivereth them which way he seeth best. For
our lives are in the Lord's hands; and they can do
nothing unto us before God suffer them. Therefore
give all thanks to God.
"O dear hearts, you shall be clothed in long white
garments upon the mount of Sion, with the multitude
of saints, and with Jesus Christ our Saviour, who
will never forsake us. O blessed virgins, ye have
played the wise virgins' part, in that ye have
taken oil in your lamps that ye may go in with the
bridegroom, when he cometh, into the everlasting
joy with him. But as for the foolish, they shall be
shut out, because they made not themselves ready to
suffer with Christ, neither go about to take up his
cross. O dear hearts, how precious shall your death
be in the sight of the Lord! for dear is the death
of his saints. O fare you well, and pray. The grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen,
Amen. Pray, pray, pray!
"Written by me, with my own blood,
"RICHARD ROTH."
This letter, so justly denominating Bonner the "blood-thirsty tyrant,"
was not likely to excite his compassion. Roth accused him of bringing
them to secret examination by night, because he was afraid of the people
by day. Resisting every temptation to recant, he was condemned, and,
Sept. 17, 1557, these four martyrs perished at Islington, for the
testimony of the Lamb, who was slain that they might be of the redeemed
of God.
Agnes Bengeor and Margaret Thurston were doomed to the fire at
Colchester, Sept. 17, 1557. Humbly they knelt to pray, and joyfully they
arose to be chained to the stake, uttering invocations and hallelujahs,
till the surrounding flames mounted to the seat of life, and their
spirits ascended to the Almighty Saviour of all who truly believe!
About this time suffered, at Northampton, John Kurde, shoemaker of
Syrsam, Northamptonshire.
John Noyes, a shoemaker, of Laxfield, Suffolk, was taken to Eye and at
midnight, Sept. 21, 1557, he was brought from Eye to Laxfield to be
burned. On the following morning he was led to the stake, prepared for
the horrid sacrifice. Mr. Noyes, on coming to the fatal spot, knelt
down, prayed, and rehearsed the 50th psalm. When the chain enveloped
him, he said, "Fear not them that kill the body, but fear him that can
kill both body and soul, and cast it into everlasting fire!" As one
Cadman placed a fagot against him, he blessed the hour in which he was
born to die for the truth: and while trusting only upon the
all-sufficient merits of the Redeemer, fire was set to the pile, and
the blazing fagots in a short time stifled his last words, Lord, have
mercy on me!--Christ, have Mercy upon me!--The ashes of the body were
buried in a pit, and with them one of his feet, whole to the ankle, with
the stocking on.