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.



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