Chronicle of Queen Jane and Two Years of Queen Mary 1553. 22 Aug 1553. And when he [John Dudley 1st Duke Northumberland (age 49)] came apon the scaffolde, first, he put of his gowne of crane-colored damaske, and then he leaned apon the raile towarde the est, and saide to the people, allmost in every poynt as he had saide in the chapell^a, saving that when he came to the confession of his belife tie saide, I trust, my lorde the bushope^b here will beare me witnes hereof." At the last he put of his jerkyn and doblet, and then saide his prayers; after which tyme the hangman reched to him a kerchef, which he dyd knit himself about his ees, and then layd him downe, and so was behedded.

Note a. "This present daye the duke of Northumberlande, sir John Gates, and master Palmere, came to executione, and suffered deathe. The duke's confessyon was in effecte but lytle, as I hard saye; hee confessed himselfe worthie to dye, and that he was a greate helper in of this religion which is false, thearfore God had punished us with the lose of kinge Henry 8, and also with the lose of king Edward 6, then with rebellione, and aftere with the swetinge sicknes, and yet we would not turne. Requiringe them all that weare presente to remember the ould learninge, thankinge God that he would vutsafe to call him nowe to be a Christyane, for this 16 yeares he had byne non. Theare weare a greate nomber turned with his words. He wished every man not to be covetous, for that was a greate parte of his distruction. He was asked further yf he had any thinge moare to saye, and he said nothinge but that he was worthie to dye, and so was moe than he, but he cam to dye, and not to accuse any mane. And thus bouldly he spak, tyll he layd his head on the block." (Letter of William Dalby, as before cited.) Another account of the duke of Northumberland's confession, from the MS. Harl. 284, is printed in Bayley's History of the Tower of London, Appx. p. xlviii.; and by Tytler, vol. ii. p. 230, who refers to others in MS. Cotton, Titus, B II. in MS. Reg. 12 A 26 (in Latin), and an abstract in MS. Harl. 2194.

Note b. Nicholas Heath (age 52), bishop of Worcester.

The History and Antiquities of the Tower of London Part II Apendices. 22 Aug 1553. The open Confession off Jhon Duke of Northumberlande (age 49), w^ch sufferid at Tower hyl, 22 off August, 1553.

Good people, hyther I am come thys day to dye, as ye know. Indede, I co'fesse to you al y' I have liv'd an evyl lyfe, and have done wykydly al the days of my lyfe, and off al, most agay'st the queen's hyghness, who' I here openly aske forgeveniss; (and bowyd hys kneys) but not I alone the original doer thereoff, I assure yow: for there were some other w^ch the same, but I wyl not name them; for I wyl hurte now no man; and the first occasion hath byn thorow false and sedicious preachers, that I have erred from the catholyke fayth, and well doewine of Christ. The doewine I meane w^ch hath cotynuyd thorow al chrystyndom syns Chryst; for, good people, there ys and hath byn ever syns Christ one catholyke church; w^ch churche hathe contynued from him to hys discyples yn one unyte and concorde, and so hath alway continued from tyme to tyme untyl thys day, and yet dothe thorow owt al chrystendome, only us exceptyd; for wye are quyte gone owt of that churche; for whereas al holy fathers and al other sayntys, thorow owt al chrystyndome syns Christ and hys discyples, have ever agreyd yn one unyte, faith, and doctrine; wye alone dissent from ther opynyons, and folowe ower owne pryvate interpretacion off scriptures. Do yow thynke, good people, that wye, beyng one sparcle in comparyson, be wyser than al the worlde besydys, and ever syus Chryst? No, I assure you; you are far dyscevyd. I do not say so for any gret lerning that I have, for God knowyth that I have very lyttle or none; but for th❜experyence w^ch I have had; for, I pray you, se syns the death off kynge Henry the eyght, into whatte mysery wye have byn broght, what open rebellion, sedicion, what gret division hath byn thorow owt the whole realme; for God hath delyveryd uup to ower owne sensualytyes, and every day wax worse and worse. Loke also yn Germany, syns they swarvyd from the fayth, unto what miserable state they have byn broght, and how their realm ys decay'd. And herewyth I have spurnyd thes preachers for ther doctryne, and they ware not hable to answer any parte thereoff, no more than a lytle boy. They openyd the bookys, and cold not shut the' agayn. More than that, good people, you have yn yower crede, credo ecclesiam catholicam; whyche churche ys the same churche w^ch hath contynuyd ever from Chryst, thorow owt al th'apostles, saynts, and doctours tymys, and yet doth, as y have sayd before, off w^ch churche I do openly professe myselfe to be one, and do stedfastly belyve ther yn, I speke unfaynydly from the bottom of my harte. Thys good man, the bysshope off Wurcestre, shall be my wytnys. " [And the bysshopp said Je.] And I besyche yow al, bere me wytnes y^t I dye theryn; and I do thynke yff I had had thys belyfe sowner, I never had come to thys passe: wherefore, I exhorte yow al, good people, take yow al exemple off me, and forsake thys new doctryne betyme; dyffer yt not longe, lest God plague yow, as he hath me, w^ch now suffer thys vyle death most worthely. I have no more to say, good people; but al those w^ch I have offendyd I aske forgevenys, and they w^ch have offendyd me I forgeve them, as I wold God forgeve me. And I trust the queenys hyghness hathe forgevyn me, where as I was wyth force and armes agaynst her yn the fylde, I myght have byn rente yn peces wyth owt law; here grace hath gevyn me tyme and respecte to have judgement. And after he had desyryd al the people to pray for hym, and had humblyd hymselfe to God, and coveryd bys own eyes with a clothe, he sufferyd execucion mykely. "

Note 1. Harl. MSS. No. 284.

Chronicle of Queen Jane and Two Years of Queen Mary 1553. 22 Aug 1553. Next cam sir Thomas Palmer,^c who assoone as he cam to the scaffolde toke every man by the hand, and desired them to praye for him; then putting of his gowne, he leaned upon the est raile and saide theis or moche-like wordes in effecte: "My maisters, God save you; yt is not unknowne unto you wherfore I am come hither, which I have wourthellie well deserved at God's hande, for I knowe yt to be his devine ordenaunce by this mean to call me to his mercy, and to teache me to knowe myself, what I am, and wherto we ar all subjecte. I thancke his mercyfull goodenes, for he hathe caused me to learne more in one littell darke corner in yonder Tower, then ever I learned by eny travaille in so many places as I have bene; for ther I say I have sene God, what he is, and howe unserchable his wonderouse works ar, and howe infynite his mercyes be. I have sene ther myself thorowhlie, and what I am; nothing but a lompe of synne, earthe, dust, and of all vylenes most vilest. I have seen ther and knowne what the hole worlde is, howe vayne, decetefull, transytorie, and short yt is; howe wicked and lothesome the works therof ar in the sight of God's majesty; how he neither regardeth the manaces of the proud men and mighty ones, nether despiseth the simplenes of the pore and lolie, which ar in the same worlde. Fynallie, I have seen ther what deathe is, howe nere hanging over every man's hed, and yet how uncertayn the tyme and howe unknowne to all men, and how littell it is to be feared. And shoulde I feare death, or be sad therfore? have I nott seene ij. die before myne eys, yea and within the hearing of myn eares? No, neither the sprinckling of the bludd or the shedding therof, nor the bludy axe itself, shall not make me afraied. And nowe, taking my leave to the same, I praye you all to praie for me. Come on, goode fellowe," quod he, " art tliou he that must do the dede? I forgeve the with all my harte." And then kneled downe, and laed his hed downe, saying, " I will se howe met the blocke is for my neck; I praie the strike me not yet, for I have a fewe prayers to say, and that done, strike in God's name, goode leave have thowe." His prayers enden, and desyring eche man to praie for him, he layed downe his hed agayn, and so the hangman toke yt from him at one stroke. Theyr corpes, with the hedes, wer buryed in the chapell in the Tower; the duke at the highe alter, and the other too at the nether ende of the churche. You must understande that sir Thomas Palhner had moche longer talke on the scaffolde, but that afore rehersed was in maner the some therof.

Note c. "Then came sir Thomas Palmere, who when hee was upon the scaffold pute of his cape to the auditory and sayd: 'God geve you all good morowe,' and divers did byd him god morowe againe, and he replyed and sayd, 'I doe not doubt but that I have a good morowe, and shall have I truste a better good even. Good frends (quothe he) I am come hether to dye, for I have lyved heare under a lawe, and have offended the same, and for my so doinge the same lawe fyndethe me guilty, hathe condemned me to ende heare my lyfe this daye; for the which I give God thankes, in that he whichshewed me the thinge which I have seene, and which also I knowe to be juste and trewe, and that is this, I have since my cominge out of yonder place (pointing to the Towere) seene with myne eyes my Redeemere sittinge at the right hand of God the Father, in glory and majesty equall, whose powere is infinite, and in whome whoso puttethe his truste shall nevere be deceaved, and as he is almighty so can he doe what he lystethe, and to whom he wille, and when he will, and non in the heven above nor in the earthe beneathe can or maye let [i. e. withstand] his determinate will; by whom I lyve, by whom I am, and in whom I truste to lyve eternally. I have, as some of you doe knowe, good people, bine a man not altogether noreshid in England, but some parte of my brede I have eaten in other realmes; but to saye that befoare nowe I did [know] God arighte, the worlde arighte, or myselfe arighte, I did nevere. And nowe what I have sayde ye knowe. I saye God is such a one that without thowe wilt sit downe and behould the heavenes above, the sonne and moone, the starres above the firmament, the course of the sonne and moone, starres and clowds, the earthe with all that in them is, and howe they be all preserved, thow shalt nevere knowe God aright. The world is altogether vanity, for in it is nothinge but ambition, flatery, foolishe or vaine glory, pride, disorder, slander, bostinge, disdayne, hatred and mallis; all which thinges the same God that made the world, or as they saye man, which heare I compare to the world, dothe utterly deteste and abhor; in the which offences I have bine so noseled, that nowe, havinge a juste occasione to looke into myne owne selfe, I have seen nothing but a bodye voyde of all goodnes, filthie, a stinking karkas, worse then donge of beastes, a very miserable creature, and yet the verie worke of the mighti hand of God. But yet, notwithstandinge, in nowe knowinge my Creator arighte, I doe not thinke any sinne to be that I have not byne plunged even into the middeste of it; for the which prayinge God to pardon me, willinge you and prayinge you to praye for me and withe me unto the Lord my God and your God, which God I faithfully beleeve is in heaven, and at the laste daye shall with all triumphe come againe into this worlde, judginge the same by fyere. And nowe I will bide you all farwelle, prayenge you all to forgeve me, and to saye, the Lord receave me to his mercy, when you shall see the axe passe between my head and shoulders.' And so did prepare him to the deathe." Letter written in London by John Rowe, 24 Aug. 1563, in Starkey's transcripts, MS. Harl. 353.

England under the reigns of Edward VI and Mary. The Open Confession of John Duke Of Northumberland (age 49), who suffered at Tower Hill, 22nd of August 1553. Orig. Harleian, 284; fol. 127.

"Good people. Hither I am come this day to diej as ye know. Indeed, I confess to you all that I have been an evil liver, and have done wickedly all the days of my life; and, of all, most against the Queen's Highness, [of] whom I here openly ask forgiveness (and bowed his knees): but not I alone the original doer thereof, I assure you, for there were some other which procured the same; but I will not name them, for I will hurt now no man. And the chiefest occasion hath been through false and seditious preachers, that I have erred from the Catholic faith and true doctrine of Christ. The doctrine, I mean, which hath continued thro' all Christendom since Christ. For, good people, there is, and hath been ever since Christ, one Catholic church; which church hath continued from him to his disciples in one unity and concord, and so hath alway continued from time to time until this day, and yet doth throughout all Christendom, only us excepted; for we are quite gone out of that church. For, whereas all holy fathers, and all other saints throughout alt Christendom, since Christ and his disciples, have ever agreed in one unity, faith, and doctrine; we alone dissent from their opinions, and follow our own private interpretation of Scriptures. Do you think, good people, that we, being one parcel in comparison, be wiser than all the world besides, ever since Christ? No, I assure you, you are far deceived. I do not say so for any great learning that I have, for, God knoweth, I have very little, or none; but for the experience which I have had.

" For I pray you, see, since the death of King Henry the Eighth, into what misery we have been brought; what open rebellion, what sedition, what great division hath been throughout the whole realm; for God hath delivered [us] up to [our] own sensualities, and every day [we] wax worse and worse. Look also in Germany, since they severed from the faith; unto what miserable state they have been brought, and how their realm is decayed. And herewith I have [braved] these preachers for their doctrine, and they were not able to answer any part thereof, no more than a little boy. They opened the books, and could not [reply to] them again. More than that, good people, you have in your Creed, Credo Eccksiam Catkolicam, which church is the same church which hath continued ever from Christ, throughout all the apostles', saints', and doctors' times, and yet doth, as I have said before. Of which church 1 do openly profess myself to be one, and do steadfastly believe therein; I speak unfeignedly from the bottom of my heart. This good man, the Bishop of Worcester, shall be my witness (and the Bishop said, ' Yea'), And I beseech you all bear nie witness that I die therein. And I do think, if I had had this belief sooner, I never had come to this pass: wherefore I exhort you all, good people, take you all example of me, and forsake this new doctrine betimes. Defer it not long, lest God plague you as he hath me, which now suffer this vile death most worthily.

" I have no more to say, good people; but all those which I have offended I ask forgiveness, and they which have offended me I forgive them, as I would God forgive me. And I trust the Queen's Highness hath forgiven me: where as I was with force and arms against her in the field, I might have been rent in pieces without law, her Grace hath give me time and respect to have judgment.

"And after he had desired all the people to pray for him, he humbled himself to God, and covered his own eyes with a cloth, and he suffered execution meekly."