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Article THE LIFE OF MRS. ANNE AYSCOUGH, OR ASKEW. ← Page 4 of 7 →
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The Life Of Mrs. Anne Ayscough, Or Askew.
< the king heard this he blamed the Lord Chancellor for his cruelty , " and exxused the Lieutenant of the Tower . Fox does not vouch any " warrant for this , so that though I have set it down , yet I give no " entire credit to it * . " Had our learned historian made a more accurate enquiry , he would have found this thing , however incredible and extraordinary , really to have and the
happened , good old martyrologist to have been perfectly warranted in relating it . Not / to dwell upon the magnanimous sufferer ' s own account , I shall quote the authority of her contemporary , Bisliop Bale , who speaks upon the circumstance in . these- pathetic and indignant terms : " Marke here an example most wonderful , and se '' how madl y in their ragynge furyes , men forget themselves and lose '' their ryght wittes now a dayes . A kynges h ygh councellor , a " judge over lyfe and deathe , yea , a lorde chauncellor of a most noble " realme is now become a most vyle slave for Antichrist , and a most
craehtormentoure , without all dyscressyon , honestye , or manhode , " he casteth off hys gowne , and taketh here upon him the most vyle " ofryce _ of an hangman , and puileth at the racke most vylhnouslye , " O Wrisleye and Riche , two false christianes and blasphemouse apos" tates from God , what chaplayne of the Pope hath inchauntcd yow , " or what devyll of helle bewytchedyow , to execute upon a poore con" detuned woman so prodygyoase a kinde of tyrznnye fr ' , ' . Of this
extraordinary instance of barbarity , as Bishop Burnet truly expresses it , Fox has given such a minute and affecting narrative , that my readers will readily excuse my extracting of it entire , in his own simple language . " First she was let down into a dungeon , where Sir Anthony Knevety " the lieutenant , commanded his gaoler to pinch her with the rack . - " Which being done so much as he th ' oueht sufficient , he went about
" to take her down , supposing he had done , enough . But Wrisley , " the chancellor , not contented that she was loosed so soon , confessing " nothing , commanded the lieutenant to streinher on the . rack again . " Which because he denyed to da , tendering the weakness of the ' ¦ woman , he was threatened therefore grievously of the said Wrisley , 51 saying that he would signify his disobedience unto the king : and
" so , consequently , upon the same , he and Mr . Rich throwing off their " gowns , would needs play the tormentors themselves , first asking " if she were with child . To whom she answering again , said , Ye " shall not need to spare for that , but do your wills upon me ; and so , " quietl y and patiently praying unto the Lord , she abode their ty" ranny , until her bones and joints were almost plucked
asunderin-, " such sort as she . was carried away in a chair . When the racking " was past , Wrisley ' and his fellow took their horse toward the " court . " ' . , . , _ Henry , however , was not pleased with- the savage behaviour of his chancellor , and approved of the conduct of the Lieutenant of the tower .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Life Of Mrs. Anne Ayscough, Or Askew.
< the king heard this he blamed the Lord Chancellor for his cruelty , " and exxused the Lieutenant of the Tower . Fox does not vouch any " warrant for this , so that though I have set it down , yet I give no " entire credit to it * . " Had our learned historian made a more accurate enquiry , he would have found this thing , however incredible and extraordinary , really to have and the
happened , good old martyrologist to have been perfectly warranted in relating it . Not / to dwell upon the magnanimous sufferer ' s own account , I shall quote the authority of her contemporary , Bisliop Bale , who speaks upon the circumstance in . these- pathetic and indignant terms : " Marke here an example most wonderful , and se '' how madl y in their ragynge furyes , men forget themselves and lose '' their ryght wittes now a dayes . A kynges h ygh councellor , a " judge over lyfe and deathe , yea , a lorde chauncellor of a most noble " realme is now become a most vyle slave for Antichrist , and a most
craehtormentoure , without all dyscressyon , honestye , or manhode , " he casteth off hys gowne , and taketh here upon him the most vyle " ofryce _ of an hangman , and puileth at the racke most vylhnouslye , " O Wrisleye and Riche , two false christianes and blasphemouse apos" tates from God , what chaplayne of the Pope hath inchauntcd yow , " or what devyll of helle bewytchedyow , to execute upon a poore con" detuned woman so prodygyoase a kinde of tyrznnye fr ' , ' . Of this
extraordinary instance of barbarity , as Bishop Burnet truly expresses it , Fox has given such a minute and affecting narrative , that my readers will readily excuse my extracting of it entire , in his own simple language . " First she was let down into a dungeon , where Sir Anthony Knevety " the lieutenant , commanded his gaoler to pinch her with the rack . - " Which being done so much as he th ' oueht sufficient , he went about
" to take her down , supposing he had done , enough . But Wrisley , " the chancellor , not contented that she was loosed so soon , confessing " nothing , commanded the lieutenant to streinher on the . rack again . " Which because he denyed to da , tendering the weakness of the ' ¦ woman , he was threatened therefore grievously of the said Wrisley , 51 saying that he would signify his disobedience unto the king : and
" so , consequently , upon the same , he and Mr . Rich throwing off their " gowns , would needs play the tormentors themselves , first asking " if she were with child . To whom she answering again , said , Ye " shall not need to spare for that , but do your wills upon me ; and so , " quietl y and patiently praying unto the Lord , she abode their ty" ranny , until her bones and joints were almost plucked
asunderin-, " such sort as she . was carried away in a chair . When the racking " was past , Wrisley ' and his fellow took their horse toward the " court . " ' . , . , _ Henry , however , was not pleased with- the savage behaviour of his chancellor , and approved of the conduct of the Lieutenant of the tower .