Tudor Books, The History and Antiquities of the Tower of London

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.