THE COPYE OF THE SELF SAME VVORDES, THAT MI LORDE Sturton spake presently at his Death, beyng the .vi. day of March, in the yeare of our Lorde. 1557. amonge the people as his Confession, desiringe the people to take Example by hym, and to kepe no Enuy in their hertes for that is the roote of all euylles.
‘GOOD people, I am come hither to dye, I am come hither to dye, and iustly Condempned for mine offences by the law, what myne offences were I am sure you vnderstand, whiche was for a most cruell and detestable murther by my commaundement don and comitted, wherfore I shal desire you al for goddes sake to let mee be an Ensample to you al, and to al the worlde and beware that yee lette no malice take roote in your hertes, for that is the vtter dysstroier of al vertue, I shal desire you al, and al the worlde, to forgiue me, and speciallye those poore women, Children, and kinsfolke, of them whom I haue caused so cruelly to be murthered, that God may put it into their hertes, for Christes sake, & for Charite to forgiue me, and if there be any here, or els where, whom I haue offended, I shal desire you al for charite sake to forgiue me, & if there be any of you who hath offēded me, I do from the bottome of my hert forgiue them, as frely as I trust God of his mercye hath forgiuen me being moost sory and repentant, & when I shall departe out of thys world, that you wil say al, Lord take his spirit into thy hands, & I shal also desire you for christes sake to say with me on your knees our Lordes Praier, which is the Pater noster,’ & so turning him to the East, & sayd the Lordes Praier, which done, he desired Sir John Sowch to forgiue him, who answered that he dyd forgiue him frō the bottome of his hert, & then going higher on the Ladder said, ‘good people pray for me,’ & so wynkyng with his eyes sayd, ‘I charge the O Satan in Goddes name to depart from me, and suffer my soule to rest in the lord,’ & than sayd. ‘Domine accipe spiritum meum.’ And so departed this world: on whose soule God haue mercy.
¶ The Praier of the Lord Stourton which he spake kneling on his knees desiring the people to praye for hym and also say with him.
‘LOrd herken to my wordes, consider the thought of mine hert, behold howe lowde I cry vnto the, let my iust Praier enter into thine eares which vnfaynedly commeth from myne hert, here me lord for I am poore and distitute of mans helpe, take care for my soule, saue me thy seruaunt which wholy trust in the, haue mercye vpon me O Lord, for I wil neuer cease criynge to the for helpe for thou art my lorde, and more merciful than my tonge can expresse, as aduer site assaileth me I wyll cry and cal for helpe vnto the, I wil cal vpon the in the day time, and in the night my cry shal not be hid from the. O thou god of heauens, the maker of the waters and lorde of al creatures, here me a pore synner callyng vpon the, and putting my hole trust in thy mercy, O lord what great pleasures thou haste prepared for me in heauen, that I should delight in no earthly thynge but in the, my most pleasure is to cleue faste vnto the, and in the to set my hope and trust, haue mercy vpon me O Lord, O Lorde, God haue mercy vpon me for thy manifolde mercies sake forgiue me al myne offences: I cōmit my spirit into thy handes, deliuer me frō the power of darknes of this world, thou hast redemed me O Lord God of trueth.’
Imprynted by Wyllyam Pickeringe dwellynge vppon London brydge.