Foxe's Book of Martyrs
In March 1563, John Foxe published the first English edition of The Actes and Monuments from the press of John Day. This gigantic folio volume contained about 1800 pages and cost more than ten shillings, which was three weeks' pay for a skilled craftsman. Foxe received no royalties from these sales. The full title stretched across a long paragraph claiming to describe persecutions wrought by Roman prelates in England and Scotland from the year 1000 until the present time. Foxe began his work in 1552 during the reign of Edward VI. He later published Latin versions at Strasbourg in 1554 and Basel in August 1559 while living in exile in Germany. These early Latin works served as foreshadowing for his major English project. The second edition appeared in 1570 with expanded material including personal testimonies and publications like Jean Crespin's Geneva martyrology. John Field assisted with research for this edition. The page count grew from approximately 1800 pages to over 2300 folio pages. The number of woodcuts increased from 60 to 150. Foxe himself set the precedent for substantial expansion between 1563 and 1570. The third edition came out in 1576 but was virtually a reprint on inferior paper. The fourth edition published in 1583 was the last in Foxe's lifetime and consisted of two volumes of about 2000 folio pages in double columns. It seems safe to say that it is the largest and most complicated book to appear during the first two or three centuries of English printing history.
The book was produced and illustrated with over sixty distinctive woodcut impressions in its first edition. Their product was a single volume book, a bit over a foot long and two palms-span wide. It was too deep or thick to lift with only one hand given it exceeded 1500 pages. The illustrations were newly cut to depict particular details since they could not be borrowed from existing texts as was commonly practiced. In the second edition, the number of woodcuts increased from 60 to 150. These illustrations linked England's suffering back to primitive times until the reign of King Henry VIII. Volume two covered the period from Queen Elizabeth our gracious Lady now reigning. One famous woodcut shows William Tyndale just before being strangled and burned at the stake crying out Lord open the King of England's eyes. Another image depicts dual martyrdom by burning in 1558 from a 1641 edition. The 1559 Latin version had four illustrations including one showing the martyrdom of Bishop Hooper in 1555 and another showing Archbishop Cranmer in 1556 being burnt alive. The 1684 edition replaced worn-out woodcut illustrations with copperplate etchings. The most sumptuous edition anticipated James with gilt-edged heavy bond paper and copperplate etchings that replaced worn-out woodcut illustrations. Foxe complained that the text was produced at breakneck speed yet still managed to include these detailed visual elements.
The author's credibility was challenged as soon as the book first appeared. Detractors accused Foxe of dealing falsely with evidence, misusing documents, and telling partial truths. Thomas Harding called Acts and Monuments that huge dunghill of your stinking martyrs full of a thousand lies. In the second edition where charges were reasonably accurate, Foxe removed offending passages. Where he could rebut charges, he mounted a vigorous counterattack seeking to crush his opponent under piles of documents. Samuel Roffey Maitland took up charges again in the early nineteenth century. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica stated that gross blunders due to carelessness have often been exposed and there is no doubt that Foxe was only too ready to believe evil of Catholics. Francis Fortescue Urquhart wrote in the Catholic Encyclopedia that Foxe sometimes dishonestly mutilates his documents and is quite untrustworthy in treatment of evidence. J.F. Mozley maintained that Foxe preserved a high standard of honesty arguing that Foxe's method using sources proclaims the honest man sincere seeker after truth. Patrick Collinson confirmed that Foxe was indeed worthy scholar and text was historiographically reliable in 1985. Warren Wooden presented John Foxe key significance as transitional figure in English historiography in 1983. Modern historians no longer feel constrained to apologize automatically for evidence drawn from Acts and Monuments.
Following a 1571 Convocation order, Foxe's Acts and Monuments was chained beside the Great Bible in cathedrals select churches and even several bishops' and guild halls. Selected readings from text were proclaimed from pulpit as if it were Scripture. It was read and cited by both ecclesiastical and common folk disputed by prominent Catholics and defended by prominent Anglicans. Acts and Monuments sailed with England's gentleman pirates encouraged soldiers in Oliver Cromwell's army and decorated halls at Oxford and Cambridge. Gordon Rupp called it an event counting it as normative document and one of Six Makers of English Religion. At least two of Rupp's Makers continued and elaborated Foxe's views. Christopher Hill noted that John Bunyan cherished his Book of Martyrs among few books kept while imprisoned. William Haller observed that John Milton's Of Reformation in England took not only substance but point of view straight out of John Foxe's Acts and Monuments. The original Acts and Monuments printed in 1563 helped frame English consciousness national religious and historical for over four hundred years. Evoking images of sixteenth-century martyred English Elizabeth enthroned Enemy overthrown danger averted Foxe's text served as popular and academic code. It also alerted English folk to threat of harboring citizens bearing allegiance to foreign powers. The text helped situate English monarchy in tradition of English Protestantism particularly Whiggism.
The first abridgment appeared in 1589 offered only two years after Foxe's death. Issued with dedication to Sir Francis Walsingham Timothy Bright's tight summary headed succession of hundreds of editions based on Foxe work. Editors were more selective in their reading yet influenced always by original Acts and Monuments. Famous scenes from Acts and Monuments revived for each new generation in illustrated text. Earliest printed book bearing title Book of Martyrs appears to be John Taylor edition in 1631. That title was not much in use before 1750 nor regularized as choice before 1850. Title Foxe's Book of Martyrs where author name reads as if part of title appears first in John Kennedy 1840 edition possibly as printing error. Nineteenth-century professionalizing scholars dismissed later editions expressing narrowly evangelical Protestant piety and nationalistic tools produced only to club Catholics. Very little still known about any of these editions. Characterized most recently as Foxe with ironic quotation marks signaling suspect term also as Foxe-in-action these derived texts await researchers. The majority editors knew Foxe text as martyrology taking material primarily from final two books of Acts and Monuments. They generated derived texts that genuinely were Book or Books of Martyrs. By end of seventeenth century work tended abbreviated to include only most sensational episodes torture and death giving lurid quality far from author intention.
The publication of J.F. Mozley biography of Foxe in 1940 reflected change perspective reevaluating Foxe work initiating rehabilitation as historian continuing to this day. New critical edition Actes and Monuments appeared in 1992 entering Phase 2 in 2010. Patrick Collinson formal acknowledgement recognizing John Foxe as Historian invited redetermining historians current relationship with text. Through late nineties into twenty-first century Foxe Project maintained funding for new critical edition promoting Foxeian studies including five John Foxe Congresses four publications collected papers dozens related articles specialized books. March 2013 marked 450 years since Foxe 1563 publication. Foxe first edition capitalized on new technology printing press similarly new critical edition benefits shaped by new technologies. Digitalized for internet generation scholars can now search cross-reference each first four editions benefit several essays introducing texts. Conceptual repertoire available reading altered from John Foxe era asked how possible read it at all Netzley posed question focusing sixteenth century texts polemics readers. In own time people sought out parts feeling most relevant extensive literature culture politics reading early modern period exists. Patrick Collinson concluded third Foxe Congress Ohio 1999 that result death author necessary accommodations postmodern morass Acts and Monuments no longer book any conventional sense. The text always multiple complex malleable easily mutable inherently contradictory characteristics increasing potential influence difficult pin down what Collinson called very unstable entity moving target.
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Common questions
When did John Foxe publish the first English edition of The Actes and Monuments?
John Foxe published the first English edition of The Actes and Monuments in March 1563 from the press of John Day. This volume contained about 1800 pages and cost more than ten shillings which was three weeks' pay for a skilled craftsman.
How many woodcuts were included in the second edition of John Foxe's work compared to the first edition?
The number of woodcuts increased from 60 to 150 in the second edition of John Foxe's work. These illustrations linked England's suffering back to primitive times until the reign of King Henry VIII and covered the period from Queen Elizabeth onward.
What specific criticisms did Thomas Harding level against John Foxe regarding his historical accuracy?
Thomas Harding called Acts and Monuments that huge dunghill of your stinking martyrs full of a thousand lies. Detractors accused John Foxe of dealing falsely with evidence, misusing documents, and telling partial truths.
Where was John Foxe's Acts and Monuments chained following the 1571 Convocation order?
Following a 1571 Convocation order John Foxe's Acts and Monuments was chained beside the Great Bible in cathedrals select churches and even several bishops' and guild halls. Selected readings from text were proclaimed from pulpit as if it were Scripture.
When did the title Foxe's Book of Martyrs first appear according to the script text?
The title Foxe's Book of Martyrs where author name reads as if part of title appears first in John Kennedy 1840 edition possibly as printing error. That title was not much in use before 1750 nor regularized as choice before 1850.