"These thinges, with many other shall by good & honest witnes be aproved to be his opinions and Comon Speeches, and that this Marlowe doth not only hould them himself, but almost into every Company he Cometh he persuades men to Atheism willing them not to be afeard of bugbeares and hobgoblins, and vtterly scorning both god and his ministers as I Richard Baines will Justify & approue both by mine oth and the testimony of many honest men, and almost al men with whome he hath Conversed any time will testify the same, and as I think all men in Cristianity ought to indevor that the mouth of so dangerous a member may be stopped, he saith likewise that he hath quoted a number of Contrarieties oute of the Scripture which he hath giuen to some great men who in Convenient time shalbe named. When these thinges shalbe Called in question the witnes shalbe produced."
THE 'BAINES NOTE'
As originally submitted
(BL Harley MS.6848 ff.185-6)
A note Containing the opinion of one Christopher
Marly Concerning his Damnable Judgment
of Religion, and scorn of gods word.
That the Indians and many Authors of antiquity haue
assuredly writen aboue 16 thousand yeares agone wher
as Adam is proued to haue lived within 6 thowsand yeares.
He affirmeth that Moyses was but a Jugler, & that one
Heriots being Sir W Raleighs man can do more then he.
That Moyses made the Jewes to travell xl yeares in the
wildernes, (which Jorney might haue bin Done in lesse then
one yeare) ere they Came to the promised land, to thintent
that those who were privy to most of his subtilties might
perish and so an everlasting superstition Remain in the harts
of the people.
That the first beginning of Religioun was only to keep men
in awe.
That it was an easy matter for Moyses being brought vp in
all the artes of the Egiptians to abuse the Jewes being
a rude & grosse people.
That Christ was a bastard and his mother dishonest.
That he was the sonne of a Carpenter, and that if the
Jewes among whome he was borne did Crucify him
theie best knew him and whence he Came.
That Crist deserved better to Dy then Barrabas and
that the Jewes made a good Choise, though Barrabas
were both a thief and murtherer.
That if there be any god or any good Religion, then it
is in the papistes because the service of god is performed
with more Cerimonies, as Elevation of the mass, organs,
singing men, Shaven Crownes & cetera. That all protestants
are Hypocriticall asses.
That if he were put to write a new Religion, he would
vndertake both a more Exellent and Admirable methode
and that all the new testament is filthily written.
That the woman of Samaria & her sister were whores
& that Christ knew them dishonestly.
That St John the Evangelist was bedfellow to Christ
and leaned alwaies in his bosome, that he vsed him
as the sinners of Sodoma.
That all they that loue not Tobacco & Boies were fooles.
That all the apostles were fishermen and base fellowes
neyther of wit nor worth, that Paull only had wit
but he was a timerous fellow in bidding men to be
subiect to magistrates against his Conscience.
That he had as good Right to Coine as the Queene of
England, and that he was acquainted with one poole
a prisoner in newgate who hath greate Skill in mix=
ture of mettals and hauing learned some things of
him he ment through help of a Cunninge stamp
maker to Coin French Crownes pistolets and Eng=
lish shillinges.
That if Christ would haue instituted the sacrament
with more Ceremoniall Reverence it would haue
bin had in more admiration, that it would haue
bin much better being administred in a Tobacco pipe.
That the Angell Gabriell was Baud to the holy
ghost, because he brought the salutation to Mary.
That one Ric Cholmley hath Confessed that he was
persuaded by Marloe's Reasons to become an Atheist.
These thinges, with many other shall by good &
honest witnes be aproved to be his opinions and
Comon Speeches, and that this Marlow doth not
only hould them himself, but almost into every
Company he Cometh he perswades men to Atheism
willing them not to be afeard of bugbeares and
hobgoblins, and vtterly scorning both god and his
ministers as I Richard Baines will Justify &
approue both by mine oth and the testimony
of many honest men, and almost al men with
whome he hath Conversed any time will
testify the same, and as I think all men in
Cristianity ought to indevor that the mouth of
so dangerous a member may be stopped, he saith likewise
that he hath quoted a number of Contrarieties oute of
the Scripture which he hath giuen to some great men who
in Convenient time shalbe named. When these thinges shalbe
Called in question the witnes shalbe produced.
Richard Baines
THE CORONER'S INQUISITION (Translated)
The original was discovered by Leslie Hotson and this, his translation, given in his The Death of Christopher Marlowe (1925).
KENT / INQUISITION Indented taken at Detford Strand in the aforesaid County of Kent within the verge on the first day of June in the year of the reign of Elizabeth by the grace of God of England France and Ireland Queen defender of the faith &c thirtyfifth, in the presence of William Danby, Gentleman, Coroner of the household of our said lady the Queen, upon view of the body of Christopher Morley, there lying dead & slain, upon oath of Nicholas Draper, Gentleman, Wolstan Randall, gentleman, William Curry, Adrian Walker, John Barber, Robert Baldwyn, Giles ffeld, George Halfepenny, Henry Awger, James Batt, Henry Bendyn, Thomas Batt senior, John Baldwyn, Alexander Burrage, Edmund Goodcheepe, & Henry Dabyns who say [upon] their oath that Ingram ffrysar, late of London, Gentleman, and the aforesaid Christopher Morley, and Nicholas Skeres, late of London, Gentleman, and Robert Poley of London aforesaid, Gentleman, on the thirtieth of May in the aforesaid thirtyfifth year, at the aforesaid Detford Strand in the aforesaid County of Kent within the verge about the tenth hour before noon of the same day met together in a room in the house of a certain Eleanor Bull, widow; & there passed the time together & dined & after dinner were in quiet sort together & walked in the garden belonging to the said house until the sixth hour after noon of the same day & then returned from the said garden to the room aforesaid & there together and in company supped; & after supper the said Ingram & Christopher Morley were in speech & uttered one to the other divers malicious words for the reason that they could not be at one nor agree about the payment of the sum of pence, that is, le recknynge, there; & the said Christopher Morley then lying upon a bed in the room where they supped, & moved with anger against the said Ingram ffrysar upon the words aforesaid spoken between them, and the said Ingram then & there sitting in the room aforesaid with his back towards the bed where the said Christopher Morley was then lying, sitting near the bed, that is, nere the bed, & with the front part of his body towards the table & the aforesaid Nicholas Skeres & Robert Poley sitting on either side of the said Ingram in such a manner that the same Ingram ffrysar in no wise could take flight; it so befell that the said Christopher Morley on a sudden & of his malice towards the said Ingram aforethought, then & there maliciously drew the dagger of the said Ingram which was at his back, and with the same dagger the said Christopher Morley then & there maliciously gave the aforesaid Ingram two wounds on his head of the length of two inches & of the depth of a quarter of an inch; whereupon the said Ingram, in fear of being slain, & sitting in the manner aforesaid between the said Nicholas Skeres & Robert Poley so that he could not in any wise get away, in his own defence & for the saving of his life, then & there struggled with the said Christopher Morley to get back from him his dagger aforesaid; in which affray the same Ingram could not get away from the said Christopher Morley; and so it befell in that affray that the said Ingram, in defence of his life, with the dagger aforesaid to the value of 12d, gave the said Christopher then & there a mortal wound over his right eye of the depth of two inches & of the width of one inch; of which mortal wound the aforesaid Christopher Morley then & there instantly died; And so the Jurors aforesaid say upon their oath that the said Ingram killed & slew Christopher Morley aforesaid on the thirtieth day of May in the thirtyfifth year named above at Detford Strand aforesaid within the verge in the room aforesaid within the verge in the manner and form aforesaid in the defence and saving of his own life, against the peace of our said lady the Queen, her now crown & dignity; And further the said Jurors say upon their oath that the said Ingram after the slaying aforesaid perpetrated & done by him in the manner & form aforesaid neither fled nor withdrew himself; But what goods or chattels, lands or tenements the said Ingram had at the time of the slaying aforesaid, done & perpetrated by him in the manner & form aforesaid, the said Jurors are totally ignorant. In witness of which thing the said Coroner as well as the Jurors aforesaid to this Inquisition have interchangeably set their seals. Given the day & year above named &c.
'by WILLIAM DANBY Coroner'.
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The Coroner's Inquisition
Kanc. / Inquisicio indentata capta apud Detford
Strand in praedicto Comitatu Kancia infra virgam
primo die Junij anno regni Elizabethe dei gratia
Anglie ffrancie & Hibernie Regine fidei defensoris &c
tricesimo quinto coram Willelmo Danby Generoso
Coronatore hospicij dicte domine Regine super visum
corporis Cristoferi Morley ibidem iacentis mortui &
interfecti per sacrum Nicholai Draper Generosi Wol-
stani Randall generosi Willelmi Curry Adriani Walker
Johannis Barber Roberti Baldwyn Egidij ffeld Georgij
Halfepenny Henrici Awger Jacobi Batt Henrici Ben-
dyn Thome Batt senioris Johannis Baldwyn Alexandri
Burrage Edmundi Goodcheepe & Henrici Dabyns
Qui dicunt sacrum suum quod cum quidam Ingramus
ffrysar nuper de Londinia Generosus ac praedictus
Cristoferus Morley Ac quidam Nicholaus Skeres nuper
de Londinia Generosus ac Robertus Poley de Londinia
praedicta Generosus tricesimo de Maij anno tricesimo
quinto supradicto apud Detford Strand praedictam in
praedicto Comitatu Kancia infra virgam circa horam
decimam ante meridiem eiusdem diei insimul conuener-
unt in Camera infra domum cuiusdam Elionore Bull
vidue & ibidem pariter moram gesserunt & prandebant
& post prandium ibidem quieto ['quiete' in MS] modo insimul fuerunt
& ambulauerunt in gardinum pertinentem domui prae-
dicto vsque horam sextam post meridiem eiusdem diei &
tunc recesserunt a gardino praedicto in Cameram prae-
dictam & ibidem insimul & pariter cenabant & post
cenam praedicti Ingramus & Cristoferus Morley locuti
fuerunt & publicauerunt vnus eorum alteri diuersa
maliciosa verba pro eo quod concordare & agreare non
potuerunt circa solucionem denariorum summe voc-
atum le recknynge ibidem & praedictus Cristoferus
Morley adtunc iacens super lectum in Camera vbi cen-
auerunt & ira motus versus praefatum Ingramum ffrysar
super verbis vt praefertur inter eos praelocutis Et prae-
dictus Ingramus adtunc & ibidem sedens in Camera
praedicta cum tergo suo versus lectum vbi praedictus
Cristoferus Morley tunc iacebat prope lectum vocatum
nere the bed sedens & cum anteriori parte corporis
sui versus mensam & praedicti Nicholaus Skere &
Robertus Poley ex vtraque parte ipsius Ingrami sedentes
tali modo vt idem Ingramus ffrysar nullo modo fugam
facere potuit Ita accidit quod praedictus Cristoferus
Morley ex subito & ex malicia sua erga praefatum
Ingramum praecogitata pugionem praedicti Ingrami
super tergum suum existentem maliciose adtunc &
ibidem euaginabat & cum eodem pugione praedictus
Cristoferus Morley adtunc & ibidem maliciose dedit
praefato Ingramo duo vulnera super caput suum longi-
tudinis duorum policium & profunditatis quartij vnius
policis Super quo praedictus Ingramus metuens occidi
& sedens in forma praedicta inter praefatos Nicholaum
Skeres & Robertum Poley Ita quod vlterius aliquo
modo recedere non potuit in sua defensione & salua-
cione vite sue adtunc & ibidem contendebat cum prae-
fato Cristofero Morley recipere ab eo pugionem suum
praedictum in qua quidem affraia idem Ingramus a
praefato Cristofero Morley vlterius recedere non potuit
Et sic in affraia illa Ita accidit quod praedictus In-
gramus in defensione vite sue cum pugione praedicta
precij xijd; dedit praefato Cristofero adtunc & ibidem
vnam plagam mortalem super dexterum oculum suum
profunditatis duorum policium & latitudinis vnius
policis de qua quidem plaga mortali praedictus Cris-
toferus Morley adtunc & ibidem instanter obijt Et
sic Iuratores praedicti dicunt super sacrum suum quod
praedictus Ingramus praefatum Cristoferum Morley
praedicto tricesimo die Maij anno tricesimo quinto
supradicto apud Detford Strand praedictam in prae-
dicto Comitatu Kancia infra virgam in Camera prae-
dicta infra virgam modo & forma praedictis in defen-
sione ac saluacione vite sue interfecit & occidit contra
pacem dicte domine Regine nunc coronam & dignita-
tem suas Et vlterius Juratores praedicti dicunt super
sacrum suum quod praedictus Ingramus post occisi-
onem praedictam per se modo & forma praedictis per-
petratam & factam non fugit neque se retraxit Sed que
bona aut catalla terras aut tenementa praedictus In-
gramus tempore occisionis praedicte per se modo &
forma praedictis facte & perpetrate habuit Iuratores
praedicti penitus ignorant In cuius rei testimonium
tam praedictus Coronator quam Iuratores praedicti
huic Inquisicioni sigilla sua alteratim aff[ixe]runt
Datum die & anno supradictis &c
per Willelmum Danby
Coronatorem
