# What martyr said this?



## NaphtaliPress (Oct 24, 2016)

I've seen several versions but none ever identify other than 'the martyr'. Any ideas who this is? It was someone burned with another.
Carstares' preface to Durham on Isaiah 53 and Gurnal's Christian's complete armour
as a holy martyr said to His fellow-sufferer in the fire with Him, “It is but winking, and our pain and sorrow is all over”)

Ezekiel Hopkins and Trapp
" _It is but winking_, and I shall be in heaven :"
https://books.google.com/books?id=M...onepage&q=martyr "it is but winking",&f=false

I searched Foxe's book of martyrs online and nothing came up for "winking" or wink"


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## Phil D. (Oct 24, 2016)

The actual verbal attribution is unfamilar, but the general circumstance reminds me a little bit of John Bradford.

"Another notable Protestant martyred at Smithfield was John Bradford. While attending Oxford as a young man he acquired the nickname "Holy Bradford" - not as an attempt to mock, but out of true respect for his evident dedication to God and unselfish attitude towards all. When he once saw a poor criminal being led to execution, he is said to have exclaimed, "There, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford" - from whence arose the classic evangelical expression of humility, "there, but for the grace of God, go I." Bradford's skill in sound and effective preaching eventually lead to his appointment in 1551 as Chaplain to the young Protestant king Edward VI.

Bradford was afterwards arrested under the persecutions of Bloody Mary, for publicly preaching his beliefs at various churches throughout greater London, including outside St. Paul's Cathedral - although the official charge against him was "trying to stir up a mob." He was chained to a pitch-soaked stake at Smithfield alongside a frightened young believer named John Leaf. Just before the fire was lit, Bradford loudly begged forgiveness of any he had wronged and eagerly offered forgiveness to any who had wronged him. He then turned to encourage Leaf, and with a kind smile said, "Be of good comfort, brother; for we shall have a merry supper with the Lord this night!" [my writing based on various accounts]


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## NaphtaliPress (Oct 24, 2016)

Thanks; if anyone has anything closer, great, but that sure seems to sound like the setting if not the words used.


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## Rev. Todd Ruddell (Oct 24, 2016)

This from Thomas Brooks:

For ‘light afflictions,’ they shall have ‘a weight of glory;’ for a few afflictions, they shall have these joys, pleasures, and contents, that are as the stars of heaven, or as the sands of the sea that cannot be numbered; for momentary afflictions, they shall have an eternal crown of glory.3 ‘It is but winking, and thou shalt be in heaven presently,’ said the martyr.1 Oh, therefore, let not afflictions or troubles work thee to shun the ways of God, or to quit that service that should be dearer to thee than a world, yea, than thy very life, &c.

Thomas Brooks, The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, ed. Alexander Balloch Grosart, vol. 1 (Edinburgh; London; Dublin: James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; G. Herbert, 1866), 73–74.
Fn#1: Paulisper O senex, oculos claude, nam statim lumen Dei videbis.—Sozomen, Co. ii. cap. ii.—G.


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## NaphtaliPress (Oct 24, 2016)

Thanks very much Todd, I had Brooks to check and if I had done that first could have spared this; many thanks.


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## Phil D. (Oct 24, 2016)

So, following the reference Rev. Ruddell noted, it would appear that the words (although variously stated in the translations given in the various sources I link to below) were spoken during the persecution of Persian Christians in 344AD, by a previously secret believer, Pusices, in an attempt to bolster the courage of a wavering presbyter who was facing martyrdom, Ananias, and whom upon this public outburst in court was himself then martyred, as related by the 5th century Byzantine church historian Sozomen. Do I have this all right?  

Also, according to the original chronicler, Sozomen, and contrary to one retelling of the story as you cited it, the martyrs' death was by sword and not by burning, and there is no direct indication that the deaths occurred at the same time.

https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.iii.vii.xi.html

https://books.google.com/books?id=p... claude, nam statim lumen Dei videbis&f=false

https://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/04/17/101124-martyr-ananias-the-presbyter-in-persia


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## NaphtaliPress (Oct 24, 2016)

Yes; I looked up Sozomen (actually it is book 2 chapter 11)., It does seem to be a conflating of martyrdom stories is going on. 
The Brooks is not even the same note in this edition. Someone added commentary and translation. Same as the seventh edition of 1671. https://books.google.com/books?id=W...KHe2yBNoQ6AEIITAB#v=onepage&q=winking&f=false
If I were to order these various sources it would be Trapp (1647), Brooks (1652), Gurnall (1654 or maybe it was 56), Carstares (1683), and Hopkins not published till much later.


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## NaphtaliPress (Oct 24, 2016)

The Latin can be found in Sibbes and Alleine also.


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## Phil D. (Oct 24, 2016)

A conflation of accounts and, shall we say, an interesting and rather whimsical translation of the Latin _oculos claud_.


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## NaphtaliPress (Oct 24, 2016)

That may be Trapp's whimsy if he's the one copied the Latin in Sibbes is in the Memoir which may be 19th century; haven't check it.


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## NaphtaliPress (Oct 24, 2016)

Well, this is never a good sign; and this is why moderators get picky about things that belong in private forums.
https://www.google.com/#safe=off&q="It+is+but+winking"+martyr


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## NaphtaliPress (Oct 24, 2016)

Okay now it seems to be Edmund Calamy and these fast sermons likely had circulation.
1644.
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/tex...1.001:4;seq=23;vid=101391;page=root;view=text


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## Rev. Todd Ruddell (Oct 24, 2016)

I had the citation in Calamy also, but no reference.


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## NaphtaliPress (Oct 25, 2016)

This is the type of thing that bugs the daylights out of me as an editor when trying to run something like this down. I'm still not sure where "it is but a winking" came from as I've not found anything earlier than two sermons by Calamy of 1643/44. There seems to be possible conflation of the martydom's under bloody Mary, Bradford and Leafe and Simon Miller and Elizabeth Cooper, and the earlier Persian martyrs Ananias and Pusices (what date was that exactly?). It seems the editor of Brooks works and Precious Remedies in vol. 1 in the 19th century is the one that tied the saying back to the martydoms of Ananias and Pusices, unless I can get a look at the 1676 edition, the last edition Brooks could have overseen which was treated as the base text along with the first and second editions. Note Trapp does tie this to Cooper and Miller but his adding of the "it is but winking" appears to be his further editorial since that is not in the four editions of Foxe online at https://www.johnfoxe.org. Also note his comment which suggests probably how this happend as in general the martyrs had sayings; though I have not found anyone using the phrase winking. I need a list of the sayings of the early Martyrs to consult. I suspect Calamy is not being original in the possibly whimsical translaton of Ananias' words, if that is indeed the ultimate referent, and there would be I guess some common martyrology or shorter history or some wide use before him. I need to get to EEBO to look at some blocked works that come up on TCP and check the Brooks.
Any way, if anyone gets an idea on how this may have come about, here is what I have starting with my source I'm trying to footnote and explain this.

Carstares, 1683. “(as a holy martyr said to his fellow-sufferer in the fire with him, “It is but winking, and our pain and sorrow is all over”)”

Edmund Calamy, The noble-mans patterne of true and reall thankfulnesse presented in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable House of Lords, at their late solemne day of Thanksgiving, June 15, 1643. 1643.

It is but winking with our eyes (as the Martyr said) and we are presently in Hea∣ven.

Englands antidote against the plague of civill warre presented in a sermon before the Honourable House of Commons on their late extraordinary solemn fast, October 22, 1644. 1652

It is but winking (as the Martyr said) and thou shalt be in heaven presently.

John Trapp subsequently uses this several times in his commentaries at 

Trapp, Gospels, 1647 Commentaries 1656.

A commentary or exposition upon the four Evangelists, and the Acts of the Apostles. 1647.

It is but winking (as that Martyr said) and thou shalt be in hea∣ven presently. / ...

Psalm 66:12, “It is but winking, said that martyr at the stake, and we shall be in heaven immediately.”

Matthew 26:42, “It is but winking (as that martyr said), and thou shall be in heaven presently.”

Romans 14:8 “It is but winking (as that martyr said), and thou shalt be in heaven presently.”

Eccl. 4:10. As Elizabeth Cowper, the martyr, in Queen Mary’s days had, who, being condemned, and at the stake with Simon Miller, when the fire came unto her she a little shrank thereat, crying once, _Ah!_ When Simon heard the same, he put his hand behind him toward her, and willed her to be strong and of good cheer; for, ‘Good sister,’ said he, ‘we shall soon have a joyful and sweet supper. It is but winking a little, and you are in heaven.’

1 Peter 1:3. “And many of the holy martyrs went as willingly to die as ever they did to dine; they called it their wedding day. They knew it was but winking only, and they should be in heaven immediately; hence their invincible courage at the hour of death.”

Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies, 1652; 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] 1653. Works, vol. 1, p. 74. 

‘It is but winking, and thou shalt be in heaven presently,’ said the martyr. Marginal note: Though the cross be bitter, yet it is but short; a little storm, as one said of Julian's persecution, and an eternal calm follows. The editor of the works drops this footnote and apparently inserts a reference to the martyrs Ananias and Pusices, although the 1676 edition needs consulting to verify this as this is the edition along with the first and second used and the change of the note may date to that 8[SUP]th[/SUP] edition.

Paulisper O senex, oculos claude, nam statim lumen Dei videbis.—Sozomen, book 2 chapter 11. “Shut thine eyes a little, old man, and immediately thou shalt see the light of God!"

William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour, part 3 (1662; 1821), 224. 

It is but winking (said a holy martyr to his fellow-sufferer, in the fire with him) and our pain and sorrow is all over.

Martyrdom of Simon Miller and Elizabeth Cooper.

Fox’s Martyr’s 1583 edition. “When the sayd mayster Myller heard the same, he put hys hande behinde him toward her [Elizabeth Cooper], and willed her to bee stronge, and of good chere. for good sister (sayd he) we shal haue a ioyful and a sweete supper.”

Foxe’s Martyr’s 1570 edition. “When the sayd Simon *Miller* heard the same, he put hys hand behinde him towarde her [Elizabeth Cooper], and willed her to be strong, and of good chere: For good sister (sayd he) we shal haue a ioyfull and a sweete supper.”

Fox’s Martyr’s 1576 edition. “When the sayd Simon *Miller* heard the same, hee put his hand behynde him toward her, and willed her to bee strong, and of good cheare: For good sister (sayd he) we shall haue a ioyfull and a sweete supper.”

Foxe’s Martyr’s 1583 edition. “When the sayd Simon *Miller* hearde the same, he put his hand behinde him towarde her, and willed her to bee strong, and of good cheare: For good sister (said he) we shall haue a ioyfull and a sweete supper.”

Martydom of John Bradford and Simon Leaf.

1563; 1570; 1576; 1583. Be of good comfort brother: for we shall haue a mery supper with the Lord this night.


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## Phil D. (Oct 25, 2016)

Chris, upon further review I'm wondering if the term "wink" in the 17th century was perhaps not quite as whimsical as we might now perceive it. Dr. Johnson's dictionary (1755 - but the earliest lexicographical treatment of it I could find, and many of the literary quotes he gives as a basis are from the 17th century) gives it as a common expression for briefly closing ones eyes. This would seem to bring such a rendering of Sozemen's _oculos claude_ generally in line with those that use expressions like "shut thine eyes a little" in their translations of it (Polhill; Sibbes; Alleine).


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## NaphtaliPress (Oct 25, 2016)

Thanks for that; that may make this easier.


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## Phil D. (Oct 25, 2016)

Well, I figured I owed you to further investigate that angle, seeing how I likely contributed to a possible anachronistic perception...  [modern wink]


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## NaphtaliPress (Oct 25, 2016)

Very good;  and thanks again.


Phil D. said:


> Well, I figured I owed you to further investigate that angle, seeing how I likely contributed to a possible anachronistic perception...  [modern wink]


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